J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Price Target Lowered to $300.00 at Raymond James Financial

Key Points

• Raymond James lowered J.B. Hunt’s price target from $315 to $300 while maintaining an “outperform” rating, implying roughly 26% upside from the stock’s $238.27 price.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive but mixed: J.B. Hunt has a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $285.29, alongside several recent upgrades and downgrades.
• The company exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.91 in EPS versus $1.71 expected and $3.50 billion in revenue, up 19.4% year over year; institutional investors own approximately 74.95% of the stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its price target decreased by analysts at Raymond James Financial from $315.00 to $300.00 in a note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the transportation company's stock. Raymond James Financial's target price would suggest a potential upside of 25.91% from the stock's current price.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on JBHT. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday. Citigroup raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Susquehanna set a $345.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Zacks Research cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $285.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.7%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $1.54 during trading on Thursday, reaching $238.27. The stock had a trading volume of 425,717 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,653. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $299.76. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $273.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $256.52. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a market cap of $22.38 billion, a PE ratio of 33.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $1,833,602,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth approximately $891,349,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $843,937,000 after acquiring an additional 41,887 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 64.7% in the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,056,398 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $305,753,000 after acquiring an additional 414,837 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $287,581,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP upgraded JBHT from “market perform” to “outperform” and assigned a $300 price target, suggesting approximately 27% upside from the referenced price of $236.73.
• Positive Sentiment: Robert W. Baird reduced its target from $320 to $290 but maintained an “outperform” rating, while Wells Fargo lowered its target from $335 to $305 and kept an “overweight” rating. The target reductions reflect near-term caution, but both firms continue to expect longer-term appreciation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst actions were mixed: Citizens JMP became more bullish, while Baird and Wells Fargo cut their targets following the earnings warning. Zacks Research also downgraded the stock from “strong buy” to “hold.”
• Negative Sentiment: J.B. Hunt warned at the Morgan Stanley Laguna Conference that third-quarter earnings are expected to decline 5% to 10%. Higher diesel prices are expected to pressure profitability, with investors concerned that fuel-cost increases may outpace the company’s ability to recover them through pricing and surcharges. CNBC earnings warning article
• Negative Sentiment: The warning triggered a broad selloff in JBHT and other trucking stocks, as investors reassessed near-term earnings estimates and margins. Coverage emphasized that elevated fuel costs could hit the bottom line even if freight demand remains relatively stable. Investopedia fuel-cost article
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm is seeking investors to participate in an inquiry into a potential securities class action involving J.B. Hunt. The investigation adds a legal-risk overhang, although no finding of wrongdoing has been established. Rosen Law Firm investigation article

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Through its operating segments, the company provides freight transportation, logistics and supply-chain services to customers across North America.

Its principal businesses include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and trucking; dedicated contract services, which provides customized transportation and fleet-management solutions; and integrated capacity solutions, which matches customer freight with available transportation capacity.

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