Barclays Issues Pessimistic Forecast for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Barclays has downgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services' price target from $145.00 to $135.00, maintaining an "equal weight" rating on the stock.
• Other analysts have also slashed their price targets for J.B. Hunt, with Morgan Stanley lowering its target from $160.00 to $155.00, while Goldman Sachs set a target at $164.00.
• Despite the downward adjustments, J.B. Hunt's stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a target price averaging around $160.86.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its price objective cut by investment analysts at Barclays from $145.00 to $135.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "equal weight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Barclays's price objective would indicate a potential upside of 1.75% from the stock's previous close.

JBHT has been the subject of a number of other reports. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $160.86.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $132.68 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $12.84 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.53.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $258,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,993 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth $91,094,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $718,015,000 after acquiring an additional 616,986 shares during the last quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% in the second quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $96,337,000 after acquiring an additional 401,937 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 178.9% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 428,704 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $61,562,000 after acquiring an additional 275,017 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.

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