Citigroup Reaffirms Buy Rating for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Citigroup reissued their buy rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has a $170.00 price target on the transportation company's stock, down from their previous price target of $175.00.

Several other research firms also recently commented on JBHT. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Stephens decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $1.25 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $152.69. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,280,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,003,623. The company has a 50-day moving average of $144.08 and a 200-day moving average of $151.63. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $15.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.98% and a net margin of 4.59%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.15%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.94%.

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

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.