Citigroup Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Citigroup from $156.00 to $175.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a "buy" rating on the transportation company's stock. Citigroup's price target indicates a potential upside of 14.17% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday. Barclays dropped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday. Bank of America upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.14.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $0.23 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $153.28. 484,641 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 997,770. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The company has a market cap of $15.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $141.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $152.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.07% and a net margin of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $146,618,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $718,015,000 after purchasing an additional 616,986 shares during the last quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% in the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $104,113,000 after acquiring an additional 606,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $163,237,000 after buying an additional 503,324 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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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