Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Buys 13,982 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 230,430 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,982 shares during the quarter. J.B. Hunt Transport Services comprises 0.6% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.'s holdings, making the stock its 27th biggest position. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. owned approximately 0.23% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $39,325,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. National Pension Service bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 worth $56,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $130.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $4.50 during trading on Friday, reaching $129.23. 1,950,062 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 939,167. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $150.62 and a two-hundred day moving average of $168.08. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $12.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. Research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

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.