3,079,671 Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Purchased by Jupiter Topco LLC

Key Points

• Jupiter Topco LLC purchased 3.08 million J.B. Hunt shares worth approximately $891.3 million, giving it a 3.28% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 74.95% of the company.
• J.B. Hunt reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.91 versus estimates of $1.71 and revenue of $3.50 billion, up 19.4% year over year.
• Analysts maintain a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating with an average price target of $286.30, while the company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, yielding about 0.7% annually.

Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 3,079,671 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $891,349,000. Jupiter Topco LLC owned about 3.28% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth approximately $1,833,602,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $592,015,000 after purchasing an additional 272,594 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $843,937,000 after purchasing an additional 41,887 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 17.7% in the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,755,171 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $729,780,000 after purchasing an additional 565,605 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,612,262 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $216,317,000 after purchasing an additional 82,939 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.9%

JBHT opened at $262.18 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $24.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firm's fifty day moving average is $277.76 and its 200 day moving average is $251.92. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.12 and a fifty-two week high of $299.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%.J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Citigroup reiterated a "market perform" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, July 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $286.30.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total value of $426,015.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total value of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $225,252.70. This represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

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