AQR Capital Management LLC Grows Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.4%, owning approximately 351,850 shares valued at $51.64 million as of the last reporting period.
• The company recently reported earnings of $1.31 per share, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.03, while revenue remained stable at $2.93 billion for the quarter.
• Analysts have mostly rated J.B. Hunt Transport Services positively, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $165.00, although brokerage ratings vary from "strong buy" to "hold."

AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 8.4% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 351,850 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,211 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned about 0.35% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $51,638,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.1% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 1,209 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,746,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $97,000 after buying an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 179.8% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 2,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,201.72. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Baird R W raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $4.25 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $141.19. 569,909 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,121,106. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $146.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.96. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock has a market cap of $13.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

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.