AQR Capital Management LLC Acquires 27,211 Shares of 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 raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 8.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 351,850 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 27,211 shares during the quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.35% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $51,638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted 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 acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 482 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $71,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Susquehanna raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. One research 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.00.

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

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased 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 represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.5%

NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $3.52 on Friday, hitting $137.93. 652,734 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,017,997. The company has a market cap of $13.35 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.28. 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 current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $145.66 and a 200-day moving average price of $143.66.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%.The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

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.