ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Acquires Shares of 6,125 J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired 6,125 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., valued at approximately $906,000, indicating growing institutional interest in the transportation company.
• Several equity research analysts have upgraded their price targets for J.B. Hunt, with a consensus target price of $164.90 and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• J.B. Hunt announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44, representing a 1.3% yield, further attracting investors looking for income-producing stocks.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 6,125 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $906,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $108,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 112,900.0% during the first quarter. NBC Securities Inc. now owns 1,130 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $167,000 after buying an additional 1,129 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.1%

JBHT traded up $3.06 on Wednesday, reaching $145.89. 823,618 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,131,004. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $200.40. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $145.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $147.49. The company has a market cap of $14.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.53, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective for the company. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

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

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.