Bessemer Group Inc. Purchases 1,005,047 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Bessemer Group Inc. massively increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, buying 1,005,047 shares in the fourth quarter and lifting its position to about 1.06% of the company, valued at roughly $195.6 million.
• J.B. Hunt shares rose 7.1% and traded near their 52-week high, with the stock opening at $254.66 and the company carrying a market cap of about $24.0 billion.
• The company delivered a better-than-expected quarterly earnings report, posting EPS of $1.49 versus estimates of $1.45 and revenue of $3.06 billion, while also announcing a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share.

Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 75,567.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 1,005,047 shares during the quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 1.06% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $195,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,314,000 after buying an additional 6,668 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.3% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 433,661 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $64,160,000 after purchasing an additional 13,729 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $539,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.0% during the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 583 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 7.1%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $254.66 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $225.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.12 and a fifty-two week high of $257.16. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.77 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.17 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.28, for a total value of $254,280.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 19,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,973,462.52. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,862,800. This represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 4,510 shares of company stock worth $1,092,450 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $248.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $228.17.

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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