BNP Paribas Financial Markets Cuts Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• BNP Paribas Financial Markets cut its J.B. Hunt Transport Services stake by 21.5% in the fourth quarter, selling 54,458 shares and leaving it with 198,255 shares worth about $38.5 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.49 versus $1.45 expected and revenue of $3.06 billion versus $3.01 billion estimated. Revenue rose 4.6% from a year earlier.
• The stock has traded near its 52-week high, opening at $280.05 with a year range of $130.12 to $281.62. Analysts currently have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $228.17.

BNP Paribas Financial Markets reduced its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 21.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 198,255 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 54,458 shares during the period. BNP Paribas Financial Markets owned 0.21% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $38,529,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $200,587,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,114,000. National Pension Service increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 114.3% during the 4th quarter. National Pension Service now owns 6,368 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,238,000 after buying an additional 3,397 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 36.9% during the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 5,679 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,104,000 after buying an additional 1,531 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Baker Avenue Asset Management LP increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.4% during the 4th quarter. Baker Avenue Asset Management LP now owns 4,844 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $941,000 after buying an additional 573 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $280.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $242.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $216.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.41 billion, a PE ratio of 43.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $281.62.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total value of $2,002,040.04. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,281,125.62. This represents a 24.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total value of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 91,736 shares in the company, valued at $23,002,802. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,916 shares of company stock valued at $4,109,634 in the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. UBS Group boosted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Truist Financial boosted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Wall Street Zen lowered J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 30th. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $228.17.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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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