Candriam S.C.A. Sells 1,690 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Candriam S.C.A. reduced its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport by 14.9%, selling 1,690 shares and now holding 9,647 shares valued at approximately $1.43 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported quarterly earnings with a missed EPS of $1.31, below the consensus of $1.34, while revenue remained stable at $2.93 billion.
• Recent dividend declaration was for $0.44 per share, resulting in a yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 32%.

Candriam S.C.A. lowered its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 14.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 9,647 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 1,690 shares during the period. Candriam S.C.A.'s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,427,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake 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 purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,746,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $97,000 after buying an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 179.8% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 2,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $976,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $0.34 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $144.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 185,728 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,126,352. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $146.46 and a 200-day moving average of $145.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.23, a PEG ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective for the company. Susquehanna boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Baird R W upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price objective (down from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.90.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

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.