Cetera Investment Advisers Has $2.56 Million Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Key Points

• Cetera Investment Advisers increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 104.2% in the first quarter, acquiring 8,839 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 17,319 shares valued at approximately $2.56 million.
• Analysts have set a consensus price target of $164.90 for J.B. Hunt, with mixed ratings that include 11 buy ratings, 10 hold ratings, and 1 strong buy, reflecting a generally positive outlook for the stock.
• J.B. Hunt recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, with an annualized yield of 1.2%, and has a dividend payout ratio of 32%.

Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 104.2% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,319 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 8,839 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers' holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.1% during 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 acquiring an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the first quarter valued at about $1,746,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in 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 worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position 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 valued at $590,000 after buying an additional 2,564 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $976,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently commented on JBHT. Bank of America boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Baird R W upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Barclays upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price target (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $3.18 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $140.33. 899,329 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,180,924. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company has a market cap of $13.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $145.40 and its 200 day simple moving average is $148.33.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.00%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

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.