Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Purchases 20,396 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.7%, holding approximately 1.21% of the company valued at about $177.7 million.
• J.B. Hunt's most recent quarterly earnings revealed an EPS of $1.31, missing estimates, while revenue remained stable at $2.93 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, which amounts to an annualized dividend yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,201,423 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 20,396 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.21% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $177,738,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% in the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have commented on JBHT. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. 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, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $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 currently owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $7.39 on Monday, hitting $142.75. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,156,038 shares, compared to its average volume of 978,482. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40. The firm has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 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. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $146.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $145.70.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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 revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. On average, equities 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

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.