Empowered Funds LLC Sells 6,317 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Empowered Funds LLC cut its J.B. Hunt position by 66% in the first quarter, selling 6,317 shares and retaining 3,247 shares valued at approximately $688,000. Institutional investors collectively own 74.95% of the company.
• J.B. Hunt reported quarterly earnings of $1.91 per share, exceeding estimates of $1.71, while revenue rose 19.4% year over year to $3.50 billion. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing a 0.6% yield.
• Analysts maintain a “Moderate Buy” consensus with an average price target of $286.30; Wells Fargo raised its target to $335, while other firms issued upgrades and higher targets.

Empowered Funds LLC lessened its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 66.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,247 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 6,317 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $688,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth approximately $539,000. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 9,684 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,882,000 after purchasing an additional 4,043 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 48.6% during the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,849 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,692,000 after acquiring an additional 4,527 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.4% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 454,610 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $96,332,000 after purchasing an additional 10,664 shares during the period. Finally, Greenwood Gearhart Inc. grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 201,839 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $39,225,000 after purchasing an additional 8,270 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $283.37 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.12 and a 52 week high of $299.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $279.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $249.49. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The business's revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. 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 25.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

JBHT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 7th. TD Cowen upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Citizens Jmp began coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a "market perform" rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $286.30.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total value of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares in the company, valued at $225,252.70. This represents a 47.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total transaction of $426,015.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares in the company, valued at $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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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