Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. Acquires New Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake of 65,588 shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, valued at approximately $9.7 million, representing about 0.07% ownership.
• J.B. Hunt reported a missed earnings estimate of $1.31 per share, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.34, although revenue met expectations at $2.93 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, with a payout ratio of 32%, and a dividend yield of 1.2% expected to be paid on August 22nd.

Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 65,588 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $9,704,000. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. owned about 0.07% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,486,670,000 after buying an additional 195,873 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $718,015,000 after purchasing an additional 616,986 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,390,200 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $578,572,000 after purchasing an additional 15,476 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,408,057 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $208,322,000 after purchasing an additional 144,666 shares during the period. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,319,637 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $225,209,000 after purchasing an additional 8,725 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 3.3%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $147.23 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $145.82 and a 200-day moving average of $146.52. The firm has a market cap of $14.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.79 and a twelve month high of $200.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 company's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 $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 available through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have issued reports on JBHT. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.

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