Gries Financial LLC Makes New $1.83 Million Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Gries Financial LLC has acquired a new investment of approximately $1.83 million in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, purchasing 12,745 shares during the 2nd quarter.
• J.B. Hunt's recent quarterly earnings reported a miss with earnings per share of $1.31, falling short of analysts' expectations of $1.34.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 1.3% with a payout ratio of 32%.

Gries Financial LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 12,745 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,830,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.6% in the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in 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 worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $130.65 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The company has a market cap of $12.65 billion, a PE ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a 50-day moving average of $143.49 and a two-hundred day moving average of $142.35.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 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%.The company's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, 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 was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 32.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reiterated 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 report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $171.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.14.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business'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 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 trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.

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