Horizon Investments LLC Raises Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt by 1,103.2% in Q4, owning 14,715 shares after adding 13,492 shares, valued at about $2.86 million.
• Several sell‑side firms raised price targets recently and the stock has an average analyst rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $227.04.
• J.B. Hunt beat quarterly expectations with $1.49 EPS (vs. $1.45 est.) and $3.06B revenue, and declared a $0.45 quarterly dividend (0.8% yield) payable May 22.

Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 1,103.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 14,715 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,492 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,860,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Nkcfo LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $505,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,350 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $845,000 after purchasing an additional 204 shares during the last quarter. Danske Bank A S grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 39,112 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $7,601,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. GenTrust LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $400,000. Finally, New York State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 71,411 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $13,878,000 after purchasing an additional 3,944 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $227.04.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $238.34 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $256.18. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $223.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $202.52. The company has a market cap of $22.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.89, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 331 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.57, for a total value of $74,663.67. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at $906,565.83. This represents a 7.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at $3,862,800. This represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 10,869 shares of company stock valued at $2,526,867 over the last ninety days. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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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