Inspire Investing LLC Lowers Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Inspire Investing LLC reduced its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 29.9% in Q1, owning 11,208 shares valued at approximately $1.66 million post-sale.
• Major institutional investors have increased their stakes in J.B. Hunt, with Vanguard Group Inc. owning over 10 million shares worth approximately $1.49 billion after a 2.0% increase.
• J.B. Hunt recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Inspire Investing LLC decreased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 29.9% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,208 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 4,777 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,658,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Strs Ohio bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $6,658,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.8% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 12,478 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,846,000 after buying an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 624,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $92,399,000 after acquiring an additional 6,929 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 23.1% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 65,660 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,714,000 after acquiring an additional 12,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of JBHT stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $134.91. The company's stock had a trading volume of 428,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,119,782. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.28. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $144.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.16.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 business's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Barclays raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Baird R W raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $159.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $157.00 in a report on Friday, September 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.14.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. This trade 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.

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.