Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. Purchases 27,871 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.1%, holding approximately 1,347,508 shares, valued at around $199.36 million.
• J.B. Hunt's shares experienced fluctuations with a 12-month low of $122.79 and a high of $200.40, currently trading at $145.28, with a market capitalization of $14.06 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing a dividend yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 2.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,347,508 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 27,871 shares during the period. J.B. Hunt Transport Services accounts for 0.8% of Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. owned 1.36% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $199,364,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during 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 in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during 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 in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% during 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 in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 482 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $71,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $159.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down previously from $175.00) 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, ten have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $165.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $1.99 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $141.00. The company had a trading volume of 694,366 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,123,145. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $146.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $144.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $200.40. The firm has a market cap of $13.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.64, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.00%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 company insiders.

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.