Alliancebernstein L.P. Increases Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. has increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.7%, owning a total of 465,147 shares worth approximately $68.8 million.
• J.B. Hunt recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, resulting in an annualized yield of 1.2%.
• Equities analysts have raised their price targets for J.B. Hunt, with estimates ranging from $145 to $180, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 465,147 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 29,169 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned approximately 0.47% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $68,818,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 11,165 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,905,000 after acquiring an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Trust Investment Advisors grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.3% during the first quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,697 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $695,000 after acquiring an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $3.52 during trading on Friday, reaching $137.93. 652,734 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,017,997. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $145.66 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.66. The stock has a market cap of $13.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-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 posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for 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 firm's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, research 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 Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.00%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, 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 the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost 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 of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on 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 lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. 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, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $165.00.

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.