J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Shares Purchased by Greenwood Gearhart Inc.

Key Points

• Greenwood Gearhart Inc. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, buying 8,270 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 201,839 shares valued at about $39.2 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting EPS of $1.49 versus the $1.45 estimate and revenue of $3.06 billion, up 4.6% year over year.
• Analysts remain generally positive on the stock, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $227.04, even as recent insider sales were disclosed.

Greenwood Gearhart Inc. raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 201,839 shares of the transportation company's stock after buying an additional 8,270 shares during the period. J.B. Hunt Transport Services makes up 2.2% of Greenwood Gearhart Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. owned about 0.21% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $39,225,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,324 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $646,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.5% during the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,508 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certuity LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 1,512 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 72 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 JBHT opened at $245.40 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $130.12 and a one year high of $256.18. The company has a 50-day moving average of $224.25 and a two-hundred day moving average of $204.34. The stock has a market cap of $23.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.99, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect 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 dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report 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 issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.04.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.28, for a total transaction of $254,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,973,462.52. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 16,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,862,800. This represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 4,510 shares of company stock worth $1,092,450. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JBHT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.