American Trust Sells 3,772 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• American Trust reduced its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 28.1%, selling 3,772 shares and ending the period with a total of 9,663 shares valued at approximately $1.43 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported earnings per share of $1.31 in its most recent quarter, missing expectations by $0.03, while revenue remained stable at $2.93 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 1.2%, and has a dividend payout ratio of 32.00%.

American Trust lessened its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 28.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,663 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,772 shares during the quarter. American Trust's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,430,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.1% during the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after buying an additional 1,209 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the first quarter worth about $1,746,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in 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 worth $97,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 179.8% during the first quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $590,000 after acquiring an additional 2,564 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $976,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on JBHT. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eleven have given 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 an average target price of $165.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $3.52 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $137.93. The stock had a trading volume of 652,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,017,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $145.66 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $143.66. The firm has a market cap of $13.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued 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 firm 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.