Hsbc Holdings PLC Cuts Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC has reduced its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.5%, now owning approximately 0.14% of the company and valued at $20.67 million.
• The company reported $1.31 EPS for the last quarter, which fell short of analysts' expectations of $1.34, while revenue held steady at $2.93 billion.
• J.B. Hunt announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, with a current annualized dividend yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Hsbc Holdings PLC lowered its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 7.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 140,026 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 11,318 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.14% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $20,668,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $718,015,000 after buying an additional 616,986 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% during the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,502,000 after buying an additional 205,360 shares during the last quarter. Nuveen LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter worth $29,497,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,486,670,000 after buying an additional 195,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 194.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 258,467 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,110,000 after purchasing an additional 170,561 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was 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.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ JBHT traded up $1.47 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $145.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,211,660 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,131,670. The stock has a market cap of $14.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $122.79 and a fifty-two week high of $200.40. The company's 50-day moving average is $146.22 and its two-hundred day moving average is $145.69. 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 (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 32.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Baird R W upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 price target (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.90.

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.