J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Shares Sold by Qsemble Capital Management LP

Key Points

• Qsemble Capital Management LP cut its J.B. Hunt Transport Services stake by 37.2% in the fourth quarter, selling 8,515 shares and ending with 14,364 shares worth about $2.79 million.
• Several other institutional investors increased their positions, and institutions now hold 74.95% of the company’s shares, showing continued heavy institutional ownership.
• J.B. Hunt recently beat quarterly earnings estimates, and analysts remain broadly positive with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $228.17, though the stock was trading above that level at $262.21.

Qsemble Capital Management LP decreased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 37.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 14,364 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 8,515 shares during the period. Qsemble Capital Management LP's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,792,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $258,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,993 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $195,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,047 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $110,434,000 after purchasing an additional 635,172 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $358,510,000 after purchasing an additional 416,167 shares during the period. Finally, Park Presidio Capital LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the 2nd quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $96,337,000 after purchasing an additional 401,937 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. This represents a 31.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total value of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,002,802. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 8,510 shares of company stock worth $2,110,410 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $262.21 on Friday. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $226.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.12 and a 12 month high of $263.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.17 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $235.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $248.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $236.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.17.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.

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