J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Stock: Inspire Investing LLC Boosts Position

Key Points

• Inspire Investing increased its J.B. Hunt position by 25.3% in the third quarter, bringing its holdings to 31,672 shares valued at approximately $7.1 million. Institutional investors collectively own 74.95% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $273.76, although several firms recently reduced their targets.
• J.B. Hunt exceeded quarterly expectations with $1.82 in EPS and $3.68 billion in revenue, up 20.4% year over year. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, representing a 0.8% yield.

Inspire Investing LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 25.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 31,672 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,396 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $7,096,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 500.0% in the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 150 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 250.0% during the 1st quarter. Basecamp Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 217 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Sawyer & Company Inc purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $67,000. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 17.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 250 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $72,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on JBHT. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $329.00 to $307.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 14th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $305.00 to $285.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 16th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $264.00 to $273.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $292.00 to $289.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $287.00 to $283.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $273.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $226.03 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $157.82 and a 52 week high of $299.76. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $247.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $259.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.23 billion, a PE ratio of 31.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.31.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.82 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.01. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.72% and a net margin of 5.07%. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.59 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's quarterly revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 25.28%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Founded in 1961 by Johnnie Bryan Hunt and his wife, Nellie, the company has grown into a major provider of freight transportation services across North America.

The company's principal operations include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and truck services; dedicated contract services, which provide customized transportation capacity and fleet management for individual customers; and integrated logistics solutions, including freight brokerage and third-party logistics.

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