AlphaQuest LLC Grows Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• AlphaQuest LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 165.6% during the first quarter, acquiring an additional 5,693 shares worth $1,351,000.
• J.B. Hunt has recently received mixed ratings from analysts, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.90.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing an annual yield of 1.2% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 165.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 9,131 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 5,693 shares during the quarter. AlphaQuest LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,351,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norinchukin Bank The boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16.3% during the 1st quarter. Norinchukin Bank The now owns 4,528 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $670,000 after acquiring an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. Fuller & Thaler Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter worth $9,704,000. Quantbot Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 430.9% during the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 33,534 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $4,961,000 after purchasing an additional 27,218 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,408,057 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $208,322,000 after purchasing an additional 144,666 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 800,997 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $118,508,000 after purchasing an additional 5,142 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. UBS Group reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Raymond James Financial upped their price target on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.90.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the purchase, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT traded down $2.48 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $143.32. The stock had a trading volume of 491,112 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,127,432. The company has a market cap of $13.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a fifty day moving average of $146.36 and a 200 day moving average of $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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40.

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 earnings per share (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 prior year, the company earned $1.32 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

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