Rhumbline Advisers Increases Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,542 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,043 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers owned approximately 0.17% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $24,640,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $146,618,000. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $104,113,000 after purchasing an additional 606,484 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $163,237,000 after buying an additional 503,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% during the fourth quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,502,000 after purchasing an additional 205,360 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT stock traded up $1.43 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $141.64. The stock had a trading volume of 786,571 shares, compared to its average volume of 993,649. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $200.40. The stock has a market cap of $14.05 billion, a PE ratio of 25.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $136.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $157.88.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.94%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average price of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on JBHT. Bank of America upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $164.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, June 2nd. Barclays lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.90.

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.