Kera Capital Partners Inc. Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Kera Capital Partners Inc. has acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., purchasing 3,273 shares valued at approximately $470,000.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services recently reported quarterly earnings of $1.31 EPS, which missed the consensus estimate of $1.34 EPS.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.3%.

Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,273 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $470,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 482 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price target for the company. Baird R W upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $171.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.14.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.2%

JBHT stock traded down $0.22 during trading on Thursday, reaching $134.30. 490,756 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,120,159. The firm has a market cap of $13.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm's 50 day moving average is $144.73 and its 200 day moving average is $143.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.79 and a twelve month high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released 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 business had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The business's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is 32.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired at an average price 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. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.