King Luther Capital Management Corp Makes New $3.85 Million Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Key Points

• King Luther Capital Management Corp has made a new investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., acquiring 26,015 shares valued at approximately $3.85 million during the 1st quarter.
• J.B. Hunt recently reported earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34, with quarterly revenue totaling $2.93 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44, with an annualized yield of 1.3%, indicating a dividend payout ratio of 32%.

King Luther Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 26,015 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $3,849,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the period. Wahed Invest LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $355,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the period. Man Group plc lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 11,165 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,905,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,697 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have commented on JBHT shares. Susquehanna lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, 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. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.7%

JBHT traded down $1.00 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $143.45. 544,605 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,064,553. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The company's fifty day moving average price is $145.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.07. The company has a market cap of $13.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.32 earnings per share. As a group, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.