Martingale Asset Management L P Sells 7,954 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Martingale Asset Management L P significantly reduced its holdings in J.B. Hunt by selling 7,954 shares, resulting in a 73.1% decrease to 2,932 shares valued at approximately $434,000.
• Several institutional investors, including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Vanguard Group Inc., have increased their stakes in J.B. Hunt, with Vanguard owning over 10 million shares worth $1.49 billion.
• Analysts have mixed views on J.B. Hunt's stock, with ratings ranging from a "strong buy" to "equal weight," and an average target price set at $164.90.

Martingale Asset Management L P trimmed its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 73.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,932 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 7,954 shares during the period. Martingale Asset Management L P's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $434,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $718,015,000 after purchasing an additional 616,986 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% in the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $36,502,000 after purchasing an additional 205,360 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,497,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,486,670,000 after purchasing an additional 195,873 shares during the period. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 194.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 258,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $44,110,000 after purchasing an additional 170,561 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Baird R W raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on shares of 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $164.90.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 4.9%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $142.75 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $13.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $146.12 and a 200 day moving average price of $145.70. 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

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.

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