Merit Financial Group LLC Buys 4,527 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Merit Financial increased its stake in J.B. Hunt by 48.6%, adding 4,527 shares to hold 13,849 shares valued at about $2.69 million, and institutional investors now own roughly 74.95% of the stock.
• J.B. Hunt topped quarterly expectations with $1.49 EPS (vs. $1.45 est.) and $3.06B revenue (up 4.6% YoY), and raised its quarterly dividend to $0.45 (annualized $1.80, yield ~0.7%).
• Insiders have sold 22,907 shares worth about $5.04 million in the past 90 days, even as analysts mostly raised price targets and maintain a generally positive consensus (average target ~$224.87) while the stock trades near its one‑year high.

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 48.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 13,849 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,527 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,692,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of JBHT. State Street Corp increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $592,015,000 after purchasing an additional 272,594 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 77.2% during the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,189,566 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $426,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,723 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $358,510,000 after purchasing an additional 416,167 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,612,262 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $216,317,000 after purchasing an additional 82,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS Group AG lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.1% in the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 824,688 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $110,648,000 after purchasing an additional 263,965 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.68, for a total transaction of $225,680.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 17,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,046,668.08. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total value of $519,216.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,862,800. The trade was a 11.85% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 22,907 shares of company stock valued at $5,042,910 over the last 90 days. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 2.7%

JBHT stock opened at $251.60 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $219.01 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $196.35. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $123.16 and a one year high of $253.20. The stock has a market cap of $23.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.22.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.23 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $236.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $224.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding JBHT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.