Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Acquires 17,132 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 17,132 additional shares to hold 166,332 shares valued at about $32.7 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.49 versus estimates of $1.45 and revenue of $3.06 billion versus $3.01 billion expected. Revenue rose 4.6% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $227.04.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 11.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 166,332 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,132 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.17% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $32,731,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Pinnacle Wealth Management Advisory Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $546,000. Horizon Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1,103.2% in the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 14,715 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,860,000 after buying an additional 13,492 shares during the period. Nkcfo LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $505,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.9% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 4,350 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $845,000 after buying an additional 204 shares during the period. Finally, Danske Bank A S grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Danske Bank A S now owns 39,112 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $7,601,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total transaction of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 91,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,002,802. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total value of $519,216.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 16,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,862,800. This trade represents a 11.85% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders sold 4,510 shares of company stock worth $1,092,450. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $245.40 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $23.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $256.18. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $224.25 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $204.34.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 27.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. Robert W. Baird raised 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 note on Friday, April 17th. Benchmark raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. UBS Group raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Argus set a $285.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $227.04.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.

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