Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Buys 6,928 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.3%, acquiring an additional 6,928 shares, bringing its total ownership to approximately 137,693 shares valued at about $20.37 million.
• J.B. Hunt Transport Services reported an EPS of $1.31 for its latest quarter, missing analysts' estimates, while its revenue remained stable at $2.93 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44, scheduled to be paid on August 22nd, indicating a yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 32%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 5.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 137,693 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,928 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned approximately 0.14% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $20,372,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of JBHT. Demars Financial Group LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $104,113,000 after buying an additional 606,484 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% during the 4th quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,502,000 after buying an additional 205,360 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,486,670,000 after buying an additional 195,873 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 194.0% during the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 258,467 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,110,000 after buying an additional 170,561 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13,668.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 140,848 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $208,380,000 after buying an additional 139,825 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.5%

JBHT traded down $0.67 during trading on Friday, hitting $143.78. 126,100 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,124,056. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 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 50-day moving average of $145.70 and a 200 day moving average of $147.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

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

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

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,763.62. This trade 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.