Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Purchases New Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Cayman LP opened a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in Q1, buying 37,202 shares valued at about $7.88 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported better-than-expected Q2 earnings, with EPS of $1.91 versus $1.71 expected and revenue of $3.50 billion, up 19.4% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, payable August 21, while analysts remain mostly positive with an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $286.30.

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 37,202 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $7,883,000.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 6,668 shares during the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 433,661 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,160,000 after buying an additional 13,729 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $539,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.0% during the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 583 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $84,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $292.24 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.12 and a twelve month high of $299.76. The company's 50-day moving average price is $277.52 and its 200-day moving average price is $240.59. The stock has a market cap of $27.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.39, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.31 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. UBS Group raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $286.00 to $291.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $248.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Stephens upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Sunday, June 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $286.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,696 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. This represents a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total value of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 790 shares of the company's stock, valued at $225,252.70. The trade was a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 15,847 shares of company stock worth $4,162,861. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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