Nomura Holdings Inc. Decreases Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Nomura Holdings Inc. reduced its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 60.4%, selling 3,809 shares during the first quarter, leaving them with 2,500 shares worth approximately $370,000.
• Equity analysts have set varying price targets for J.B. Hunt shares, with Raymond James raising its target from $155 to $165, while Stifel Nicolaus lowered theirs from $150 to $145.
• J.B. Hunt recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, yielding 1.2%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 32.00%.

Nomura Holdings Inc. reduced its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 60.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,500 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,809 shares during the quarter. Nomura Holdings Inc.'s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $370,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% in the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 131 shares during the period. TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% in the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the 1st quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 482 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $71,000 after buying an additional 123 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $0.74 during trading on Monday, reaching $142.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,445,298 shares, compared to its average volume of 984,924. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $146.67 and its 200 day simple moving average is $144.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.84 billion, a PE ratio of 26.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $2.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on JBHT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Truist Financial increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.