Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Buys 137,741 Shares of Hub Group, Inc. $HUBG

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management dramatically increased its Hub Group position in the fourth quarter, buying 137,741 additional shares and lifting its stake to 137,917 shares valued at about $5.9 million.
• Institutional ownership remains significant, with hedge funds and other investors holding 46.77% of Hub Group’s stock, while several firms such as Millennium Management and Hudson Bay Capital also made large purchases.
• Wall Street sentiment is cautious: the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.14, while recent headlines include a quarterly dividend announcement and ongoing legal/regulatory scrutiny tied to delayed filings and potential disclosure issues.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG - Free Report) by 78,261.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 137,917 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 137,741 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.23% of Hub Group worth $5,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in HUBG. Millennium Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 138.4% in the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 1,138,461 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $39,209,000 after buying an additional 661,018 shares in the last quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 3,557.4% in the 2nd quarter. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP now owns 505,787 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $16,908,000 after buying an additional 491,958 shares in the last quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 969.5% in the 3rd quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 436,144 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $15,021,000 after buying an additional 395,362 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 149.7% in the 2nd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 560,265 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $18,730,000 after buying an additional 335,871 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Hub Group in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,888,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of Hub Group from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Raymond James Financial restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of Hub Group from $50.00 to $42.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Hub Group from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $43.14.

Hub Group Trading Up 1.9%

Shares of Hub Group stock opened at $41.46 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $38.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $41.02. Hub Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.46 and a 12-month high of $53.26.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Hub Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 28.90%.

Key Headlines Impacting Hub Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Hub Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Hub Group declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.125 per share, payable on June 17 to shareholders of record on June 5. That supports the stock by signaling continued shareholder returns and financial stability. Hub Group Declares Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also received an expected Nasdaq deficiency notice for failing to timely file its Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, but this was already anticipated by management. Hub Group Receives Expected Deficiency Notice from Nasdaq Related to Delayed Filing of Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms launched or continued investigations into Hub Group over possible federal securities-law violations, citing alleged misstatements and issues tied to the delayed Q4 release and other disclosures. That legal overhang can pressure the stock by raising the risk of litigation, distraction, and potential financial penalties. Securities Fraud Investigation Into Hub Group, Inc. Continues
• Negative Sentiment: Additional investor alerts from Lowey Dannenberg, Frank R. Cruz, Howard G. Smith, BFA Law, Kirby McInerney, Pomerantz, and Levi & Korsinsky reinforce the same concern: Hub Group is facing mounting scrutiny over possible accounting or disclosure problems. Lowey Dannenberg investigation of Hub Group

Hub Group Profile

Hub Group, Inc NASDAQ: HUBG is a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Hub City Terminals and renamed Hub Group in 1978, the company completed its initial public offering in 2007. Over the decades, Hub Group has developed a comprehensive multimodal transportation network, leveraging partnerships with major rail carriers and an extensive drayage fleet to offer cost-efficient, sustainable shipping alternatives.

The company operates through two primary segments: Intermodal and Transportation Management.

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