Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board Buys 14,840 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Key Points

• The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 129.0% in Q1, holding a total of 26,344 shares worth approximately $3.9 million.
• Analysts have mixed opinions on J.B. Hunt, with target prices ranging from $145.00 to $169.00, and a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
• The company recently announced a $0.44 quarterly dividend, reflecting a 1.2% yield and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 129.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 26,344 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 14,840 shares during the quarter. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $3,898,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $108,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares during the period. Wahed Invest LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $355,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares during the period. Man Group plc increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 11,165 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,905,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Trust Investment Advisors increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,697 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $695,000 after purchasing an additional 104 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $0.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $139.44. 990,275 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,182,719. The stock has a market cap of $13.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $145.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $148.09.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors 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 dividend yield of 1.3%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 32.00%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business'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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on JBHT. TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. Ten equities research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.