Petrus Trust Company LTA Buys New Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Petrus Trust Company LTA acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by purchasing 2,739 shares valued at approximately $405,000 in the first quarter of the fiscal year.
• J.B. Hunt recently reported an EPS of $1.31, missing the consensus estimate, while revenue for the quarter stood at $2.93 billion, meeting analysts' expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 1.2%, with a payout ratio of 32.00%.

Petrus Trust Company LTA bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,739 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $405,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,488,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% in 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 buying an additional 6,668 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,347,508 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $199,364,000 after buying an additional 27,871 shares during the period. Kettle Hill Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $2,289,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.7% in the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 465,147 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $68,818,000 after buying an additional 29,169 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Truist Financial increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 target price for the company. Finally, Susquehanna increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, 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 completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $3.52 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $137.93. The stock had a trading volume of 652,734 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,017,997. The business's 50 day moving average is $145.66 and its 200-day moving average is $143.54. The company has a market cap of $13.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.32 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.00%.

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.