Quantitative Investment Management LLC Acquires New Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Quantitative Investment Management LLC has acquired a new stake of 5,754 shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, valued at approximately $851,000, highlighting increased interest from institutional investors in the company.
• J.B. Hunt reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $1.31, missing analysts' expectations of $1.34, while its revenue of $2.93 billion met expectations.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, equating to an annualized dividend yield of 1.2%, while maintaining a dividend payout ratio of 32%.

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 5,754 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $851,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% in the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% in the first quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 482 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $71,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have weighed in on JBHT. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $170.00 target price (down from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Susquehanna boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $1.47 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $145.79. 1,211,660 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,040,883. 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 50-day moving average price of $146.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $145.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The firm has a market cap of $14.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.51, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly 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 return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%.The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This trade represents 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.

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.