Sienna Gestion Invests $1.77 Million in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Sienna Gestion opened a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, buying 9,062 shares valued at about $1.77 million in the fourth quarter.
• The stock was trading near $283.16 and has risen close to its 52-week high of $293.54, even as the article notes shares were down 2.1% on the day.
• J.B. Hunt reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.49 and revenue of $3.06 billion, while analysts remain moderately bullish with a consensus price target of $233.83.

Sienna Gestion acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 9,062 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,769,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $592,015,000 after buying an additional 272,594 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 77.2% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,189,566 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $426,126,000 after purchasing an additional 1,389,723 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $358,510,000 after purchasing an additional 416,167 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,612,262 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $216,317,000 after purchasing an additional 82,939 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at $200,587,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $283.16 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $254.36 and a 200-day moving average of $223.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $26.70 billion, a PE ratio of 43.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.12 and a 1-year high of $293.54.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The company's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.86%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total transaction of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares in the company, valued at $6,281,125.62. This trade represents a 24.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total value of $516,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 4,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,188,752.80. This represents a 30.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,119 shares of company stock valued at $4,736,095. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on JBHT. Bank of America increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. TD Cowen increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $240.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $233.83.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

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