Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd Purchases 4,440 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 4,440 shares and bringing its total holdings to 27,258 shares worth about $5.3 million.
• J.B. Hunt reported quarterly earnings of $1.49 per share, beating estimates, on revenue of $3.06 billion, which also topped expectations and was up 4.6% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, and analysts remain cautiously positive overall, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of about $228.17.

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 19.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 27,258 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,440 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $5,297,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $32,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.4%

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $237.80 on Thursday. The business's fifty day moving average is $225.20 and its 200-day moving average is $206.39. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $130.12 and a one year high of $256.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.81, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 17th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $228.17.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total value of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 16,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,862,800. This trade represents a 11.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total value of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,002,802. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 4,510 shares of company stock valued at $1,092,450. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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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