J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Key Points

• The Swiss National Bank has reduced its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.3%, now holding 227,500 shares worth approximately $33.66 million.
• In the last quarter, various large investors significantly increased their positions in J.B. Hunt, with Demars Financial Group growing by 16,964.6% to 610,059 shares.
• J.B. Hunt's recent earnings report showed an EPS of $1.31, falling short of analyst estimates by $0.03, with revenue of $2.93 billion matching expectations.

Swiss National Bank lessened its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 1.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 227,500 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 3,000 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned approximately 0.23% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $33,659,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,486,670,000 after buying an additional 195,873 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,390,200 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $578,572,000 after buying an additional 15,476 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,319,637 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $225,209,000 after buying an additional 8,725 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,181,027 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $201,555,000 after buying an additional 108,933 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 795,855 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $135,821,000 after buying an additional 65,424 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on JBHT. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $159.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.90.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $1.40 during trading on Thursday, reaching $144.45. 744,988 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,130,708. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The firm has a market cap of $13.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.20 and a beta of 1.29. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $145.59 and its 200 day moving average price is $147.48.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

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.