United Services Automobile Association Purchases New Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• United Services Automobile Association acquired 2,007 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services valued at approximately $293,000 during the first quarter, as revealed in a recent SEC filing.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 74.95% of J.B. Hunt's stock, with major increases in shareholding from firms like Vanguard Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co..
• J.B. Hunt announced a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, representing an annualized yield of 1.3%, with a current dividend payout ratio of 32.00%.

United Services Automobile Association bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,007 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $293,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 11,165 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,905,000 after buying an additional 98 shares during the last quarter. Trust Investment Advisors increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.3% during the first quarter. Trust Investment Advisors now owns 4,697 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 104 shares during the last quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its position 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 valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $97,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Susquehanna raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. 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 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, July 7th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $165.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT traded down $1.58 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $136.35. 1,017,008 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,023,403. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.28. 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, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.40 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.