Wakefield Asset Management LLLP Purchases New Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Wakefield Asset Management LLLP bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,185 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $323,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $146,618,000. Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $104,113,000 after buying an additional 606,484 shares during the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,408.1% during the fourth quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC now owns 213,888 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $36,502,000 after buying an additional 205,360 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 194.0% in the 4th quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 258,467 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $44,110,000 after acquiring an additional 170,561 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, 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 transaction of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 1st. 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 report on Wednesday, July 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Raymond James Financial raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of JBHT stock traded down $0.42 on Friday, hitting $149.31. The stock had a trading volume of 980,465 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,090,894. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $144.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $150.32. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $122.79 and a twelve month high of $200.40. The firm has a market cap of $14.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.15, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.29.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

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.