Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Grows Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Key Points

• Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 281.2% during Q2, owning 25,147 shares valued at approximately $3.84 million.
• The company reported an EPS of $1.31 for the latest quarter, slightly missing analysts’ expectations of $1.34, with revenues holding steady at $2.93 billion.
• J.B. Hunt recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, yielding 1.3% annually, with a payout ratio of 32%.

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 281.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 25,147 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 18,551 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $3,844,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,048,462 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,486,670,000 after acquiring an additional 195,873 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.6% during the 1st quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 4,853,092 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $718,015,000 after purchasing an additional 616,986 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.5% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,408,057 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $208,322,000 after purchasing an additional 144,666 shares during the last quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.1% in the first quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 1,347,508 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $199,364,000 after purchasing an additional 27,871 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.7% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,201,423 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $177,738,000 after purchasing an additional 20,396 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $132.40 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $142.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.02. The company has a market capitalization of $12.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.07, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.28.

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 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.32 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given 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 was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.00%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on JBHT shares. 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 report on Monday, July 7th. UBS Group cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $157.00 in a research report on Friday, September 5th. Robert W. Baird started coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $159.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.57.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

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.

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