Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG - Get Free Report) saw a large drop in short interest in May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,000,000 shares, a drop of 13.8% from the April 30th total of 1,160,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 681,500 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Currently, 1.7% of the shares of the stock are short sold.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Hub Group from $45.00 to $40.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of Hub Group in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $41.00 target price on the stock. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of Hub Group from $40.00 to $33.13 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, May 9th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Hub Group from $40.00 to $36.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, May 9th. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their price target on shares of Hub Group from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a "positive" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hub Group currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $43.68.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hub Group

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in Hub Group during the 1st quarter worth $855,000. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Hub Group by 33.3% in the 1st quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 39,181 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,456,000 after buying an additional 9,791 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in Hub Group by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 135,795 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $5,048,000 after acquiring an additional 4,844 shares during the period. Caxton Associates LLP bought a new stake in Hub Group in the 1st quarter valued at about $462,000. Finally, Petrus Trust Company LTA raised its stake in Hub Group by 67.3% in the 1st quarter. Petrus Trust Company LTA now owns 8,381 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 3,370 shares during the period. 46.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hub Group Trading Up 0.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:HUBG traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $33.69. The company had a trading volume of 339,710 shares, compared to its average volume of 540,696. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.49 and a 200 day moving average price of $40.18. The company has a market capitalization of $2.06 billion, a PE ratio of 19.82 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Hub Group has a one year low of $30.75 and a one year high of $53.21.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The transportation company reported $0.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.02. Hub Group had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 7.10%. The business had revenue of $915.22 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $973.86 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.44 EPS. Hub Group's revenue was down 8.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Hub Group will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Hub Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.48%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Hub Group's dividend payout ratio is 29.41%.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.