Janus Henderson Group PLC Increases Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Janus Henderson Group PLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,390,200 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,476 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned 3.36% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $578,572,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Gotham Asset Management LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.4% during the 4th quarter. Gotham Asset Management LLC now owns 34,656 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $5,914,000 after purchasing an additional 11,139 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 55.7% during the 4th quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,902 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $495,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth about $7,110,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 383,007 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $65,364,000 after buying an additional 31,384 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 51.7% during the fourth quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,672 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,309,000 after buying an additional 2,615 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $135.44 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $140.73 and a two-hundred day moving average of $163.92. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $200.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $13.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. 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 Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at $12,008,995.25. The trade was a 1.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens dropped 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 note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.20.

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.

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