J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Declares $0.45 Quarterly Dividend

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, payable on August 21 to shareholders of record as of August 7. The stock’s annualized dividend is $1.80, implying a yield of about 0.6%.
• The company continues a strong dividend record, having raised its payout annually for 22 consecutive years, with a payout ratio of 25.6%. Analysts expect earnings to remain sufficient to cover the dividend, with a projected future payout ratio of 18.5%.
• J.B. Hunt recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting $1.91 EPS on $3.50 billion in revenue, both above analyst estimates. Revenue rose 19.4% year over year, while insiders have recently been net sellers of the stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be paid a dividend of 0.45 per share by the transportation company on Friday, August 21st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has increased its dividend by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a dividend payout ratio of 25.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect J.B. Hunt Transport Services to earn $9.74 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.5%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT stock opened at $292.24 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $277.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.59. The company has a market capitalization of $27.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.39, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $130.12 and a 1-year high of $299.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,188,752.80. This represents a 30.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total transaction of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,045.04. This represents a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders sold 15,847 shares of company stock valued at $4,162,861. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Summitry LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.9% in the 1st quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,765 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 232 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,622 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

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