J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from 22 brokerages, with 10 analysts recommending a buy, 11 a hold, and 1 a strong buy.
• The company recently reported a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26% for the last quarter, with earnings per share missing analysts' expectations by $0.03.
• J.B. Hunt declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 32.00%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two analysts that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have assigned a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $164.1429.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Susquehanna raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 price objective (up previously from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $171.00 to $153.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 1.3%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $1.66 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $130.86. The company had a trading volume of 602,625 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,126,811. J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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 quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $12.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $143.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $142.58.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 8th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.1% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 10,467 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,529,000 after purchasing an additional 1,209 shares during the period. Teacher Retirement System of Texas acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,746,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 22.4% in the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 656 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $97,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 179.8% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $590,000 after acquiring an additional 2,564 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $976,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

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.