J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from 22 analysts, with an average target price of $164.90.
• The company recently reported earnings of $1.31 per share for the last quarter, falling slightly below analysts' expectations, and indicated a net margin of 4.59%.
• J.B. Hunt declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44, with an upcoming payment date set for August 22nd and a dividend yield of 1.2%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $164.90.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Susquehanna raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $157.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial raised their price target 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. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 3.1%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $4.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $139.56. 1,173,846 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,130,467. The stock has a market cap of $13.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.37, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $145.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $149.10. 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 current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 business 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS 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, August 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 8th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 32.00%.

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 sale, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the first quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% during the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.6% during the second quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.