Balyasny Asset Management L.P. Boosts Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 97.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,672 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,801 shares during the quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P.'s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $968,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $215,610,000 after acquiring an additional 1,024,295 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth $146,618,000. Demars Financial Group LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% during the fourth quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $104,113,000 after acquiring an additional 606,484 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% in the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $163,237,000 after purchasing an additional 503,324 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,840 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,689,000 after purchasing an additional 134,476 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have commented on JBHT. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $164.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $162.00.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT traded up $0.64 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.88. The company had a trading volume of 89,045 shares, compared to its average volume of 979,905. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $139.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $162.50. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. 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 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market capitalization of $14.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. Analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.94%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.