Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 108,933 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 10.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,181,027 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 108,933 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 1.17% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $201,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,124,425 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $362,554,000 after buying an additional 104,019 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,997,568 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $340,049,000 after acquiring an additional 8,968 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $163,237,000 after purchasing an additional 503,324 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $146,618,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have issued reports on JBHT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT stock traded up $0.90 during trading on Monday, hitting $130.63. The company had a trading volume of 176,600 shares, compared to its average volume of 946,491. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The stock's 50-day moving average is $146.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $166.84.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion during 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 predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. 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, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.94%.

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

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the purchase, 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 acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

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.