T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. Trims Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. trimmed its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 34.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,493,695 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 1,801,933 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 3.46% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $596,234,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Arvest Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,578,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Abound Wealth Management boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 145,850.0% in the 4th quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 2,919 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 2,917 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 69,200 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $11,810,000 after purchasing an additional 25,034 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $255,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on JBHT shares. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $164.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of JBHT stock traded up $0.39 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $130.12. 273,979 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 946,862. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $146.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $166.84. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock has a market cap of $13.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.45, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. On average, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 31.94%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction 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. This represents a 1.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.