J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Down 23.5% in February

Key Points

• Short interest down 23.5% in February to 2,276,492 shares (about 2.5% of shares sold short), leaving a short‑interest ratio of 3.1 days.
• Insiders sold a total of 25,945 shares valued at about $5.66 million last quarter — notable sales include SVP Jennifer Boattini (2,238 shares at $232) and Bradley W. Hicks (4,028 shares at $225.13) — and insiders now own roughly 2.3% of the stock.
• Shares traded near $200.25 (down 0.4%), the quarterly dividend was raised to $0.45 (annualized $1.80, 0.9% yield), institutional investors own ~74.95%, and analysts' average target is $203 with a "Moderate Buy" consensus.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest in February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,276,492 shares, a decline of 23.5% from the February 12th total of 2,974,595 shares. Approximately 2.5% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 736,084 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 736,084 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.1 days. Approximately 2.5% of the company's shares are sold short.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at $3,862,800. The trade was a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 4,028 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.13, for a total transaction of $906,823.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,842,826.35. The trade was a 11.70% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495 over the last quarter. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $592,015,000 after acquiring an additional 272,594 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,940,833 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $765,862,000 after purchasing an additional 84,149 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,755,171 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $729,780,000 after purchasing an additional 565,605 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $358,510,000 after purchasing an additional 416,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 2,072,500 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $296,383,000 after purchasing an additional 11,637 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EVP Spencer Frazier made a series of small open‑market purchases across multiple dates (multiple transactions totaling ~205 shares), modestly increasing his stake to roughly 6,100–6,200 shares. Insider buying from a senior exec is generally viewed positively as a signal of confidence. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: The purchases are very small (each trade is usually a dozen or a few dozen shares) and represent only a ~0.1–0.4% increase in his position per trade; collectively they are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Investors should treat this as a modest confidence signal rather than a catalyst. MarketBeat JBHT
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals and technical context temper the impact of insider buying: most recent quarterly revenue was roughly flat/down year‑over‑year and the stock is below its 50‑day moving average, which can weigh on sentiment even when insiders buy. Those factors likely explain continued downside pressure despite the insider purchases. MarketBeat JBHT

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of JBHT traded down $0.88 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $200.25. The company had a trading volume of 1,198,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 788,939. The stock has a market cap of $18.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23. The company's 50 day moving average price is $215.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $181.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $236.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.53 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 29.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $205.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Barclays upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $200.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $203.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

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