J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sees Large Decrease in Short Interest

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest in the month of May. As of May 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,640,000 shares, a decrease of 18.5% from the April 30th total of 3,240,000 shares. Approximately 3.4% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 1,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.0 days.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $1.09 on Friday, hitting $140.21. 421,789 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 992,762. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $136.68 and its 200 day simple moving average is $158.20. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $13.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40.

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 for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $164.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of 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. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $161.90.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. The trade was a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Summit Securities Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% during the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at $34,000. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 49.3% during the 1st quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 330 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 109 shares during 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.