J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Update

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in the month of May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,480,000 shares, an increase of 31.8% from the May 15th total of 2,640,000 shares. Approximately 4.4% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 1,320,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.6 days.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.4%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $3.40 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $139.09. The company's stock had a trading volume of 957,003 shares, compared to its average volume of 996,945. The firm has a market capitalization of $13.80 billion, a PE ratio of 25.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40. The stock's fifty day moving average is $137.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $155.91.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. TD Cowen decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. 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 Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, COO Nicholas Hobbs purchased 1,529 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average price of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Strs Ohio purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the first quarter worth $6,658,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 12,478 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $1,846,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 624,531 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $92,399,000 after acquiring an additional 6,929 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 65,660 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $9,714,000 after acquiring an additional 12,323 shares during the period. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% in the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.

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