J.B. Hunt Transport Services' (JBHT) Underweight Rating Reaffirmed at Morgan Stanley

Key Points

• Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating on J.B. Hunt Transport Services, even as several other analysts remain bullish on the stock.
• The broader analyst view is still positive overall, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $239.87, though targets vary widely.
• J.B. Hunt recently reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $1.49 EPS on $3.06 billion in revenue, both above estimates and up 4.6% year over year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "underweight" rating reaffirmed by Morgan Stanley in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $248.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 17th. Benchmark upped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $240.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Susquehanna upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a "positive" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $239.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $285.83 on Monday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $294.98. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $267.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $232.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The business's revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total transaction of $318,954.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 91,736 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,002,802. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares in the company, valued at $2,213,045.04. This trade represents a 31.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,119 shares of company stock valued at $4,736,095. Insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Activest Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $39,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

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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