J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.03 EPS

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03), Zacks reports. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 13.98%. The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.32 EPS. The company's revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT stock traded up $1.25 on Thursday, reaching $152.69. The company had a trading volume of 1,280,830 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,140,477. The stock has a market capitalization of $15.15 billion, a PE ratio of 27.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23. The business's 50-day moving average is $144.08 and its 200 day moving average is $151.63. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $155.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 7th. Barclays raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 target price (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $163.00 target price (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $164.90.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the acquisition, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,847 shares in the company, valued at $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Empowered Funds LLC grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 385 shares in the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $2,314,000 after purchasing an additional 6,668 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 433,661 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $64,160,000 after purchasing an additional 13,729 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.