J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Now Covered by Robert W. Baird

Robert W. Baird began coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $169.00 price target on the transportation company's stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stephens lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $167.00 price target for the company. UBS Group lowered their price objective on 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. Finally, Susquehanna reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $155.00 target price (up previously from $140.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $163.43.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT stock traded up $7.48 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $151.08. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,414,341 shares, compared to its average volume of 996,513. The stock has a market cap of $14.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.42, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 1.30. 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 stock's 50-day moving average price is $139.09 and its 200 day moving average price is $153.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued 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. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 14.07%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were bought at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Kera Capital Partners Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $470,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 23,753 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $3,514,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the first quarter valued at about $6,658,000. IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.8% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 12,478 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,846,000 after purchasing an additional 218 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 624,531 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $92,399,000 after purchasing an additional 6,929 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.