J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given New $228.00 Price Target at TD Cowen

Key Points

• TD Cowen raised its price target to $228 (from $209) and maintained a "hold" rating, implying only about a 1.7% upside from the prior close.
• Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue—$1.49 EPS vs. $1.45 expected and $3.06B revenue (up ~4.6% y/y)—with management citing initiatives that improved margins and signaling early signs of freight-market recovery.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed but leans positive: MarketBeat shows a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $215.50, though the stock's elevated P/E (~36.5) and recent insider selling introduce near-term valuation risk.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by investment analysts at TD Cowen from $209.00 to $228.00 in a report released on Thursday. The firm presently has a "hold" rating on the transportation company's stock. TD Cowen's price target suggests a potential upside of 1.71% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Vertical Research cut shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $214.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Bank of America dropped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $225.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $215.50.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $224.17 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $217.90 and its 200-day moving average is $193.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 0.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.21 billion, a PE ratio of 36.51, a PEG ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.22. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $236.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.17 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.68, for a total value of $225,680.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 17,931 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,046,668.08. The trade was a 5.28% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,862,800. The trade was a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495 over the last quarter. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.2% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 125,829 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $16,883,000 after purchasing an additional 3,890 shares in the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $11,815,000 after buying an additional 9,345 shares in the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $3,627,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $433,000. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,003,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Trending Headlines about J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 beat on both EPS and revenue — J.B. Hunt reported $1.49 EPS vs. $1.45 expected and $3.06B in revenue, with revenue up ~4.6% year-over-year, reinforcing underlying demand improvement. J.B. Hunt Q1 Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Margins and company initiatives improving — Management cited operational initiatives that helped boost margins in FQ1, which markets view as evidence management can drive profitability as volumes recover. Seeking Alpha: Initiatives Help Boost Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Macro/sector read — Analysts and coverage note the quarter is a sign of freight-market recovery and greater resilience in demand, a bullish backdrop for JBHT’s intermodal and contract logistics businesses. 247WallSt: Freight Recovery Takeaways
• Positive Sentiment: Market commentary supportive — High-profile bullish commentary (e.g., Jim Cramer) highlights renewed investor interest and can amplify upside momentum. InsiderMonkey: Jim Cramer Bullish on JBHT
• Neutral Sentiment: Transcripts and details available — Multiple transcripts and the conference-call recording are posted for investors who want management’s tone on volume trends, pricing, and capacity. Seeking Alpha: Q1 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Long-term momentum/valuation notes — Some research highlights JBHT as a momentum name, but the stock trades at an elevated P/E, so upside depends on sustained margin expansion and freight-market strength. Zacks: Momentum Case for JBHT
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term profit-taking / valuation pressure — Despite the beat, the stock is down today, reflecting possible profit-taking after recent gains and investor focus on high forward valuation (e.g., elevated P/E and PEG), which could cap short-term upside.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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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