J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given New $290.00 Price Target at Susquehanna

Key Points

• Susquehanna raised its price target on J.B. Hunt to $290 from $250 and kept a "positive" rating, implying about a 16.18% upside from the stock's current price.
• J.B. Hunt beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $1.49 (vs. $1.45 est.) and revenue of $3.06B (vs. $3.01B), with revenue up 4.6% year-over-year; shares traded around $249.62 and the company has a market cap of $23.61 billion.
• Analysts overall are moderately bullish with a consensus "Moderate Buy" (1 Strong Buy, 12 Buy, 11 Hold) and an average price target of $227.04, meaning Susquehanna's $290 target is well above the street average.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its target price increased by Susquehanna from $250.00 to $290.00 in a research note issued on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "positive" rating on the transportation company's stock. Susquehanna's target price suggests a potential upside of 16.18% from the stock's current price.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on JBHT. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $227.04.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT traded down $1.48 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $249.62. 186,775 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,032,666. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $219.45 and a 200 day simple moving average of $197.15. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.64, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a twelve month low of $126.05 and a twelve month high of $256.18.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.23 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $227.25, for a total value of $227,250.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 6,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,586,886.75. This trade represents a 12.53% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 4,028 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.13, for a total transaction of $906,823.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,395 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,842,826.35. This represents a 11.70% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 21,516 shares of company stock worth $4,754,973 over the last three months. 2.50% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% in the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $39,000 after buying an additional 198 shares during the period. 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 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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