J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Hits New 12-Month High After Analyst Upgrade

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services hit a new 52-week high after BMO Capital Markets raised its price target from $250 to $320 and reiterated an outperform rating. The stock traded as high as $289.95, up from the prior close of $283.31.
• Several other analysts have recently lifted their targets as well, including Wells Fargo to $310 and Susquehanna to $290, though the broader consensus still sits at a Moderate Buy with an average target of $233.83.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings, posting $1.49 EPS on revenue of $3.06 billion, and it also paid a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Friday after BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $320.00. BMO Capital Markets currently has an outperform rating on the stock. J.B. Hunt Transport Services traded as high as $289.95 and last traded at $287.20, with a volume of 236681 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $283.31.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $248.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday. Benchmark increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 17th. Finally, Susquehanna increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $290.00 and gave the company a "positive" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $233.83.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total value of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,281,125.62. This trade represents a 24.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.28, for a total value of $254,280.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 19,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,973,462.52. This trade represents a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 15,916 shares of company stock valued at $4,109,634 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Summitry LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.9% in the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $331,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,765 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 232 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,622 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC raised 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 1.0%

The stock has a market cap of $26.98 billion, a PE ratio of 44.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $243.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $217.58. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.J.B. Hunt Transport Services's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.86%.

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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