J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Hits New 12-Month High - Here's Why

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services reached a new 52-week high, briefly trading as high as $294.92 after closing at $289.43 the prior day, signaling strong recent momentum in the stock.
• Analyst sentiment remains generally positive, with Benchmark raising its price target to $300 and several firms maintaining buy or neutral ratings; the consensus target price is about $239.87.
• The company’s latest quarterly results beat expectations, with EPS of $1.49 versus $1.45 expected and revenue of $3.06 billion topping estimates, while J.B. Hunt also paid a $0.45 quarterly dividend.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as $294.92 and last traded at $294.4150, with a volume of 366581 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $289.43.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $228.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Benchmark lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. UBS Group upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Sunday, June 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $239.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.3%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $27.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 45.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.30. The business's 50-day moving average is $265.20 and its 200-day moving average is $230.69.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. 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 presently 27.86%.

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

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total transaction of $1,017,960.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. The trade was a 31.51% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,188,752.80. This represents a 30.28% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 18,119 shares of company stock valued at $4,736,095. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the period. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% during the 4th quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $31,000. 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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