J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 52-Week High - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services hit a new 52-week high, trading as high as $264.98 after a 2.4% gain, reflecting strong recent momentum in the stock.
• Recent earnings were solid, with EPS of $1.49 beating estimates and revenue of $3.06 billion topping forecasts; analysts also remain broadly constructive, with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share, while insider selling and heavy institutional ownership were also notable, with institutions holding about 74.95% of the stock.

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $264.98 and last traded at $263.29, with a volume of 391640 shares. The stock had previously closed at $256.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Susquehanna raised their price target 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. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Evercore reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $248.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $228.17.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.4%

The stock has a market cap of $24.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.74, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm's 50 day moving average is $227.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.97.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations 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 firm'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 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,862,800. This represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total value of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,982 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,281,125.62. This trade represents a 24.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 16,154 shares of company stock worth $4,112,450. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

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

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $258,457,000 after buying an additional 1,447,993 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $195,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,047 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $110,434,000 after acquiring an additional 635,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $145,245,000 after purchasing an additional 546,880 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.