J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price Up 4.6% - What's Next?

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services' stock price increased by 4.6%, reaching $149.07 after trading as high as $147.38, although trading volume was significantly down by 92% from the average.
• Wall Street analysts show a positive outlook for the company, with the average target price rising to $164.90 and many analysts rating the stock as a "Moderate Buy."
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.44, which reflects an annualized dividend yield of 1.2%, with a payout ratio of 32%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) traded up 4.6% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $147.38 and last traded at $149.07. 91,670 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 92% from the average session volume of 1,116,151 shares. The stock had previously closed at $142.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Truist Financial lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird assumed coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 1st. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 target price for the company. Raymond James Financial lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $145.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.90.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 4.7%

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $146.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $146.03. The company has a market cap of $14.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.30, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.34 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.93 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The business's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.32 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 8th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 8th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 32.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee acquired 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total transaction of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 946 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the 1st quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Wahed Invest LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Wahed Invest LLC now owns 2,080 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $355,000 after purchasing an additional 91 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Man Group plc increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Man Group plc now owns 11,165 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,905,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.