J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Rating Lowered by UBS Group

Key Points

• J.B. Hunt Transport Services has been downgraded by UBS Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating, with a price objective of $157.00, suggesting an 8.07% upside from the previous close.
• The company's quarterly earnings report showed a missed EPS estimate of $1.31, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34, despite revenues meeting expectations at $2.93 billion.
• Recent institutional trading activity reflects investor interest, with multiple firms like BNP Paribas and Balyasny Asset Management significantly increasing their positions in the stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at UBS Group from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday,Finviz reports. They presently have a $157.00 price objective on the transportation company's stock. UBS Group's target price suggests a potential upside of 8.07% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on JBHT. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $163.00 price target (up from $150.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Raymond James Financial increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $170.00 price objective (down previously from $175.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $164.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $166.00 to $171.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $165.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $145.28 on Friday. The company's fifty day moving average is $146.72 and its two-hundred day moving average is $144.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The company has a market cap of $14.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.59% and a return on equity of 14.26%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.32 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up .0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP David Keefauver sold 989 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.97, for a total value of $150,298.33. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 946 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,763.62. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee purchased 1,148 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the purchase, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. The trade was a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 164.0% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 5,137 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $877,000 after purchasing an additional 3,191 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 157,385 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,859,000 after acquiring an additional 48,795 shares in the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 365,364 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,353,000 after acquiring an additional 7,080 shares in the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 3,801 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 303 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balyasny Asset Management L.P. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 97.6% during the 4th quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,672 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $968,000 after acquiring an additional 2,801 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.

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