Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 10,521 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lowered its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 53.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,269 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 10,521 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,582,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. National Pension Service bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 140.4% during the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Raymond James reduced their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a "hold" rating and a $167.00 price objective for the company. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.00.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT traded up $0.60 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $146.84. 143,139 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 980,242. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $139.36 and a 200-day moving average of $162.50. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The stock has a market cap of $14.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.92 billion. On average, analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 31.94%.

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.