JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. has lowered the target price for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (JBHT) from $180.00 to $170.00, maintaining an "overweight" rating on the stock, which indicates a potential upside of 15.90% from the stock's previous close.
• Despite the target price reduction from multiple analysts, JBHT currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with an average target price of $159.52.
• J.B. Hunt reported earnings of $1.31 per share, missing expectations, with a slight revenue increase to $2.93 billion compared to the previous year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) had its target price dropped by research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $180.00 to $170.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the transportation company's stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s target price indicates a potential upside of 15.90% from the stock's previous close.

JBHT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Robert W. Baird initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Tuesday, July 1st. They set an "outperform" rating and a $169.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group downgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $157.00 in a report on Friday, September 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $163.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Barclays reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $145.00 to $135.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Susquehanna reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $157.00 to $145.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $159.52.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT stock traded up $6.68 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $146.68. 981,632 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,137,037. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a twelve month low of $122.79 and a twelve month high of $200.40. The company has a market capitalization of $14.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $141.22. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.34 by ($0.03). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.26% and a net margin of 4.59%.The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.32 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, 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 value of $150,298.33. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 946 shares in the company, valued at $143,763.62. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, with a total value of $161,592.48. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 127.1% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 3,364 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $498,000 after buying an additional 1,883 shares during the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 69.9% during the 1st quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,723 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $551,000 after buying an additional 1,532 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 179.8% during the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,990 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $590,000 after buying an additional 2,564 shares during the last quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 35.9% in the 1st quarter. Net Worth Advisory Group now owns 1,772 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.1% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,596 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $976,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during 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 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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