Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Acquires New Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,500 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,280,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 140.4% during the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.5%

JBHT stock traded up $0.67 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.91. 143,139 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 980,242. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $200.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $139.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $162.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JBHT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $166.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 2nd. Finally, Stephens decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.00.

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

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs purchased 1,529 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. The trade was a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition 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 J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

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.