Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 0.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 855,334 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,480 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 0.83% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $170,854,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 2,168,748 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $433,186,000 after acquiring an additional 62,313 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 184.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,154,757 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $406,215,000 after acquiring an additional 1,397,651 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.6% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,090,774 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $205,633,000 after acquiring an additional 57,546 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 24.7% in the third quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 889,369 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $167,664,000 after acquiring an additional 176,027 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% in the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 878,631 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $165,640,000 after acquiring an additional 44,760 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer purchased 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $202.99 per share, with a total value of $1,014,950.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,014,950. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $202.99 per share, for a total transaction of $1,014,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,014,950. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John N. Roberts acquired 6,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were bought at an average price of $161.06 per share, for a total transaction of $998,572.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 313,955 shares in the company, valued at $50,565,592.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,454 shares of company stock valued at $3,283,219. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT traded down $4.69 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $164.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 966,652 shares, compared to its average volume of 835,959. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $160.07 and a 1-year high of $219.51. The stock has a market cap of $17.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.16, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 1.17. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $182.10 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $190.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.31). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.25% and a return on equity of 16.25%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.12 billion. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.04%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 27.30%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $173.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Barclays decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $170.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $218.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $194.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.