Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. trimmed its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 99,650 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 5,216 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.10% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $19,904,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Panagora Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $344,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.1% during the third quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 4,285 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $807,000 after buying an additional 129 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 153,367 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,913,000 after buying an additional 1,393 shares in the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 15.6% in the 3rd quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 2,040 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $385,000 after acquiring an additional 276 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Berger Financial Group Inc boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.5% during the 3rd quarter. Berger Financial Group Inc now owns 2,692 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $507,000 after acquiring an additional 580 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on JBHT. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $177.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $218.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $173.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $205.00 and set an "outperform" 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $194.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.9 %

JBHT stock traded down $1.38 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $157.98. The company's stock had a trading volume of 869,092 shares, compared to its average volume of 843,730. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $178.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $190.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 1.17. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.70 and a 52-week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 company had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.12 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.48 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 27.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 3,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total transaction of $807,728.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 464 shares in the company, valued at $98,627.84. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 3,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total transaction of $807,728.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 464 shares in the company, valued at $98,627.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO John N. Roberts purchased 6,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was bought at an average price of $161.06 per share, for a total transaction of $998,572.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now directly owns 313,955 shares of the company's stock, valued at $50,565,592.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 15,454 shares of company stock worth $3,283,219 over the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.