927,701 Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Bought by Norges Bank

Norges Bank purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 927,701 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $185,299,000. Norges Bank owned approximately 0.90% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Panagora Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter valued at about $344,000. M&T Bank Corp raised 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 acquiring an additional 129 shares in the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 153,367 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $28,913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393 shares during the period. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted 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 valued at $385,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 10.3% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 35,431 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $6,679,000 after purchasing an additional 3,300 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have weighed in on JBHT. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $199.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. UBS Group cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $234.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $218.00 to $200.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna reduced their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $204.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $194.24.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total transaction of $1,382,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 42,411 shares in the company, valued at $9,021,243.81. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer acquired 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were bought 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 approximately $1,014,950. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total transaction of $1,382,615.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 42,411 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,021,243.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,454 shares of company stock worth $3,283,219 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 0.1 %

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $0.10 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $157.88. 958,510 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 844,878. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $155.43 and a fifty-two week high of $219.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.17. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $178.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $190.42.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.31). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 5.25%. The company had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 27.30%.

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.