Teacher Retirement System of Texas Trims Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Teacher Retirement System of Texas cut its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 78.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,811 shares of the transportation company's stock after selling 13,855 shares during the quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas' holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $761,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 104.8% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 170 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth $34,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth $36,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 505.9% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 309 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 258 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 26.2% during the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 299 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT traded down $0.26 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $157.62. 461,997 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 841,087. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $155.43 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The company has a market cap of $16.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.17. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $178.14 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $190.19.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $1.22 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 firm had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.12 billion. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.48 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

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 given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 27.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. StockNews.com upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Bank of America decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $199.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Stephens decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $192.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $234.00 to $211.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $194.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Brian Webb sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.54, for a total value of $187,686.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,032 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,134,773.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, EVP Brian Webb sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $208.54, for a total value of $187,686.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 15,032 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,134,773.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer purchased 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $202.99 per share, for a total transaction of $1,014,950.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $1,014,950. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.