Northern Trust Corp Increases Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 9.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 795,855 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 65,424 shares during the quarter. Northern Trust Corp owned approximately 0.79% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $135,821,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,008,995.25. The trade was a 1.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently issued reports on JBHT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Finally, Stephens lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT traded up $5.09 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $138.04. The company's stock had a trading volume of 519,688 shares, compared to its average volume of 961,290. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $141.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $164.55. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $13.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.79, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. On average, equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.28%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.94%.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.