J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Short Interest Report for September

Key Points

• Short interest surged 58.5% to 3.23 million shares by September 30, representing 3.5% of J.B. Hunt’s outstanding shares and 2.1 days to cover.
• J.B. Hunt reported quarterly revenue of $3.68 billion, up 20.4% year over year and above estimates, while EPS of $1.82 narrowly beat expectations; rising operating expenses pressured profit growth and margins.
• Analysts maintained a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and average price target of $273.92, although some firms recently reduced their targets.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,227,884 shares, an increase of 58.5% from the September 15th total of 2,036,176 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,535,855 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.1 days. Currently, 3.5% of the shares of the company are short sold.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $5.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $229.92. The stock had a trading volume of 656,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,012,217. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a twelve month low of $157.82 and a twelve month high of $299.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $252.50 and a 200 day simple moving average of $259.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.54, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.82 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.59 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. On average, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.34 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were paid a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 25.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on JBHT shares. Raymond James Financial set a $283.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. Stephens reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $325.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. Robert W. Baird dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $320.00 to $290.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Barclays dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $300.00 to $285.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $285.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $273.92.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth $1,833,602,000. Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $891,349,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $843,937,000 after purchasing an additional 41,887 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 64.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,056,398 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $305,753,000 after purchasing an additional 414,837 shares during the period. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $287,581,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

More J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.B. Hunt reported third-quarter revenue of $3.68 billion, up 20.4% year over year and above the $3.59 billion analyst consensus. EPS was $1.82, slightly ahead of the $1.81 estimate and up from $1.76 a year earlier. J.B. Hunt earnings results
• Positive Sentiment: Citizens JMP reaffirmed its “market outperform” rating and assigned a $300 price target, implying substantial upside from the referenced $235.31 share price. Citizens JMP rating report
• Neutral Sentiment: Management’s third-quarter earnings call transcript is available, giving investors additional insight into freight demand, pricing, operating trends and the outlook across J.B. Hunt’s transportation businesses. J.B. Hunt Q3 2026 earnings call transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Profit growth lagged revenue growth. Net income was $172.4 million, while operating expenses rose to $3.43 billion, indicating pressure on margins and helping explain why investors viewed the earnings beat as less impressive than the headline figures suggested. J.B. Hunt reports higher profit and operating expenses
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen and Pomerantz law firms announced investigations into potential securities claims involving J.B. Hunt. The investigations remain an uncertainty and could add reputational or legal-risk overhang, although no liability has been established. Pomerantz investor alert

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Founded in 1961 by Johnnie Bryan Hunt and Johnelle Hunt, the company has grown from a small trucking operation into a major provider of freight transportation and supply-chain services across North America.

The company's primary business activities include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and truck services; dedicated contract services, which provides customized fleet and delivery operations for individual customers; and integrated capacity solutions, including freight brokerage and third-party logistics.

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