Zacks Research Issues Optimistic Estimate for JBHT Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research raised its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for J.B. Hunt to $1.69 (from $1.63) and projects continued earnings growth, forecasting FY2027 EPS of $8.89 and FY2028 EPS of $9.31.
• J.B. Hunt beat Q1 expectations with EPS of $1.49 versus $1.45 expected and revenue of $3.06 billion, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.45 per share (0.7% yield).
• Multiple analysts have lifted price targets and the stock carries a MarketBeat average rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $227.04; JBHT trades near $246 with a market cap of $23.23 billion and a PE of 38.13.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research boosted their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the transportation company will post earnings of $1.69 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $1.63. The consensus estimate for J.B. Hunt Transport Services' current full-year earnings is $7.25 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for J.B. Hunt Transport Services' Q3 2026 earnings at $1.97 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.07 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.21 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.56 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.79 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.93 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.62 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.89 EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at $1.51 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.31 EPS.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Evercore set a $222.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Argus set a $285.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $227.04.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.0%

JBHT stock opened at $246.31 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $222.60 and a 200 day moving average of $201.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $23.23 billion, a PE ratio of 38.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $126.05 and a 52 week high of $256.18.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 27.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total transaction of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,002,802. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.28, for a total transaction of $254,280.00. Following the sale, the director owned 19,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,973,462.52. The trade was a 4.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,869 shares of company stock worth $4,504,707. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $258,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,993 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% during the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $195,580,000 after acquiring an additional 1,005,047 shares during the period. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% during the 3rd quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $110,434,000 after acquiring an additional 635,172 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $145,245,000 after acquiring an additional 546,880 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.

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