The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Reduces Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,356 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 984 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $8,506,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 953,749 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $152,589,000 after acquiring an additional 193,684 shares in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,384.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 156,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,297,000 after purchasing an additional 149,815 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 282.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 173,637 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,740,000 after buying an additional 128,283 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth approximately $19,755,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth $16,887,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JBHT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Susquehanna increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $151.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.11.

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

In related news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total transaction of $427,262.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.50, for a total value of $275,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,321,275. This trade represents a 10.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 5,314 shares of company stock valued at $1,008,962. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 2.2 %

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $185.01 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $179.20 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $169.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.65 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.64, a PEG ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.12 and a 52-week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.07. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.93%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.27%.

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.