LPL Financial LLC Purchases 25,034 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

LPL Financial LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 56.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 25,034 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $11,810,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JBHT. iA Global Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $368,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $878,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $140,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 535 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. 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 valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $152.78 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $160.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $171.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.34 and a fifty-two week high of $200.40. The company has a market cap of $15.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 27th. Benchmark cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $175.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Susquehanna lowered J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, March 13th. They set a “hold” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.55.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.