Federated Hermes Inc. Acquires 2,372 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 8.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,171 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 2,372 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc.'s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $5,490,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the company'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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have weighed in on JBHT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. TD Cowen reduced their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Raymond James cut 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 report on Friday, April 11th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $164.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $2.95 on Thursday, hitting $127.68. The company's stock had a trading volume of 528,140 shares, compared to its average volume of 948,504. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $152.14 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.65. 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 market capitalization of $12.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 research 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 Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.38%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 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.