J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $190.11.

JBHT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Loop Capital lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Susquehanna boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total value of $26,494.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 700 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $127,904. The trade was a 17.16 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,550.50. The trade was a 35.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,459 shares of company stock worth $2,136,277 over the last quarter. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Studio Investment Management LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $368,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $492,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 388 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $59,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT traded down $2.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $168.10. 1,142,728 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 856,218. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52 week low of $153.12 and a 52 week high of $219.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $182.03 and a 200-day moving average of $171.42. The stock has a market cap of $16.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.56, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is 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.