J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the twenty brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eleven have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $162.20.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Bank of America lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Susquehanna set a $140.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $148.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $878,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake 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 valued at $140,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. grew 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 purchasing an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.2% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 731 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $108,000 after purchasing an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $128.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $149.13 and a 200 day simple moving average of $167.55. The company has a market cap of $12.85 billion, a PE ratio of 23.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $122.79 and a fifty-two week high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.37%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio is currently 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.

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