J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) shares gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $157.82, but opened at $162.06. J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares last traded at $157.58, with a volume of 94,112 shares.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a "neutral" rating to a "positive" rating and set a $200.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Benchmark restated a "buy" rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $191.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 1.4 %

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 company has a market cap of $16.23 billion, a PE ratio of 29.18, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.15. The company's fifty day moving average is $170.45 and its 200-day moving average is $174.59.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.08%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 31.65%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total value of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at $127,904. This represents a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. True Wealth Design LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company's stock.

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.