Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 288.0% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 86,364 shares of the transportation company's stock after acquiring an additional 64,103 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. owned approximately 0.08% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $14,883,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JBHT. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 382.1% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 188 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 149 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter valued at about $31,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth about $40,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on JBHT. Bank of America lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Benchmark reiterated 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. Susquehanna lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $184.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 8th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $187.56.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.6 %

NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $0.98 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $174.83. The company's stock had a trading volume of 771,024 shares, compared to its average volume of 879,058. The company has a market capitalization of $17.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.15. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.12 and a 12 month high of $219.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a current ratio of 0.94. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $171.77 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $166.67.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.07. The company 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 net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 13.92%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.80 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.69 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 31.27%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.03, for a total transaction of $525,090.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,150 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,476,674.50. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

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.