PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 6,000 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $1,024,000.

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

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J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.2 %

NASDAQ JBHT traded up $0.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $154.45. The company had a trading volume of 795,539 shares, compared to its average volume of 858,427. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $152.00 and a fifty-two week high of $202.78. The company has a market capitalization of $15.45 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm's 50 day moving average is $169.55 and its 200 day moving average is $174.17.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm's revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate 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 firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, 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 directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Citigroup reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $189.84.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.