35,332 Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Bought by Raymond James Financial Inc.

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 35,332 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $6,030,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the 4th 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 during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $0.09 during trading on Thursday, reaching $151.30. 122,686 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 880,553. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.34 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The company has a market cap of $15.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.22, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $163.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.41.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.16%. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services's previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, 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 value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $165.00 target price for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $205.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $184.05.

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.