J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Update

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,980,000 shares, a growth of 14.5% from the October 15th total of 1,730,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 843,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 2.3 days. Currently, 2.5% of the company's stock are sold short.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of JBHT traded up $1.65 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $184.00. 756,944 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 869,922. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $153.12 and a 1-year high of $219.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $175.84 and a 200-day moving average price of $168.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The company has a market cap of $18.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.45, a P/E/G ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 1.14.

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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 last year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is currently 31.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,050 shares of the company's stock, valued at $786,550.50. This represents a 35.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,476,674.50. The trade was a 17.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,314 shares of company stock valued at $1,534,052 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 9,769,777 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $1,946,628,000 after buying an additional 25,109 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.7% in the third quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,374,724 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $581,567,000 after purchasing an additional 22,563 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,289,874 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $566,944,000 after purchasing an additional 19,826 shares during the period. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.7% during the 2nd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 1,685,068 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $269,611,000 after buying an additional 105,500 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.4% during the 2nd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,446,351 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $231,416,000 after purchasing an additional 5,179 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven equities research 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, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $190.11.

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.