Verition Fund Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Free Report) by 305.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 46,337 shares of the transportation company's stock after purchasing an additional 34,897 shares during the quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC's holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $7,985,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 382.1% in the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 188 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares in the last quarter. Innealta Capital LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth $31,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $36,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $189.24. The company had a trading volume of 470,083 shares, compared to its average volume of 865,010. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The company has a market capitalization of $19.08 billion, a PE ratio of 34.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.14. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $178.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $169.58. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $153.12 and a one year high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.80 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a dividend of $0.43 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total transaction of $427,262.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total transaction of $306,450.18. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 8,235 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,563,579.45. The trade was a 16.39 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 5,314 shares of company stock valued at $1,008,962. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on JBHT shares. Loop Capital boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $185.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Bank of America upped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on 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. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $190.11.

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.