Intech Investment Management LLC Increases Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 245.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 16,527 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,742 shares during the quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,644,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Trexquant Investment LP bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,463,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 196,945 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $39,348,000 after buying an additional 12,272 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 398,847 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $79,666,000 after buying an additional 6,875 shares during the period. Portfolio Design Labs LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth $1,309,000. Finally, Stifel Financial Corp grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Stifel Financial Corp now owns 608,148 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $121,472,000 after acquiring an additional 8,872 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $169.01 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $169.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $170.96. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.12 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $1.32 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.19). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.90% and a return on equity of 14.77%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.81 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 2nd. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.30%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Persio V. Lisboa bought 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $163.47 per share, for a total transaction of $98,082.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $587,511.18. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, Director Persio V. Lisboa bought 600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $163.47 per share, with a total value of $98,082.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,594 shares in the company, valued at approximately $587,511.18. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $184.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 9th. Benchmark dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $191.00 to $185.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $155.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 8th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.88.

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.