Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $32.86 Million Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 2.1% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 190,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned 0.19% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $32,861,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter worth $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of 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 buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. nVerses Capital LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth about $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 approximately $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $182.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $18.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15, a PEG ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $175.60 and its 200 day moving average is $168.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.12 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its 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 firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 in the prior year, the business posted $1.80 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

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 $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.27%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $151.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.03, for a total transaction of $525,090.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 14,150 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,476,674.50. This trade represents a 17.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total transaction of $427,262.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $786,550.50. This represents a 35.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,314 shares of company stock valued at $1,534,052 in the last 90 days. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.