Geode Capital Management LLC Raises Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,997,568 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,968 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $340,049,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. National Pension Service bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during 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. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th 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 Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of JBHT opened at $134.66 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The business has a fifty day moving average of $159.46 and a 200 day moving average of $171.23. The company has a market cap of $13.47 billion, a PE ratio of 24.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $127.35 and a 52-week high of $200.40.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.31%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 31.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $170.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 27th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $181.55.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

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.