By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
Korea Investment CORP lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT – Free Report) by 101.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 69,922 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 35,240 shares during the period. Korea Investment CORP owned about 0.07% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $11,933,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% in the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $368,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $878,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.6% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 535 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $92,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position 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 valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.
Insider Activity
In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the 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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance
JBHT opened at $146.12 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $162.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.11. The company has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $144.34 and a 52-week high of $200.40.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT – Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend
The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is presently 31.65%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
JBHT has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $184.05.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on JBHT
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.
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