J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Receives “Buy” Rating from Benchmark

Benchmark reissued their buy rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) in a research report report published on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $215.00 target price on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on JBHT. Robert W. Baird restated an outperform rating and set a $215.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 19th. StockNews.com lowered shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Stephens reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $192.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $234.00 to $211.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $197.39.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT opened at $168.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $199.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $193.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $17.37 billion, a PE ratio of 24.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $160.07 and a 52-week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $1.22 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.53 by ($0.31). The company had revenue of $2.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 18.40%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.61 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer purchased 5,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $202.99 per share, with a total value of $1,014,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,014,950. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 754 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.79, for a total transaction of $159,689.66. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,744,090.65. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer acquired 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $202.99 per share, for a total transaction of $1,014,950.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,014,950. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders sold 20,432 shares of company stock valued at $4,309,687 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clear Street Markets LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 94.0% during the first quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 161 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 104.8% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 170 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 69.1% during the second quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 74.95% 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.