Eastern Bank Cuts Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Eastern Bank decreased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 2.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 12,532 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 335 shares during the quarter. Eastern Bank’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,139,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $36,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 237 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target 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. Loop Capital lifted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $151.00 to $167.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $192.11.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total transaction of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,904. The trade was a 17.16 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total value of $1,100,820.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,264 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,092,976.08. The trade was a 6.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,459 shares of company stock worth $2,136,277 in the last ninety days. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.8 %

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $179.23 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $180.72 and a 200-day moving average of $173.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.07 billion, a PE ratio of 32.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.12 and a 52 week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.42 by $0.07. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.80 EPS. Analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.96%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.27%.

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.