J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) To Go Ex-Dividend on February 7th

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) announced a quarterly dividend on Friday, January 24th,Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of 0.44 per share by the transportation company on Friday, February 21st. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date is 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 has raised its dividend payment by an average of 13.4% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 11 consecutive years. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a dividend payout ratio of 21.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect J.B. Hunt Transport Services to earn $8.16 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.72 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 21.1%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.2 %

JBHT stock opened at $169.96 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $153.12 and a one year high of $219.51. The firm has a market cap of $17.14 billion, a PE ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $178.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $174.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.62 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Loop Capital lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Citigroup lowered their price objective 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. Susquehanna upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total value of $306,450.18. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,563,579.45. This trade represents a 16.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,859 shares of company stock worth $2,907,905 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.