Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Increases Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 8.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 42,943 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,481 shares during the quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $7,329,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $149.43 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $14.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.88, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50 day moving average is $169.23 and its 200 day moving average is $174.04. 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 $149.29 and a 52-week high of $200.53.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly 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). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side 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 issued a $0.44 dividend. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 31.65%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective 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. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $188.60.

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.