J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Update

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) was the target of a significant growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,130,000 shares, a growth of 25.2% from the February 13th total of 2,500,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 858,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.6 days. Currently, 3.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT traded up $0.46 on Monday, reaching $149.46. 1,426,234 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 868,542. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $147.00 and a one year high of $200.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.88, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $167.72 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $173.53.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.47 earnings per share. Analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. 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 31.65%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JBHT. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Raymond James dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $165.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price 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 note on Friday, January 17th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.80.

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

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 dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the 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 sale, the executive vice president now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% in the 3rd 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. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.