Blueshift Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 1,242 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $212,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Studio Investment Management LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% during the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $184,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $878,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 820 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $140,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.6% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 535 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $92,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $148.55 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $165.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.81. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $144.34 and a fifty-two week high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict 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 firm 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 is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBHT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup cut their price objective on 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. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price 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. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.80.

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.