Stevens Capital Management LP Acquires New Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Stevens Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,511 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $429,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, 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. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on JBHT. Citigroup cut 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 report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. UBS Group dropped 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 report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, 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, January 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.80.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $148.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.34 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $165.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $172.81.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). 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 return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.65%.

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.