UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Purchases 4,639 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 485.3% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 5,595 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,639 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,115,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Drive Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,696 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. New York Life Investment Management LLC now owns 12,711 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,539,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the last quarter. Czech National Bank raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% in the 1st quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 14,347 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,859,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Tempus Wealth Planning LLC now owns 5,628 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,124,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the period. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.2% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,618 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $721,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on JBHT. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $192.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. Benchmark decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $184.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. Finally, Barclays decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $181.88.

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

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, Director Persio V. Lisboa purchased 600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 19th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $163.47 per share, with a total value of $98,082.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 3,594 shares in the company, valued at $587,511.18. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, Director Persio V. Lisboa purchased 600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were bought at an average price of $163.47 per share, for a total transaction of $98,082.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 3,594 shares in the company, valued at $587,511.18. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO John N. Roberts acquired 6,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $161.06 per share, with a total value of $998,572.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 313,955 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $50,565,592.30. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $1.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $163.80. The company had a trading volume of 841,699 shares, compared to its average volume of 869,750. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $160.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $181.55. The stock has a market cap of $16.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.00, a PEG ratio of 2.67 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.12 and a 12-month high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.19). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.77% and a net margin of 4.90%. The company had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.02 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.81 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Investors of record on Friday, August 2nd will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.30%.

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.