UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Purchases 1,746 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 16.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 12,151 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,746 shares during the quarter. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,074,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% during the fourth quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $163,237,000 after acquiring an additional 503,324 shares during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14,254.9% during the 3rd quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 185,896 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,035,000 after purchasing an additional 184,601 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 155.7% during the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,689,000 after purchasing an additional 134,476 shares during the period. Point72 Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth approximately $15,149,000. Finally, Barclays PLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 236,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $40,698,000 after buying an additional 64,380 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, 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. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 3.1 %

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $146.12 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $14.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. 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 firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $162.28 and its 200 day simple moving average is $172.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its 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). The business had revenue of $3.15 billion during 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 business’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 earnings per share. Research 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 given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. 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 dividend yield of 1.20%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their price target 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. Stifel Nicolaus cut 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. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $165.00 price target on the stock. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $184.05.

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.