J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Plans Quarterly Dividend of $0.43

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, April 25th, Zacks reports. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be given a dividend of 0.43 per share by the transportation company on Friday, May 24th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has raised its dividend by an average of 15.9% per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 21 consecutive years. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a dividend payout ratio of 20.4% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect J.B. Hunt Transport Services to earn $8.72 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.72 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 19.7%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.1 %

NASDAQ JBHT traded down $1.73 during trading on Friday, reaching $162.01. 1,241,232 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 997,345. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $160.07 and a fifty-two week high of $219.51. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $192.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $192.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.74 billion, a PE ratio of 25.72, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $170.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $218.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. TD Cowen reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $181.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Finally, Raymond James lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $209.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.24.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 3,800 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total transaction of $807,728.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 464 shares in the company, valued at $98,627.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer acquired 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $202.99 per share, for a total transaction of $1,014,950.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,014,950. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total value of $807,728.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 464 shares in the company, valued at $98,627.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,454 shares of company stock worth $3,283,219 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.