Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Boosts Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 38,970 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 13,823 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $5,456,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $258,457,000 after acquiring an additional 1,447,993 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter valued at approximately $91,094,000. Park Presidio Capital LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the second quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $96,337,000 after purchasing an additional 401,937 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 178.9% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 428,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $61,562,000 after purchasing an additional 275,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $592,015,000 after purchasing an additional 272,594 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. UBS Group increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $174.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $227.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, December 11th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.05.

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

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total value of $613,584.86. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 90,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,241,526.46. The trade was a 3.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total value of $287,937.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $831,933. The trade was a 25.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 23,457 shares of company stock valued at $4,413,991. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $206.75 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $212.00. The stock has a market cap of $19.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.67, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50 day moving average is $192.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.89.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The company’s revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 6th. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.66%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.