J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Shares Bought by NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 39.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,125 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 2,845 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,046,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.2% in the third quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 125,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,883,000 after acquiring an additional 3,890 shares in the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% in the third quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,815,000 after acquiring an additional 9,345 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $3,627,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $433,000. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth $1,003,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $202.78 on Tuesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $236.00. The company has a quick ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $215.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $184.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.18 billion, a PE ratio of 33.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. On average, equities 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.32%.

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

In related news, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total transaction of $287,937.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 4,019 shares in the company, valued at $831,933. The trade was a 25.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 4,028 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.13, for a total value of $906,823.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 30,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,842,826.35. The trade was a 11.70% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 25,945 shares of company stock worth $5,656,495. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Evercore set a $222.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Argus upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Susquehanna raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and increased their target price for the company from $160.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Vertical Research downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $214.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $205.27.

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.