Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG)

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Investors acquired 9,000 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 5,163% compared to the typical daily volume of 171 put options.

Hub Group Price Performance

Hub Group stock traded up $0.58 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $46.38. 709,142 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 758,862. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. Hub Group has a twelve month low of $32.46 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The company has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.23. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $41.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $41.87.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 5th will be given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 5th. Hub Group’s payout ratio is currently 28.90%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hub Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HUBG. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its holdings in shares of Hub Group by 265.9% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 644 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 468 shares in the last quarter. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in Hub Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Quarry LP boosted its stake in Hub Group by 271.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 809 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in Hub Group by 33.4% in the second quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 321 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hub Group by 333.8% during the second quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,488 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on HUBG. Zacks Research upgraded Hub Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $35.00 price objective (down from $55.00) on shares of Hub Group in a report on Thursday, March 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hub Group in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Hub Group from $50.00 to $42.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Hub Group from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $43.14.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Hub City Terminals and renamed Hub Group in 1978, the company completed its initial public offering in 2007. Over the decades, Hub Group has developed a comprehensive multimodal transportation network, leveraging partnerships with major rail carriers and an extensive drayage fleet to offer cost-efficient, sustainable shipping alternatives.

The company operates through two primary segments: Intermodal and Transportation Management.