Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 56.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,562 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Forty three Eighteen Advisors LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $331,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JBHT. 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 in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at about $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% during the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $195,580,000 after purchasing an additional 1,005,047 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,434,000 after purchasing an additional 635,172 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $145,245,000 after purchasing an additional 546,880 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: JBHT was added to Zacks’ “Strong Buy” momentum list, signaling improving technical and fundamental momentum. Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for July 17th
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts raised price targets after the earnings beat, including JPMorgan, Robert W. Baird, Barclays, Citigroup, and TD Cowen, reflecting confidence in the recovery and margin improvement.
• Positive Sentiment: Reports highlighted shrinking trucking capacity and a shift toward intermodal freight, which could support stronger pricing and volume trends for JBHT. J.B. Hunt Stock Could Reach $340 as Trucking Capacity Shrinks
• Positive Sentiment: JBHT was also featured on relative-strength and momentum screens, indicating that investors see it as one of the stronger names in a choppy market. 5 Top Stocks With Relative Price Strength to Buy Right Now
• Neutral Sentiment: One Zacks article cautioned that while earnings growth and estimate revisions support the rally, the stock’s premium valuation means investors should remain selective. Is JBHT Stock too Expensive or Still Attractive After Its Rally?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus remains constructive, with coverage still centered around a “Moderate Buy” view.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $291.41 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. The company has a market capitalization of $27.48 billion, a PE ratio of 41.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 1.29. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $299.76. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $274.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $238.25.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.54 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $286.30.

Insider Activity

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total value of $318,954.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 91,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $23,002,802. The trade was a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total transaction of $2,002,040.04. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares in the company, valued at $6,281,125.62. The trade was a 24.17% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.