Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Buys New Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor bought 37,202 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,883,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.3%

JBHT stock opened at $292.24 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $277.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $240.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.12 and a fifty-two week high of $299.76. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.39, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 25.50%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total transaction of $426,015.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 4,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,752.80. The trade was a 30.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 15,847 shares of company stock worth $4,162,861. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on JBHT. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of 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. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 26th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $310.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stephens upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.30.

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.