Brokerages Set J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Price Target at $286.30

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-six ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $286.3043.

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $261.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Stephens raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Benchmark boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 7th.

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

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total transaction of $200,446.39. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $225,252.70. The trade was a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,213,045.04. This trade represents a 31.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,847 shares of company stock worth $4,162,861 in the last three months. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% in the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $293.26 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company has a market cap of $27.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.54, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.29. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $276.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $239.90. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $299.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 EPS 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 company had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.31 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.66 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 8th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 25.50%.

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.