Short Interest in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Increases By 130.7%

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of November. As of November 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,170,000 shares, an increase of 130.7% from the October 31st total of 507,200 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 532,400 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.2 days.

Hub Group Stock Down 1.4 %

NASDAQ:HUBG traded down $0.75 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $51.69. The stock had a trading volume of 275,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 467,937. The stock has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.37 and a beta of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $45.95 and its 200 day moving average is $44.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. Hub Group has a fifty-two week low of $36.88 and a fifty-two week high of $53.21.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $0.52 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.03. Hub Group had a net margin of 2.74% and a return on equity of 7.44%. The firm had revenue of $986.89 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.49 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Hub Group will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current year.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 6th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. Hub Group’s payout ratio is presently 28.41%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Susquehanna lowered their target price on Hub Group from $50.00 to $48.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Hub Group from $43.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Hub Group from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. UBS Group upped their price objective on Hub Group from $42.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on Hub Group from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $46.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hub Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUBG. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 65.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 711 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in Hub Group by 1.6% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,427 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $750,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Hub Group by 1.7% during the second quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 17,327 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $746,000 after purchasing an additional 284 shares during the period. Highland Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hub Group by 9.4% in the 3rd quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,086 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $231,000 after purchasing an additional 437 shares during the period. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC increased its stake in Hub Group by 9.2% during the 2nd quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 5,987 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,000 after purchasing an additional 506 shares in the last quarter. 46.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.