DNB Asset Management AS Increases Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

DNB Asset Management AS increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.4% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 14,820 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 481 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,371,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19.3% in the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 593 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,000 after purchasing an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. American Trust grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 12.5% in the first quarter. American Trust now owns 17,881 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $3,563,000 after buying an additional 1,990 shares in the last quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter valued at about $496,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 130.7% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 8,398 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,673,000 after acquiring an additional 4,758 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Swedbank AB purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $5,781,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT traded up $2.95 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $163.93. 590,584 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 875,865. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $153.12 and a twelve month high of $219.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.21 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $161.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $180.01. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.14.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 16th. The transportation company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.51 by ($0.19). The firm had revenue of $2.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.02 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.77% and a net margin of 4.90%. The firm’s revenue was down 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.81 EPS. On average, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.73 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.43 per share. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 2nd. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.30%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBHT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $151.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Loop Capital cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $177.00 to $173.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $162.00 to $160.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 8th. Benchmark reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $192.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $181.88.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, Director Persio V. Lisboa bought 600 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $163.47 per share, for a total transaction of $98,082.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 3,594 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $587,511.18. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.