J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a significant increase in short interest in December. As of December 15th, there was short interest totalling 2,790,000 shares, an increase of 14.8% from the November 30th total of 2,430,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 859,700 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.2 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s stock are sold short.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.0 %

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $1.68 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $170.33. 388,048 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 850,855. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $153.12 and a fifty-two week high of $219.51. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $181.56 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.05. The company has a market cap of $17.17 billion, a PE ratio of 30.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.07. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. The company had revenue of $3.07 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.04 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 5.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 8th were paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.27%.

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

In other news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 4,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $786,550.50. The trade was a 35.20 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total value of $306,450.18. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,563,579.45. The trade was a 16.39 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 11,459 shares of company stock worth $2,136,277 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arvest Bank Trust Division acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter worth $1,578,000. Forsta AP Fonden lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 28.2% in the 3rd quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 15,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,740,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.2% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 553,698 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $95,419,000 after purchasing an additional 12,040 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.6% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,289,874 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $566,944,000 after buying an additional 19,826 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 190,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,861,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on JBHT. Citigroup increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 12th. Susquehanna upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $182.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.11.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.