ING Groep NV Reduces Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

ING Groep NV lessened its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 5.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 10,174 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 601 shares during the period. ING Groep NV’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,736,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% during the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at $60,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $191.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total value of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $127,904. This represents a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $1,100,820.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at $15,092,976.08. This trade represents a 6.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,545 shares of company stock valued at $1,898,942 in the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

JBHT opened at $167.71 on Monday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a twelve month low of $153.12 and a twelve month high of $214.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $16.91 billion, a PE ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $172.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.47 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.05%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

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.