Ethic Inc. Purchases 2,071 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 6,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,071 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $977,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Summit Securities Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the first quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.9% during the 1st quarter. National Pension Service now owns 306 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the period. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.6% during the 2nd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 316 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of JBHT opened at $165.11 on Monday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The business’s fifty day moving average is $143.55 and its 200 day moving average is $142.26. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The stock has a market cap of $15.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.30. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 15.16% and a net margin of 4.75%.The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.49 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, November 7th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee bought 1,148 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 4th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $140.76 per share, for a total transaction of $161,592.48. Following the acquisition, the executive vice president directly owned 7,397 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,201.72. This trade represents a 18.37% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $176.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $172.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $168.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $166.30.

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.