Argus Upgrades J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) to Strong-Buy

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) was upgraded by equities researchers at Argus to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Zacks.com reports.

JBHT has been the topic of several other research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Evercore ISI set a $222.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 16th. Bank of America raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $153.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Monday, December 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $206.75 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $19.69 billion, a PE ratio of 33.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.71 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $192.24 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $163.74. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1 year low of $122.79 and a 1 year high of $212.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.87.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share 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 buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 1,588 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.29, for a total value of $300,592.52. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 550 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $104,109.50. The trade was a 74.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total transaction of $613,584.86. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 90,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,241,526.46. The trade was a 3.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 23,457 shares of company stock valued at $4,413,991 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,993 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,434,000 after buying an additional 635,172 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth about $91,094,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,672,060 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $358,510,000 after acquiring an additional 416,167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Park Presidio Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the second quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $96,337,000 after acquiring an additional 401,937 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.45 (2.3% increase), payable Feb. 20 with an ex-dividend/record date of Feb. 6 — reinforces cash return policy and signals confidence in cash flow. J. B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Announces Increase to Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and coverage pushed the stock to a new 12?month high after firms raised price targets and reiterated overweight/outperform views — supports further upside from improved sentiment. J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: High-profile bullish commentary (Jim Cramer) saying J.B. Hunt could “make a fortune” when freight turns around likely adds retail interest and momentum. Jim Cramer Says “When the Freight Market Turns Around, J.B.Hunt Should Be Able to Make a Fortune”
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage coverage is mixed-to-positive overall (consensus “Moderate Buy”); some firms raised targets substantially while others remain cautious — implies upside but not unanimous. MarketBeat JBHT Coverage Summary
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple insiders sold stock this week: EVP Bradley W. Hicks sold 3,919 shares at ~$210; EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares at ~$207; COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares at ~$201. Collective insider selling can be interpreted as a near-term negative signal, though insiders still retain sizable holdings. Bradley W. Hicks Insider Sale Filing SEC Filing (Hicks)
• Negative Sentiment: Additional insider sale filings: Ronald Greer Woodruff (SEC filing) and COO Nicholas Hobbs sold shares in separate transactions, reducing individual stakes by double-digit and low-single-digit percentages respectively — could add selling pressure. SEC Filing (Woodruff) COO Nicholas Hobbs Insider Sale

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.