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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a significant drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totalling 2,590,000 shares, a drop of 7.2% from the December 15th total of 2,790,000 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 848,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Barclays lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Loop Capital upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.67.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total value of $1,100,820.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,092,976.08. The trade was a 6.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,050 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 11,459 shares of company stock worth $2,136,277 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 953,749 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $152,589,000 after buying an additional 193,684 shares during the period. Paloma Partners Management Co increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14,254.9% during the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 185,896 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,035,000 after acquiring an additional 184,601 shares during the period. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,384.8% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 156,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,297,000 after purchasing an additional 149,815 shares in the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,689,000 after purchasing an additional 134,476 shares during the period. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 282.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 173,637 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,740,000 after purchasing an additional 128,283 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT traded down $13.75 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $172.45. 3,299,167 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 555,105. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $180.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $173.95. The stock has a market capitalization of $17.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12 month low of $153.12 and a 12 month high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced 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 net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 13.92%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 5.67 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.