J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Update

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,836,537 shares, a drop of 22.8% from the December 15th total of 3,673,572 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 822,137 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 822,137 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Vertical Research downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Wolfe Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $214.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Evercore ISI set a $222.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.68.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.54, for a total transaction of $179,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 7,043 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,500.22. This trade represents a 12.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.04, for a total value of $380,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 30,499 shares in the company, valued at $5,796,029.96. This trade represents a 6.15% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970 over the last ninety days. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Eldred Rock Partners LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% during the third quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,815,000 after acquiring an additional 9,345 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 777.0% during the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 192,178 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $25,785,000 after purchasing an additional 170,264 shares during the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 105.5% in the third quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 12,356 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,658,000 after purchasing an additional 6,344 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 23.8% in the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 208,655 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,963,000 after purchasing an additional 40,131 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stephens Inc. AR lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.8% during the second quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 113,935 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,390,000 after buying an additional 3,121 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $2.14 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $204.38. The company had a trading volume of 2,760,727 shares, compared to its average volume of 771,713. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $188.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of $161.88. The stock has a market cap of $19.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.29, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $209.53.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its 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 company 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 net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.18%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

Key J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and margin improvement — JBHT reported EPS above Street estimates and management cited cost reductions that boosted operating profit and net income year?over?year, which supports near?term earnings visibility. J.B. Hunt Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates, Improve Year Over Year
• Positive Sentiment: Cash generation strengthened and capex moderated — operating cash flow rose materially while capital spending was down versus prior year, improving free?cash?flow dynamics that investors often favor. Q4 earnings & cash flow details
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst views mixed but some lifts to sentiment — several firms have raised price targets this week (e.g., Truist) and some analysts highlight JBHT’s positioning versus peers, tempering the sell?side reaction. Analyst ratings and price targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Industry context: freight demand soft — commentators note trucking peers face weak freight volumes, but JBHT is identified as relatively well?positioned to navigate the cycle. That limits downside but keeps growth constrained. 3 Truck Stocks Positioned to Navigate Industry Challenges
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue decline and intermodal weakness pressured the stock — Q4 revenue fell ~1.6% (reported as a ~2% decline in coverage) and lower intermodal volumes were flagged, triggering investor concern about demand sustainability. The share price reacted negatively after the release. J.B. Hunt Fourth-Quarter Revenue Falls on Lower Intermodal Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction: shares fell after the mixed print — headlines and intraday trading showed a sell?off as investors prioritized the revenue miss and soft demand over the EPS beat. Shares fall after Q4 revenue decline
• Negative Sentiment: Notable insider selling disclosed in filings — recent insider sales were reported in the quarter, which some investors interpret as a modest negative signal. Insider trading and holdings data

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.