J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Short Interest Jumps 58.5%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a significant growth in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 3,227,884 shares, a growth of 58.5% from the September 15th total of 2,036,176 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 1,535,855 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.1 days. Approximately 3.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

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

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. SteelPeak Wealth LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $477,000. USA Financial Formulas purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $386,000. Aspiriant LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Aspiriant LLC now owns 1,230 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $276,000 after purchasing an additional 64 shares in the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 13.8% in the 3rd quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 2,839 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 344 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 130.8% in the 3rd quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 106,363 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $23,831,000 after purchasing an additional 60,276 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: J.B. Hunt reported third-quarter revenue of $3.68 billion, up 20.4% year over year and above the $3.59 billion consensus estimate. Earnings of $1.82 per share also narrowly exceeded the $1.81 estimate, supported by intermodal growth and stronger pricing. J.B. Hunt Q3 Earnings Beat on Intermodal Growth and Strong Pricing
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $263 from $254 while keeping a Neutral rating. Citizens JMP also reaffirmed its Market Outperform rating with a $300 target, and JPMorgan retained an Overweight rating with a $283 target, indicating meaningful long-term upside potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen modestly reduced its price target to $279 from $283. The mixed analyst actions suggest confidence in J.B. Hunt’s growth prospects but less certainty about the near-term earnings trajectory. TD Cowen Adjusts J.B. Hunt Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Operating expenses increased to $3.43 billion, with fuel, driver and insurance costs squeezing margins. Profit growth lagged revenue growth, making the headline earnings beat less encouraging to investors. JPMorgan also warned that markets may be overestimating how quickly margins can improve. J.B. Hunt Analysts Discuss Margin Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Separate law-firm announcements concerning investigations into potential investor claims add an overhang, although no findings or liability have been established. Rosen Investor Investigation Announcement

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JBHT has been the subject of a number of research reports. William Blair set a $300.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. Bank of America cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $340.00 to $302.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, September 16th. BMO Capital Markets set a $315.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $320.00 to $290.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Zacks Research cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $274.12.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $228.78 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $21.49 billion, a PE ratio of 32.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 1.31. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $157.82 and a 52-week high of $299.76. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The company’s 50 day moving average is $251.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $259.06.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.01. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.07% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The company had revenue of $3.68 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.59 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.76 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 20.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $0.45 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 25.50%.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Founded in 1961 by Johnnie Bryan Hunt and Johnelle Hunt, the company has grown from a small trucking operation into a major provider of freight transportation and supply-chain services across North America.

The company’s primary business activities include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and truck services; dedicated contract services, which provides customized fleet and delivery operations for individual customers; and integrated capacity solutions, including freight brokerage and third-party logistics.