J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Hits New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)’s share price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Susquehanna raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $290.00. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the stock. J.B. Hunt Transport Services traded as high as $256.18 and last traded at $251.09, with a volume of 897278 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $251.60.

JBHT has been the topic of a number of other reports. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. UBS Group upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Bank of America upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $227.04.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total value of $318,954.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 91,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $23,002,802. This trade represents a 1.37% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 9,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.76, for a total value of $1,977,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 10,736 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,359,343.36. The trade was a 45.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 19,869 shares of company stock worth $4,504,707 over the last quarter. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Key J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share (record May 8, payable May 22), signaling strong cash flow and shareholder return commitment. J.B. Hunt Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Susquehanna raised its price target (reported lift to $290) and gave a positive view, which increases upside expectations and can support buying interest. Susquehanna Raises Price Target (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Media/TV endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly said he likes J.B. Hunt, raising retail attention and sentiment for the stock. Positive coverage often amplifies short-term demand. Jim Cramer Shares Why He Likes J.B. Hunt
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: Q1 results (reported April 15) showed an EPS and revenue beat and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the bullish narrative on margins and demand. JBHT Earnings & Company Profile (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/peer comparisons: A Zacks piece compares JBHT to FedEx on valuation and AI-driven efficiency, highlighting competitive dynamics that could shape longer-term investor preference but are not an immediate catalyst. FDX vs. JBHT (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape: Multiple firms have moved targets and ratings (some higher, some neutral), leaving consensus sentiment “Moderate Buy” — helpful context but varied enough to temper conviction. Analyst Ratings & Price Targets (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares (~$254k) and COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares (~$319k) in recent SEC filings. Small relative to total holdings, but such sales can be perceived as a near-term negative by some investors. Director Sale SEC Filing

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 125,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $16,883,000 after purchasing an additional 3,890 shares during the period. Eldred Rock Partners LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,815,000 after purchasing an additional 9,345 shares during the period. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $3,627,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $433,000. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,003,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.00 billion, a PE ratio of 39.27, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $220.49 and a 200-day moving average price of $197.88.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The company had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.