Janus Henderson Group PLC Purchases 41,887 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Janus Henderson Group PLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 1.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 41,887 shares during the quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC owned approximately 4.22% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $843,937,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.4% during the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 232 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,622 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,827,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 4,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $814,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $276.14 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $25.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.29. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.12 and a 1-year high of $299.76. The business’s 50 day moving average is $279.82 and its 200-day moving average is $243.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.71 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.31 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.71 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 7th. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on JBHT. Barclays raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Stephens boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $286.30.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. The trade was a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total transaction of $426,015.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,881 shares in the company, valued at $4,510,362.81. This trade represents a 8.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 15,847 shares of company stock valued at $4,162,861. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.