ProShare Advisors LLC Increases Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

ProShare Advisors LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 14.9% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 11,724 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 1,519 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $2,001,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the period. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 140.4% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 212 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $145.02 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $139.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.94%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $167.00 target price on the stock. Barclays cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stephens cut their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $175.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.00.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.