J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) was the target of a significant increase in short interest in May. As of May 31st, there was short interest totalling 3,480,000 shares, an increase of 31.8% from the May 15th total of 2,640,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,320,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 4.4% of the company's shares are sold short.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
JBHT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Susquehanna set a $140.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $175.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $161.90.
View Our Latest Report on J.B. Hunt Transport Services
Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services
In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services
A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of JBHT. National Pension Service bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Summit Securities Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,600.0% in the 1st quarter. Summit Securities Group LLC now owns 197 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth $34,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 167.0% during the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 235 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.4%
NASDAQ JBHT traded up $0.62 on Friday, reaching $139.63. 1,876,544 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,002,021. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $200.40. The company has a market cap of $13.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.34, a PEG ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $137.40 and a 200-day moving average price of $155.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a quick ratio of 0.89 and a current ratio of 0.89.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.07% and a net margin of 4.65%. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.
J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.26%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services's payout ratio is presently 31.94%.
About J.B. Hunt Transport Services
(
Get Free Report)
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.
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