Reviewing J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) and Roadrunner Transportation Systems (OTCMKTS:RRTS)

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) and Roadrunner Transportation Systems (OTCMKTS:RRTS) are both transportation companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their valuation, earnings, analyst recommendations, institutional ownership, dividends, profitability and risk.

Profitability

This table compares J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Roadrunner Transportation Systems’ net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
J.B. Hunt Transport Services	4.59%	14.26%	6.69%
Roadrunner Transportation Systems	N/A	N/A	N/A

Risk & Volatility

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a beta of 1.29, meaning that its share price is 29% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Roadrunner Transportation Systems has a beta of 3.79, meaning that its share price is 279% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

75.0% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 0.0% of Roadrunner Transportation Systems shares are owned by institutional investors. 2.3% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.7% of Roadrunner Transportation Systems shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of current ratings and recommmendations for J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Roadrunner Transportation Systems, as provided by MarketBeat.

	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
J.B. Hunt Transport Services	0	10	11	1	2.59
Roadrunner Transportation Systems	0	0	0	0	0.00

J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus target price of $164.9048, indicating a potential upside of 13.06%. Given J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities analysts plainly believe J.B. Hunt Transport Services is more favorable than Roadrunner Transportation Systems.

Earnings and Valuation

This table compares J.B. Hunt Transport Services and Roadrunner Transportation Systems”s revenue, earnings per share and valuation.

	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
J.B. Hunt Transport Services	$12.09 billion	1.17	$570.89 million	$5.50	26.52
Roadrunner Transportation Systems	$32.72 million	2.91	-$2.09 million	N/A	N/A

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has higher revenue and earnings than Roadrunner Transportation Systems.

Summary

J.B. Hunt Transport Services beats Roadrunner Transportation Systems on 11 of the 13 factors compared between the two stocks.

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. It operates 118,171 pieces of company-owned trailing equipment; owns and maintains its chassis fleet of 100,825 units; and manages a fleet of 5,944 company-owned tractors, 436 independent contractor trucks, and 7,567 company drivers. The DCS segment designs, develops, and executes supply chain solutions that support various transportation networks. As of December 31, 2023, it operated 12,574 company-owned trucks, 674 customer-owned trucks, and 4 contractor trucks. The company also operates 27,194 owned pieces of trailing equipment and 5,406 customer-owned trailers. The ICS segment provides freight brokerage and transportation logistics solutions; flatbed, refrigerated, expedited, and less-than-truckload, as well as dry-van and intermodal solutions; online multimodal marketplace; and logistics management for customers to outsource their transportation functions. The FMS segment offers delivery services through 1,166 company-owned trucks, 225 customer-owned trucks, and 20 independent contractor trucks; and 1,212 owned pieces of trailing equipment and 102 customer-owned trailers. The JBT segment provides dry-van freight services by utilizing tractors and trailers operating over roads and highways through 27 company-owned tractors and 13,561 company-owned trailers. It also transports or arranges for the transportation of freight, such as general merchandise, specialty consumer items, appliances, forest and paper products, food and beverages, building materials, soaps and cosmetics, automotive parts, agricultural products, electronics, and chemicals. The company was incorporated in 1961 and is headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas.

About Roadrunner Transportation Systems

Roadrunner Transportation Systems, Inc. provides asset-right transportation and asset-light logistics services. It operates through four segments: Ascent Transportation Management (Ascent TM), Ascent On-Demand (Ascent OD), Less-than-Truckload (LTL), and Truckload (TL). The company offers domestic freight management solutions, including asset-backed truckload brokerage, specialized/heavy haul, LTL shipment execution, LTL carrier rate negotiations, access to its transportation management system, and freight audit/payment. It also provides air and ground expedite services for the transportation of automotive and industrial parts, paper products, and steel, as well as frozen and refrigerated foods, including dairy, poultry and meat, and consumers products, such as foods and beverages. In addition, the company arranges the pickup and delivery of TL freight through its 30 TL service centers in the United States; offers dry van truckload, temperature-controlled truckload, and logistics and warehouse services; and provides pickup, consolidation, linehaul, deconsolidation, and delivery of LTL shipments in the United States and Canada through 27 LTL service centers and approximately 140 third-party delivery agents. Further, the company provides international air and ocean freight forwarding, customs brokerage, regulatory compliance, project and order management, and retail consolidation services. It operates through a network of independent brokerage agents, direct sales force, company brokers, and commissioned sales representatives. The company offers its services under the Roadrunner and Ascent Global Logistics brands. Roadrunner Transportation Systems, Inc. was incorporated in 2005 and is headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois.