J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a large drop in short interest in the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 2,836,537 shares, a drop of 22.8% from the December 15th total of 3,673,572 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 822,137 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Currently, 3.0% of the company’s shares are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 822,137 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.5 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have commented on JBHT. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Evercore ISI set a $222.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $214.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and twelve have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $199.68.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total value of $579,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 13,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,353,957.20. The trade was a 19.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $179.54, for a total transaction of $179,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 7,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,264,500.22. The trade was a 12.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 15,109 shares of company stock worth $2,688,970 over the last 90 days. 2.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the third quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 76 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

Shares of JBHT traded down $2.14 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $204.38. 2,760,727 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 804,926. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 33.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $209.53. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $188.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $162.32.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its board has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.