Short Interest in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Declines By 23.5%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a significant drop in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,276,492 shares, a drop of 23.5% from the February 12th total of 2,974,595 shares. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 736,084 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 736,084 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.1 days. Currently, 2.5% of the company’s shares are short sold.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT traded down $0.88 on Friday, reaching $200.25. 1,198,555 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 805,551. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $215.62 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $182.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $236.00.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th were paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 6th. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. Wolfe Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $214.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, January 8th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Evercore set a $222.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.00.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total transaction of $287,937.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,019 shares in the company, valued at $831,933. The trade was a 25.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total value of $519,216.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,862,800. The trade was a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,993 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at $200,587,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 75,567.4% in the fourth quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,006,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $195,580,000 after buying an additional 1,005,047 shares during the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 338.0% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 823,089 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $110,434,000 after buying an additional 635,172 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 272.8% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 747,377 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $145,245,000 after buying an additional 546,880 shares during the period. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key J.B. Hunt Transport Services News

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EVP Spencer Frazier made a series of small open‑market purchases across multiple dates (multiple transactions totaling ~205 shares), modestly increasing his stake to roughly 6,100–6,200 shares. Insider buying from a senior exec is generally viewed positively as a signal of confidence. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: The purchases are very small (each trade is usually a dozen or a few dozen shares) and represent only a ~0.1–0.4% increase in his position per trade; collectively they are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Investors should treat this as a modest confidence signal rather than a catalyst. MarketBeat JBHT
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals and technical context temper the impact of insider buying: most recent quarterly revenue was roughly flat/down year‑over‑year and the stock is below its 50‑day moving average, which can weigh on sentiment even when insiders buy. Those factors likely explain continued downside pressure despite the insider purchases. MarketBeat JBHT

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.