J. Goldman & Co LP Lowers Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

J. Goldman & Co LP lessened its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 15.7% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 114,795 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 21,397 shares during the period. J. Goldman & Co LP’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $19,591,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 428.4% during the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,263,391 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $215,610,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,295 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth about $146,618,000. Demars Financial Group LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 16,964.6% in the 4th quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 610,059 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $104,113,000 after acquiring an additional 606,484 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 111.1% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 956,504 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $163,237,000 after buying an additional 503,324 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,689,000 after acquiring an additional 134,476 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs purchased 1,529 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at $12,008,995.25. The trade was a 1.69 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $135.44 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $140.73 and its 200 day simple moving average is $163.92. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market cap of $13.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. 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 quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. As a group, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.94%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group reduced their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft initiated coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $167.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $162.20.

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.