Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Purchases 6,817 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 216,448 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,817 shares during the quarter. J.B. Hunt Transport Services accounts for approximately 0.5% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest holding. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $37,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Empirical Finance LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.0% in the third quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 2,855 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $492,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 388 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Huntington National Bank raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% in the third quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Greenleaf Trust raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.0% in the third quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 1,599 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $276,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Studio Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.6% in the second quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,013 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $162,000 after purchasing an additional 63 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded down $2.16 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $182.35. The company had a trading volume of 751,079 shares, compared to its average volume of 870,431. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.12 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The company’s fifty day moving average is $175.60 and its 200-day moving average is $168.23. The company has a market capitalization of $18.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.15, a P/E/G ratio of 3.23 and a beta of 1.14.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.07. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 13.92% and a net margin of 4.65%. The business had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.80 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 EPS 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, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 8th will be given a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 8th. This represents a $1.72 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $151.00 to $167.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Loop Capital boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 17th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $185.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $189.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 1,614 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $189.87, for a total value of $306,450.18. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,563,579.45. This represents a 16.39 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.03, for a total value of $525,090.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 14,150 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,476,674.50. This represents a 17.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,314 shares of company stock worth $1,534,052. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.