Blue Trust Inc. Sells 279 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Blue Trust Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 61.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 172 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 279 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $29,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at $26,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Huntington National Bank boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% in the 3rd 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. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $60,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.9 %

JBHT opened at $158.90 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.12 and a 1-year high of $208.69. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $171.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $174.70. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market capitalization of $15.89 billion, a PE ratio of 28.58, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.11%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 31.65%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total transaction of $1,100,820.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at approximately $15,092,976.08. This trade represents a 6.80 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,545 shares of company stock valued at $1,898,942. 2.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have issued reports on JBHT. Bank of America lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $205.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.