Stephens Issues Pessimistic Forecast for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its target price reduced by Stephens from $170.00 to $165.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on JBHT. Susquehanna cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $200.00 to $165.00 in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $129.23 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12 month low of $122.79 and a 12 month high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $150.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $168.08.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. On average, research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.36%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is 31.94%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.