Ameriprise Financial Inc. Trims Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. trimmed its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 159,096 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,931 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $27,151,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 140.4% in the 4th quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC now owns 363 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 212 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $147.32 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $140.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.50, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $150.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs purchased 1,529 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This represents a 1.69% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, 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 company insiders.

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.