J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 12-Month High on Analyst Upgrade

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Wednesday after Benchmark raised their price target on the stock from $212.00 to $220.00. Benchmark currently has a buy rating on the stock. J.B. Hunt Transport Services traded as high as $211.26 and last traded at $209.25, with a volume of 569613 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $203.50.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 5th. Finally, Vertical Research downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $200.05.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.04, for a total transaction of $380,080.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 30,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,796,029.96. This represents a 6.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 6,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total transaction of $1,098,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 12,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,192,944. This trade represents a 33.37% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 18,147 shares of company stock valued at $3,302,555 in the last ninety days. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.5%

The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The stock has a market capitalization of $20.07 billion, a PE ratio of 34.32, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.27. The business’s 50-day moving average is $191.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.34.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The company had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.53 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.