Federated Hermes Inc. Decreases Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Federated Hermes Inc. cut its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 89.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,138 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 25,769 shares during the quarter. Federated Hermes Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $421,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 411.5% in the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,799,843 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $258,457,000 after purchasing an additional 1,447,993 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at approximately $91,094,000. Park Presidio Capital LLC lifted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 149.5% during the second quarter. Park Presidio Capital LLC now owns 670,873 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $96,337,000 after buying an additional 401,937 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 178.9% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 428,704 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $61,562,000 after buying an additional 275,017 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $592,015,000 after buying an additional 272,594 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Vertical Research downgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 16th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $212.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $227.91 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.12, a PEG ratio of 1.85 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $229.44. The business’s 50 day moving average is $201.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $168.28.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 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 business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.53 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 6th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.32%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total value of $579,726.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 13,095 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,353,957.20. The trade was a 19.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 4,028 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.13, for a total transaction of $906,823.64. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 30,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,842,826.35. The trade was a 11.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 32,316 shares of company stock valued at $6,727,749. 2.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat — JBHT reported an EPS beat (reported $1.90 vs. $1.81 consensus) with modest revenue roughly in line with expectations, showing continued margin strength versus last year and supporting forward earnings estimates. This is a clear near-term positive for valuation and analyst sentiment. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend hike — the board raised the quarterly dividend to $0.45 (annualized $1.80), a small yield but a sign of cash-flow stability and capital-return focus that can support investor confidence. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — several firms have lifted price targets and issued favorable ratings (JPMorgan, Truist, BMO and others), which likely helped buying interest after the earnings release. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Market context — coverage notes the stock rose on the day but has underperformed broader markets recently; that suggests momentum is mixed and broader market moves may still dominate short-term performance. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership strong — large funds hold the bulk of shares and some institutions have added to positions, which generally supports liquidity and reduces dispersion of selling pressure. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Cluster of insider sales — multiple senior executives sold shares this week (CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares; EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 331; CAO John Kuhlow sold 1,000; insider Bradley Hicks sold 4,028), roughly $1.4M+ in disclosed sales in aggregate. Large or clustered insider selling can raise governance or liquidity concerns and may cap near-term upside as investors digest motives (taxes, diversification vs. signaling). Read More. Read More. Read More.

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.