Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,157,689 shares, a growth of 25.2% from the January 29th total of 1,723,194 shares. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,905,841 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Based on an average daily volume of 1,905,841 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 1.1 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Hub Group Price Performance

Shares of HUBG stock opened at $43.05 on Thursday. Hub Group has a twelve month low of $30.75 and a twelve month high of $53.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $44.77 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $39.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.14.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 25th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Hub Group’s payout ratio is currently 28.90%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hub Group news, CEO Phillip D. Yeager sold 32,000 shares of Hub Group stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $1,397,760.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 168,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,351,999.20. The trade was a 15.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Gary Yablon acquired 4,566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $43.73 per share, for a total transaction of $199,671.18. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 32,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,381.94. The trade was a 16.18% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. 3.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hub Group

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUBG. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Hub Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $153,000. River Road Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hub Group by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,320,784 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,279,000 after acquiring an additional 81,764 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Hub Group by 8.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,118,108 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $90,253,000 after acquiring an additional 159,174 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Hub Group by 9.6% in the 4th quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 7,666 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV purchased a new stake in shares of Hub Group during the 4th quarter worth $249,000. 46.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HUBG has been the topic of several analyst reports. Benchmark upped their price target on shares of Hub Group from $40.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Stifel Nicolaus set a $27.00 target price on Hub Group and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Barclays reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $48.00 price target (up from $38.00) on shares of Hub Group in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and set a $55.00 price objective (up from $47.00) on shares of Hub Group in a report on Friday, February 6th. Finally, Evercore set a $53.00 price objective on Hub Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.53.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Hub City Terminals and renamed Hub Group in 1978, the company completed its initial public offering in 2007. Over the decades, Hub Group has developed a comprehensive multimodal transportation network, leveraging partnerships with major rail carriers and an extensive drayage fleet to offer cost-efficient, sustainable shipping alternatives.

The company operates through two primary segments: Intermodal and Transportation Management.