MidFirst Bank Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,950 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $379,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 74.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 15,643 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,314,000 after acquiring an additional 6,668 shares in the last quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.3% during the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 433,661 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $64,160,000 after acquiring an additional 13,729 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 27.8% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 1,770 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $262,000 after purchasing an additional 385 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $539,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.0% in the 2nd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 583 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $84,000 after purchasing an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $271.22 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.98, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.30. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $258.66 and a 200 day simple moving average of $226.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.12 and a 12-month high of $293.54.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 27.86%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on JBHT. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $310.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Truist Financial upped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $236.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total transaction of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,281,125.62. The trade was a 24.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total transaction of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,252.70. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095. 2.50% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.