EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC Raises Stock Holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 68.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $56,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Studio Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.4% in the third quarter. Studio Investment Management LLC now owns 1,068 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $184,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.6% in the third quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,133 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $368,000 after acquiring an additional 55 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $878,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 18.6% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 535 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $92,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the fourth 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. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $147.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $144.90 and a 1 year high of $200.40. The firm has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $166.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.16.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on JBHT shares. TD Cowen reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Raymond James reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Susquehanna upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $186.80.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.