Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) Sets New 1-Year Low on Analyst Downgrade

Shares of Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Thursday after Barclays lowered their price target on the stock from $50.00 to $45.00. Barclays currently has an equal weight rating on the stock. Hub Group traded as low as $33.98 and last traded at $34.01, with a volume of 208410 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $38.01.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Hub Group from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on Hub Group from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna dropped their price target on Hub Group from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on Hub Group in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $41.00 price objective for the company. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Hub Group currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $46.73.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUBG. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Hub Group by 48.4% in the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 950 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $42,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Hub Group by 286.2% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $68,000 after acquiring an additional 1,142 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Hub Group by 803.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,888 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $84,000 after acquiring an additional 1,679 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hub Group by 24.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 450 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Hub Group by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,568 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.77% of the company’s stock.

Hub Group Stock Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of $40.76 and a 200-day moving average of $44.30. The company has a market capitalization of $2.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.01 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.33.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Hub Group had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 7.10%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Hub Group, Inc. will post 2.2 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.47%. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.41%.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.