J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Purchased by Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 2.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 8,115 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 231 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,385,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% in the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 47.2% during the 3rd quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 237 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Huntington National Bank raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 21.8% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 341 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total value of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,904. This trade represents a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Shelley Simpson sold 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.47, for a total value of $1,100,820.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 82,264 shares in the company, valued at $15,092,976.08. This trade represents a 6.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 10,545 shares of company stock worth $1,898,942. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on JBHT shares. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $205.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 17th. Loop Capital lifted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $173.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 17th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $191.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $167.50 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $16.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.15. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $153.12 and a 12 month high of $219.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $174.54 and its 200-day moving average is $174.85.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share 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 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.05%. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is 30.94%.

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.