Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 7,500 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,280,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Barclays PLC lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 37.5% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 236,177 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $40,698,000 after buying an additional 64,380 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.8% in the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 98,725 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,013,000 after purchasing an additional 1,737 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $878,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Czech National Bank boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 17,271 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,947,000 after purchasing an additional 859 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pallas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 2,191 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $374,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Stephens dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Raymond James lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, April 11th. Citigroup cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $193.00 to $164.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $175.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.20.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $147.89 on Thursday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $139.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $163.43. The stock has a market cap of $14.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.15 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. On average, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.44 dividend. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.94%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs acquired 1,529 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

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.