Point72 Italy S.r.l. Makes New $8.26 Million Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Point72 Italy S.r.l. acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 48,399 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,260,000. J.B. Hunt Transport Services comprises about 4.6% of Point72 Italy S.r.l.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 56.7% during the 4th quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 69,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,810,000 after purchasing an additional 25,034 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $255,000. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $253,000. Finally, Narwhal Capital Management bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $345,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, COO Nicholas Hobbs purchased 1,529 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, with a total value of $199,916.75. Following the purchase, the chief operating officer now owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,008,995.25. This trade represents a 1.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $147.89 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $139.89 and a 200-day moving average price of $163.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $122.79 and a 52 week high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.02. 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 $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.92 billion. Equities research 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 23rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 9th. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.19%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.94%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Barclays reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 11th. Stephens lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $196.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $162.20.

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.