J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Rating Reaffirmed as Market Outperform by Citizens Jmp

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT)‘s stock had its “market outperform” rating restated by analysts at Citizens Jmp in a research note issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. They currently have a $300.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock. Citizens Jmp’s price target would indicate a potential upside of 31.13% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial dropped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $315.00 to $300.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, September 17th. Stephens raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Weiss Ratings downgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 1st. UBS Group lowered their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $291.00 to $264.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $274.12.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 2.8%

JBHT stock traded down $6.53 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $228.78. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,602,646 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,017,302. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a twelve month low of $157.82 and a twelve month high of $299.76. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $252.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $259.27. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.41, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.31.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.82 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $3.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.59 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.76 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.34 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,833,602,000. Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $891,349,000. Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $843,937,000 after purchasing an additional 41,887 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 64.7% during the 2nd quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,056,398 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $305,753,000 after purchasing an additional 414,837 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth $287,581,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: J.B. Hunt reported third-quarter revenue of $3.68 billion, up 20.4% year over year and above the $3.59 billion consensus estimate. Earnings of $1.82 per share also narrowly exceeded the $1.81 estimate, supported by intermodal growth and stronger pricing. J.B. Hunt Q3 Earnings Beat on Intermodal Growth and Strong Pricing
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $263 from $254 while keeping a Neutral rating. Citizens JMP also reaffirmed its Market Outperform rating with a $300 target, and JPMorgan retained an Overweight rating with a $283 target, indicating meaningful long-term upside potential.
• Neutral Sentiment: TD Cowen modestly reduced its price target to $279 from $283. The mixed analyst actions suggest confidence in J.B. Hunt’s growth prospects but less certainty about the near-term earnings trajectory. TD Cowen Adjusts J.B. Hunt Price Target
• Negative Sentiment: Operating expenses increased to $3.43 billion, with fuel, driver and insurance costs squeezing margins. Profit growth lagged revenue growth, making the headline earnings beat less encouraging to investors. JPMorgan also warned that markets may be overestimating how quickly margins can improve. J.B. Hunt Analysts Discuss Margin Recovery
• Negative Sentiment: Separate law-firm announcements concerning investigations into potential investor claims add an overhang, although no findings or liability have been established. Rosen Investor Investigation Announcement

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a transportation and logistics company headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. Founded in 1961 by Johnnie Bryan Hunt and Johnelle Hunt, the company has grown from a small trucking operation into a major provider of freight transportation and supply-chain services across North America.

The company’s primary business activities include intermodal transportation, which combines rail and truck services; dedicated contract services, which provides customized fleet and delivery operations for individual customers; and integrated capacity solutions, including freight brokerage and third-party logistics.