J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Sold by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. lessened its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 53.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 9,269 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 10,521 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,582,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of JBHT. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 56.7% in the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 69,200 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $11,810,000 after acquiring an additional 25,034 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth $255,000. Merit Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at $253,000. Finally, Narwhal Capital Management acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at $345,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 0.4%

JBHT opened at $147.89 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03. The company has a market cap of $14.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.60, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.33. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $200.40. The business’s fifty day moving average is $139.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $163.43.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.17 EPS 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 analyst estimates of $2.92 billion. Analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Nicholas Hobbs bought 1,529 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $130.75 per share, for a total transaction of $199,916.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 91,847 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $160.00 to $140.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note 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 for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $150.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Raymond James cut their target price 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $162.20.

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.