J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT Shares Purchased by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 14.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 119,303 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 14,965 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned about 0.13% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $25,280,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth about $539,000. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 48.6% in the 4th quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 13,849 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,692,000 after purchasing an additional 4,527 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 71.7% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 9,684 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,882,000 after buying an additional 4,043 shares during the period. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Greenwood Gearhart Inc. now owns 201,839 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $39,225,000 after buying an additional 8,270 shares during the period. Finally, OP Asset Management Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,681,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $271.75 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $280.28 and its 200-day moving average price is $244.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $130.12 and a one year high of $299.76. The firm has a market cap of $25.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.29.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. The firm had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 25.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Tuesday, July 21st. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 7th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $290.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Zacks Research upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Citizens Jmp began coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.30.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its EPS forecasts across multiple periods, including FY2026 to $7.65 from $7.21, FY2027 to $9.68 from $8.89, and FY2028 to $10.40 from $9.31. The firm also increased estimates for several upcoming quarters, signaling expectations for stronger profitability. J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock information
• Positive Sentiment: Notable quarterly revisions included Q3 2026 EPS rising to $2.05 from $1.97, Q4 2026 to $2.19 from $2.07, Q2 2027 to $2.05 from $1.79, Q3 2027 to $3.16 from $2.93, and Q2 2028 to $2.49 from $2.14. These upgrades support the bullish case for JBHT’s longer-term earnings growth.
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research maintained a “Strong-Buy” rating, reinforcing the favorable analyst view. The estimate increases follow J.B. Hunt’s latest quarterly report, when the company exceeded both revenue and EPS expectations and posted year-over-year revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Although the estimates were raised, Zacks’ FY2026 forecast of $7.65 EPS remains slightly below the broader consensus estimate of $7.75, suggesting that near-term upside expectations are positive but not uniformly above market forecasts.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total value of $426,015.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total value of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 23,982 shares in the company, valued at $6,281,125.62. This represents a 24.17% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,847 shares of company stock valued at $4,162,861. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.