Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) Stock Sees Unusually High Call Option Buying

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) saw unusually large options trading on Thursday. Stock investors acquired 9,002 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 1,347% compared to the typical daily volume of 622 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUBG. Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Hub Group in the second quarter worth approximately $25,000. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in shares of Hub Group during the first quarter valued at approximately $52,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its position in shares of Hub Group by 10.6% during the second quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,588 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 248 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Hub Group in the 4th quarter worth approximately $153,000. Finally, Headlands Technologies LLC purchased a new position in Hub Group in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $205,000. 46.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on HUBG shares. Wells Fargo & Company reissued a “negative” rating and set a $28.00 price objective (down from $35.00) on shares of Hub Group in a research report on Tuesday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $29.00 target price on shares of Hub Group and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Hub Group from $50.00 to $46.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Raymond James Financial lowered their price target on shares of Hub Group from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Finally, Barclays set a $30.00 price objective on shares of Hub Group and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $40.46.

Hub Group Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NASDAQ:HUBG traded up $0.05 on Thursday, hitting $26.36. 576,946 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 955,394. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $40.75. The company has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a PE ratio of 15.21 and a beta of 1.24. Hub Group has a 52 week low of $26.22 and a 52 week high of $53.26.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Shareholders of record on Monday, September 21st were paid a dividend of $0.1250 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.90%.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a North American transportation and logistics company headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. The company helps businesses move goods through a combination of intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, final-mile and other transportation services.

Hub Group’s intermodal operations coordinate freight shipments using rail and trucks, while its brokerage business connects shippers with third-party transportation providers. The company also provides dedicated transportation, managed transportation, logistics, warehousing and supply chain solutions designed to support customers’ domestic freight and distribution needs.

Founded in 1971, Hub Group serves customers throughout the United States and maintains transportation capabilities extending into Canada and Mexico.