Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 10,939 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,166,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Summitry LLC increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.9% during the first quarter. Summitry LLC now owns 1,560 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $331,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.7% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 1,765 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $374,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.4% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 232 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 8,622 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,827,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total transaction of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,252.70. This represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 15,881 shares in the company, valued at $4,510,362.81. The trade was a 8.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $262.18 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.12 and a 12 month high of $299.76. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $277.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $251.92. The company has a market cap of $24.62 billion, a PE ratio of 37.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.30.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results 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. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.31% and a return on equity of 18.75%. The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.31 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 25.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $286.00 to $291.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 7th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $261.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $313.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Susquehanna set a $345.00 price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.30.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.