Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,510 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,042,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of JBHT. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Finally, Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 19,800.0% during the fourth quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 199 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $261.03 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $277.33 and a 200-day simple moving average of $252.50. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.12 and a 1 year high of $299.76. 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 (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 business had revenue of $3.50 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders 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 payout ratio is presently 25.50%.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,510,362.81. This represents a 8.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total value of $200,446.39. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $225,252.70. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on JBHT. Wall Street Zen raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Sunday, June 7th. Zacks Research upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Citizens Jmp initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Wednesday, July 15th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. Barclays upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $270.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Stephens raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $360.00 to $370.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have assigned a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $286.30.

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.