J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sees Large Growth in Short Interest

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 29th, there was short interest totalling 2,150,000 shares, an increase of 10.3% from the February 14th total of 1,950,000 shares. Approximately 2.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 779,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $220.00 to $212.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $215.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. TD Cowen increased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $178.00 to $199.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Stifel Nicolaus reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 19th. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.37.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $191.20 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $19.75 billion, a PE ratio of 27.43, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.11. The company has a quick ratio of 1.15, a current ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $163.66 and a 12-month high of $219.51. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $203.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $192.67.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 18th. The transportation company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.74 by ($0.27). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.68% and a return on equity of 18.40%. The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 24.68%.

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

In other news, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total value of $1,382,615.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,021,243.81. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, CFO John Kuhlow sold 3,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $213.00, for a total value of $745,500.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 10,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,244,381. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Alfred C. Harper sold 6,500 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $212.71, for a total transaction of $1,382,615.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 42,411 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,021,243.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 20,432 shares of company stock worth $4,309,687 over the last quarter. 3.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital Fund Management S.A. acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth $2,939,000. Aviva PLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 52,155 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $9,832,000 after buying an additional 16,249 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 36,442 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,870,000 after buying an additional 1,331 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 38.4% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 41,835 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $7,887,000 after buying an additional 11,613 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.9% during the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 153,367 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,913,000 after acquiring an additional 1,393 shares during the last quarter. 73.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.