J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Holdings Lessened by Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC

Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC decreased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 183,488 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 5,050 shares during the quarter. J.B. Hunt Transport Services accounts for about 2.8% of Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest position. Villere ST Denis J & Co. LLC owned approximately 0.18% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $31,314,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Arvest Bank Trust Division bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth approximately $1,578,000. Forsta AP Fonden boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 28.2% in the third quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 15,900 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $2,740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,500 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 0.6% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 3,289,874 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $566,944,000 after purchasing an additional 19,826 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.2% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 553,698 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $95,419,000 after purchasing an additional 12,040 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2.1% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 190,689 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $32,861,000 after purchasing an additional 3,910 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $169.98 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $17.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.57, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.15. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $173.58 and its 200 day moving average is $174.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $153.12 and a 52-week high of $219.51.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.47 EPS. The company’s revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be paid a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 30.94%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on JBHT shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 15th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $205.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $191.11.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total transaction of $26,494.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 700 shares in the company, valued at approximately $127,904. The trade was a 17.16 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 10,545 shares of company stock valued at $1,898,942. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.