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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a large growth in short interest in the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 3,130,000 shares, a growth of 25.2% from the February 13th total of 2,500,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 858,100 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.6 days. Approximately 3.9% of the company’s stock are sold short.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $147.13 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $167.13 and a 200-day simple moving average of $173.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $14.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $145.32 and a 1-year high of $200.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.47 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Investors of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is 31.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $167.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial assumed coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Thursday, March 13th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $165.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.80.

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

In other news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total transaction of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. True Wealth Design LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

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.