Nuance Investments LLC Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Nuance Investments LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 41,981 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,165,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Susquehanna raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. UBS Group cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $211.00 to $196.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Bank of America cut their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Raymond James lowered their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,881,282.74. This trade represents a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,131,541.83. The trade was a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 1.4 %

JBHT stock opened at $149.95 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $144.34 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $15.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $164.22 and its 200 day moving average price is $172.56.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The business’s revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a dividend of $0.44 per share. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 31.65%.

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.