J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Sold by State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D cut its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 27,992 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $4,777,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of JBHT. Paloma Partners Management Co grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14,254.9% in the third quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co now owns 185,896 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,035,000 after purchasing an additional 184,601 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,384.8% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 156,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,297,000 after purchasing an additional 149,815 shares during the last quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 155.7% in the fourth quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. now owns 220,840 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,689,000 after purchasing an additional 134,476 shares during the last quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14.1% in the third quarter. Parnassus Investments LLC now owns 753,005 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $129,765,000 after purchasing an additional 93,213 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter valued at approximately $15,149,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 13th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $195.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Finally, 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. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $191.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $169.27 on Thursday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $153.12 and a 1-year high of $214.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $172.92 and a 200-day moving average of $174.78. 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 company has a market capitalization of $17.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.44, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued 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 return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 4.72%. The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.13 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.47 EPS. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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 business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th will be given a $0.44 dividend. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 145 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.72, for a total value of $26,494.40. Following 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,545 shares of company stock valued at $1,898,942 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.