Weiss Asset Management LP Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Weiss Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 15,643 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,696,000.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.5% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 953,749 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $152,589,000 after acquiring an additional 193,684 shares during the last quarter. Paloma Partners Management Co raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 14,254.9% in the 3rd 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 in the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,384.8% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 156,097 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,297,000 after buying an additional 149,815 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 282.8% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 173,637 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,740,000 after buying an additional 128,283 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Capital Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter worth about $19,755,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $194.21, for a total value of $427,262.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 4,050 shares in the company, valued at $786,550.50. This trade represents a 35.20 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.50, for a total value of $275,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,650 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,321,275. This represents a 10.60 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 5,314 shares of company stock valued at $1,008,962 over the last three months. 2.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $180.99 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.12 and a fifty-two week high of $219.51. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $180.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $18.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.91, a PEG ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 1.15.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.42 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3.07 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.04 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.65% and a return on equity of 13.92%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.80 earnings per share. Analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 5.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, November 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 8th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.27%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

JBHT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Citigroup lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $227.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $196.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $183.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $190.11.

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.