NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC Acquires 5,926 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 437.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,280 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 5,926 shares during the quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,019,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of JBHT. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 55.0% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 38,970 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $5,456,000 after purchasing an additional 13,823 shares during the period. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 51.7% in the 3rd quarter. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. now owns 1,667 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $224,000 after purchasing an additional 568 shares in the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,267 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $707,000 after buying an additional 1,803 shares during the last quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Evergreen Capital Management LLC now owns 2,470 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $331,000 after buying an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 3,678 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $493,000 after buying an additional 405 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Brian Webb sold 796 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.11, for a total value of $150,531.56. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,697 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,968,459.67. This trade represents a 4.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO John Kuhlow sold 3,225 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, December 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.76, for a total transaction of $579,726.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 13,095 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,353,957.20. This represents a 19.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on JBHT shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $180.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $176.00 to $211.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $152.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, January 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ JBHT opened at $203.50 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a one year low of $122.79 and a one year high of $209.53. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $189.67 and a 200 day moving average of $162.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.83. The company has a market capitalization of $19.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.27.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.53 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that allows the company to buyback $0.00 in shares. This buyback authorization allows the transportation company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.