Benchmark Issues Positive Forecast for J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Stock Price

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its price target upped by equities researchers at Benchmark from $212.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Benchmark’s price target points to a potential upside of 8.90% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Evercore ISI set a $222.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of 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. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $140.00 to $152.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 1.2%

JBHT stock traded down $2.37 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $202.01. The stock had a trading volume of 75,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,014,778. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $188.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $162.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market cap of $19.24 billion, a PE ratio of 32.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 12-month low of $122.79 and a 12-month high of $209.53.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.81 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.33% and a net margin of 4.99%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.53 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $190.04, for a total value of $380,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,499 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,796,029.96. This represents a 6.15% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Albert Brad Delco sold 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $179.54, for a total value of $179,540.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 7,043 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,264,500.22. The trade was a 12.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,508 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $202,000 after buying an additional 65 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% in the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.0% in the third quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 1,512 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $203,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company Profile

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.