Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Short Interest Down 16.9% in January

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) saw a large drop in short interest in January. As of January 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,723,194 shares, a drop of 16.9% from the January 15th total of 2,073,529 shares. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 459,226 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 459,226 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.8 days. Currently, 2.9% of the company’s stock are short sold.

Insider Transactions at Hub Group

In related news, CEO Phillip D. Yeager sold 32,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total transaction of $1,397,760.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 168,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $7,351,999.20. The trade was a 15.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Gary Yablon acquired 4,566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $43.73 per share, for a total transaction of $199,671.18. Following the acquisition, the director owned 32,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,381.94. This trade represents a 16.18% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 3.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hub Group

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Hub Group by 265.9% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 644 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 468 shares during the last quarter. Torren Management LLC bought a new position in Hub Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hub Group in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Quarry LP boosted its position in Hub Group by 271.5% in the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Hub Group by 33.4% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 321 shares during the period. 46.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on HUBG. Barclays reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $48.00 target price (up from $38.00) on shares of Hub Group in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Zacks Research raised Hub Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $55.00 price target (up previously from $47.00) on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Friday, February 6th. Evercore set a $53.00 price objective on shares of Hub Group and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Hub Group from $42.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $44.53.

Hub Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HUBG traded down $0.34 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $39.66. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,185,494 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,180,027. The company has a current ratio of 1.47, a quick ratio of 1.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09. The stock has a market cap of $2.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.92, a PEG ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 1.13. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $45.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $39.26. Hub Group has a 12-month low of $30.75 and a 12-month high of $53.26.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Investors of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a $0.125 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.90%.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Hub City Terminals and renamed Hub Group in 1978, the company completed its initial public offering in 2007. Over the decades, Hub Group has developed a comprehensive multimodal transportation network, leveraging partnerships with major rail carriers and an extensive drayage fleet to offer cost-efficient, sustainable shipping alternatives.

The company operates through two primary segments: Intermodal and Transportation Management.