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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) had its target price increased by stock analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $172.00 to $189.00 in a report issued on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the transportation company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target suggests a potential downside of 7.54% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on JBHT. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $172.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, October 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $170.00 to $220.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 8th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $227.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $193.64.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $0.76 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $204.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 107,836 shares, compared to its average volume of 806,507. The company has a market capitalization of $19.46 billion, a PE ratio of 35.43, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.27. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a fifty-two week low of $122.79 and a fifty-two week high of $208.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25, a quick ratio of 0.87 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $186.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $160.76.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 15th. The transportation company reported $1.76 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.46 by $0.30. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.02 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 15.16%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.49 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services announced that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 22nd that authorizes the company to repurchase $0.00 in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the transportation company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.04, for a total value of $380,080.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 30,499 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,796,029.96. This represents a 6.15% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 6,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $169.00, for a total transaction of $1,098,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 12,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,192,944. The trade was a 33.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 15,109 shares of company stock valued at $2,688,970 in the last three months. 2.30% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Coldstream Capital Management Inc. boosted 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 valued at $202,000 after purchasing an additional 65 shares during the period. 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 valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 66 shares during the period. Cromwell Holdings LLC grew its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Certuity LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 5.0% during the third quarter. Certuity LLC now owns 1,512 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

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.