J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Short Interest Down 23.5% in February

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 2,276,492 shares, a decline of 23.5% from the February 12th total of 2,974,595 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 736,084 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days. Currently, 2.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Currently, 2.5% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 736,084 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.1 days.

Key Stories Impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services

Here are the key news stories impacting J.B. Hunt Transport Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: EVP Spencer Frazier made a series of small open‑market purchases across multiple dates (multiple transactions totaling ~205 shares), modestly increasing his stake to roughly 6,100–6,200 shares. Insider buying from a senior exec is generally viewed positively as a signal of confidence. SEC filing
• Neutral Sentiment: The purchases are very small (each trade is usually a dozen or a few dozen shares) and represent only a ~0.1–0.4% increase in his position per trade; collectively they are unlikely to move the stock materially on their own. Investors should treat this as a modest confidence signal rather than a catalyst. MarketBeat JBHT
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals and technical context temper the impact of insider buying: most recent quarterly revenue was roughly flat/down year‑over‑year and the stock is below its 50‑day moving average, which can weigh on sentiment even when insiders buy. Those factors likely explain continued downside pressure despite the insider purchases. MarketBeat JBHT

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

NASDAQ:JBHT traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $200.25. 1,198,555 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 788,939. The company has a current ratio of 0.83, a quick ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $215.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $181.54. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $122.79 and a 1-year high of $236.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $18.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.23.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.53 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 6th were given a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.32%.

Insider Buying and Selling at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 3,038 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $201.97, for a total value of $613,584.86. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 90,318 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,241,526.46. This trade represents a 3.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 4,028 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $225.13, for a total transaction of $906,823.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 30,395 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,842,826.35. This represents a 11.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 25,945 shares of company stock valued at $5,656,495. Corporate insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

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

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 25.4% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 232 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the fourth quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC now owns 4,189 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $814,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 178 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Huntington National Bank increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 798 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $155,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Stifel Nicolaus set a $201.00 price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $174.00 to $196.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 16th. Evercore set a $222.00 price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, January 16th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein raised their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $158.00 to $195.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $203.00.

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.