J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Hits New 52-Week High After Analyst Upgrade

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after Susquehanna raised their price target on the stock from $250.00 to $290.00. Susquehanna currently has a positive rating on the stock. J.B. Hunt Transport Services traded as high as $256.18 and last traded at $251.09, with a volume of 897278 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $251.60.

JBHT has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $209.00 to $228.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $216.00 to $221.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Vertical Research downgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company. in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $169.00 to $187.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, January 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $227.04.

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

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.28, for a total transaction of $254,280.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 19,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,973,462.52. This represents a 4.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Jennifer Boattini sold 2,238 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $232.00, for a total transaction of $519,216.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 16,650 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,862,800. This trade represents a 11.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,869 shares of company stock worth $4,504,707. 2.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Board declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.45 per share (record May 8, payable May 22), signaling strong cash flow and shareholder return commitment. J.B. Hunt Announces Quarterly Dividend
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst momentum: Susquehanna raised its price target (reported lift to $290) and gave a positive view, which increases upside expectations and can support buying interest. Susquehanna Raises Price Target (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Media/TV endorsement: Jim Cramer publicly said he likes J.B. Hunt, raising retail attention and sentiment for the stock. Positive coverage often amplifies short-term demand. Jim Cramer Shares Why He Likes J.B. Hunt
• Positive Sentiment: Recent fundamentals: Q1 results (reported April 15) showed an EPS and revenue beat and year-over-year revenue growth, supporting the bullish narrative on margins and demand. JBHT Earnings & Company Profile (MarketBeat)
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/peer comparisons: A Zacks piece compares JBHT to FedEx on valuation and AI-driven efficiency, highlighting competitive dynamics that could shape longer-term investor preference but are not an immediate catalyst. FDX vs. JBHT (Zacks)
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst landscape: Multiple firms have moved targets and ratings (some higher, some neutral), leaving consensus sentiment “Moderate Buy” — helpful context but varied enough to temper conviction. Analyst Ratings & Price Targets (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director James K. Thompson sold 1,000 shares (~$254k) and COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares (~$319k) in recent SEC filings. Small relative to total holdings, but such sales can be perceived as a near-term negative by some investors. Director Sale SEC Filing

Institutional Trading of J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 125,829 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $16,883,000 after buying an additional 3,890 shares during the last quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 11.9% in the 3rd quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 88,061 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,815,000 after buying an additional 9,345 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $3,627,000. AdvisorShares Investments LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $433,000. Finally, Krilogy Financial LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at about $1,003,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.7%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 0.81. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $220.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $197.88. The firm has a market cap of $24.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 39.27, a PEG ratio of 1.84 and a beta of 1.22.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 5.13% and a return on equity of 17.30%. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.86%.

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.