J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) Sets New 52-Week High – Still a Buy?

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)’s share price hit a new 52-week high on Thursday . The company traded as high as $257.16 and last traded at $253.5440, with a volume of 1252665 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $237.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $240.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group raised their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Citigroup lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $225.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $228.17.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 3.0%

The firm has a market capitalization of $24.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 40.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.89 and a beta of 1.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 1.26 and a quick ratio of 1.26. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $226.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.40.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its 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 return on equity of 17.30% and a net margin of 5.13%.The firm had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th will be paid a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.86%.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, COO Nicholas Hobbs sold 1,272 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.75, for a total transaction of $318,954.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 91,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $23,002,802. This represents a 1.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $254.49, for a total value of $1,017,960.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,213,045.04. The trade was a 31.51% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 8,510 shares of company stock valued at $2,110,410. 2.50% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in JBHT. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 66 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Sentry Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. 74.95% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.