iA Global Asset Management Inc. Raises Stock Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

iA Global Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 540.1% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 6,100 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,147 shares during the period. iA Global Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $1,293,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 114.1% during the 3rd quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 13,310 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,786,000 after purchasing an additional 7,094 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter worth $539,000. American Century Companies Inc. increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 12.4% during the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 234,471 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $31,459,000 after buying an additional 25,816 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 45.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 56,809 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $11,712,000 after buying an additional 17,839 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Korea Investment CORP raised its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 88.8% in the third quarter. Korea Investment CORP now owns 133,605 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $17,926,000 after buying an additional 62,845 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

JBHT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $320.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, June 5th. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $235.00 to $270.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $228.00 to $236.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $165.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $201.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. One 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, J.B. Hunt Transport Services currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $239.87.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Bradley W. Hicks sold 7,644 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $261.91, for a total transaction of $2,002,040.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 23,982 shares in the company, valued at $6,281,125.62. The trade was a 24.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,188,752.80. The trade was a 30.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 18,119 shares of company stock worth $4,736,095. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $285.83 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.12 and a 52-week high of $294.98. The stock has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.25, a PEG ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.29. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $266.67 and a 200-day moving average price of $231.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 15th. The transportation company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $3.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.27 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 8th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 8th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is 27.86%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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.