J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT) to Issue Quarterly Dividend of $0.45 on August 21st

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, July 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th will be given a dividend of 0.45 per share by the transportation company on Friday, August 21st. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services has increased its dividend payment by an average of 0.1%per year over the last three years and has increased its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a payout ratio of 25.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect J.B. Hunt Transport Services to earn $9.81 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 18.3%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 2.8%

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $274.48 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.88, a P/E/G ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.30. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $280.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $245.21. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 1-year low of $130.12 and a 1-year high of $299.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.20. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.75% and a net margin of 5.31%.The company had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.31 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 19.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In related news, EVP Spencer Frazier sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $258.20, for a total transaction of $516,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,604 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,188,752.80. This represents a 30.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.13, for a total transaction of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $225,252.70. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 15,847 shares of company stock worth $4,162,861 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. USA Financial Formulas bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 1st quarter valued at $645,000. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter worth about $230,000. Tema ETFs LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.4% in the second quarter. Tema ETFs LLC now owns 2,425 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $702,000 after buying an additional 145 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.2% during the 2nd quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 23,700 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $6,859,000 after buying an additional 1,600 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Eldred Rock Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 6.5% during the 2nd quarter. Eldred Rock Partners LLC now owns 84,910 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $24,576,000 after buying an additional 5,167 shares in the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.