Empirical Asset Management LLC Makes New Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Empirical Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund bought 2,104 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $609,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the second quarter worth approximately $31,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its position in 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 worth $37,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 34.3% during the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 188 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 48 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total value of $426,015.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,510,362.81. This trade represents a 8.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 value of $200,446.39. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 790 shares in the company, valued at $225,252.70. The trade was a 47.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Down 3.2%

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $274.19 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.12 and a 12 month high of $299.76. The company has a market cap of $25.75 billion, a PE ratio of 38.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 1.30. The company has a quick ratio of 1.26, a current ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The business’s 50 day moving average is $279.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $249.98.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is 25.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

JBHT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Zacks Research raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $295.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $265.00 to $297.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $248.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Benchmark raised their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $250.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 26th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $286.30.

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.