Empowered Funds LLC Acquires New Shares in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. $JBHT

Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 35,407 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,248,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the second quarter valued at $1,833,602,000. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 4,122,669 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $592,015,000 after buying an additional 272,594 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 1.1% in the 1st quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,982,720 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $843,937,000 after acquiring an additional 41,887 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 17.7% during the 4th quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 3,755,171 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $729,780,000 after acquiring an additional 565,605 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 2nd quarter valued at about $891,349,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock opened at $261.03 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $24.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.97, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.30. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $277.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $252.50. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $130.12 and a 52 week 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 issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 15th. The transportation company reported $1.91 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.50 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.26 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.31 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 19.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.75 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, August 7th were issued a $0.45 dividend. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 7th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is presently 25.50%.

Insider Activity at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Brian Webb sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $284.01, for a total transaction of $426,015.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,881 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,510,362.81. This trade represents a 8.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP David Keefauver sold 703 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were 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 owned 790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $225,252.70. This trade represents a 47.09% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 2.50% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on JBHT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $280.00 to $313.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein restated an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report 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 note on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, June 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $200.00 price target (up from $190.00) on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating, nine have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.