Norges Bank Makes New $185.30 Million Investment in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Norges Bank bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 927,701 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $185,299,000. Norges Bank owned about 0.90% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of JBHT. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 104.8% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 170 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 505.9% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 309 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $58,000 after purchasing an additional 258 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC raised its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 26.2% in the fourth quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 299 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 62 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.79, for a total transaction of $159,689.66. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 8,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,090.65. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 754 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $211.79, for a total transaction of $159,689.66. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,744,090.65. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Eric Mcgee sold 3,800 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $212.56, for a total value of $807,728.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 464 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,627.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,454 shares of company stock worth $3,283,219 over the last three months. Insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have weighed in on JBHT. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Loop Capital cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $177.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Susquehanna cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 17th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $218.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $215.00 to $199.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 17th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $194.24.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $157.98 on Thursday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52-week low of $156.70 and a 52-week high of $219.51. The stock has a market cap of $16.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.17. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $178.94 and its 200-day moving average is $190.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a current ratio of 1.26.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 16th. The transportation company reported $1.22 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.53 by ($0.31). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 16.25% and a net margin of 5.25%. The business had revenue of $2.94 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.12 billion. Sell-side analysts predict that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.48 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Investors of record on Friday, May 10th will be paid a $0.43 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 9th. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.09%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 27.30%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Profile

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc provides surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. It operates through five segments: Intermodal (JBI), Dedicated Contract Services (DCS), Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS), Final Mile Services (FMS), and Truckload (JBT). The JBI segment offers intermodal freight solutions.