PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. Purchases Shares of 6,000 J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

PCJ Investment Counsel Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 6,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,024,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the third quarter valued at approximately $26,000. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Versant Capital Management Inc increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on JBHT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $205.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $175.00 to $195.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Susquehanna upgraded shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $195.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $195.00 to $206.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $189.84.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:JBHT opened at $163.45 on Friday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $153.12 and a fifty-two week high of $204.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 1.03 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The company has a market cap of $16.35 billion, a PE ratio of 29.40, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $170.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $174.50.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.62 by ($0.09). J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.13 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 earnings per share for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 7th were paid a $0.44 dividend. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.08%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

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.