Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 785,322 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 1,579 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned 1.28% of Hub Group worth $34,994,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 286.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,541 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,142 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 24.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,261 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $103,000 after purchasing an additional 450 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV raised its stake in shares of Hub Group by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,568 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $114,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hub Group in the third quarter worth about $204,000. Finally, iSAM Funds UK Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Hub Group in the third quarter worth about $214,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 46.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on HUBG. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on Hub Group in a research report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $41.00 price target for the company. Benchmark lifted their price target on Hub Group from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on Hub Group from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Susquehanna upgraded Hub Group from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $55.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on Hub Group from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 10th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $47.82.

Hub Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ HUBG opened at $37.08 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.62 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.98. Hub Group, Inc. has a twelve month low of $36.34 and a twelve month high of $53.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.33, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. The stock has a market cap of $2.28 billion, a PE ratio of 21.81 and a beta of 0.93.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Hub Group had a return on equity of 7.10% and a net margin of 2.64%. Equities analysts anticipate that Hub Group, Inc. will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Hub Group Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 28th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 18th. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.35%. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.41%.

Hub Group Profile

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.