Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. Grows Stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 230,430 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 13,982 shares during the period. J.B. Hunt Transport Services accounts for 0.6% of Comgest Global Investors S.A.S.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest holding. Comgest Global Investors S.A.S. owned approximately 0.23% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $39,325,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. National Pension Service bought a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the fourth quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 33.9% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 340 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $58,000 after purchasing an additional 86 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $175.37, for a total value of $771,628.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total value of $194,004.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,881,282.74. This represents a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on JBHT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $188.00 to $166.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 17th. TD Cowen cut their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $171.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 17th. Raymond James reduced their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Barclays cut their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $180.00 to $165.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $177.70.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Price Performance

JBHT stock opened at $132.88 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $13.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.90, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.27. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $154.30 and its 200 day moving average is $169.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $127.05 and a 52 week high of $200.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a current ratio of 1.03.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, January 16th. The transportation company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company 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 business posted $1.47 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict 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 business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a $0.44 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.32%. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is presently 31.65%.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Company 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.