Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Sees Significant Increase in Short Interest

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) saw a large increase in short interest in March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,350,000 shares, an increase of 67.5% from the March 15th total of 805,900 shares. Currently, 2.3% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 640,600 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.1 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on HUBG shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft assumed coverage on Hub Group in a report on Friday, March 7th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $41.00 price target on the stock. Benchmark raised their price target on shares of Hub Group from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Hub Group from $50.00 to $45.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Hub Group from $46.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 23rd. Finally, Susquehanna lowered their target price on Hub Group from $55.00 to $48.00 and set a “positive” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hub Group presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $46.73.

Institutional Trading of Hub Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUBG. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in Hub Group during the 4th quarter worth approximately $95,105,000. Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Hub Group by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,838,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $81,915,000 after acquiring an additional 23,674 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Hub Group by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,482,308 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $67,383,000 after purchasing an additional 10,328 shares during the period. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Hub Group by 77.1% during the fourth quarter. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. now owns 1,147,499 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,133,000 after acquiring an additional 499,621 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Hub Group during the 4th quarter worth about $41,487,000. 46.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hub Group Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HUBG traded up $0.67 during trading on Thursday, reaching $32.30. 447,112 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 513,472. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10, a current ratio of 1.33 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The company has a 50 day moving average of $38.10 and a 200-day moving average of $43.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.00 and a beta of 1.04. Hub Group has a 12 month low of $31.30 and a 12 month high of $53.21.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 6th. The transportation company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Hub Group had a net margin of 2.64% and a return on equity of 7.10%. On average, equities analysts expect that Hub Group will post 2.2 EPS for the current year.

Hub Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, March 18th were given a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.55%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 18th. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.41%.

Hub Group Company 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.