Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Purchases 1,525 Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 41,617 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,525 shares during the quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd.’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $7,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in JBHT. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings 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 in the last quarter. National Pension Service purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department bought a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc lifted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 102.2% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% during the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 329 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $148.55 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $14.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12-month low of $144.34 and a 12-month high of $200.40. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $165.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.81.

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

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 7th were given a dividend of $0.44 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 7th. This represents a $1.76 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.18%. This is a positive change from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.43. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.65%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

JBHT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $207.00 to $202.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 17th. Susquehanna raised J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and set a $200.00 price target on the stock in a report on Friday, January 3rd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 15th. Raymond James reduced their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft started coverage on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Friday, March 7th. They set a “hold” rating and a $167.00 target price for the company. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $186.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services 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 completion of the transaction, the director now owns 23,559 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,131,541.83. This trade represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 2.10% of the company’s stock.

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.