J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. trimmed its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 15.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,220,327 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 230,970 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned 1.21% of J.B. Hunt Transport Services worth $208,261,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 2,028.6% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 149 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in 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 acquiring an additional 142 shares in the last quarter. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 68.7% in the fourth 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 period. 74.95% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at J.B. Hunt Transport Services

In other news, Director James K. Thompson sold 4,400 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the director now owns 23,559 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,131,541.83. This represents a 15.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Darren P. Field sold 1,200 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.67, for a total transaction of $194,004.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 17,822 shares in the company, valued at $2,881,282.74. The trade was a 6.31 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $204.00 to $193.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 17th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of 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. Susquehanna cut J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “positive” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $200.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $167.00 to $161.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $189.00 to $170.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 17th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, J.B. Hunt Transport Services presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $183.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of JBHT stock opened at $149.72 on Wednesday. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 1-year low of $144.34 and a 1-year high of $200.40. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $161.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $171.83. The firm has a market cap of $14.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.93, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.24, a current ratio of 1.03 and a quick ratio of 0.94.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last announced 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). The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.13 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.72% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.47 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 6.37 EPS for the current year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.18%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 7th. 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 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.