Uncommon Cents Investing LLC Has $805,000 Position in J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT)

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) by 51.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,030 shares of the transportation company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,375 shares during the period. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC’s holdings in J.B. Hunt Transport Services were worth $805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 94.0% in the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 161 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 104.8% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 170 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 87 shares during the last quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 69.1% in the 2nd quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 208 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 85 shares during the last quarter. Operose Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. 74.95% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer purchased 5,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $202.99 per share, with a total value of $1,014,950.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,014,950. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Kevin Bracy sold 754 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $211.79, for a total value of $159,689.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 8,235 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,744,090.65. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Patrick J. Ottensmeyer acquired 5,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $202.99 per share, with a total value of $1,014,950.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,014,950. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 20,432 shares of company stock valued at $4,309,687. 2.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on JBHT shares. Stifel Nicolaus reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $188.00 target price on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 19th. StockNews.com lowered J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Friday, March 8th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $215.00 price target on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. Susquehanna decreased their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $200.00 to $195.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $210.00 to $215.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.39.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Performance

Shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock traded up $4.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $199.25. 632,820 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 775,774. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. has a 12 month low of $164.39 and a 12 month high of $219.51. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $204.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $192.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.15 and a current ratio of 1.17. The company has a market capitalization of $20.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.11.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 18th. The transportation company reported $1.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.74 by ($0.27). The firm had revenue of $3.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.29 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a return on equity of 18.40% and a net margin of 5.68%. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.92 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. will post 7.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 23rd. Investors of record on Friday, February 9th were issued a $0.43 dividend. This represents a $1.72 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, February 8th. This is a boost from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is 24.68%.

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.