Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Short Interest Up 20.1% in December

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,810,251 shares, a growth of 20.1% from the December 15th total of 1,507,599 shares. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 766,863 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Based on an average trading volume of 766,863 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.4 days. Approximately 3.1% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Gary Yablon purchased 4,566 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $43.73 per share, for a total transaction of $199,671.18. Following the acquisition, the director owned 32,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,381.94. This represents a 16.18% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Phillip D. Yeager sold 32,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.68, for a total value of $1,397,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 168,315 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,351,999.20. This represents a 15.97% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 3.48% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Hub Group

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Hub Group in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Quarry LP lifted its holdings in shares of Hub Group by 271.5% during the third quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,107 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in Hub Group by 33.4% in the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,282 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 321 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Hub Group by 161.9% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,375 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 850 shares during the last quarter. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Hub Group by 333.8% during the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 1,488 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 1,145 shares during the period. 46.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hub Group Stock Down 1.2%

NASDAQ HUBG traded down $0.57 on Monday, hitting $46.87. The stock had a trading volume of 473,197 shares, compared to its average volume of 598,424. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $41.49 and its 200 day moving average price is $37.68. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.47. Hub Group has a 52-week low of $30.75 and a 52-week high of $47.68.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. Hub Group had a return on equity of 6.58% and a net margin of 2.82%.The firm had revenue of $934.50 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $937.78 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.52 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Hub Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 1.800-1.900 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Hub Group will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Hub Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, December 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 5th were issued a dividend of $0.125 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 5th. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio is 28.90%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on HUBG. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $50.00 price target on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $38.00 target price (up from $36.00) on shares of Hub Group in a report on Friday, October 10th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $52.00 price target on Hub Group and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hub Group in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on shares of Hub Group in a report on Friday, December 5th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $47.00 target price on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $45.53.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a leading supply chain solutions provider headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. Founded in 1971 as Hub City Terminals and renamed Hub Group in 1978, the company completed its initial public offering in 2007. Over the decades, Hub Group has developed a comprehensive multimodal transportation network, leveraging partnerships with major rail carriers and an extensive drayage fleet to offer cost-efficient, sustainable shipping alternatives.

The company operates through two primary segments: Intermodal and Transportation Management.