Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) Shares Gap Up on Analyst Upgrade

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) shares gapped up before the market opened on Monday after Robert W. Baird upgraded the stock from a neutral rating to an outperform rating. The stock had previously closed at $25.76, but opened at $26.52. Robert W. Baird now has a $29.00 price target on the stock. Hub Group shares last traded at $26.26, with a volume of 134,480 shares changing hands.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial cut their target price on shares of Hub Group from $48.00 to $40.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, September 17th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hub Group from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday, September 21st. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Hub Group in a report on Tuesday, September 15th. Zacks Research downgraded Hub Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 7th. Finally, Barclays set a $30.00 price target on Hub Group and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 28th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $40.67.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hub Group

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HUBG. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in Hub Group by 10.6% during the 2nd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 2,588 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $113,000 after buying an additional 248 shares during the last quarter. Nykredit A S acquired a new position in Hub Group during the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hub Group by 10.7% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 6,880 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $248,000 after buying an additional 666 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its stake in Hub Group by 8.2% in the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 9,315 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Hub Group in the first quarter valued at about $52,000. Institutional investors own 46.77% of the company’s stock.

Hub Group Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $1.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25 and a beta of 1.24. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $35.53 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $40.49.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 21st were issued a dividend of $0.1250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, September 21st. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio is 28.90%.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc (NASDAQ: HUBG) is a North American transportation and logistics company headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. The company helps businesses move goods through a combination of intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, final-mile and other transportation services.

Hub Group’s intermodal operations coordinate freight shipments using rail and trucks, while its brokerage business connects shippers with third-party transportation providers. The company also provides dedicated transportation, managed transportation, logistics, warehousing and supply chain solutions designed to support customers’ domestic freight and distribution needs.

Founded in 1971, Hub Group serves customers throughout the United States and maintains transportation capabilities extending into Canada and Mexico.