Zacks Research Brokers Boost Earnings Estimates for JBHT

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report released on Thursday, January 29th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the transportation company will earn $1.43 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $1.41. The consensus estimate for J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ current full-year earnings is $6.37 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for J.B. Hunt Transport Services’ Q2 2026 earnings at $1.63 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $1.90 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.04 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $7.00 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.46 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.72 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.94 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.50 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $8.61 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $9.45 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Susquehanna upgraded J.B. Hunt Transport Services from a “neutral” rating to a “positive” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $160.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on J.B. Hunt Transport Services from $155.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. BMO Capital Markets reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a research report on Friday, January 16th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating on shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services in a report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Argus raised shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $200.05.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Stock Up 4.2%

Shares of NASDAQ JBHT opened at $220.61 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $21.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.27. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $198.38 and its 200-day simple moving average is $166.64. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. J.B. Hunt Transport Services has a 52-week low of $122.79 and a 52-week high of $220.69.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services (NASDAQ:JBHT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, January 15th. The transportation company reported $1.90 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.81 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $3.10 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. J.B. Hunt Transport Services had a net margin of 4.99% and a return on equity of 16.33%. The firm’s revenue was down 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.53 EPS.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On J.B. Hunt Transport Services

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services during the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Cromwell Holdings LLC boosted its stake in J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.2% during the third quarter. Cromwell Holdings LLC now owns 207 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 71 shares during the period. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 57.8% during the second quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 202 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its stake in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 41.5% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 225 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 66 shares during the period. Finally, Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services by 52.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 220 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 74.95% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other J.B. Hunt Transport Services news, EVP Darren P. Field sold 9,000 shares of J.B. Hunt Transport Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $219.76, for a total transaction of $1,977,840.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 10,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,359,343.36. The trade was a 45.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Ronald Greer Woodruff sold 1,391 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.00, for a total transaction of $287,937.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 4,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $831,933. This trade represents a 25.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 25,957 shares of company stock valued at $5,293,331 in the last quarter. Insiders own 2.30% of the company’s stock.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, October 22nd that permits the company to buyback $0.00 in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to purchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, February 6th will be issued a $0.45 dividend. This is an increase from J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.44. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 6th. J.B. Hunt Transport Services’s payout ratio is currently 28.66%.

About J.B. Hunt Transport Services

J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc is a leading provider of transportation and logistics solutions headquartered in Lowell, Arkansas. The company offers a comprehensive suite of services designed to move freight efficiently across North America, including intermodal, dedicated contract services, full truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), final mile delivery and specialized transport.

In its intermodal segment, J.B. Hunt leverages a network of rail and truck assets to transport containers and trailers on major U.S.