JB Hunt Transportation Services (JBHT) Had a Challenging Quarter. Here’s Why

Soumya Eswaran

Thu, May 8, 2025, 7:05 AM 4 min read

Heartland Advisors, an investment management company, released its “Heartland Opportunistic Value Equity Strategy” first quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The strategy returned 0.90% (net of bundled fees) in the quarter, compared to a 1.64% return for the Russell 3000® Value Index. Stock selection varied during the quarter, exhibiting a positive selection effect in 5 out of 11 sectors, primarily driven by Utilities and Information Technology. In addition, you can check the fund’s top 5 holdings to determine its best picks for 2025.

In its first-quarter 2025 investor letter, Heartland Opportunistic Value Equity Strategy highlighted stocks such as J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT). J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) offers surface transportation, delivery, and logistic services in the United States. The one-month return of J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) was -0.18%, and its shares lost 21.13% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On May 7, 2025, J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) stock closed at $132.95 per share with a market capitalization of $13.311 billion.

Heartland Opportunistic Value Equity Strategy stated the following regarding J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:JBHT) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

"Industrials. This was a challenging quarter for JB Hunt Transportation Services, Inc. (JBHT), a diversified transportation company with a focus on intermodal shipping. Customers hire Hunt to move freight in a more efficient manner than substitutes. The company owns the largest fleet of 53-foot shipping containers, which allows three ocean-freight containers to be consolidated into two Hunt containers that are moved by rail (via third party partners) and by company-owned trucks that transport containers to their final destination.  Rail is the most efficient method of freight transportation, and Hunt is a key enabler of transferring semi-trailer miles onto railroads.