Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) Raised to “Positive” at Susquehanna

Susquehanna upgraded shares of Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) from a neutral rating to a positive rating in a report published on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. The firm currently has $55.00 price objective on the transportation company’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on HUBG. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $47.00 target price on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Hub Group from $43.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, October 31st. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Hub Group from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock an “in-line” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Finally, Barclays raised their price objective on Hub Group from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 13th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $47.42.

Hub Group Stock Performance

HUBG opened at $44.92 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.52 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.30. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $47.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $45.38. Hub Group has a 1-year low of $38.07 and a 1-year high of $53.21.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $0.52 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.03. Hub Group had a return on equity of 7.44% and a net margin of 2.74%. The firm had revenue of $986.89 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 EPS. Hub Group’s revenue was down 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Hub Group will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hub Group Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 6th were given a $0.125 dividend. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 6th. Hub Group’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 28.41%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Hub Group by 65.0% in the third quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 711 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 280 shares during the period. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Hub Group by 1.6% in the second quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 17,427 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $750,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the last quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Hub Group by 1.7% in the second quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 17,327 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $746,000 after buying an additional 284 shares during the last quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Hub Group by 9.4% in the third quarter. Highland Capital Management LLC now owns 5,086 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $231,000 after buying an additional 437 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aristides Capital LLC increased its holdings in Hub Group by 9.2% in the second quarter. Aristides Capital LLC now owns 5,987 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $258,000 after buying an additional 506 shares during the last quarter. 46.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.