J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. research snapshot
JBHT AI stock analysis currently reads J.B. Hunt Transport Services as a high-quality North American logistics operator with a scaled intermodal franchise, a large dedicated fleet, deep railroad partnerships, and a cyclical earnings base that is recovering as freight demand, intermodal volumes, and pricing improve. At the August 2, 2026 data cutoff, JBHT traded near $271.75 with a verified market capitalization near $25.52 billion. The stock is up roughly 89% over the past 52 weeks and has pulled back from its highs, trading below its 20-day and 50-day moving averages but above its 100-day and 200-day averages. The JBHT AI stock forecast uses scenario ranges, not a fixed price target, because freight volume, contract pricing, margin recovery, rail service, and truckload capacity can change the earnings path quickly.
Current price
$271.75
Market cap
$25.52 billion verified market cap
AI score
68 / 100
Rating
Improving intermodal and dedicated logistics earnings recovery at a price that already discounts much of it
Trend status
Pulled back below short-term moving averages after a strong 52-week rally, still above long-term averages
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | J.B. Hunt earns revenue from intermodal, dedicated contract services, truck brokerage, final mile delivery, and truckload capacity, giving it several ways to serve shippers across North America. | High |
| Moat | The moat comes from intermodal scale, rail relationships, container assets, dedicated customer contracts, network density, technology, and shipper integrations, but pricing remains cyclical. | Medium-high |
| Management | CEO Shelley Simpson has long operating history inside J.B. Hunt, and the current test is whether capital discipline, margin recovery, insurance cost control, and technology can extend the earnings recovery. | Medium-high |
| Financial trend | Q2 2026 revenue was $3.50 billion, up 19% year over year, and diluted EPS was $1.91, up 45%. TTM revenue is about $12.70 billion with TTM net earnings of about $674.5 million. | High |
| Valuation | At $271.75, audited math shows about 38.55x TTM EPS, 6.98x book value, 23.21x free cash flow per share, and a 0.66% dividend yield. | High |
| Technical trend | The stock pulled back below its 20-day and 50-day moving averages after a strong run, with the 14-day RSI near 42, while price still holds above the 100-day and 200-day averages. | Medium |
| Risk level | Main risks include weak freight demand, contract repricing pressure, excess truckload capacity, rail-service issues, insurance and claims cost, labor inflation, fuel volatility, and high multiple compression. | Medium-high |
| AI confidence | Descriptive confidence is high because company releases, SEC filings, and third-party data agree on key financials. Return confidence is lower because freight-cycle timing is hard to model. | High data confidence |
| Investment certainty | JBHT has above-average logistics quality, but the current price needs the earnings recovery to continue, margin improvement, and sustained technical support to justify the premium multiple. | Medium |
JBHT AI stock forecast
The JBHT AI stock forecast is scenario-based because earnings depend on intermodal loads, dedicated fleet utilization, contract pricing, brokerage spreads, final mile demand, insurance expense, labor cost, rail service, and capital allocation. Using the $271.75 price reference, TTM EPS of about $7.05, and an audited three-year model, the mechanical outcomes are about $386 in a bullish case, $274 in a base case, and $129 in a bearish case before dividends.
$370 to $410 before dividends
More likely if intermodal volume keeps growing, dedicated contract wins stay profitable, truckload capacity tightens, brokerage spreads recover, insurance costs normalize, and the market keeps assigning a mid-30s earnings multiple to higher EPS.
$255 to $290 before dividends
More likely if EPS compounds near 9% to 10%, revenue growth is moderate, margins improve gradually, the stock holds above key moving averages, and investors value JBHT near a low-30s earnings multiple.
$120 to $150 before dividends
More likely if freight demand weakens again, contract pricing rolls over, truckload capacity remains loose, claims or insurance costs stay elevated, or the stock re-rates toward a low-20s earnings multiple.
JBHT AI technical analysis
JBHT AI technical analysis shows a pullback within an uptrend as of the August 2, 2026 data cutoff. The page uses a $271.75 quote reference, verified market-cap math, and technical levels grouped around recent support, resistance, moving-average, momentum, volume, and invalidation zones rather than a precise price promise.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $271.75 | Price reference used for August 2, 2026 market-cap and valuation verification. |
| Immediate support | $268 to $270 | This zone marks the first area where buyers would need to defend the short-term pullback. |
| 100-day moving average | $254 to $260 | The 100-day average was near $254 as of the data cutoff, making this the more important support zone for the medium-term trend. |
| Major support | $224 to $230 | The 200-day average was near $224 as of the data cutoff. A move down to this area would test the long-term recovery. |
| Near resistance | $280 to $283 | This is the 50-day and 20-day moving-average cluster near $280 to $283, the first upside test for the pullback. |
| Upper resistance | $295 to $305 | This area marks prior highs near the July 2026 peak and would need volume and earnings confirmation to break. |
| Moving averages | Below 20-day and 50-day, above 100-day and 200-day | The short-term trend is mixed while price trades below the 20-day and 50-day averages, but the medium-term and long-term trend stays constructive above the 100-day and 200-day averages. |
| Momentum | RSI near 42, momentum cooling | The 14-day RSI near 42 shows momentum cooling after the rally, and directional indicators show recent selling pressure. |
| Volume | Confirm moves around earnings and freight data | Volume confirmation matters around earnings, Cass Freight Index updates, rail service data, and truckload capacity commentary. |
| Volatility | Freight-cycle and earnings sensitivity | JBHT can move quickly when revenue per load, equipment utilization, contract renewals, insurance costs, or rail-service commentary changes. |
| Invalidation | Close below $254, then below $224 | A sustained close below $254 weakens the medium-term trend. A deeper break below $224 would challenge the broader recovery thesis. |
JBHT AI trading strategy
The JBHT AI trading strategy below is a rules-based research framework, not personal financial advice. It combines chart levels with intermodal volume, dedicated contract demand, brokerage spreads, final mile trends, margin recovery, capital spending, and valuation discipline.
Watch for JBHT to hold the $254 to $270 support area and reclaim the $280 to $283 moving-average cluster with improving volume, better intermodal load trends, and management commentary that supports continued margin recovery.
A failed reclaim followed by a close below $254 should reduce trend confidence, especially if earnings commentary points to weak pricing, claims cost, or poor utilization.
If JBHT pulls back toward the $254 to $260 zone without a permanent earnings reset, compare the lower price with EPS recovery, free cash flow, dividend coverage, debt, intermodal volumes, and peer action in rail and truckload stocks.
Do not treat a pullback as automatically attractive if contract repricing, excess truckload capacity, or insurance costs are worsening at the same time.
Track intermodal loads, revenue per load, Dedicated Contract Services operating income, Integrated Capacity Solutions gross margin, Final Mile demand, Truckload utilization, capex, debt, buybacks, and rail-service reliability.
Position sizing should reflect that JBHT can look expensive on depressed earnings and cheap on peak-cycle earnings, so the cycle assumption must be explicit.
Investment research summary
Customers pay J.B. Hunt to move freight reliably across rail, truck, dedicated fleet, brokerage, and final mile channels. The business converts shipper complexity into capacity planning, network density, technology, and operating execution.
The moat is strongest in intermodal scale, BNSF-linked network access, containers, dedicated fleet relationships, shipper integrations, operational data, and route density. It is weaker where freight becomes price-only procurement.
The thesis fails if the freight recovery stalls, contract rates reset lower, insurance and claims expense stays high, rail service disappoints, dedicated contract economics weaken, or investors stop paying a premium for cyclical earnings.
Shelley Simpson has deep J.B. Hunt operating experience and became CEO after years across major business lines. The management test is whether capital allocation, technology, and customer contracts can extend margin recovery without chasing unprofitable volume.
Intermodal should benefit from long-haul cost efficiency, shipper focus on emissions, supply-chain reliability, and driver scarcity over time. The offset is that freight demand, truckload capacity, and rail performance remain cyclical.
At $271.75, JBHT trades near 38.6x trailing earnings and about 30x forward earnings, so the stock already discounts a continued recovery. Margin of safety improves if EPS grows into the multiple, freight conditions stay firm, and free cash flow supports dividends, buybacks, and fleet investment.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Current price reference | $271.75 price reference used for verification | StockAnalysis JBHT statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| Market capitalization | $25.52 billion, verified from $271.75 x 93.9 million shares | Pineify financial_rigor.py and StockAnalysis JBHT statistics | August 2, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 revenue and EPS | $3.495 billion operating revenue and $1.91 diluted EPS | J.B. Hunt Q2 2026 earnings release (July 15, 2026) | August 2, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 segment revenue | Intermodal $1.75 billion, Dedicated $921 million, ICS $388 million, Final Mile $198 million, Truckload $240 million | J.B. Hunt Q2 2026 earnings release (July 15, 2026) | August 2, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 10-Q cross-check | $3.495 billion revenue, $181.0 million net earnings, $1.91 diluted EPS | SEC Form 10-Q filed July 24, 2026 | August 2, 2026 |
| TTM financials | $12.70 billion revenue and $674.5 million net earnings | StockAnalysis JBHT financials | August 2, 2026 |
| Valuation math | 38.55x PE, 6.98x PB, 23.21x P/FCF, 0.66% dividend yield | Pineify financial_rigor.py valuation verification | August 2, 2026 |
| Business segments | Intermodal, Dedicated Contract Services, Integrated Capacity Solutions, Final Mile Services, and Truckload | J.B. Hunt 2025 Form 10-K | August 2, 2026 |
| Technical reference | Support, resistance, momentum, and moving-average zones grouped from August 2026 technical references | Barchart JBHT technical analysis | August 2, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | Buy rating with a $305.45 average price target across 24 analysts | StockAnalysis JBHT forecast | August 2, 2026 |
This JBHT AI stock analysis is an informational research tool, not investment advice, a rating, or a personalized recommendation. Forecast scenarios are based on available public data as of August 2, 2026 and can be wrong if freight demand, margins, rates, competition, valuation multiples, or company execution change.
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