Bernstein analyst David Vernon has maintained their neutral stance on JBHT stock, giving a Hold rating today.
David Vernon’s rating is based on a combination of factors including JB Hunt’s recent financial performance and market conditions. The company’s first-quarter earnings slightly exceeded street expectations, yet the core intermodal business is still struggling to recover margins. This is attributed to ongoing challenges such as a destocking phase, tariff aftershocks, and a less favorable truck market.
Additionally, the intermodal channel is currently oversupplied, leading to weak demand and idle capacity, which is expected to delay pricing recovery. Despite JB Hunt’s efforts to cut capital expenditures to free up cash, the variability in intermodal unit economics and the current market capacity situation contribute to the uncertainty. As a result, Vernon maintains a Hold rating, reflecting the belief that the market is unlikely to re-rate earnings until these headwinds are addressed.
In another report released today, TD Cowen also reiterated a Hold rating on the stock with a $140.00 price target.
JBHT’s price has also changed moderately for the past six months – from $174.650 to $135.110, which is a -22.64% drop .