Earnings Preview For J.B. Hunt Transport (JBHT)

J.B. Hunt Transport Services JBHT reports 2011 first-quarter earnings after the bell on Thursday, April 14. Analysts expect the company to post a profit of $0.38 per share on sales of $964.76 million. Earnings estimates have been flat for the past 60 days. Analysts will focus on the pricing environment regarding truckload contract pricing. Spot rates have increased by double-digits recently, which bodes well for the company heading into earnings. Margins will also be under scrutiny as fuel costs have increased dramatically recently. The company has exceeded estimates in three of the previous four quarters. The stock is currently trading at 22x 2011 estimates of $2.02. JBHT is only a few percent below its 52-week high of $46.11, so investors are optimistic that the company will report strong results. JBHT is a mid cap stock with a market capitalization of $5.41 billion and trades about 916,000 shares per day on the NASDAQ. J.B. Hunt operates as a surface transportation and delivery services company in North America. It provides flatbed, refrigerated, expedited, and less-than-truckload, as well as various dry-van and intermodal solutions.