JB Hunt (JBHT) Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates

Earnings Performance - JB Hunt reported quarterly earnings of $1 53 per share missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1 62 per share representing a -5 56% earnings surprise [1] - The company's earnings of $1 53 per share increased from $1 47 per share a year ago [1] - In the previous quarter JB Hunt delivered a positive earnings surprise of 4 93% with actual earnings of $1 49 per share against an estimate of $1 42 per share [1] - Over the last four quarters the company surpassed consensus EPS estimates only once [2] Revenue Performance - JB Hunt posted revenues of $3 15 billion for the quarter ended December 2024 surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0 54% [2] - This revenue figure represents a decline from the year-ago revenues of $3 3 billion [2] - The company has topped consensus revenue estimates twice over the last four quarters [2] Stock Performance and Market Comparison - JB Hunt shares have gained approximately 9 3% since the beginning of the year compared to the S&P 500's gain of 1 2% [3] - The stock's immediate price movement will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call [3] Earnings Outlook and Estimate Revisions - The current consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $1 41 on $3 01 billion in revenues [7] - For the current fiscal year the consensus EPS estimate is $7 21 on $12 78 billion in revenues [7] - Ahead of the earnings release the estimate revisions trend for JB Hunt was unfavorable resulting in a Zacks Rank 4 (Sell) indicating potential underperformance in the near future [6] Industry Context - JB Hunt belongs to the Zacks Transportation - Truck industry which is currently in the bottom 16% of the 250 plus Zacks industries [8] - The top 50% of Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1 [8] Peer Comparison - Heartland Express (HTLD) another company in the same industry is expected to report a quarterly loss of $0 04 per share for the quarter ended December 2024 representing a year-over-year change of -166 7% [9] - The consensus EPS estimate for Heartland Express has been revised 50% lower over the last 30 days [9] - Heartland Express' revenues are expected to be $254 84 million down 7 5% from the year-ago quarter [9]