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What's in the Cards for J.B. Hunt (JBHT) in Q2 Earnings?

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J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. (JBHT - Free Report) is scheduled to report second-quarter 2024 results on Jul 16, after market close.

J.B. Hunt has a disappointing earnings surprise history, having lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average miss being 11.65%.

Let’s see how things have shaped up for J.B. Hunt this earnings season.

Q2 Expectations

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for J.B. Hunt’s second-quarter 2024 revenues is pegged at $3.09 billion, indicating a 1.20% decline year over year. The top line is likely to have been weighed down by weakness across the majority of its segments.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the second-quarter Intermodal revenues is pegged at $1.467 billion, indicating a 1.4% decline from the year-ago reported figure. The downside is likely to have been due to a decrease in revenue per load resulting from changes in the mix of freight, customer rates and fuel surcharge revenue.

The consensus mark for Dedicated Contract Services segment revenues is pegged at $899.91 million, implying 1.4% growth from the second quarter of 2023 reported number. The upside is expected to be owing to an increase in average trucks.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Integrated Capacity Solutions revenues is pegged at $309.52 million, indicating a 9.9% decline from the year-ago reported figure. Lower contractual and transactional rates and changes in customer freight mix might have weighed on the segment.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Truckload revenues is pegged at $179.18 million, indicating a 6.6% decline from the secondquarter of 2023 reported number. Truckload revenues are expected to be hurt by a decline in revenue per load and a decline in load volume.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Final Mile Services revenues is pegged at $238.03 million, indicating a 6.3% increase from the second quarter of 2023 reported number. Multiple new contracts implemented over the past year might have boosted the segment.

On the flip side, higher net interest expenses are likely to mar J.B. Hunt’s bottom line. JBHT continues to incur higher interest expenses due to higher interest rates. Further, the company’s bottom line is likely to have been hurt by an expected increase in operating expenses due to high fuel costs, purchased transportation costs, salaries, wages and benefits expenses.

Notably, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for JBHT’s second-quarter 2024 earnings has been revised downward by 19.5% in the past 90 days to $1.52 per share. Additionally, the consensus mark implies a 16.02% decline from the year-ago actuals.

What Our Model Says

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for J.B. Hunt this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. But that’s not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

J.B. Hunt has an Earnings ESP of -4.22% and a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

Highlights of Q1

J.B. Hunt’s first-quarter 2024 earnings of $1.22 per share missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.53 and declined 35.5% year over year.

JBHT’s total operating revenues of $2.94 billion missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.11 billion and fell 8.8% year over year. Total operating revenues, excluding fuel surcharge revenue, decreased 7% year over year.

Stocks to Consider

Here are a few stocks from the broader Zacks Transportation sector that investors may consider, as our model shows that these have the right combination of elements to beat second-quarter 2024 earnings.

Copa Holdings(CPA - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.01% and carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

CPA will release results on Aug 7. Upbeat air-travel demand is likely to have aided the second-quarter performance.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CPA’s second-quarter 2024 earnings has been revised downward by 16.3% in the past 60 days to $2.98 per share. CPA has an impressive earnings surprise history, having surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the preceding four quarters, the average beat being 20.19%.

Expeditors International of Washington (EXPD - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +3.15% and a Zacks Rank #3. EXPD is scheduled to report second-quarter 2024 earnings on Aug 6. Lackluster volumes (with respect to air-freight tonnage and ocean containers) due to weakening demand and declining rates are likely to have hurt EXPD’s performance in the to-be-reported quarter.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter earnings has been revised 1.68% upward in the last 60 days. EXPD surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in only one of the preceding four quarters and missed thrice, the average miss being 3.44%.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar

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