Short Interest in Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) Drops By 10.9%

Hub Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HUBG) was the recipient of a large decrease in short interest during the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totalling 381,100 shares, a decrease of 10.9% from the August 15th total of 427,900 shares. Approximately 1.2% of the shares of the stock are short sold. Based on an average trading volume of 211,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 1.8 days.

Hub Group Stock Performance

NASDAQ:HUBG traded down $0.21 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $80.58. The stock had a trading volume of 192,792 shares, compared to its average volume of 225,689. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.59 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.64 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.67 and a current ratio of 1.67. Hub Group has a twelve month low of $67.77 and a twelve month high of $104.67.

Hub Group (NASDAQ:HUBG) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 27th. The transportation company reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.41 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.04 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. Hub Group had a net margin of 5.69% and a return on equity of 17.22%. Hub Group’s quarterly revenue was down 25.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $3.03 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Hub Group will post 6.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Hub Group in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Hub Group from $90.00 to $100.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Hub Group from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Hub Group from $95.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Finally, Stephens upped their target price on shares of Hub Group from $85.00 to $91.00 in a research report on Friday, July 28th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $99.83.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hub Group

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HUBG. Raymond James & Associates boosted its stake in shares of Hub Group by 50.5% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 25,950 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,004,000 after purchasing an additional 8,711 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Hub Group by 7.5% during the first quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 32,811 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $2,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,276 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hub Group by 11.8% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,699 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $210,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Hub Group by 57.3% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 17,693 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,366,000 after buying an additional 6,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its holdings in Hub Group by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 96,497 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $7,451,000 after acquiring an additional 1,061 shares during the last quarter. 90.85% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Hub Group

Hub Group, Inc, a supply chain solutions provider, offers transportation and logistics management services in North America. The company's transportation services include intermodal, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, temperature-controlled, and dedicated and regional trucking, as well as final mile, railcar, small parcel, and international transportation.