J.B. Hunt Transport Services reported third-quarter revenue of $3.68 billion on Thursday, ahead of the $3.59 billion consensus estimate. Earnings per share of $1.82 beat lowered expectations by 1 cent, after the company's September earnings warning. Costs from diesel, driver pay, and cargo claims exceeded $50 million. It was the fifth straight quarter of year-over-year growth in operating income and earnings per share. Intermodal revenue rose 20% to $1.83 billion, helped by higher fuel prices. The dedicated unit's operating ratio worsened 360 basis points to 91.5%, while brokerage posted a second straight operating profit after 13 quarters in the red. Shares fell 2.4% in after-hours trading.

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. reports $172.4 million quarterly profit. 1 hour, 58 minutes ago by John Magsam J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. just beat analysts' predictions concerning its third-quarter profits and revenue as the company says it remains focused on meeting its customers evolving needs and the transport company's long-term growth. The Lowell-based company on Thursday reported net income of $172.4 million or $1.82 per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up 2% from $170.8 or $1.76 per share. A consensus estimate of 21 analysts predicted earnings of $1.81 per share for the quarter, according to Yahoo Finance. Revenue for the quarter, including fuel surcharges, stood at $3.68 billion, up 20% from $3.05 billion a year ago. An estimate of 17 analysts put expected revenue at $3.59 billion. "We remain confident in our strategy and are building the capabilities needed to support our customers' evolving needs, strengthen our competitive position and drive long-term profitable growth for our shareholders," Shelley Simpson, president and chief executive officer of J.B. Hunt Transport services, said in a statement. Shares of J.B. Hunt closed at $235.31, up $3.15 or about 1.4% in trading Thursday. The third-quarter report was released after the market closed. Shares have traded as low as $157.82 and as high as $299.76 over the past year. During a Thursday conference call with analysts, Simpson said customers are being drawn more and more to the variety of interlocking transportation services the company offers. "Customers continue to lean into J.B. Hunt," she said. Simpson said the company's prices must reflect the value the transportation operation provides, which will mean higher rates moving forward. "To what degree, we don't know," she said of rate increases. Tomas Jandik, professor of finance and the Dillard's Chair in Corporate Finance at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, said Thursday the logistics and freight hauler's results weren't disastrous but showed it was still struggling with its profit margins and clearly needed more favorable contract conditions with their clients. "The question is will they be able to reprice their contracts fast enough?" he said. He said J.B. Hunt was facing two problems many companies are facing currently: trying to stay profitable in the face of punishing inflation coupled with higher labor costs. "The economy is driving this," he said. In mid-September, the company's shares sagged after it signaled an expected decline in profits for its upcoming third quarter. At the Morgan Stanley 14th Annual Laguna Conference, J.B. Hunt Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of Finance Brad Delco warned third-quarter profits would likely be 5% to 10% lower than expected as erratic fuel costs and the expense of finding and keeping drivers on the road hit the company's bottom line. The company historically has not discussed inter-quarter trends. Since 2022, J.B. Hunt has battled with a persistent freight recession and other market challenges, but a supply-side shift in the freight recession and a focus on cost discipline have resulted in strong financial performances in the first half of 2026. The company's third-quarter revenue gains, putting aside fuel surcharge gains across all divisions, was mostly driven by an 8% increase in intermodal loads, a 27% increase in integrated capacity solutions revenue per load and and a 29% increase in truckload. Those gains were offset by a 10% decline in final mile services stops, according to the company. J.B. Hunt's operating income for the the third quarter was $247.1 million, up 2% year over year. The company attributed the gain to higher revenue, organization-wide productivity improvements and lower equipment storage and rental costs. The gains were offset in part by increased driver expenses, higher equipment-related costs and increased expenses from insurance and medical group claims. The company's intermodal division booked revenue of $1.83 billion in the third quarter, up 20% compared to the year-ago quarter with operating income of $147.5 million, a gain of 18%. "Overall demand for our intermodal service was strong throughout the quarter driven by the strong value proposition intermodal presents to customers," the company said in a release. Intermodal's gross revenue was up in the third quarter because of an 11% jump in revenue per load, including higher fuel surcharge revenue, as well as an 8% increase in volume. Operating income gained 18% on efficiency improvements, partially offset by increases in driver and equipment costs and insurance and group medical claims. During the conference call, Darren Field, executive vice president and president of Intermodal, said shippers are seeing the value proposition in intermodal and are converting to intermodal from trucking at a solid clip. The dedicated contract division saw revenue of $960 million, up 18% with operating income of $81.7 million, down 22%. Revenue was up in part on a 10% improvement in productivity - revenue per truck per week - including fuel surcharges. Without the surcharges, productivity was up 3% year-over-year. The drop in operating income was attributed in part to higher driver costs, increased group medical claims and higher expenses because of insurance premiums. The integrated capacity solutions segment had revenue of $434 million, up 57%, but posted an operating loss of $9.6 million or 8 cents per share. Revenue per load was up 29% on rate increases and a 22% increase in volume. The final mile services division took in revenue of $200 million, down 3% with operating income of $1.6 million, a decline of 76%. The company said the revenue drop was because of "known business losses given our ongoing efforts to improve revenue quality and profitability across the portfolio." The revenue drop dragged down operating income for the period as did increased transportation costs. The truckload division saw revenue of $261 million, up 37% with operating income of $7 million, down 6%. The company said gross revenue, not counting fuel surcharges, was up 34% driven by a 29% increase in gross revenue per load, also not counting fuel surcharges and a 4% increase in load volume. Operating income was hit by higher transportation expenses and equipment-related costs. The company recently announced the launch of Overroute, an artificial intelligence technology startup that is a part of the company's partnership with UP.Labs. The company's mid-July second-quarter results showed a profit of $181 million, up from $128 million compared with the year-ago quarter. J.B. Hunt Transport Services includes intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, last mile and transload operations. It celebrated its 65th year in business in August. John Magsam is the Northwest Arkansas bureau chief. He works on the business desk and covers the state's casino, brewery and firearms industries. John also has some editing duties. He started his newspaper career at the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune in Chillicothe, Mo. in 1993 and has worked at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 1999. John is a graduate of Arkansas Tech University in Russellville. Support journalism that digs deeper into topics that matter most to Arkansans. 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J.B. Hunt Transport Services shares fell 13.3% on Wednesday after the company warned that rising diesel and driver costs would reduce third-quarter earnings by 5–10%. The trucking and freight company expects $25 million in additional driver expenses, including recruiting, training, and signing bonuses, plus $10 million or more from rising fuel prices. Whilst J.B. Hunt passes fuel costs to customers through surcharges, these adjustments are delayed, leaving the company temporarily covering the expenses. Last quarter, revenue rose 19% year over year to $3.5 billion. The costs are likely temporary and could signal rising demand. However, if fuel prices remain elevated, trucking could face a slowdown as consumers reduce spending.