UPDATE: BMO Capital Markets Initiates Coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services on Multiple Growth Opportunities Ahead

In a report published Tuesday, BMO Capital Markets analyst Fadi Chamoun initiated coverage on J.B. Hunt Transport Services JBHT with an Outperform rating and $86.00 price target. In the report, BMO Capital Markets noted, “We believe J.B. Hunt has a long runway of growth opportunities in its intermodal, dedicated contract carriage and freight brokerage businesses. Our model assumes the company maintains a Net Debt-to-EBITDA ratio of ~0.8x and utilizes excess cash to repurchase shares. We forecast EPS of $2.94, $3.47and $4.07 in 2013E, 2014E and 2015E, respectively, while we expect EBIT to improve to $964 million in 2017E compared to $530 million last year.” J.B. Hunt Transport Services closed on Monday at $72.93.