J.B. Hunt, Waymo Via Strike Strategic Alliance

J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) has entered into a long-term, strategic alliance with Waymo Via under which the companies will make efforts to fully automate transportation and logistics services in Texas in the next few years.

During the extended collaboration, the companies will analyze the operational capacity of Waymo Via, the company’s autonomous Class 8 trucking unit powered by the Waymo Driver, to address customer needs in realistic scenarios. Last year, they completed the first trial runs in Texas for one of J.B. Hunt’s customers.

J.B. Hunt’s technology platform, J.B. Hunt 360, along with Waymo’s decade-long experience in building autonomous driving technology is expected to provide a combined solution that would make Waymo Via accessible through J.B. Hunt 360 and help improve transportation efficiency.

Executive Comments

J.B. Hunt’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Executive Vice-President, Craig Harper, said, “This strategic alliance will continue that momentum and further explore the intricate details that would make this a value-driven solution for customers. We believe autonomous driving technology will help us create the most efficient transportation network in North America, and our collaboration with Waymo Via is a pivotal step towards fulfilling that mission.”

The Head of commercialization for trucking at Waymo, Charlie Jatt, said, “Establishing this strategic alliance marks an exciting moment for our relationship, and more importantly, paves the way for us both to help grow the foundations for successful deployment and to capitalize on the benefits of autonomous driving technology.”

J.B. Hunt Earnings

The company’s EPS for the fourth quarter of 2021 is estimated to reach $2.01. JBHT stock earnings beat estimates in all quarters of 2020 and 2021, and given the impressive earnings history, the company is expected to beat estimates again in the fourth quarter.

Overall, the Street is cautiously optimistic about the stock and has a Moderate Buy consensus rating based on 9 Buys, 6 Holds and 1 Sell.

News Sentiment

News Sentiment for J.B. Hunt is Very Positive based on 28 articles over the past seven days. All articles have Bullish sentiment, compared to a sector average of 62%, and none has Bearish Sentiment, compared to a sector average of 38%.

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