For the quarter ended September 2024, JB Hunt (JBHT) reported revenue of $3.07 billion, down 3% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.49, compared to $1.80 in the year-ago quarter.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +1.02% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $3.04 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $1.42, the EPS surprise was +4.93%.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how JB Hunt performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Truckload - Total tractors: 1,989 compared to the 1,912 average estimate based on three analysts.

• Final Mile Services - Average trucks during the period: 1,334 compared to the 1,423 average estimate based on three analysts.

• Integrated Capacity Solutions - Revenue per load: $1,882 versus the three-analyst average estimate of $1,860.08.

• Integrated Capacity Solution - Loads: 147,805 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 155,493.

• Revenue- Truckload: $173.22 million versus $179.75 million estimated by four analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a -11.8% change.

• Revenue- Dedicated: $845.96 million compared to the $869.05 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -5.2% year over year.

• Revenue- Final Mile Services: $218.32 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $244.42 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -3.4%.

• Revenue- Integrated Capacity Solutions: $278.18 million compared to the $291.14 million average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of -6.7% year over year.

• Revenue- Intermodal: $1.56 billion compared to the $1.47 billion average estimate based on four analysts. The reported number represents a change of +0.1% year over year.

• Revenue- Fuel surcharge revenues: $389.69 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of $402.42 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -17.6%.

• Revenue- Operating revenues, excluding fuel surcharge revenues: $2.68 billion versus the three-analyst average estimate of $2.64 billion. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -0.5%.

• Revenue- Intersegment eliminations: -$4.28 million versus the three-analyst average estimate of -$4.74 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +2.8%.

View all Key Company Metrics for JB Hunt here>>>

Shares of JB Hunt have returned +4.8% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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