J.B. Hunt shareholders approve 3 proposals in annual meeting

Lowell-based carrier J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. hosted its annual shareholders meeting on Thursday (April 22), and shareholders approved all three proposals. The meeting lasted about 8 minutes.

All company directors joined the meeting via telephone, including the new director candidate, Thad Hill.

The following three proposals were approved:

• Election of 11 directors for a one-year term. Directors Doug Duncan, Fran Edwardson, Wayne Garrison, Sharilyn Gasaway, Gary George, Bryan Hunt, Gale King, CEO John Roberts, James Robo and chairman Kirk Thompson were re-elected to the board. Hill was elected to the board. Shareholders approved the proposal with at least 83.5% of the vote.
• Consideration and approval of an advisory resolution regarding the company’s compensation of its executive officers. Shareholders approved the proposal with 96.8% of the vote.
• Ratification of the appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as the company’s independent public accountants for 2021. Shareholders approved the proposal with 98.9% of the vote.

On April 15, J.B. Hunt reported first-quarter earnings rose by 39.8% to $146.6 million, from $104.8 million in the same period in 2020. Revenue increased by 14.7% to $2.61 billion, from $2.28 billion.

Shares of J.B. Hunt (NASDAQ: JBHT) were trading Thursday at $168.82, up $2.09, or 1.25%. In the past 52 weeks, the stock has ranged between $178.40 and $95.30.

Also Thursday, J.B. Hunt announced it will pay on May 21 a 30-cents per share cash dividend to shareholders of record as of May 7. The dividend is a 7.1%, or 2 cent, increase from the previous quarterly dividend of 28-cents per share.