J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. Reports Earnings for the Third Quarter 2021
- Third Quarter 2021 Revenue: $3.14 billion; up 27%
- Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $273.8 million; up 56%
- Third Quarter 2021 EPS: $1.88 vs. $1.18
LOWELL, Ark.– (Trailer Technician) — J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., (NASDAQ: JBHT) announced third quarter 2021 net earnings of $199.8 million, or diluted earnings per share of $1.88 versus third quarter 2020 net earnings of $125.5 million, or $1.18 cents per diluted share.
Total operating revenue for the current quarter was $3.14 billion, an increase of 27% compared with $2.47 billion for the third quarter 2020. All segments contributed double-digit revenue growth versus the prior year period. Truckload (JBT) and Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS) grew revenue 87% and 55% year-over-year, respectively, as both segments were able to source and secure capacity for customers in the Marketplace for J.B. Hunt 360°® in this capacity-constrained freight environment. Intermodal (JBI) revenue grew 17%, driven by a 24% increase in revenue per load, partially offset by a 6% decline in volume. Dedicated Contract Services® (DCS®) revenue grew 20% as a result of a 12% increase in average revenue producing trucks and a 7% increase in fleet productivity versus the prior year period. Final Mile Services® (FMS) revenue increased 13% as revenue per stop increased 17%, partially offset by 3% fewer stops. Current quarter total operating revenue, excluding fuel surcharges, increased 23% versus the comparable quarter 2020.
Total freight transactions in the Marketplace for J.B. Hunt 360 increased to $518 million in the third quarter 2021 compared to $358 million in the prior year quarter. ICS revenue on the platform increased 36% to $397 million versus a year ago. JBI and JBT executed approximately $34 million and $87 million, respectively, of third-party dray, independent contractor and power-only capacity through the platform during the quarter.
Operating income for the current quarter totaled $273.8 million versus $175.5 million for the third quarter 2020. Operating income increased from third quarter 2020 primarily from customer rate and cost recovery efforts and further scaling into our technology investments at a consolidated level, in addition to higher productivity of our assets and people across our ICS and JBT segments. These items were partially offset by a lack of network fluidity from both rail and customer activity in JBI as well as increases in: driver wage and recruiting costs; rail and truck purchase transportation expense; non-driver personnel salary, wages and incentive compensation; group medical expense; and implementation costs for new business in both our DCS and FMS segments.
Interest expense in the current quarter was comparable to the prior year period. The effective income tax rate for the current quarter was 23.7% compared to 23.3% for third quarter 2020. We expect our 2021 annual tax rate to fall between 23.5% and 24.0%.
Segment Information:
Intermodal (JBI)
- Third Quarter 2021 Segment Revenue: $1.41 billion; up 17%
- Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $165.1 million; up 52%
Overall intermodal volumes declined 6% versus the same period in 2020. Eastern network loads declined 2%, while transcontinental loads declined 9% compared to the third quarter 2020. Demand for intermodal capacity remains strong, however, volumes in the quarter were negatively impacted by a continuation of rail restrictions across the network and elevated detention of trailing equipment at customer facilities. We believe labor shortages across the industry in both rail and truck networks and at customer warehouses are at the core of the supply-chain fluidity challenges limiting our asset utilization and capacity. Despite these volume-related challenges, revenue increased by 17%, driven by a 24% increase in revenue per load resulting from a combination of mix, customer rates, and fuel surcharge revenue, partially offset by the volume decline. Revenue per load, excluding fuel surcharge revenue, increased 18% year over year.
Operating income increased by 52% year over year primarily from higher customer rate and cost recovery efforts compared to the prior year period. Rate and cost recovery efforts were partially offset by higher rail and third-party dray purchased transportation costs, increases in driver wages, benefits and recruiting costs, and activity-based costs to accommodate network inefficiencies. Higher non-driver personnel, group medical and equipment costs also offset higher revenue per load. The current period ended with 102,230 units of trailing capacity and 6,017 power units in the dray fleet.
Dedicated Contract Services (DCS)
- Third Quarter 2021 Segment Revenue: $665 million; up 20%
- Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $78.1 million; down 3%
DCS revenue increased 20% during the current quarter over the same period in 2020. Productivity, defined as revenue per truck per week, was up 7% versus the prior period. Productivity, excluding fuel surcharge revenue, increased 3% versus the prior period. A net additional 1,527 revenue producing trucks were in the fleet by the end of the quarter compared to the prior year period, and a net additional 744 versus the end of the second quarter 2021. Customer retention rates remain above 98%.
Operating income decreased 3% from the prior year quarter. Benefits from higher revenue and increased productivity of assets were more than offset by increases in driver wage and recruiting costs, non-driver personnel salary, wages and incentive compensation, and other costs related to the implementation of new, long-term contractual business.
Integrated Capacity Solutions (ICS)
- Third Quarter 2021 Segment Revenue: $666 million; up 55%
- Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $14.7 million; compared to $(18.3) million loss in 3Q’20
ICS revenue increased 55% in the current quarter versus the third quarter 2020. Segment volumes increased 4% in the quarter while truckload volumes increased 14% from the prior year period. Revenue per load increased 48%. In addition to customer freight mix, revenue per load was favorably impacted by higher contractual and spot rates in our truckload business as compared to the third quarter 2020. Contractual volumes represented approximately 54% of the total load volume and 41% of the total revenue in the current quarter compared to 58% and 38%, respectively, in third quarter 2020. Of the total reported ICS revenue, approximately $397 million was executed through the Marketplace for J.B. Hunt 360 compared to $291 million in third quarter 2020.
Operating income increased to $14.7 million compared to an operating loss of $18.3 million in the third quarter 2020. Gross profit margins increased to 12.0% in the current period versus 7.6% in the prior period. Benefits from higher gross margin were partially offset by higher personnel and technology costs compared to the same period 2020. ICS carrier base increased 35% versus the third quarter 2020.
Final Mile Services (FMS)
- Third Quarter 2021 Segment Revenue: $206 million; up 13%
- Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $1.3 million; down 39%
Truckload (JBT)
Third Quarter 2021 Segment Revenue: $204 million; up 87%
Third Quarter 2021 Operating Income: $14.7 million; up 397%
JBT revenue increased 87% from the same period in 2020. Revenue excluding fuel surcharge revenue increased 85%, primarily from a 65% increase in revenue per load excluding fuel surcharge revenue and a 12% increase in load count compared to a year ago. The increase in revenue per load excluding fuel surcharge revenue was driven by a 36% increase in revenue per loaded mile excluding fuel surcharge revenue and a 20% increase in average length of haul. Load count growth and the length of haul increase were primarily related to the continued expansion of J.B. Hunt 360box® which leverages the J.B. Hunt 360 platform to access drop-trailer capacity for customers across our transportation network. Comparable contractual customer rates were up approximately 29% compared to the same period 2020. The current period ended with 9,906 trailers and 1,965 tractors, compared to 8,245 and 1,713 respectively for the prior year period.
Operating income increased to $14.7 million compared $2.9 million in the third quarter 2020. Benefits from increased load counts and revenue per load were partially offset by increases in purchased transportation expense, higher driver wages and recruiting costs, higher non-driver personnel expense related to salary, wages and incentive compensation, and increases in group medical costs. Further investments in both personnel and technology related to the continued expansion of 360box also partially offset higher revenue.
Cash Flow and Capitalization:
At September 30, 2021, we had a total of $1.3 billion outstanding on various debt instruments which is comparable to total debt levels at September 30, 2020 and December 31, 2020
Our net capital expenditures for the nine months ended September 30, 2021, approximated $511 million compared to $449 million for the same period 2020. At September 30, 2021, we had cash and cash equivalents of approximately $530 million.
In the third quarter 2021, we purchased approximately 286,000 shares of our common stock for approximately $50 million. At September 30, 2021, we had approximately $366 million remaining under our share repurchase authorization. Actual shares outstanding on September 30, 2021, approximated 105.0 million.
Conference Call Information:
The Company will hold a conference call today at 9:00–10:00 am CDT to discuss the quarterly earnings. To participate in the call, dial 1-833-397-0851 (domestic) or 516-575-8759 (international) 15 minutes prior to the start of the call and provide the following conference ID: 1065188. A replay of the call will be posted on the investor relations section of our website here later today.
Forward-Looking Statements:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, which are based on information currently available. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to, those discussed in Item 1A of our Annual Report filed on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2020 and Quarterly Report filed on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2021. We assume no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to the extent we become aware that it will not be achieved for any reason. This press release and additional information will be available to interested parties on our website, www.jbhunt.com.
About J.B. Hunt
J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc., an S&P 500 company, provides innovative supply chain solutions for a variety of customers throughout North America. Utilizing an integrated, multimodal approach, the company applies technology driven methods to create the best solution for each customer, adding efficiency, flexibility, and value to their operations. J.B. Hunt services include intermodal, dedicated, refrigerated, truckload, less-than-truckload, flatbed, single source, final mile, and more. J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. stock trades on NASDAQ under the ticker symbol JBHT and is a component of the Dow Jones Transportation Average. J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of JBHT. For more information, visit www.jbhunt.com.