Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 15
Analysts Back Union Pacific and J.B. Hunt as Transport Rally Lifts Stocks 21.6% and 107%
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Jun 15

Analysts Back Union Pacific and J.B. Hunt as Transport Rally Lifts Stocks 21.6% and 107%

1 articles · Updated · CNBC · Jun 15

Summary

  • Union Pacific and J.B. Hunt were added to the analysts’ top-stock list as leadership broadens beyond tech and transport shares gain momentum in the bull market.
  • Union Pacific has climbed 21.6% over 12 months and posted record first-quarter results—$6.2 billion in revenue and $1.7 billion in net income—while pursuing a Norfolk Southern deal worth $20 billion in cash plus 225 million shares.
  • That acquisition would create a 50,000-mile transcontinental rail network, though the stock still faces merger-related volatility until regulators decide.
  • J.B. Hunt has surged 107% over the past year as shipping spot rates rose, intermodal volumes hit records, and the company beat its cost-cut target with a $130 million run rate versus a $100 million goal.
  • The call reflects a broader rotation into industrial and transport names, with analysts arguing rails and intermodal carriers are now confirming market strength much as they historically did.

Insights

After a 107% surge, can J.B. Hunt's asset-light model continue to outperform in a shifting freight market?
With fierce opposition, can Union Pacific’s mega-merger overcome regulatory hurdles to create America's first transcontinental railroad?