LOWELL - J.B. Hunt Transport Services Inc. of Lowell, one of the nation’s biggest trucking firms, carried out its annual shareholders’ meeting and presentation Thursday in 13 minutes - and apparently did not set a company record.

Chairman of the Board Kirk Thompson welcomed 91 visitors to the company auditorium at 10 a.m.

The freight carrier encouraged shareholders to re-elect the 11-member board of directors and approve the services of auditor Ernst & Young LLP. Shareholders voted in favor.

The company had mostly good news to tell, and Chief Executive Officer John Roberts spent about five minutes talking about it. J.B. Hunt Transport stock has hit all-time highs this year, after record fourth quarter earnings in 2012 of $84 million, and $73.3 million in earnings for this year’s first quarter.

“We are a growth company,” Roberts said in starting his presentation. The company has “safely executed approaching 4 million loads” in 2012, he said. “And most important to investors, we have increased return on investment by 22.7 percent.”

Roberts listed famous names such as General Mills, Toys R Us and Heinz as customers. The trucking company saw big growth in business with some customers he didn’t name, Roberts said. One grew “475 percent,” another “6,300 percent” in the trucking sector. “And there are more like these,” he told shareholders.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of Bentonville famously turns its meeting into a party and concert that showcases stars such as last year’s performers Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift.Former President Bill Clinton sent a video message. Wal-Mart’s meeting this year is June 7 at the 19,200-seat Bud Walton Arena at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville.

Even so, the trend in shareholders’ meetings, according to experts, looks more like Thursday’s J.B. Hunt Transport gathering - short, and spare enough that the company often doesn’t serve refreshments or beverages.

A 2011 study by BNY Mellon of 500 corporate shareholders meetings found the gatherings were getting smaller, shorter and less elaborate, according to a report by an Investor Relations magazine website. About 94 percent were held in company offices in 2011, compared with 53 percent in 2010, the study found. Sixty percent offered no refreshments or only beverages. And 72 percent held meetings that lasted one hour or less.

J.B. Hunt did considerably better than that.

At 10:13 a.m. after Roberts wound up his presentation, Thompson took the podium again: “That concludes our program, thank you for coming.”

J.B. Hunt, ranked the fifth largest trucking company in the U.S. and Canada, specializes in full-truckload containerized freight and intermodal transportation.

The company’s stock closed Thursday at $71 per share, up 84 cents, or 1.2 percent. It has traded in the past year between $50.56 and $75.73.

Business, Pages 25 on 04/26/2013