Robert Half (NYSE:RHI) Shares Up 6% – Still a Buy?

Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI) shares shot up 6% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $34.11 and last traded at $34.3550. Approximately 412,609 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 86% from the average daily volume of 2,867,154 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.40.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Zacks Research lowered shares of Robert Half from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. William Blair raised Robert Half from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Robert Half from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.75.

Robert Half Price Performance

The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $29.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.60. The stock has a market cap of $3.55 billion, a PE ratio of 26.68 and a beta of 0.82.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.34 billion. Robert Half had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 2.43%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 3.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.17 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Robert Half Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current year.

Robert Half Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. Robert Half’s dividend payout ratio is 181.54%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Robert Half by 321.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 764 shares during the period. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half in the 2nd quarter valued at $34,000. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Robert Half by 605.6% during the 2nd quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 1,136 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 975 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in Robert Half by 94.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,368 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares during the period. 92.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Robert Half Company Profile

Robert Half International Inc, founded in 1948 by Robert Half, is a global professional staffing and consulting firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California. As a pioneer in specialized staffing, the company has built a reputation for matching skilled professionals with leading organizations across a range of industries. Robert Half’s shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RHI, reflecting its position as one of the longest?standing and best?known firms in the staffing sector.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including temporary staffing, permanent placement, and consulting solutions.