131,985 Shares in Kelly Services, Inc. $KELYA Purchased by RBF Capital LLC

Key Points

• RBF Capital LLC opened a new position in Kelly Services, buying 131,985 shares worth about $1.16 million, which gave it roughly 0.37% ownership of the company at quarter-end.
• Institutional interest remains high, with 76.34% of Kelly Services shares held by institutions and hedge funds. Several other funds also added or initiated positions during recent quarters.
• Inside the company, CEO Christopher D. Layden bought shares earlier this year, while EVP Vanessa Peterson Williams sold nearly 30,000 shares. Analysts currently rate the stock Hold on average, and the company recently missed EPS estimates even as revenue came in above expectations.

RBF Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:KELYA - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 131,985 shares of the business services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,161,000. RBF Capital LLC owned about 0.37% of Kelly Services at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KELYA. Quarry LP boosted its holdings in Kelly Services by 173.2% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,970 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 1,249 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co acquired a new position in Kelly Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Kelly Services in the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its holdings in Kelly Services by 83.5% in the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 4,324 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 1,967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue boosted its holdings in Kelly Services by 284.2% in the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 7,220 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $63,000 after purchasing an additional 5,341 shares during the last quarter. 76.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Vanessa Peterson Williams sold 29,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $9.78, for a total value of $293,390.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 82,355 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $805,431.90. The trade was a 26.70% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Christopher D. Layden purchased 10,100 shares of Kelly Services stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 24th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $8.80 per share, for a total transaction of $88,880.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer directly owned 382,513 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,366,114.40. This trade represents a 2.71% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 5.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Kelly Services from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d-)" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kelly Services from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Sunday, February 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kelly Services from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $15.00.

Kelly Services Price Performance

Kelly Services stock opened at $11.45 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $10.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $9.63. The company has a market capitalization of $396.97 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.85. Kelly Services, Inc. has a 1 year low of $7.98 and a 1 year high of $14.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a quick ratio of 1.59 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.07 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.02 billion. Kelly Services had a negative net margin of 6.44% and a positive return on equity of 3.07%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Kelly Services, Inc. will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Kelly Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 18th were paid a $0.075 dividend. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, May 18th. Kelly Services's payout ratio is -3.95%.

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc is a global workforce solutions provider specializing in talent acquisition and staffing services across a wide range of industries. The company offers temporary staffing, permanent placement, outsourcing solutions, and consulting services to help organizations address their workforce needs. Its service offerings are designed to support clients in areas such as administrative support, information technology, engineering, science, education, healthcare, and industrial sectors.

Founded in 1946 by William Russell Kelly, Kelly Services has grown from a small local staffing firm into an international organization.

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