Heartland Advisors Inc. Raises Holdings in Robert Half Inc. $RHI

Key Points

• Heartland Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Robert Half by 88.3% in the first quarter, adding 80,953 shares to reach 172,644 shares valued at about $4.39 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed on RHI, with the consensus rating at “Reduce” and an average price target of $31.62, even as a few firms upgraded their views.
• Robert Half recently reported weaker revenue and continues paying a hefty dividend: Q1 EPS met estimates at $0.14, but revenue fell 3.8% year over year, while the quarterly dividend of $0.59 implies a 5.6% annual yield.

Heartland Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI - Free Report) by 88.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 172,644 shares of the business services provider's stock after buying an additional 80,953 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.17% of Robert Half worth $4,385,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in Robert Half by 321.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,002 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the period. Gilpin Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Robert Half during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Robert Half during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in shares of Robert Half by 94.3% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,368 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 664 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new position in shares of Robert Half during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $37,000. 92.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on RHI shares. Zacks Research raised shares of Robert Half from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. William Blair raised shares of Robert Half from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Robert Half from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings raised shares of Robert Half from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and an average price target of $31.62.

Robert Half Price Performance

Robert Half stock opened at $41.84 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a PE ratio of 32.18 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $30.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $27.98. Robert Half Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.83 and a 12 month high of $43.26.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14. Robert Half had a return on equity of 10.14% and a net margin of 2.43%.The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The business's revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Robert Half Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Robert Half Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.6%. Robert Half's dividend payout ratio is currently 181.54%.

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.

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