Lazard Asset Management LLC Purchases 64,298 Shares of Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:KELYA)

Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:KELYA - Free Report) by 165.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 103,135 shares of the business services provider's stock after purchasing an additional 64,298 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC owned approximately 0.29% of Kelly Services worth $1,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Boston Partners grew its stake in shares of Kelly Services by 49.0% during the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 1,889,389 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $26,450,000 after purchasing an additional 621,078 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC lifted its holdings in Kelly Services by 2,489.0% during the 4th quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 603,057 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $8,407,000 after buying an additional 579,764 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Kelly Services in the 4th quarter valued at $5,343,000. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kelly Services by 567.8% in the 4th quarter. D. E. Shaw & Co. Inc. now owns 350,849 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,891,000 after buying an additional 298,310 shares during the period. Finally, Kennedy Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kelly Services during the fourth quarter worth $4,082,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.34% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on KELYA. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $25.00 price target on shares of Kelly Services in a report on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kelly Services from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday.

Kelly Services Trading Down 0.1%

KELYA stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 197,623 shares, compared to its average volume of 344,028. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $12.17 and its 200-day simple moving average is $13.50. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Kelly Services, Inc. has a 52 week low of $10.80 and a 52 week high of $23.81. The stock has a market cap of $413.42 million, a PE ratio of -197.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.96.

Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The business services provider reported $0.39 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.53 by ($0.14). Kelly Services had a negative net margin of 0.01% and a positive return on equity of 6.56%. The company had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.16 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kelly Services, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Kelly Services Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.53%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 19th. Kelly Services's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -50.00%.

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides workforce solutions to various industries. The company operates through five segments: Professional & Industrial; Science, Engineering & Technology; Education; Outsourcing & Consulting; and International. The Professional & Industrial segment delivers staffing, outcome-based, and permanent placement services providing administrative, accounting, and finance; light industrial; contact center staffing; and other workforce solutions.