Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI) Trading 6.2% Higher - Still a Buy?

Key Points

• Hillenbrand Inc's shares rose 6.2% to $24.77, despite a 26% decline in trading volume from the average.
• Zacks Research upgraded Hillenbrand from a "hold" to a "strong-buy" rating, with a consensus price target of $32.00.
• The company reported $0.51 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates, but experienced a 23.9% decline in revenue year-over-year.

Shares of Hillenbrand Inc (NYSE:HI - Get Free Report) rose 6.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $24.78 and last traded at $24.77. Approximately 388,248 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 26% from the average daily volume of 527,673 shares. The stock had previously closed at $23.33.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Zacks Research upgraded Hillenbrand from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $32.00.

Hillenbrand Price Performance

The firm's fifty day moving average price is $23.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $22.40. The company has a quick ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.23. The stock has a market cap of $1.83 billion, a P/E ratio of -103.75 and a beta of 1.47.

Hillenbrand (NYSE:HI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 11th. The company reported $0.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $598.90 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $572.48 million. Hillenbrand had a negative net margin of 0.63% and a positive return on equity of 13.53%. The company's revenue was down 23.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.85 EPS. Hillenbrand has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.200-2.350 EPS. Analysts forecast that Hillenbrand Inc will post 2.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Hillenbrand Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, September 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.225 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, September 15th. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Hillenbrand's payout ratio is -360.00%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its position in shares of Hillenbrand by 74.0% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 1,965 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 836 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Hillenbrand by 65.9% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,966 shares of the company's stock worth $47,000 after acquiring an additional 781 shares in the last quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lifted its position in Hillenbrand by 29.0% during the 2nd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,432 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 547 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S bought a new stake in Hillenbrand during the first quarter worth about $84,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its stake in Hillenbrand by 622.7% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 3,729 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 3,213 shares in the last quarter. 89.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hillenbrand Company Profile

Hillenbrand, Inc operates as an industrial company in the United States and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Advanced Process Solutions and Molding Technology Solutions. The Advanced Process Solutions segment designs, engineers, manufactures, markets, and services process and material handling equipment and systems comprising compounding, extrusion, and material handling equipment, equipment system design services, as well as offers mixing technology, ingredient automation, and portion process; and provides screening and separating equipment for various industries, including plastics, food and pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilizers, minerals, energy, wastewater treatment, forest products, and other general industrials.

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