Short Interest in Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HURN) Decreases By 25.2%

Key Points

• Short Interest Decline: Huron Consulting Group experienced a significant 25.2% decrease in short interest in August, with total shares short falling to 830,400 as of August 31st.
• Insider Transactions: Directors sold a total of 7,211 shares in the last three months, with notable sales by James H. Roth and H Eugene Lockhart, indicating a decrease in their ownership percentages.
• Positive Earnings Report: Huron Consulting Group reported earnings of $1.89 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates, and showed an 8.3% increase in quarterly revenue compared to the previous year.

Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HURN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large drop in short interest in the month of August. As of August 31st, there was short interest totaling 830,400 shares, a drop of 25.2% from the August 15th total of 1,110,000 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 191,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 4.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Approximately 4.9% of the company's shares are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 191,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on HURN shares. Barrington Research raised their price target on shares of Huron Consulting Group from $173.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Huron Consulting Group from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $171.50.

Huron Consulting Group Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of HURN stock traded down $1.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $141.84. 154,494 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 165,502. The business's fifty day moving average is $135.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $139.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35, a current ratio of 1.99 and a quick ratio of 1.99. Huron Consulting Group has a 12-month low of $102.94 and a 12-month high of $155.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.75 and a beta of 0.32.

Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, July 31st. The business services provider reported $1.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $402.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $402.67 million. Huron Consulting Group had a net margin of 6.60% and a return on equity of 25.52%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 8.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.68 earnings per share. Huron Consulting Group has set its FY 2025 guidance at 7.300-7.70 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Huron Consulting Group will post 6.1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Huron Consulting Group

In related news, Director H Eugene Lockhart sold 1,040 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $136.74, for a total transaction of $142,209.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 8,162 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,116,071.88. The trade was a 11.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Kyle Featherstone sold 375 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $135.73, for a total transaction of $50,898.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 1,311 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $177,942.03. The trade was a 22.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 7,211 shares of company stock valued at $967,191. 2.15% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Huron Consulting Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 149.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 1,199,574 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $172,079,000 after purchasing an additional 719,199 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 27.5% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 610,908 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $84,024,000 after purchasing an additional 131,620 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC raised its stake in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 17.4% during the second quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 581,397 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $79,965,000 after purchasing an additional 86,069 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Huron Consulting Group by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 543,236 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $67,503,000 after acquiring an additional 4,946 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sunriver Management LLC lifted its holdings in Huron Consulting Group by 10.6% in the second quarter. Sunriver Management LLC now owns 378,211 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $52,019,000 after acquiring an additional 36,303 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Huron Consulting Group

Huron Consulting Group Inc, a professional services firm, provides consultancy services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Healthcare, Education, and Commercial. The Healthcare segment provides financial and operational performance improvement consulting services; digital offerings, spanning technology and analytic-related services; software products; organizational transformation services; revenue cycle managed and outsourcing services; financial and capital advisory consulting services; and strategy and innovation consulting services to national and regional health systems, academic and community health systems, federal health system, public, children's and critical access hospitals, physician practices and medical groups, payors, and long-term care or post-acute providers.