Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) Stock Price Down 13.7% - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• Shares plunged 13.7% intraday to about $114 despite a Q1 beat — revenue $451.8M (+12% y/y) and EPS $1.73 vs $1.58 consensus — and the company reaffirmed FY‑2026 guidance of $8.35–$9.15.
• Negative near‑term financial signals may be pressuring the stock: Quiver shows negative operating cash flow (‑$162.2M) and a ~37% rise in total liabilities, while recent insider and institutional selling has increased downside risk.
• Analyst views are mixed but tilted positive, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” and an average target of $205.50 (Wedbush $160), implying significant upside if execution and margins hold.

Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HURN - Get Free Report) shares dropped 13.7% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $119.11 and last traded at $114.0660. Approximately 28,716 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 276,411 shares. The stock had previously closed at $132.22.

Huron Consulting Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Huron Consulting Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 revenue and headline EPS beat Street expectations — Revenues rose ~12% y/y to ~$451.8M and the company reported $1.73 EPS, topping consensus and signaling healthy top‑line growth across Healthcare, Education and Commercial segments. Zacks: Q1 beat
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst reaffirmation with upside — Wedbush reiterated an Outperform and set a $160 price target (~mid‑teens to low‑double digit upside from current levels), which supports near‑term upside potential if execution and margins hold. Benzinga: Wedbush note
• Neutral Sentiment: Company affirmed full‑year FY‑2026 guidance — Huron reiterated FY‑2026 EPS guidance of $8.35–$9.15 (consensus ~$8.78), and revenue guidance roughly in line with Street expectations; affirmation reduces uncertainty but the range overlaps the consensus only partially. Business Wire: Q1 results & guidance
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed underlying cash and balance-sheet signals — Quiver’s summary highlights negative operating cash flow (‑$162.2M), rising total liabilities (~+37% y/y) despite stronger gross and operating profit, which raises short‑term liquidity/working capital concerns. Quiver: financial details
• Negative Sentiment: Insider and institutional selling pressure — Recent summaries show multiple insider sales and large institutional reductions (UBS, Macquarie, Point72 among movers), which can amplify downside if sentiment turns. Quiver: insider & institutional activity

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Huron Consulting Group from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wedbush reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $160.00 price target on shares of Huron Consulting Group in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Huron Consulting Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $205.50.

Huron Consulting Group Stock Down 9.2%

The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $130.68 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $153.47. The firm has a market cap of $1.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.53 and a beta of 0.15.

Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The business services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.58 by $0.15. Huron Consulting Group had a net margin of 6.18% and a return on equity of 28.20%. The business had revenue of $451.77 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $437.12 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.68 EPS. The business's revenue was up 12.1% on a year-over-year basis. Huron Consulting Group has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.350-9.150 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Huron Consulting Group Inc. will post 8.71 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Huron Consulting Group news, Director John Mccartney sold 500 shares of Huron Consulting Group stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $63,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 40,817 shares in the company, valued at $5,211,514.56. The trade was a 1.21% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 796 shares of company stock valued at $101,411. 2.07% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Huron Consulting Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Assetmark Inc. increased its position in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 67.4% in the first quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,273 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $290,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new position in shares of Huron Consulting Group in the first quarter worth $122,000. Torray Investment Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 19.7% in the first quarter. Torray Investment Partners LLC now owns 15,578 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,986,000 after purchasing an additional 2,562 shares during the period. Isthmus Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Huron Consulting Group in the first quarter worth $1,516,000. Finally, Moran Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 25.3% in the first quarter. Moran Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,457 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $823,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.90% of the company's stock.

About Huron Consulting Group

Huron Consulting Group NASDAQ: HURN is a global professional services firm that advises organizations across a range of industries on strategy, operations and technology. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chicago, the company helps clients address complex business challenges such as performance improvement, digital transformation and organizational change. Huron's consultants work alongside executive leadership teams to develop and implement tailored solutions that drive growth, increase efficiency and manage risk.

Huron's service offerings encompass business and financial advisory, healthcare performance improvement, life sciences consulting, higher education and research lifecycle support, as well as legal and regulatory consulting.

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