ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI) Shares Gap Up - What's Next?

Key Points

• ICF International shares gapped up on Friday, opening at $80.73 after closing at $77.96 and last trading around $81.23.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Weiss Ratings cut the stock to “sell,” while MarketBeat shows a consensus Hold rating with an average target price of $102.33.
• The company recently missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, but it also announced a $100 million share buyback and paid a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share.

Shares of ICF International, Inc. (NASDAQ:ICFI - Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $77.96, but opened at $80.73. ICF International shares last traded at $81.2260, with a volume of 8,722 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Separately, Weiss Ratings lowered ICF International from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $102.33.

ICF International Trading Down 0.2%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The business's fifty day moving average is $70.47 and its 200-day moving average is $75.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.46 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49 and a beta of 0.53.

ICF International (NASDAQ:ICFI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The business services provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.55 by ($0.05). ICF International had a return on equity of 11.38% and a net margin of 4.68%.The company had revenue of $437.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $448.63 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.94 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 10.3% on a year-over-year basis. ICF International has set its FY 2026 guidance at 6.950-7.250 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that ICF International, Inc. will post 7.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

ICF International Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, June 5th were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 5th. ICF International's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 12.12%.

ICF International declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, June 25th that permits the company to repurchase $100.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the business services provider to reacquire up to 8.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at ICF International

In other news, Director Handel Michael J. Van acquired 8,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $61.39 per share, for a total transaction of $491,120.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 24,254 shares in the company, valued at $1,488,953.06. This trade represents a 49.22% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO John Wasson sold 12,411 shares of ICF International stock in a transaction dated Monday, July 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.08, for a total value of $993,872.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 27,511 shares in the company, valued at $2,203,080.88. This represents a 31.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. 1.71% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of ICF International

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in ICF International by 2,121.1% in the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 422 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 403 shares during the period. Captrust Financial Advisors purchased a new stake in ICF International during the second quarter worth approximately $246,000. TradeLink Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of ICF International in the fourth quarter worth $296,000. Trust Point Inc. raised its stake in shares of ICF International by 8.6% in the 4th quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 5,198 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $443,000 after acquiring an additional 411 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC raised its stake in shares of ICF International by 195.3% in the 4th quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 6,756 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $576,000 after acquiring an additional 4,468 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.12% of the company's stock.

About ICF International

ICF International NASDAQ: ICFI, commonly known as ICF, is a global consulting and digital services provider specializing in the intersection of strategy, technology, and policy. The firm delivers integrated services and solutions to government and commercial clients in areas such as energy and environment, health and social programs, transportation, infrastructure, technology, and marketing and communications. ICF's offerings span strategic planning, data analytics, program evaluation, digital transformation, and implementation support.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in Reston, Virginia, ICF has grown through both organic expansion and targeted acquisitions to broaden its capabilities and geographic reach.

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