TriNet Group (NYSE:TNET) Shares Gap Down After Analyst Downgrade

TriNet Group, Inc. (NYSE:TNET - Get Free Report) gapped down prior to trading on Friday after Needham & Company LLC lowered their price target on the stock from $150.00 to $140.00. The stock had previously closed at $126.78, but opened at $112.85. Needham & Company LLC currently has a buy rating on the stock. TriNet Group shares last traded at $111.23, with a volume of 108,033 shares changing hands.

TNET has been the subject of several other reports. TD Cowen raised their target price on TriNet Group from $129.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, March 4th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on TriNet Group from $117.00 to $121.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of TriNet Group from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $117.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other TriNet Group news, SVP Alexander G. Warren sold 2,385 shares of TriNet Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.07, for a total transaction of $293,521.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,260,180.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other TriNet Group news, SVP Alexander G. Warren sold 2,385 shares of TriNet Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $123.07, for a total transaction of $293,521.95. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 18,365 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,260,180.55. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Kelly L. Tuminelli sold 4,396 shares of TriNet Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $122.67, for a total transaction of $539,257.32. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 65,999 shares in the company, valued at $8,096,097.33. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 31,052 shares of company stock worth $3,837,142. Corporate insiders own 37.10% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On TriNet Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of TNET. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of TriNet Group during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Avion Wealth boosted its stake in shares of TriNet Group by 30.8% during the 3rd quarter. Avion Wealth now owns 463 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of TriNet Group by 31.8% during the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 730 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 176 shares during the period. Group One Trading L.P. acquired a new stake in shares of TriNet Group during the 3rd quarter valued at $90,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in shares of TriNet Group by 15.7% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 798 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $93,000 after buying an additional 108 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.81% of the company's stock.

TriNet Group Stock Down 16.8 %

The business's 50 day simple moving average is $127.99 and its 200-day simple moving average is $119.38. The company has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.25 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.62, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05.

TriNet Group (NYSE:TNET - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The business services provider reported $1.41 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.95 by $0.46. TriNet Group had a net margin of 7.62% and a return on equity of 87.97%. The business had revenue of $326.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $300.36 million. Sell-side analysts expect that TriNet Group, Inc. will post 5.79 earnings per share for the current year.

TriNet Group Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 22nd. Investors of record on Monday, April 1st were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 28th. TriNet Group's payout ratio is presently 15.41%.

About TriNet Group

TriNet Group, Inc provides comprehensive and flexible human capital management services for small and medium size businesses in the United States. The company offers multi-state payroll processing and tax administration; employee benefits programs, including health insurance and retirement plans; workers compensation insurance and claims management; employment and benefits law compliance; and other HR related services.