Robert Half (NYSE:RHI) Shares Gap Down - Time to Sell?

Key Points

• Robert Half shares gapped down before Monday’s open, falling from a prior close of $41.80 to an opening price of $40.62 and last trading near $40.94.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: the stock has a consensus rating of "Reduce" with an average price target of $31.62, even after a mix of recent upgrades and downgrades.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $0.14 per share, matching estimates, while revenue of $1.30 billion missed expectations and declined 3.8% year over year; it also pays a $0.59 quarterly dividend yielding about 5.7%.

Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI - Get Free Report)'s share price gapped down before the market opened on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $41.80, but opened at $40.62. Robert Half shares last traded at $40.94, with a volume of 144,069 shares.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Robert Half from a "sell (d)" rating to a "sell (d+)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. Zacks Research upgraded Robert Half from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Robert Half from $23.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, William Blair upgraded Robert Half from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Robert Half presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus price target of $31.62.

Robert Half Trading Down 0.8%

The business's 50 day moving average price is $30.83 and its 200-day moving average price is $27.98. The company has a market cap of $4.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.99 and a beta of 0.82.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.14 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.34 billion. Robert Half had a net margin of 2.43% and a return on equity of 10.14%. Robert Half's quarterly revenue was down 3.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.17 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Robert Half Inc. will post 1.29 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Robert Half Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 22nd were given a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 22nd. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.7%. Robert Half's dividend payout ratio is presently 181.54%.

Institutional Trading of Robert Half

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Robert Half by 40.8% in the 4th quarter. Deprince Race & Zollo Inc. now owns 2,440,961 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $66,297,000 after purchasing an additional 707,078 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Robert Half by 5,652.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 442,520 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $12,019,000 after buying an additional 434,827 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its position in shares of Robert Half by 389.5% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 248,295 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $6,744,000 after buying an additional 197,575 shares during the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Robert Half in the first quarter valued at about $497,000. Finally, Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Robert Half by 24.2% in the fourth quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 163,173 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $4,432,000 after buying an additional 31,786 shares in the last quarter. 92.41% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Robert Half

Robert Half International Inc, founded in 1948 by Robert Half, is a global professional staffing and consulting firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California. As a pioneer in specialized staffing, the company has built a reputation for matching skilled professionals with leading organizations across a range of industries. Robert Half's shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker RHI, reflecting its position as one of the longest‐standing and best‐known firms in the staffing sector.

The company offers a comprehensive suite of services, including temporary staffing, permanent placement, and consulting solutions.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.