Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) Hits New 12-Month High Following Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Huron Consulting Group Inc. (NASDAQ:HURN - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Wednesday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $153.77 and last traded at $148.92, with a volume of 112979 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $125.33.

The business services provider reported $1.90 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.52 by $0.38. Huron Consulting Group had a return on equity of 21.51% and a net margin of 5.80%. The business had revenue of $399.31 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $380.62 million.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on HURN shares. Benchmark boosted their price objective on shares of Huron Consulting Group from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair restated an "outperform" rating on shares of Huron Consulting Group in a research report on Wednesday. Truist Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $165.00 price target (up previously from $140.00) on shares of Huron Consulting Group in a research report on Wednesday. Barrington Research increased their price objective on shares of Huron Consulting Group from $142.00 to $167.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Wedbush started coverage on Huron Consulting Group in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. They issued an "outperform" rating on the stock. Six analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $151.75.

Insider Activity at Huron Consulting Group

In other Huron Consulting Group news, Director John Mccartney sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $124.65, for a total transaction of $62,325.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 56,688 shares in the company, valued at $7,066,159.20. This trade represents a 0.87 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director James H. Roth sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $123.70, for a total value of $247,400.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 52,825 shares in the company, valued at $6,534,452.50. The trade was a 3.65 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 21,084 shares of company stock worth $2,942,539. Company insiders own 2.02% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Huron Consulting Group

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quest Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Huron Consulting Group by 131.9% during the 3rd quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 13,814 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,502,000 after purchasing an additional 7,858 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Huron Consulting Group by 29.1% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 538,290 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $58,512,000 after buying an additional 121,371 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Huron Consulting Group by 61.3% in the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 11,972 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $1,488,000 after buying an additional 4,550 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in Huron Consulting Group by 20.5% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 395,788 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $42,306,000 after buying an additional 67,239 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atom Investors LP acquired a new stake in Huron Consulting Group in the third quarter valued at about $1,159,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Huron Consulting Group Stock Up 1.9 %

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $127.53 and a two-hundred day moving average of $118.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.14 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 1.61, a current ratio of 1.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82.

Huron Consulting Group Company Profile

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.