Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY) Hits New 12-Month Low - Time to Sell?

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY - Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $59.44 and last traded at $60.28, with a volume of 719286 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $60.81.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, StockNews.com raised Korn Ferry from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 17th.

Korn Ferry Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.68 and a beta of 1.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 2.07. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $65.90 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.77.

Korn Ferry (NYSE:KFY - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, March 11th. The business services provider reported $1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.06. Korn Ferry had a net margin of 9.03% and a return on equity of 14.27%. The company had revenue of $676.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $650.45 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.07 EPS. Korn Ferry's quarterly revenue was down .1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Korn Ferry will post 4.75 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Korn Ferry Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 27th will be issued a dividend of $0.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 27th. This is a positive change from Korn Ferry's previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Korn Ferry's payout ratio is presently 41.29%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Korn Ferry

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in shares of Korn Ferry by 75.9% in the first quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 517 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the period. Wealthfront Advisers LLC bought a new position in Korn Ferry in the 4th quarter valued at about $76,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Korn Ferry by 230.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 963 shares during the period. Sterling Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Korn Ferry by 828.3% during the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 1,671 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $113,000 after acquiring an additional 1,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Korn Ferry during the fourth quarter worth approximately $122,000. 98.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry, together with its subsidiaries, provides organizational consulting services worldwide. It operates through four segments: Consulting, Digital, Executive Search, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) & Professional Search. The company provides executive search services to recruit board level, chief executive, other senior executive, and general management talent of organizations.