ASGN Incorporated (NYSE:ASGN) Short Interest Up 6.5% in January

ASGN Incorporated (NYSE:ASGN - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a significant growth in short interest in the month of January. As of January 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,960,000 shares, a growth of 6.5% from the December 31st total of 1,840,000 shares. Currently, 4.6% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 348,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 5.6 days.

ASGN Stock Down 4.8 %

Shares of NYSE:ASGN traded down $4.01 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $78.72. 674,245 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 380,210. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $87.73 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.58, a quick ratio of 2.25 and a current ratio of 2.25. ASGN has a twelve month low of $78.69 and a twelve month high of $106.42. The company has a market cap of $3.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.93 and a beta of 1.38.

ASGN (NYSE:ASGN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The business services provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.21 by $0.07. ASGN had a return on equity of 13.65% and a net margin of 4.37%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that ASGN will post 5.17 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Theodore S. Hanson sold 1,200 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.64, for a total transaction of $119,568.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 288,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $28,781,512.20. This represents a 0.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On ASGN

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. J.Safra Asset Management Corp raised its stake in shares of ASGN by 48.1% during the fourth quarter. J.Safra Asset Management Corp now owns 428 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP acquired a new stake in ASGN during the 4th quarter valued at $299,000. Argent Capital Management LLC increased its stake in ASGN by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 13,898 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $1,158,000 after buying an additional 3,339 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in ASGN in the 3rd quarter worth $205,000. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. boosted its position in ASGN by 17.3% in the 3rd quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 5,414 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $505,000 after buying an additional 800 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.36% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on ASGN shares. Canaccord Genuity Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of ASGN in a report on Thursday, October 24th. BMO Capital Markets raised ASGN from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $96.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded ASGN from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $101.75.

ASGN Company Profile

ASGN Incorporated engages in the provision of information technology (IT) services and solutions in the technology, digital, and creative fields for commercial and government sectors in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It operates through two segments: Commercial and Federal Government. The Commercial Segment provides consulting, creative digital marketing, and permanent placement services primarily to enterprise clients.