Robert Half (NYSE:RHI) Downgraded by StockNews.com to "Hold"

StockNews.com downgraded shares of Robert Half (NYSE:RHI - Free Report) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. BNP Paribas raised shares of Robert Half from an "underperform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $71.50 price target for the company in a report on Monday, February 10th. Barclays cut their target price on Robert Half from $80.00 to $50.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on shares of Robert Half from $69.00 to $65.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $64.92.

Robert Half Stock Down 5.3 %

Robert Half stock traded down $2.57 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $45.40. 2,995,106 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,449,796. The stock has a market cap of $4.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.61 and a beta of 1.13. The stock's fifty day moving average is $53.97 and its 200-day moving average is $64.50. Robert Half has a 12 month low of $44.97 and a 12 month high of $78.41.

Robert Half (NYSE:RHI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The business services provider reported $0.53 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.54 by ($0.01). Robert Half had a net margin of 4.34% and a return on equity of 17.20%. On average, equities analysts predict that Robert Half will post 2.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Robert Half Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 14th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 25th were paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. This is a positive change from Robert Half's previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 25th. Robert Half's payout ratio is currently 96.72%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cardinal Capital Management grew its stake in Robert Half by 5.8% in the 1st quarter. Cardinal Capital Management now owns 38,638 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $2,108,000 after acquiring an additional 2,129 shares in the last quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. increased its holdings in Robert Half by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Grimes & Company Inc. now owns 277,775 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $15,153,000 after purchasing an additional 20,886 shares during the period. Trust Point Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Robert Half by 8.2% in the 1st quarter. Trust Point Inc. now owns 6,488 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $354,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Robert Half by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 76,378 shares of the business services provider's stock worth $4,166,000 after buying an additional 3,248 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Robert Half by 68.6% during the first quarter. Alpha Omega Wealth Management LLC now owns 58,794 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $3,207,000 after buying an additional 23,913 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.41% of the company's stock.

About Robert Half

Robert Half Inc provides talent solutions and business consulting services in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company operates through Contract Talent Solutions, Permanent Placement Talent Solutions, and Protiviti segments. The Contract Talent Solutions segment provides contract engagement professionals in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, marketing and creative, legal and administrative, and customer support.