The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCKT) Sees Large Increase in Short Interest

The Hackett Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:HCKT - Get Free Report) was the target of a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 323,600 shares, an increase of 43.3% from the February 13th total of 225,800 shares. Currently, 1.3% of the company's shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 105,200 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.1 days.

Institutional Trading of The Hackett Group

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of HCKT. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its holdings in The Hackett Group by 353.1% in the fourth quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 947 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 738 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its stake in shares of The Hackett Group by 383.4% in the 3rd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 2,741 shares of the business services provider's stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 2,174 shares during the period. Longboard Asset Management LP purchased a new position in shares of The Hackett Group in the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. ProShare Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Hackett Group during the fourth quarter worth about $219,000. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of The Hackett Group during the fourth quarter worth approximately $221,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.12% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on HCKT shares. Barrington Research boosted their price objective on shares of The Hackett Group from $28.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of The Hackett Group from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, March 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $32.67.

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The Hackett Group Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of HCKT stock traded down $0.05 on Thursday, hitting $28.72. The stock had a trading volume of 107,558 shares, compared to its average volume of 102,849. The company's 50 day moving average price is $30.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $29.02. The Hackett Group has a 1 year low of $20.23 and a 1 year high of $34.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $798.16 million, a P/E ratio of 27.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.03.

The Hackett Group (NASDAQ:HCKT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 18th. The business services provider reported $0.35 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.41 by ($0.06). The Hackett Group had a return on equity of 36.40% and a net margin of 9.44%. The business had revenue of $77.46 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $75.64 million. Analysts anticipate that The Hackett Group will post 1.43 earnings per share for the current year.

The Hackett Group Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, April 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 21st will be given a $0.12 dividend. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 21st. This is a boost from The Hackett Group's previous quarterly dividend of $0.11. The Hackett Group's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 45.28%.

About The Hackett Group

The Hackett Group, Inc operates as an intellectual property-based executive advisory, strategic consulting, and digital transformation company in the United States, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: Global Strategy & Business Transformation, Oracle Solutions, and SAP Solutions.