Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Put Options on Robert Half (NYSE:RHI)

Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI) saw unusually large options trading on Monday. Stock investors bought 2,974 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 1,264% compared to the average volume of 218 put options.

Robert Half Stock Up 2.6 %

Robert Half stock traded up $1.42 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $56.17. The stock had a trading volume of 808,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,318,573. The stock has a market cap of $5.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.04 and a beta of 1.22. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $64.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.32. Robert Half has a one year low of $53.53 and a one year high of $81.85.

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

Robert Half Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 14th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 25th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. This is a boost from Robert Half’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.53. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 25th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.20%. Robert Half’s payout ratio is currently 96.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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 report on Thursday, January 30th. BNP Paribas upgraded shares of Robert Half from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $71.50 price target on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 10th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Robert Half from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $62.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays upgraded Robert Half from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $60.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Friday, January 3rd. Finally, StockNews.com raised Robert Half from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $74.92.

Institutional Trading of Robert Half

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Robert Half by 613.7% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 364 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 313 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Robert Half in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Private Trust Co. NA increased its position in Robert Half by 79.7% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 433 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Robert Half by 121.3% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 436 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 239 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Eastern Bank acquired a new position in shares of Robert Half in the 4th quarter worth approximately $35,000. 92.41% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Robert Half Company Profile

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.