Short Interest in Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSII) Drops By 5.4%

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSII) was the target of a significant drop in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 404,400 shares, a drop of 5.4% from the September 15th total of 427,500 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 132,800 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 3.0 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com cut shares of Heidrick & Struggles International from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $44.00 target price on shares of Heidrick & Struggles International in a report on Friday, September 20th.

Heidrick & Struggles International Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:HSII opened at $38.76 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $784.81 million, a PE ratio of 15.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.89 and a beta of 0.85. Heidrick & Struggles International has a 52 week low of $22.52 and a 52 week high of $41.94. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $37.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.69.

Heidrick & Struggles International (NASDAQ:HSII) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, July 29th. The business services provider reported $0.67 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.56 by $0.11. The business had revenue of $282.88 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.69 million. Heidrick & Struggles International had a net margin of 3.59% and a return on equity of 12.66%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.73 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Heidrick & Struggles International will post 2.62 earnings per share for the current year.

Heidrick & Struggles International Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 9th were given a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 9th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.55%. Heidrick & Struggles International’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.44%.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Sarah Payne sold 8,691 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.40, for a total value of $351,116.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 27,451 shares in the company, valued at $1,109,020.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, CFO Mark R. Harris sold 7,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.70, for a total transaction of $305,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 65,953 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,684,287.10. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Sarah Payne sold 8,691 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.40, for a total transaction of $351,116.40. Following the sale, the insider now owns 27,451 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,109,020.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Heidrick & Struggles International

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in HSII. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in Heidrick & Struggles International by 7.5% in the 2nd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 5,705 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $180,000 after buying an additional 396 shares in the last quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. lifted its position in Heidrick & Struggles International by 4.8% in the 2nd quarter. Keene & Associates Inc. now owns 9,565 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $302,000 after buying an additional 435 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its position in Heidrick & Struggles International by 7.1% in the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 7,738 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 510 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund lifted its position in Heidrick & Struggles International by 4.9% in the 1st quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 12,218 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $411,000 after buying an additional 571 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in Heidrick & Struggles International by 7.2% in the 1st quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 10,418 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $351,000 after buying an additional 701 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 90.13% of the company’s stock.

Heidrick & Struggles International Company Profile

Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides executive search, consulting, and on-demand talent services to businesses and business leaders worldwide. It enables its clients to build leadership teams by facilitating the recruitment, management, and development of senior executives.