Franklin Resources Inc. Boosts Stock Position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW)

Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) by 59.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 73,293 shares of the transportation company’s stock after buying an additional 27,370 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide were worth $8,074,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. QRG Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 0.9% during the third quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 11,148 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 98 shares during the period. Venturi Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 83.5% during the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 244 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division grew its stake in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 13.6% during the third quarter. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division now owns 1,000 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 6,498 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $717,000 after acquiring an additional 144 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP lifted its stake in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.15% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at C.H. Robinson Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael John Short sold 10,408 shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.87, for a total transaction of $1,143,526.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 70,943 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,794,507.41. This trade represents a 12.79 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CHRW opened at $104.34 on Monday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $107.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $100.25. The stock has a market cap of $12.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 36.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.25 and a beta of 0.83. The company has a quick ratio of 1.49, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. has a twelve month low of $65.00 and a twelve month high of $114.82.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The transportation company reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a return on equity of 30.38% and a net margin of 1.96%. The firm had revenue of $4.64 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.53 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.84 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 7.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.38%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 6th. C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 85.81%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Susquehanna dropped their price objective on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $120.00 to $115.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays increased their target price on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $85.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 13th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded C.H. Robinson Worldwide from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $118.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Monday, December 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $107.00 to $112.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, December 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, C.H. Robinson Worldwide currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $112.88.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Company Profile

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, provides freight transportation services, and related logistics and supply chain services in the United States and internationally. It operates through two segments: North American Surface Transportation and Global Forwarding. The company offers transportation and logistics services, such as truckload, less than truckload transportation brokerage services, which include the shipment of single or multiple pallets of freight; intermodal transportation that comprises the shipment service of freight in containers or trailers by a combination of truck and rail; and non-vessel operating common carrier and freight forwarding services, as well as organizes air shipments and provides door-to-door services.