Fact based stock research
Huron Consulting (NasdaqGS:HURN)

US4474621020

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Huron Consulting stock research in summary

huronconsultinggroup.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 40 (worse than 60% compared with investment alternatives), Huron Consulting (Research & Consulting, USA) shares have somewhat below-average financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Huron Consulting are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 47, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 67). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 40, is a hold recommendation based on Huron Consulting's financial characteristics. As the company Huron Consulting shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 37 (63% of comparable investments are less expensive), investors should look at the other ranks. In this case, growth is expected to be above-average, better than 67% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 67). This is a typical case. Companies with above average growth tend to cost more than stocks with slower growth expectations. If this is a high-growth company, the low Obermatt Safety Rank of 47 is a good sign. The more debt a well-performing company has, the higher the returns to shareholders. However, if growth turns negative or interest rates increase, high debt may become a burden. If you believe the future is bright for Huron Consulting, even a low-value company (in terms of its key financial indicators) can be a good investment. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	37
Growth Rank	67
Safety Rank	47
Combined Rank	40

Country	USA
Industry	Research & Consulting
Index	Employee Focus US, Diversity USA, SDG 13, SDG 3, SDG 4, SDG 5, SDG 8, NASDAQ
Size class	Large

This stock has achievements: Top 10 Stock.

18-Apr-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Why popular stocks have low ratings

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Huron Consulting

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	33	55	37	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	19	99	67
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	52	56	47
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	72	100	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	44	95	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 18-Apr-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 31-Dec-2023. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Huron Consulting is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	33	55	37	37
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	19	99	67
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	52	56	47
COMBINED
COMBINED	10	30	82	40

Last update of combined financial performance: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Huron Consulting the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 37 (worse than 63% compared with alternatives), Huron Consulting shares are more expensive than the average comparable stock. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half are above average for Huron Consulting. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 59, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 59% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Huron Consulting's revenue size. The same is valid for expected Price-to-Profits (or Price / Earnings, P/E), more favorable than for 71% of alternatives. It is also positive for expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 1 (dividends are expected to be higher than for 1% of other stocks). But, compared with other companies in the same industry, the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) is higher than average, making the stock more expensive. Only 55% of all competitors have an even higher price compared with book capital which puts the Price-to-Capital Rank for Huron Consulting to 45. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 37, is a hold recommendation based on Huron Consulting's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. A low level of book capital means that the company has a business that is leaner on assets than its competitors. For instance, the company could be leasing its production facilities, or be more focussed on intellectual property, such as its brand and software, which is less visible in its book capital. If that is the case, the low Dividend Yield is also explained as such companies tend to invest their income into market development. The other good value ranks for Sales and Profits are encouraging indicators for the stock price value. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	57	67	50	59
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	48	71	61	71
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	62	85	46	45
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	33	55	37	37

Last update of Value Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Huron Consulting; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 67 (better than 67% compared with alternatives), Huron Consulting shows an above-average growth dynamic in its industry. Investors also speak of positive momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with half of the indicators below and half above average for Huron Consulting. Sales Growth has a rank of 70, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 70% of its competitors. Profit Growth with a rank of 63 is also above average. But Capital Growth has only a rank of 35, and Stock Returns with 46 are also below-average. Stock returns for Huron Consulting have recently been below 54% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 67, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. Are investors forecasting troubles based on the lack of operating investment activity at the company? This could be one explanation as to why stock returns are low. But stock returns can also be the result of correcting an error in the past, in this case, an overly optimistic outlook on the future, which is now more realistic. The Value Ranks may confirm such a picture. The more important growth indicators are revenues and profits, which are both above average for Huron Consulting. This is a positive sign from the company's operational side and may give investors courage, despite the poor recent stock price performance. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with the Obermatt Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is mixed here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	27	42	77	70
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	6	46	82	63
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	61	65	35
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	58	17	83	46
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	33	19	99	67

Last update of Growth Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Huron Consulting.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 47 (better than 47% compared with alternatives), the company Huron Consulting has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Huron Consulting is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Huron Consulting. Liquidity is at 59, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 59% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 41, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 59% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 44, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 56% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 47 (worse than 53% compared with alternatives), Huron Consulting has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	22	62	46	44
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	62	47	51	41
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	23	28	58	59
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	13	52	56	47

Last update of Safety Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Huron Consulting and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	93	97	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	50	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	8	100	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	88	97	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	72	100	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 18-Apr-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Huron Consulting.
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