Short Interest in Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY) Expands By 21.6%

Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY) saw a significant increase in short interest in the month of March. As of March 31st, there was short interest totaling 1,615,533 shares, an increase of 21.6% from the March 15th total of 1,328,178 shares. Currently, 3.1% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 742,239 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.2 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Korn/Ferry International

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc raised its position in shares of Korn/Ferry International by 69.4% in the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 503 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC raised its position in Korn/Ferry International by 71.8% during the second quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC now owns 579 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board lifted its stake in Korn/Ferry International by 200.0% during the second quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 600 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Korn/Ferry International by 30,350.0% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 609 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 607 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Korn/Ferry International by 160.4% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 664 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 409 shares in the last quarter. 98.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on KFY. UBS Group boosted their price target on Korn/Ferry International from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Korn/Ferry International from $88.00 to $75.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Korn/Ferry International from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Sunday, March 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Korn/Ferry International from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Korn/Ferry International has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $73.00.

Korn/Ferry International Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of KFY opened at $65.45 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.01, a quick ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. Korn/Ferry International has a 12 month low of $58.95 and a 12 month high of $78.50. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $62.70 and its 200-day moving average is $65.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.40 billion, a PE ratio of 12.93 and a beta of 1.28.

Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, March 9th. The business services provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.24 by $0.04. Korn/Ferry International had a return on equity of 14.36% and a net margin of 9.29%.The business had revenue of $725.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $692.45 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.19 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Korn/Ferry International has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 1.340-1.400 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Korn/Ferry International will post 4.75 EPS for the current year.

Korn/Ferry International Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 27th were issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This is an increase from Korn/Ferry International’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 27th. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.4%. Korn/Ferry International’s payout ratio is currently 43.48%.

About Korn/Ferry International

Korn Ferry International is a global organizational consulting firm that partners with clients to design optimal structures, roles and responsibilities. The company’s core offerings include executive search, talent acquisition, leadership development and succession planning. By blending deep industry expertise with data-driven insights, Korn Ferry helps organizations identify, assess and develop executives and high-potential talent for critical roles.

Since its founding in 1969 and with headquarters in Los Angeles, Korn Ferry has expanded its presence to more than 50 offices across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America.