C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 5,320,000 shares, an increase of 10.1% from the January 15th total of 4,830,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,150,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 4.6 days. Currently, 4.6% of the shares of the stock are sold short.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Stock Up 0.9 %

NASDAQ CHRW traded up $0.87 on Friday, hitting $99.49. 853,960 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,187,270. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $103.91 and a 200 day moving average of $104.54. C.H. Robinson Worldwide has a twelve month low of $65.00 and a twelve month high of $114.82. The company has a market capitalization of $11.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.12 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.28, a quick ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The transportation company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.10 by $0.11. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a return on equity of 34.53% and a net margin of 2.63%. As a group, analysts expect that C.H. Robinson Worldwide will post 4.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.49%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 7th. C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 64.42%.

Insider Transactions at C.H. Robinson Worldwide

In other news, insider Michael D. Castagnetto sold 2,032 shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.81, for a total value of $210,941.92. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 34,469 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,578,226.89. The trade was a 5.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 1.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On C.H. Robinson Worldwide

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CHRW. National Pension Service bought a new position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 83.5% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 244 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Missouri Trust & Investment Co bought a new position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Mainstream Capital Management LLC bought a new position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. 93.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Raymond James lowered their price objective on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $123.00 to $118.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $111.00 price target on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 price target for the company in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Susquehanna decreased their target price on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $130.00 to $127.00 and set a “positive” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $130.00 to $122.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $117.17.

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.