Fact based stock research
Huron Consulting (NasdaqGS:HURN)

US4474621020

How to read the free ranks

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 22 (worse than 78% compared with investment alternatives), Huron Consulting (Research & Consulting, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Huron Consulting are low in value (priced high) with a consolidated Value Rank of 21 (worse than 79% of alternatives), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 27, which means above-average debt burdens) but show above-average growth (Growth Rank of 87). ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 22, is a sell recommendation based on Huron Consulting's financial characteristics. As the company Huron Consulting shows low value with an Obermatt Value Rank of 21 (79% 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 87% of comparable companies (Obermatt Growth Rank is 87). 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 27 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	21
Growth Rank	87
Safety Rank	27
Combined Rank	22

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.

23-Jan-2025. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

Alternative to SMI? Experts Share Their Swiss Investment Strategies

Dr. Hermann Stern, founder and chair of Obermatt, provides insight into the methodology and background of the method, while Daniel Grob, partner at Amasus, shows how the method is made investable for customers. Be there to gain exciting insights and new perspectives. (event held in German)

Multiple opinions. One number.

Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

Why popular stocks have low ratings

It’s easier said than done. When your stock drops, it’s easy to want to sell it and find a better performer. Think twice, or even three times, before trading. Those fees (especially the hidden ones) can eat up your gains.

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	21
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	19	99	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	52	56	27
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	72	100	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	44	95	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 23-Jan-2025. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Sep-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Huron Consulting is in the corresponding investment strategy.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.

Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	33	55	37	21
GROWTH
GROWTH	33	19	99	87
SAFETY
SAFETY	13	52	56	27
COMBINED
COMBINED	10	30	82	22

Last update of combined financial performance: 23-Jan-2025. 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 21 (worse than 79% compared with alternatives), Huron Consulting shares are significantly more expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Huron Consulting. Only Price-to-Profit (also referred to as price-earnings, P/E) indicates good stock value with a rank of 56, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is lower than for 56% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Huron Consulting's profit levels. But Price-to-Sales is 48 which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future profits is higher than for 52% of comparable companies, indicating a low value concerning Huron Consulting's profit levels. The same is valid for Price-to-Book Capital (also referred to as market-to-book ratio) with a Price-to-Book Rank of 42 and for dividend yield, which is lower than for 99% of comparable companies, making the stock more expensive as regards to the company's expected dividend payouts. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 21, is a sell recommendation based on Huron Consulting's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Can we rely on only one good value indicator? Only if we know the company well. In this case, a high Price-to-Profit Rank, while Price-to-Sales and Price-to-Book are both below the market typical levels, means that the company can charge higher prices for its products and needs less capital to produce them. If this is sustainable, then Huron Consulting is a good investment because profits count most in enterprise valuations. The low dividend yield indicates that the company is confident it can do something with the generated cash that is more valuable than paying the profits out to the shareholders in the form of dividends. We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision, which is essential in this case, as the financial indicators are inconclusive. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	57	67	50	48
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	48	71	61	56
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	62	85	46	42
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	1	1	1	1
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	33	55	37	21

Last update of Value Rank: 23-Jan-2025. 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 87 (better than 87% compared with alternatives) for 2025, Huron Consulting shows one of the highest growth dynamics in its industry. Investors also speak of high momentum. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with all but one indicator above average for Huron Consulting. Sales Growth has a rank of 72 which means that currently, professionals expect the company to grow more than 72% of its competitors. Both Profit Growth, with a rank of 78, and Stock Returns, with a rank of 72, are also above average. But Capital Growth only has a rank of 37, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow its invested capital less than 63% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 87, is a buy recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That may be a good sign if the company is already well positioned and doesn't require more investments at this time. They may focus on growing the top (revenues) and bottom (profits) lines, recently rewarded with above-average stock returns for shareholders. But it may also be a sign of danger as the company is falling back with capital investment activities concerning competition. This requires further analysis of corporate communications. 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 Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	27	42	77	72
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	6	46	82	78
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	61	65	37
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	58	17	83	72
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	33	19	99	87

Last update of Growth Rank: 23-Jan-2025. 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 27 (better than 27% 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 all three metrics below average for Huron Consulting. Liquidity is at 23, meaning that the company generates less profit to service its debt than 77% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is on the riskier side when it comes to debt service. Even worse, Leverage is at a rank of 43, meaning the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 57% of its competitors. Finally, Refinancing is at a rank of 49 which means that the portion of the debt about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 51% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 27 (worse than 73% compared with alternatives), Huron Consulting has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. This combination is rather dangerous in most situations. Only very promising companies with bright future outlooks and stellar reputations can operate with such risky financing. Investors should look at Obermatt’s Value, Growth, and Sentiment Ranks to confirm a very positive outlook or be careful with investing in stocks of Huron Consulting because it may suffer significantly in case of future difficulties. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	22	62	46	43
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	62	47	51	49
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	23	28	58	23
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	13	52	56	27

Last update of Safety Rank: 23-Jan-2025. 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: 23-Jan-2025. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Huron Consulting.
Upgrade to a Premium Account to access the latest ranks.