Merit Financial Group LLC Increases Stock Position in C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. $CHRW

Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) by 216.3% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,606 shares of the transportation company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,569 shares during the quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide were worth $1,544,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 110.3% during the 3rd quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 244 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 128 shares in the last quarter. MUFG Securities EMEA plc purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 93.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Stock Performance

NASDAQ CHRW opened at $182.35 on Thursday. C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. has a 1 year low of $86.58 and a 1 year high of $203.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.59, a current ratio of 1.53 and a quick ratio of 1.53. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.49 billion, a PE ratio of 37.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.93. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $174.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $164.76.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The transportation company reported $1.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.11. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a net margin of 3.62% and a return on equity of 34.24%. The business had revenue of $3.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.97 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.21 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. will post 5.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.17%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group set a $160.00 target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $166.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Wolfe Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $188.00 target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Evercore increased their target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $196.00 to $219.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Fifteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $186.22.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Michael D. Castagnetto acquired 594 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $168.24 per share, for a total transaction of $99,934.56. Following the transaction, the insider owned 35,488 shares in the company, valued at $5,970,501.12. This represents a 1.70% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Angela K. Freeman sold 8,579 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.52, for a total transaction of $1,720,261.08. Following the sale, the insider owned 55,611 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,151,117.72. This trade represents a 13.37% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 2,422 shares of company stock worth $400,801 and have sold 17,796 shares worth $3,555,415. Corporate insiders own 0.37% of the company’s stock.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Profile

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc is a third-party logistics provider founded in 1905 and headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Originally established as a produce brokerage firm, the company has since expanded its offerings to become one of the world’s largest freight and logistics intermediaries. C.H. Robinson leverages a global network of transportation providers, technology platforms, and in-house expertise to connect shippers and carriers across multiple modes of transportation.

The company’s primary services include truckload, less-than-truckload (LTL), intermodal, air and ocean freight, and managed transportation solutions.