Franklin Resources Inc. Decreases Holdings in C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW)

Franklin Resources Inc. cut its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHRW) by 4.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 70,147 shares of the transportation company’s stock after selling 3,146 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.06% of C.H. Robinson Worldwide worth $7,248,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CHRW. National Pension Service purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Quarry LP increased its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 76.7% in the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 394 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Missouri Trust & Investment Co purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Mainstream Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in the 4th quarter worth $41,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group increased its stake in shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide by 213.5% in the 4th quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 464 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $48,000 after purchasing an additional 316 shares in the last quarter. 93.15% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Stock Up 5.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CHRW opened at $91.94 on Thursday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $65.00 and a 12 month high of $114.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $98.27 and a 200 day moving average price of $103.84. The company has a market cap of $10.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 1.16 and a beta of 0.86.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide (NASDAQ:CHRW) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The transportation company reported $1.21 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by $0.11. C.H. Robinson Worldwide had a net margin of 2.63% and a return on equity of 34.53%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 1st. Investors of record on Friday, March 7th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 7th. C.H. Robinson Worldwide’s payout ratio is 64.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Michael D. Castagnetto sold 5,016 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.60, for a total value of $499,593.60. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 34,586 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,444,765.60. This represents a 12.67 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Angela K. Freeman sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.39, for a total transaction of $803,120.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 77,027 shares in the company, valued at $7,732,740.53. This trade represents a 9.41 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.91% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on CHRW shares. TD Cowen upped their price objective on C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $113.00 to $119.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $115.00 to $124.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 13th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $111.00 target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Stifel Nicolaus raised shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $113.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of C.H. Robinson Worldwide from $95.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, C.H. Robinson Worldwide has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $118.47.

About C.H. Robinson Worldwide

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.