IHS (NYSE:IHS) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.12 EPS

IHS (NYSE:IHS) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The business services provider reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.32 by ($0.12), Zacks reports. IHS had a negative return on equity of 661.41% and a net margin of 8.12%.

IHS Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE IHS traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $8.26. 512,106 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,680,272. The company has a quick ratio of 2.05, a current ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 96.14. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.20 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.67. IHS has a twelve month low of $5.10 and a twelve month high of $8.95. The firm has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13 and a beta of 0.74.

Insider Activity at IHS

In related news, EVP Stephen J. Howden sold 49,212 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.25, for a total value of $405,999.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 314,912 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,598,024. This represents a 13.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Sam Darwish sold 124,275 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $8.24, for a total value of $1,024,026.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 436,015 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,592,763.60. The trade was a 22.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders sold a total of 344,017 shares of company stock worth $2,826,243 in the last 90 days.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. XTX Topco Ltd lifted its stake in shares of IHS by 61.7% in the fourth quarter. XTX Topco Ltd now owns 57,472 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $429,000 after buying an additional 21,938 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP lifted its stake in IHS by 647.6% in the 2nd quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 68,437 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $381,000 after purchasing an additional 59,283 shares in the last quarter. Occudo Quantitative Strategies LP purchased a new stake in shares of IHS in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $369,000. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of IHS in the third quarter valued at approximately $267,000. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in IHS during the third quarter worth approximately $193,000. 17.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on IHS shares. Williams Trading set a $8.50 price target on IHS in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. New Street Research downgraded IHS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. TD Cowen downgraded IHS from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $17.00 to $8.50 in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Weiss Ratings cut IHS from a “hold (c)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of IHS from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 27th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.61.

About IHS

IHS Inc develops source of information, insight and analytics in different areas of business. The Company’s segments include Resources, Transportation and Consolidated Markets & Solutions. The Company’s Resources segment includes its Energy and Chemicals product offerings. Its Transportation segment includes its Automotive; Maritime & Trade, and Aerospace, Defense & Security product offerings. Its Consolidated Markets & Solutions segment includes its Product Design; Technology, Media & Telecom, and Economics & Country Risk product offerings.