Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) Announces Earnings Results

Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The business services provider reported $1.73 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.58 by $0.15, Zacks reports. Huron Consulting Group had a net margin of 6.18% and a return on equity of 28.20%. The business had revenue of $451.77 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $437.12 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.68 EPS. Huron Consulting Group’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Huron Consulting Group updated its FY 2026 guidance to 8.350-9.150 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Huron Consulting Group’s conference call:

• Huron reported RBR of $443.7M, up 12.1% year-over-year, driven by strength across Healthcare (Healthcare RBR $225.2M, +13.5%), Education, and Commercial segments.
• Management affirmed full-year targets: RBR $1.78B–$1.86B, adjusted EBITDA 14.5%–15% of RBR, and adjusted EPS $8.35–$9.15, citing strong pipeline and backlog.
• Margins expanded as adjusted EBITDA rose to $50.6M (11.4% of RBR) versus $41.5M (10.5%) a year ago, with operating-margin improvements in Education and Commercial segments.
• Cash flow and leverage pressures: Q1 free cash flow was negative ~$174M after $155.5M of share repurchases, net debt increased to $829.5M and leverage climbed to 3.1x adjusted EBITDA (management says this is seasonal and targets ~2.0x–2.5x by year-end).
• Huron is increasing investment in AI (organic hiring, partnerships like Hippocratic AI) and expects AI to be a material driver of future growth, margin expansion, and shareholder value.

Huron Consulting Group Stock Performance

Shares of HURN stock traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $132.22. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 226,044 shares, compared to its average volume of 218,252. The company has a 50 day moving average of $130.68 and a 200 day moving average of $153.47. The stock has a market cap of $2.19 billion, a PE ratio of 22.60 and a beta of 0.15. The company has a current ratio of 1.17, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Huron Consulting Group has a 12-month low of $116.12 and a 12-month high of $186.77.

Key Headlines Impacting Huron Consulting Group

Here are the key news stories impacting Huron Consulting Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 financial beats — Huron reported revenue of about $451.8M (≈+12% YoY) and an adjusted EPS that topped Street estimates; management highlighted margin expansion and strength across Healthcare, Education and Commercial segments. Huron Announces First Quarter 2026 Financial Results and Affirms Full Year 2026 Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue and EPS consensus beats picked up broad media coverage and the earnings call transcript provides management commentary supporting continued execution. Huron (HURN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: FY26 guidance affirmed but conservative — Huron reiterated EPS guidance of $8.35–$9.15 and revenue guidance of $1.8B–$1.9B; the EPS range overlaps consensus (~$8.78) but the midpoint is slightly below, leaving room for investor interpretation. MarketBeat HURN summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and metric checks — coverage (Zacks, Stamford Advocate) is digging into key metrics vs. estimates; investors should watch margins, segment mix and the upcoming cadence of billable work. Huron Consulting (HURN) Q1 Earnings: Taking a Look at Key Metrics Versus Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Mixed/weak cash-flow and reporting discrepancies — a third‑party report flagged a lower GAAP EPS figure, negative operating cash flow (≈-$162M), rising liabilities, and heavy insider selling in recent months, which could weigh on sentiment despite the revenue beat. Huron Consulting Group Inc. (HURN) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue Growth but EPS Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Ownership & technicals — recent large institutional reductions and the stock trading below its 200‑day average (200‑day > 50‑day) may cap near‑term upside until fundamentals or flows change. QuiverQuant institutional and insider data

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HURN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Wedbush initiated coverage on shares of Huron Consulting Group in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $160.00 price target on the stock. Barrington Research upped their price target on shares of Huron Consulting Group from $190.00 to $207.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Huron Consulting Group from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Huron Consulting Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Huron Consulting Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $205.50.

Insider Activity at Huron Consulting Group

In other news, Director John Mccartney sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $127.68, for a total value of $63,840.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 40,817 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,211,514.56. This represents a 1.21% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 796 shares of company stock valued at $101,411. 2.07% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Huron Consulting Group

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in HURN. Xponance LLC purchased a new stake in Huron Consulting Group during the fourth quarter worth $236,000. Perbak Capital Partners LLP purchased a new stake in Huron Consulting Group during the third quarter worth $231,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in Huron Consulting Group by 5,365.2% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 1,257 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $220,000 after buying an additional 1,234 shares in the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in Huron Consulting Group by 173.3% during the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 1,241 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $215,000 after buying an additional 787 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brevan Howard Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in Huron Consulting Group during the second quarter worth $211,000. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Huron Consulting Group

Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) is a global professional services firm that advises organizations across a range of industries on strategy, operations and technology. Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Chicago, the company helps clients address complex business challenges such as performance improvement, digital transformation and organizational change. Huron’s consultants work alongside executive leadership teams to develop and implement tailored solutions that drive growth, increase efficiency and manage risk.

Huron’s service offerings encompass business and financial advisory, healthcare performance improvement, life sciences consulting, higher education and research lifecycle support, as well as legal and regulatory consulting.