Huron Consulting Group Inc

Shares of business process outsourcing and consulting firms Concentrix, Huron and TaskUs surged after Accenture's stronger-than-expected results and above-consensus fiscal 2027 outlook lifted IT consulting and business-services peers. Accenture guided fiscal 2027 revenue growth of 3% to 6% after a fourth-quarter revenue beat of roughly $18.7 billion, easing fears that AI would hollow out traditional consulting and outsourcing demand and sparking a read-across rally in Cognizant, IBM, Salesforce and Indian IT ADRs Infosys and Wipro. Concentrix jumped 10.8%, Huron rose 7.3% and TaskUs gained 6.3%. Separately, IBM announced a self-hosted deployment option for IBM Bob aimed at enterprise AI sovereignty and governance, letting enterprises run AI-driven software delivery and modernization inside customer-controlled environments including on-premises, sovereign clouds, private clouds and air-gapped setups, and expanded its IBM Bob Premium Package for Z with that self-hosted capability and deeper application intelligence tools targeting mainframe modernization under strict compliance and data-sovereignty standards. Concentrix is down 33.2% since the start of the year and, at $27.52 per share, trades 43% below its 52-week high of $48.26 from October 2025.

Huron Consulting Group reported strong second-quarter earnings with revenues of US$475,000,000, up 15.4% year on year, and raised its full-year EPS guidance after surpassing analyst expectations. The company saw broad organic growth across all three operating segments and record revenues before reimbursable expenses. Huron also bought back over 1.5 million shares in the first half of 2026 for more than US$200,000,000, amplifying the impact of higher EPS guidance on per share results. The company's narrative projects $2.2 billion revenue and $211.8 million earnings by 2029, with a fair value estimate of $184.25, a 21% upside to its current price. Some analysts remain cautious, assuming revenue of about US$2.2 billion and earnings near US$203 million by 2029, and warning that heavy reliance on performance improvement and revenue cycle work could fade if hospital funding stabilizes.

Genpact reported second-quarter revenue of $1.34 billion, up 7.1% year over year and 0.8% above analyst expectations, yet its stock has fallen 6.7% since the report to $33.75. The company also beat EPS estimates and raised its full-year guidance for Advanced Technology Solutions revenue growth to at least 25%, the highest guidance raise among the eight business process outsourcing and consulting stocks tracked. Huron Consulting Group posted the strongest results, with revenue of $475 million, up 15.4% year over year and 3.2% above expectations, and its stock rose 23.8% to $150.24. Concentrix was the weakest performer, reporting revenue of $2.46 billion, up 1.9% year over year and in line with expectations, while missing next-quarter EPS guidance and slightly missing full-year revenue guidance, leaving its stock flat at $25. TaskUs reported revenue of $308.9 million, up 5% year over year and 3.9% above expectations, with its stock up 9.1% to $6.90. FTI Consulting reported revenue of $993.5 million, up 5.3% year over year and meeting expectations, but missed EPS estimates significantly and its stock fell 10.5% to $152.60.

Several stocks made notable moves this week following earnings reports and executive appointments. Huron Consulting Group surged 35.8% on Wednesday after reporting second-quarter results that beat analyst expectations for both revenue and profit and raising its full-year outlook. Sherwin-Williams rose 7.5% on Tuesday after stronger-than-expected second-quarter earnings and an increased full-year profit forecast. PROG Holdings fell 4.9% on Wednesday despite beating second-quarter 2026 estimates and raising full-year guidance. CONMED gained 10.5% on Thursday after second-quarter adjusted earnings topped expectations and the company lifted its full-year guidance. Freshworks rose 3.4% on Tuesday following the appointment of Ryan Manning as its new Chief Product and Technology Officer.

Huron Consulting Group Inc achieved record revenue before reimbursable expenses of $465.6 million in the second quarter of 2026, a 15.7% increase from the prior year. Organic RBR growth was 10.8%, with all three operating segments posting gains: healthcare RBR rose 17.4% to $232.3 million, education RBR grew 7.8% to $139.4 million, and commercial RBR jumped 24.6% to $94 million. Net income reached $31.2 million, or $1.91 per diluted share, compared to $19.4 million, or $1.09 per diluted share, a year earlier, while adjusted EBITDA was $72.6 million, representing 15.6% of RBR. The company also raised its full-year RBR and earnings guidance, citing strong demand for digital services driven by AI, with total digital bookings up more than 20% in the first half of 2026.

StockStory identifies two business services stocks with durable advantages and one facing headwinds. Rogers, with a market cap of $2.61 billion, is flagged for flat sales over five years, a 4.7 percentage point decline in adjusted operating margin, and a 13.9% annual contraction in earnings per share. CRA International, valued at $954.5 million, is highlighted for 9.5% annual revenue growth over two years, 15.5% annual EPS growth driven by buybacks, and an 18.4% return on capital. Huron Consulting Group, with a $1.62 billion market cap, is noted for 15.9% annual revenue growth over five years, 22.1% annual EPS growth aided by share repurchases, and a 6.7 percentage point increase in free cash flow margin.

StockStory identified Huron Consulting Group as a standout Russell 2000 stock, citing its 15.9% annual revenue growth over five years and 22.1% annual earnings per share growth, while flagging Victoria's Secret and Proto Labs as stocks to avoid. Huron's free cash flow margin expanded by 6.7 percentage points over five years, and its shares trade at 10.7 times forward earnings. Victoria's Secret saw annual revenue growth of just 2.6% over three years and a 6% annual decline in earnings per share due to share dilution, with shares at 16.2 times forward earnings. Proto Labs posted 3.9% annual revenue growth over two years and a 2.9% annual contraction in earnings per share over five years, trading at 39.2 times forward earnings.

Huron Consulting shares jumped 7.1% in the last trading session to close at $98.73 on heavy volume. The rally follows strong first-quarter earnings, reaffirmed full-year guidance, and the strategic expansion of its AI-enabled healthcare business through the RelateCare acquisition. The company is expected to report quarterly earnings of $2.13 per share, a 12.7% year-over-year increase, on revenues of $447.28 million, up 11.1%. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of 3, or Hold.

Business process outsourcing and consulting stocks reported mixed first-quarter results, with the group's revenues beating analyst consensus estimates by 1.5% while next-quarter revenue guidance came in 0.7% below expectations. Genpact reported revenues of $1.30 billion, up 6.7% year on year and exceeding estimates by 0.5%, though its stock fell 16.9% since the release. CBIZ posted revenues of $848.6 million, up 1.3% year on year but missing estimates by 0.6%, yet delivered the highest full-year guidance raise among peers. Concentrix recorded revenues of $2.5 billion, up 5.4% year on year and in line with expectations, but missed EPS estimates and saw its stock drop 24.4%. CRA International reported revenues of $201 million, up 10.5% year on year and beating estimates by 3.7%, the biggest beat among peers, while Huron Consulting Group posted revenues of $451.8 million, up 11.8% year on year and exceeding estimates by 0.7%. On average, share prices of the eight tracked companies are down 13.8% since their latest earnings results.