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Huron Consulting (HURN)
NASDAQ:HURN

Huron Consulting (HURN) AI Stock Analysis

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HURN

Huron Consulting

(NASDAQ:HURN)

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Outperform 71 (OpenAI - 5.2)
Rating:71Outperform
Price Target:
$158.00
▲(9.38% Upside)
Action:ReiteratedDate:02/27/26
The score is driven primarily by strong financial performance (growth, cash generation, and improved leverage) and supportive earnings-call guidance for continued revenue and earnings expansion. Offsetting these positives, technical indicators show clear bearish momentum with the stock trading below key moving averages, while valuation appears moderate without dividend support.
Positive Factors
Multi‑year Revenue Growth
Sustained revenue growth over multiple years indicates durable demand across Huron's core verticals. This trend reflects successful client acquisition and expansion in Healthcare, Education and Commercial, supporting predictable backlog conversion and a stronger base for continued margin improvement and scale benefits.
Strong Cash Generation & Deleveraging
Consistent operating and free cash flow provides structural financial flexibility: enables share repurchases, deleveraging and reinvestment. Coupled with a sharp drop in reported leverage in 2025, this supports capital allocation choices and reduces financial risk over the medium term.
Digital & AI Revenue Acceleration
Rapid growth in digital, analytics and AI services signals structural product differentiation and higher-value offerings. A nearly half share of RBR from digital services diversifies revenue, raises stickiness with clients, and positions Huron to capture secular demand for technology-led transformation.
Negative Factors
2025 Margin Data Inconsistency
Inconsistent or missing margin data for 2025 reduces confidence in assessing sustainable profitability trends. Without clear gross/EBIT margin continuity, it is harder to separate one‑time items from structural margin drivers, complicating forecasts and long‑term margin planning.
Segment Margin Pressure & Rising Corporate Costs
Wider corporate expenses and education/commercial margin compression reflect structural cost pressures—higher salaries, third‑party fees and M&A integration costs. These recurring expense tails can constrain sustainable EBITDA expansion unless revenue mix or productivity offsets are realized.
Elevated Receivables / DSO
Persistently high DSO ties up working capital and increases cash conversion volatility, raising funding needs during growth. Even with strong operating cash flow, elevated receivables can strain liquidity timing and magnify sensitivity to client payment cycles across large healthcare and education contracts.

Huron Consulting (HURN) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Huron Consulting Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company DescriptionHuron Consulting Group Inc., a professional services firm, provides consultancy services in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Healthcare, Business Advisory, and Education. The Healthcare segment provides advisory services in the areas of financial and operational improvement, care transformation, and revenue cycle managed services; organizational transformation; and digital, technology and analytic solutions to national and regional hospitals, integrated health systems, academic medical centers, community hospitals, medical groups, and health plans. The Business Advisory segment offers cloud-based technology, analytics, restructuring, and capital advisory solutions to life science, financial, healthcare, education, energy and utilities, and industrials and manufacturing industries, as well as to public sectors. The Education segment provides research enterprise and student lifecycle; digital, technology and analytic solutions; and organizational transformation services to public and private colleges and universities, academic medical centers, research institutes, and other not-for-profit organizations. Huron Consulting Group Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois.
How the Company Makes MoneyHuron Consulting generates revenue primarily through its consulting services, which encompass a wide range of advisory and implementation projects. The company charges fees based on hourly rates or fixed project costs, depending on the nature of the engagement. Key revenue streams include consulting contracts with healthcare institutions, educational organizations, and corporate clients, often tied to performance improvement or transformation initiatives. Additionally, Huron may benefit from partnerships with technology providers and other consulting firms that enhance its service offerings, contributing to its overall earnings. The firm's ability to establish long-term relationships with clients also plays a crucial role in its revenue generation, as repeat business and referrals are significant factors in its growth strategy.

Huron Consulting Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Feb 24, 2026
(Q4-2025)
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% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:May 05, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Positive
The call communicated a predominantly positive operating and financial momentum: record RBR, multiyear margin expansion, record adjusted EPS, strong commercial and healthcare bookings, robust digital and AI adoption, healthy cash generation and active share repurchases. Offsetting items include a decline in GAAP net income, margin pressure in Education and Commercial on a full-year basis driven by people and integration costs, higher corporate expenses, and a few one-time impairments and contingent charges. Management provided constructive 2026 guidance anchored by strong backlog and pipeline. On balance the positives (revenue, adjusted profitability, AI/digital growth, backlog and shareholder returns) materially outweigh the near-term headwinds and one-time items.
Q4-2025 Updates
Positive Updates
Record Company Revenue (RBR) and Multi-Year Growth
Fourth quarter RBR of $432.3M, up 11.3% year-over-year; full year RBR of $1.66B, up 11.9% versus 2024. 2025 marked record RBR and the fifth consecutive year of RBR growth.
Adjusted EBITDA Margin Expansion
Adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.7% in Q4 2025 (vs. 14.6% in Q4 2024) and 14.3% for full year 2025 (vs. 13.5% in 2024). Company has expanded adjusted EBITDA margins by ~400 basis points since 2020.
Record Adjusted Diluted EPS
Record adjusted diluted EPS of $7.83 for full year 2025, a 21% increase over 2024; Q4 2025 adjusted EPS of $2.17 versus $1.90 in Q4 2024.
Commercial Segment Surge
Commercial segment RBR grew 36.6% in Q4 2025 to $91.9M and 27.2% for the full year to $325.1M. Organic Q4 commercial growth excluding acquisitions was +9.1%. Commercial now represents ~20% of total RBR.
Healthcare Segment Strength and Momentum
Healthcare delivered record full-year RBR of $837.5M, up 10.7% vs. 2024; Q4 Healthcare RBR +9.6% to $221.7M. Bookings in H2 2025 increased more than 20% vs. H2 2024 and sales conversions continued into January 2026.
Digital and AI Adoption Driving Growth
Digital capability represented 41% of company RBR in 2025. Digital RBR grew 10% for the year; data management/analytics/AI RBR grew over 40% year-over-year. Company has deployed over 100 AI and automation solutions and announced strategic AI partnerships.
Strong Backlog, Pipeline and 2026 Guidance
Management reports the strongest hard backlog coverage of initial annual RBR guidance in five years and near-record pipeline. 2026 guidance: RBR $1.78B–$1.86B (midpoint ≈ +9.5% YoY), adjusted EBITDA margin 14.5%–15% (≈ +50 bps vs 2025 midpoint), and adjusted EPS $8.35–$9.15 (midpoint ≈ +12% YoY).
Cash Generation and Share Repurchases
2025 operating cash flow $193.4M and free cash flow $162.3M. Used $166M for share repurchases in 2025 (~1.2M shares, 6.6% of outstanding), $70M repurchased in Q1 2026, and Board authorized an additional $200M (≈ $229M remaining). Net debt decreased versus Q3 2025 by $100.6M; leverage ~1.9x adjusted EBITDA as of 12/31/25.
Negative Updates
GAAP Net Income Decline
GAAP net income fell to $30.7M in Q4 2025 (vs. $34.0M in Q4 2024) and full-year net income declined to $105.0M in 2025 from $116.6M in 2024. Net income margin decreased to 6.2% for 2025 from 7.7% in 2024.
Education Segment Near-Term Weakness
Education segment RBR was flat in Q4 2025 vs Q4 2024 and grew only 5.5% for the full year to $500.2M. Education operating margin declined to 20.7% in Q4 2025 from 22.4% a year ago, driven by higher salaries for revenue professionals, third‑party fees, restructuring and capitalized software amortization.
Commercial Full-Year Margin Compression
Despite strong revenue growth, Commercial operating income margin decreased to 17.2% for full year 2025 from 20.0% in 2024, reflecting increased salary and contractor costs and M&A integration expenses.
Rising Unallocated Corporate Expenses
Unallocated corporate expenses rose to $54.4M in Q4 2025 from $47.8M in Q4 2024 and to $217.6M for the full year (vs. $191.2M in 2024). Excluding deferred compensation, the full-year increase was ~$25.4M, driven by support salaries, software/data hosting and M&A-related professional fees.
One-Time Charges and Impairment Items
Q4 2025 included $2.2M of acquisition-related contingent consideration charges (net of tax). Full-year 2025 included $7.7M of noncash impairment charges related to a convertible debt investment, which pressured GAAP results versus prior-year one-time gains.
Tax Rate Volatility
Effective tax rate was 29.2% in Q4 2025 (less favorable than statutory rate) and 22.2% for the full year (benefited by discrete items). 2026 tax guidance is 28%–30%, and Q1 2026 tax is expected 15%–20%, indicating quarter-to-quarter variability.
Receivables and DSO Remain Elevated
Days Sales Outstanding improved modestly to 73 days in Q4 2025 (from 76 days), but remain relatively high and tied to collections on larger Healthcare and Education projects.
Company Guidance
Huron guided 2026 RBR of $1.78 billion to $1.86 billion (midpoint ≈ 9.5% growth vs. 2025’s $1.66B) with adjusted EBITDA margins of 14.5%–15.0% of RBR (about a 50 bps improvement at the midpoint vs. 2025) and adjusted diluted EPS of $8.35–$9.15 (midpoint $8.75, ~12% above 2025’s $7.83); they expect operating cash flow of $220M–$260M, capital expenditures of $30M–$40M, free cash flow of $180M–$220M, a weighted average diluted share count of 17.2M–17.8M, and a full-year tax rate of 28%–30% (Q1 tax ~15%–20%), noting they begin 2026 with the strongest backlog coverage in five years and a near‑record pipeline.

Huron Consulting Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Strong multi-year revenue growth and earnings recovery, supported by solid operating cash flow and free cash flow. Balance sheet leverage appears meaningfully reduced in 2025, lowering financial risk. Main constraint is reduced confidence in the latest-year margin trend due to noted 2025 income statement data inconsistencies and a modest 2025 FCF dip.
Income Statement
78
Positive
Revenue has expanded steadily from $844M (2020) to $1.70B (2025), with strong growth in 2022–2023 and a more moderate 2024–2025 trajectory. Profitability has improved materially versus the 2020 loss, with net margins reaching ~6.2% in 2025 and ROE near ~20%, though net margin eased from ~7.8% in 2024. A key weakness is data quality/consistency in 2025 margins (gross profit and EBIT margin show as 0), which limits confidence in the margin trend for the latest year despite solid earnings.
Balance Sheet
86
Very Positive
Leverage looks conservative and improving: debt-to-equity was ~0.52–0.71 during 2021–2024 but drops sharply to ~0.11 in 2025, indicating meaningful de-risking. Equity is relatively stable (~$529M in 2025), assets have grown alongside the business ($1.53B in 2025), and returns on equity are strong (~20% in 2024–2025). The main watch-out is the step-change in debt levels from 2024 to 2025, which may reflect a balance sheet event (repayment/reclassification) rather than purely organic drift.
Cash Flow
83
Very Positive
Cash generation is strong and consistent in recent years: operating cash flow is ~$193M (2025) and free cash flow is ~$183M (2025), with free cash flow running close to net income (~0.95x in 2024–2025). The business has recovered dramatically from weak 2021 free cash flow. Offsetting this, free cash flow dipped modestly in 2025 (about -4.5% growth) and the cash conversion metric provided is only moderate (~0.50 in 2025; ~0.59 in 2024), suggesting some working-capital or timing volatility.
BreakdownDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue1.70B1.49B1.36B1.13B905.64M
Gross Profit508.79M476.01M419.36M346.57M268.86M
EBITDA201.71M184.29M159.69M133.18M87.80M
Net Income105.04M116.63M62.48M75.55M62.99M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets1.53B1.34B1.26B1.20B1.12B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments24.51M21.91M12.15M11.83M20.78M
Total Debt548.34M398.61M373.88M346.09M297.24M
Total Liabilities998.05M782.29M729.25M647.00M547.45M
Stockholders Equity528.63M561.33M532.89M552.04M571.90M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow182.96M192.67M100.08M61.10M2.23M
Operating Cash Flow193.39M201.32M135.26M85.40M17.99M
Investing Cash Flow-145.75M-79.75M-36.65M-20.13M-20.14M
Financing Cash Flow-45.03M-111.64M-98.33M-74.11M-44.41M

Huron Consulting Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Neutral
Last Price144.45
Price Trends
50DMA
163.82
Negative
100DMA
162.88
Negative
200DMA
150.72
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-8.10
Negative
RSI
47.07
Neutral
STOCH
91.70
Negative
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For HURN, the sentiment is Neutral. The current price of 144.45 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 143.47, below the 50-day MA of 163.82, and below the 200-day MA of 150.72, indicating a neutral trend. The MACD of -8.10 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 47.07 is Neutral, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 91.70 is Negative, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Neutral sentiment for HURN.

Huron Consulting Risk Analysis

Huron Consulting disclosed 34 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Huron Consulting reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Huron Consulting Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (63)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
71
Outperform
$2.44B24.7019.27%12.50%29.40%
71
Outperform
$3.63B35.1826.13%1.66%4.90%-1.52%
68
Neutral
$5.01B19.8613.30%-0.95%-10.54%
67
Neutral
$1.18B21.2025.72%0.97%8.69%34.58%
63
Neutral
$10.79B15.437.44%2.01%2.89%-14.66%
62
Neutral
$1.42B16.819.88%0.65%-3.81%-7.05%
47
Neutral
$123.62M-0.92-61.44%6.74%-10.83%-1669.11%
* Industrials Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
HURN
Huron Consulting
144.45
-3.18
-2.15%
CRAI
Cra International
180.26
-11.20
-5.85%
EXPO
Exponent
73.78
-8.17
-9.97%
FCN
FTI Consulting
163.98
-5.72
-3.37%
ICFI
Icf International
77.82
-2.52
-3.14%
RGP
Resources Connection
3.69
-2.94
-44.31%
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Feb 27, 2026