Robert Half Inc. research snapshot
RHI AI stock analysis reads Robert Half Inc. as a cyclical staffing and consulting firm that is showing early but consistent signs of recovery. The stock closed at $37.80 on July 31, 2026, with a market cap of about $3.87 billion, and traded near $38.84 on August 3, 2026. This page is an information tool with a data cutoff of August 4, 2026, not investment advice. Talent Solutions has posted three straight quarters of sequential revenue growth and Permanent Placement returned to year-over-year growth, while Protiviti continues to drag on results because of weaker U.S. financial services regulatory demand. The stock now trades above the average analyst target of $35.00 with a trailing P/E near 33x and a dividend yield of about 6.1%, so the recovery is partly priced into a stock that still carries execution and macro risk.
Current price
$37.80 (July 31, 2026 close)
Market cap
$3.87 billion
AI score
52 / 100
Rating
Cyclical staffing and consulting firm showing early signs of recovery after three straight quarters of sequential Talent Solutions growth, but the stock now trades above the average analyst target of $35.00, with an elevated trailing P/E, a dividend payout ratio above 100% of GAAP earnings, a large Protiviti regulatory headwind, and short interest of about 22% of shares
Trend status
RHI is up about 39% year to date in price terms and about 46% including dividends, recovering from the 52-week low of $21.83 to trade near $38, about 11% below the 52-week high of $42.25 and above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages
Data cutoff (updated monthly)
August 4, 2026
Informational use only. This page is not investment advice.
| Dimension | Conclusion | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Business quality | Robert Half matches skilled professionals with clients through Contract Talent Solutions, Permanent Placement, and Protiviti consulting. The business is simple and cash generative but highly cyclical: revenue fell from $7.24 billion in 2022 to $5.38 billion in 2025 as the staffing cycle turned down. TTM gross margin is about 36.8%, and Protiviti adds a consulting stream with different economics. | High |
| Moat | Brand recognition built over 78 years, the largest specialized staffing network, deep finance and accounting relationships, and Protiviti give the company a real but moderate moat. Clients can switch to ManpowerGroup, Korn Ferry, Kforce, or internal recruiting, and AI hiring tools are raising application volumes and making candidate screening harder for clients, which cuts both ways. | Medium |
| Management | CEO M. Keith Waddell has led the company for many years and has guided it through multiple cycles. Management kept the dividend growing for 22 straight years, sized the workforce to demand, and executed decisive Protiviti cost actions worth about $45 million in annualized savings while shifting toward higher-margin work. Management states the staffing trough is behind it. | Medium |
| Financial trend | TTM revenue is $5.29 billion, down about 5% year over year, and TTM net income is $114.78 million on EPS of $1.15. Reported operating income is depressed at $10.65 million TTM, though adjusted operating income turned positive at $39 million in Q2 2026. Free cash flow of $217.72 million covers the $2.36 dividend, but the GAAP payout ratio is above 100%. Cash of $278.39 million exceeds total debt of $251.98 million. | High |
| Valuation | At $37.80, RHI trades at about 33x trailing EPS, about 30x consensus FY2026 EPS of $1.27, about 19x consensus FY2027 EPS of $1.97, 0.74x sales, and 17.95x free cash flow. The stock is above the average analyst target of $35.00 and the median of $31.00, so consensus sees limited upside. The 6.1% dividend yield is high but reflects a payout ratio above 100% of GAAP earnings. | Medium |
| Technical trend | The stock is up about 39% year to date in price terms, closed at $37.80 on July 31, 2026, above its 50-day moving average of $33.47 and 200-day moving average of $28.49, and sits about 11% below the 52-week high of $42.25. RSI near 57 is neutral-positive. The recovery from the $21.83 low has been strong but is testing the $40.00 area. | Medium |
| Risk level | Key risks are a renewed downturn in hiring or a recession, dividend risk given a payout ratio above 100% of GAAP EPS, the Protiviti regulatory drag lasting longer than expected, AI-driven disruption of traditional placement, wage and bill rate pressure, and geopolitical and inflation shocks. Short interest of about 22% of shares outstanding adds two-sided volatility. | High |
| AI confidence | High for descriptive data such as price, financials, valuation ratios, dividend metrics, and analyst consensus. Medium for the forecast because it depends on the timing of the labor market and Protiviti regulatory recovery, which are inherently uncertain. | Medium forecast confidence |
| Investment certainty | The cyclical evidence has improved, but RHI is no longer a deep value stock. Consensus targets sit below the current price, and earnings must recover materially for the stock to stay attractive. The setup is two-sided rather than a high-conviction buy or sell, and the high dividend yield is not a reliable floor. | Medium |
RHI AI stock forecast
The RHI AI stock forecast is scenario-based, not a price promise. It is anchored to analyst targets (low $20.00, median $31.00, average $35.00, high $50.00), consensus FY2026 EPS of $1.27 and FY2027 EPS of $1.97, and a reference price of $37.80 from the July 31, 2026 close. The stock already trades above the average target, so most upside now depends on earnings beating consensus.
$42.00 to $52.00
More likely if the staffing recovery broadens with Permanent Placement growth staying above 4%, Contract Talent Solutions returns to year-over-year growth, the Protiviti financial services regulatory drag clears earlier than expected, bill rates accelerate with wage inflation, and FY2027 EPS beats the $1.97 consensus. Truist targets $50.00 and BMO Capital $47.00. Short interest of about 22% of shares adds squeeze potential.
$32.00 to $42.00
More likely if Talent Solutions grows at mid-single digits, Protiviti stays down 4% to 8% through the fourth quarter and stabilizes in 2027, the dividend is maintained, and earnings track the consensus path of $1.27 in FY2026 and $1.97 in FY2027. This keeps the stock between the median target of $31.00 and the J.P. Morgan target of $40.00.
$22.00 to $31.00
More likely if hiring demand weakens again, the economy slows or Middle East tensions escalate, the dividend is cut because the payout ratio exceeds 100% of GAAP EPS, the Protiviti FSI headwind persists into 2027, or consensus EPS estimates are cut further. Goldman Sachs holds a Sell rating with a $29.00 target and the street low is $20.00.
RHI AI technical analysis
RHI AI technical analysis uses market data as of the August 4, 2026 cutoff. RHI closed at $37.80 on July 31, 2026, and traded near $38.84 on August 3, 2026, with a 52-week range of $21.83 to $42.25. The stock is up about 39% year to date in price terms and trades above both its 50-day moving average ($33.47) and 200-day moving average ($28.49), a bullish structure. Average volume runs about 2.3 to 2.7 million shares.
| Level | Value | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Current price | $37.80 | July 31, 2026 close from Yahoo Finance quote data. The stock traded near $38.84 intraday on August 3, 2026. |
| 52-week low | $21.83 | Recovery of about 73% from this level. A break below it would signal that the recovery failed. |
| Primary support | $33.47 | The 50-day moving average. Holding above it keeps the short-term uptrend intact. |
| Secondary support | $28.49 | The 200-day moving average. A break below would signal a deeper pullback. |
| Near resistance | $40.00 | A round number and recent supply zone. A close above it would target the 52-week high. |
| Key resistance | $42.25 | The 52-week high. A break above it would confirm a new uptrend. |
| Momentum | RSI near 57, price above 50-day and 200-day MAs | Positive but not overbought. The stock is up about 39% year to date in price terms. |
| Volume | 2.3M to 2.7M avg | Average volume with spikes on up days around the July 23, 2026 earnings release. |
| Volatility | Moderate for a cyclical stock | Beta of 0.76 to 0.81 means RHI is less volatile than the market, typical for a mature services company. |
| Invalidation | Break below $28.49 | A decisive break below the 200-day moving average would suggest the cyclical recovery is stalling. |
RHI AI trading strategy
The RHI AI trading strategy below is a rules-based research framework, not personal advice. It connects price action with labor market data, Protiviti regulatory trends, dividend sustainability, and staffing industry signals.
Watch for RHI to hold above the 50-day moving average near $33.47 and clear $40.00 on above-average volume, then target $42.25 and eventually the analyst bull case near $47.00 to $50.00. Confirm with improving labor market data such as JOLTS, payrolls, and temp help services employment, Permanent Placement growth above 4%, and dividend maintenance.
A close below the 200-day moving average near $28.49, a dividend cut, or deteriorating hiring indicators should reduce trend-following confidence.
If RHI pulls back toward $33.47 to $35.00 with declining volume, evaluate the risk and reward against the $35.00 average analyst target and the $31.00 median. The 6.1% dividend provides a partial income cushion during drawdowns.
Do not treat the dividend as a guaranteed floor. The payout ratio exceeds 100% of GAAP earnings, so a prolonged earnings decline could force a cut.
Track quarterly earnings for Talent Solutions sequential growth, Permanent Placement trends, Protiviti revenue and margins, financial services regulatory commentary, labor market indicators such as unemployment, job openings, and temp help employment, dividend announcements, the roughly 22% short interest, and analyst rating changes.
Position sizing should reflect that RHI is a cyclical staffing and consulting company whose earnings and dividend are sensitive to the economic cycle and to Protiviti regulatory conditions.
Investment research summary
Clients pay Robert Half for access to pre-screened specialized talent and for consulting expertise. Contract Talent Solutions earns a spread on bill rates, Permanent Placement earns placement fees, and Protiviti sells consulting for compliance, finance, technology, and operations work. Volume, not price, drives the cycle.
Brand built over 78 years, the largest specialized staffing network, deep finance and accounting client relationships, and Protiviti provide a real but moderate moat. The moat can narrow if AI matching platforms, gig marketplaces, or internal recruiting replace intermediaries, though AI has also made candidate screening harder for clients, which supports the firm.
The thesis fails if hiring demand rolls over again, forcing further revenue decline and a dividend cut given the payout ratio above 100% of GAAP EPS. It also fails if the Protiviti financial services regulatory headwind proves structural rather than cyclical, or if AI-driven application volume makes high-quality placement permanently harder.
CEO M. Keith Waddell has run the company through multiple cycles and states that the staffing trough is behind it. Management acted early on costs, including about $45 million in annualized Protiviti savings, kept the dividend growing for 22 years, and continues to return cash through dividends and buybacks. Key-person risk centers on the long-tenured CEO and the senior team.
The staffing industry is tied to corporate hiring and the economic cycle. Hiring surveys are improving, with two-thirds of U.S. employers planning to add staff in the second half of 2026, and management sees a recovery forming. The long-term risk is AI-driven structural change in recruitment, while Protiviti benefits from technology consulting demand.
At $37.80 with a $3.87 billion market cap, RHI trades at about 33x trailing EPS, about 30x consensus FY2026 EPS, and above the $35.00 average analyst target. The margin of safety is thinner than it was in 2025 because the recovery is partly priced in. Free cash flow of $217.72 million covers the dividend, but GAAP earnings do not.
Source-backed data
Every metric below includes a source and last verification date.
| Metric | Value | Source | Last verified |
|---|---|---|---|
| RHI quote reference | $37.80 close on July 31, 2026; about $38.84 intraday on August 3, 2026 | Yahoo Finance RHI summary | July 31, 2026 |
| Market capitalization | $3.87 billion (Yahoo Finance) and $3.90 billion (S&P Global via StockAnalysis) on about 100.5 million shares | Yahoo Finance statistics / StockAnalysis | August 3, 2026 |
| Revenue (TTM, June 2026) | $5.29 billion, down about 4.95% year over year | StockAnalysis financials (Fiscal.ai data) | July 23, 2026 |
| Revenue by fiscal year | FY2025 $5.38B, FY2024 $5.80B, FY2023 $6.39B, FY2022 $7.24B, FY2021 $6.46B | StockAnalysis financials (Fiscal.ai data) | July 23, 2026 |
| Net income and EPS (TTM) | Net income $114.78 million, diluted EPS $1.15 | StockAnalysis statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Q2 2026 results | Revenue $1.336 billion (down 2% year over year), net income $26 million, EPS $0.26; Q3 guidance revenue $1.31B to $1.41B, EPS $0.43 to $0.53 | Robert Half Q2 2026 press release | July 23, 2026 |
| Free cash flow (TTM) | $217.72 million; operating cash flow $266.97 million, capital expenditures $49.26 million | StockAnalysis statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Cash and debt | Cash $278.39 million, total debt $251.98 million, net cash $26.41 million | StockAnalysis balance sheet | July 2026 |
| Trailing P/E | About 33x (Yahoo Finance 32.87, StockAnalysis 33.75) | Yahoo Finance statistics / StockAnalysis | August 3, 2026 |
| Forward earnings and P/E | Consensus FY2026 EPS $1.27 and FY2027 EPS $1.97 imply about 30x and about 19x at $37.80; forward P/E figures differ across sources (Yahoo 12.97, StockAnalysis 23.53) | StockAnalysis forecast | July 29, 2026 |
| Dividend | $2.36 per share annually, about 6.1% yield, 22 years of consecutive growth, payout ratio about 205% of GAAP EPS | StockAnalysis statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Analyst consensus | 11 analysts, Hold rating, average target $35.00, median $31.00, range $20.00 to $50.00 | StockAnalysis forecast (S&P Global data) | July 29, 2026 |
| Short interest | 22.47 million shares, about 22.35% of shares outstanding, short ratio 9.43 days | StockAnalysis statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Moving averages and RSI | 50-day moving average $33.47, 200-day moving average $28.49, RSI 56.56 | StockAnalysis statistics | August 3, 2026 |
| Beta (5Y) | 0.76 (StockAnalysis) / 0.81 (Yahoo Finance) | StockAnalysis statistics / Yahoo Finance | August 3, 2026 |
This page is an informational research tool only and is not investment advice, a recommendation, or a promise of future performance. Forecast scenarios are based on available public data as of August 4, 2026, and may be wrong if hiring demand, economic growth, interest rates, wage inflation, Protiviti regulatory conditions, or competitive dynamics change. RHI is a cyclical staffing and consulting company with elevated earnings and dividend risk during economic downturns.
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