Robert Half-Technology Investments Aid RHI's Services Amid High Competition

Price Performance - Robert Half Inc (RHI) shares gained 22.4% in the past three months, outperforming the industry growth of 2.2% and the Zacks S&P 500 composite growth of 9.5% [1] - RHI reported Q3 2024 earnings of 64 cents per share, beating the consensus mark by 1.6% but declining 28.9% year over year [3] - Q3 2024 revenues of $1.47 billion surpassed the consensus mark by 1.7% but decreased 6.3% year over year [3] Technology Investments - The company has been investing more capital in software initiatives and technology infrastructure, including upgrades to enterprise resource planning applications and implementing a global, cloud-based customer relationship management application [4] - RHI's long-term growth is anticipated to be driven by investments in technology to enhance network scope and scale at a global level [5] Subsidiary Performance - RHI's wholly owned subsidiary, Protiviti, has attained Microsoft Azure's Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) specialization, showing expertise in AI and ML within the Azure domain [6] - Protiviti enables AI adoption and the implementation of Azure-based solutions, positioning itself strongly in the market with a focus on technology consulting, cloud computing, and digital transformation [7] Shareholder Value - The company returned dividends of$ 205.91 million, $189.29 million, and$ 170.61 million in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively [8] - RHI repurchased shares worth $254.63 million,$ 319.9 million, and $287.74 million in 2023, 2022, and 2021, respectively [8] Competitive Landscape - The company operates in a highly competitive market, facing fierce competition in terms of price and reliability of service on a national, regional, and local basis [9] - Local companies are its strongest competitors in several areas [9]