Kforce (KFRC) Reports Q4: Everything You Need To Know Ahead Of Earnings

What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after President Trump cooled fears of a transatlantic trade war by calling off scheduled tariffs on European allies. 

The rally followed a productive meeting in Davos with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, where a "framework of a future deal" regarding Greenland and the Arctic region was established. By explicitly ruling out the use of military force and suspending the 10% tariffs previously set for February 1st, the administration provided the "sigh of relief" the market desperately needed after Tuesday's sharp sell-off.Technology and semiconductor leaders like Nvidia and AMD spearheaded the recovery as investors quickly pivoted back into growth stocks. The "Sell America" trade from the prior session reversed sharply, with the Nasdaq Composite jumping 1.5% and the S&P 500 erasing its 2026 losses. This rebound was further supported by a stabilization in the bond market; as tariff-related inflation fears subsided, the 10-year Treasury yield retreated from its recent highs, creating a more favorable backdrop for equity valuations across the board.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks.

Among others, the following stocks were impacted:

• Specialized Technology company Crane NXT jumped 2.6%. Is now the time to buy Crane NXT? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• IT Services & Consulting company DXC jumped 2.6%. Is now the time to buy DXC? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• IT Services & Consulting company Gartner jumped 4.6%. Is now the time to buy Gartner? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Professional Staffing & HR Solutions company Kforce jumped 3.8%. Is now the time to buy Kforce? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.
• Hardware & Infrastructure company NetApp jumped 3.7%. Is now the time to buy NetApp? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free.

Zooming In On Gartner (IT)

Gartner’s shares are somewhat volatile and have had 11 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The biggest move we wrote about over the last year was 6 months ago when the stock dropped 27.3% on the news that the company lowered its full-year revenue forecast, which overshadowed a better-than-expected second-quarter earnings report. The company trimmed its full-year revenue projection to at least $6.45 billion, down from a previous forecast of around $6.54 billion. This revised outlook fell short of analyst expectations. While Gartner's second-quarter revenue of $1.69 billion and adjusted earnings per share of $3.53 both beat estimates, investors focused on the disappointing guidance for the remainder of the year. The firm also guided its full-year adjusted profit to $11.75 per share, which was below the market's consensus estimate.

Gartner is down 2.6% since the beginning of the year, and at $230.91 per share, it is trading 57.9% below its 52-week high of $548.38 from January 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Gartner’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $1,431.

Let’s dig into the relative performance of Kforce and its peers as we unravel the now-completed Q3 professional staffing & hr solutions earnings season.

The Professional Staffing & HR Solutions subsector within Business Services is set to benefit from evolving workforce trends, including the rise of remote work and the gig economy. With companies casting a wider net to find talent due to remote work, the expertise of staffing and recruiting companies is even more valuable. For those who invest wisely, the use of predictive AI in recruitment and screening as well as automation in HR workflows can enhance efficiency and scalability. On the other hand, digitization means that talent discovery is less of a manual process, opening the door for tech-first platforms. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny around data privacy in HR is evolving and may require companies in this sector to change their go-to-market strategies over time.

The 8 professional staffing & hr solutions stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.1% below.

While some professional staffing & hr solutions stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 4% since the latest earnings results.

Best Q3: Kforce

With nearly 60 years of matching skilled professionals with the right opportunities, Kforce is a professional staffing company that specializes in placing technology and finance experts with businesses on both temporary and permanent bases.

Kforce reported revenues of $332.6 million, down 5.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Joseph J. Liberatore, President and Chief Executive Officer, said, "We are pleased with our performance in the third quarter where we exceeded both top and bottom line expectations led by better-than-expected results in both our Technology and FA businesses. We are particularly encouraged that, following the early third quarter lows, consultants on assignment in our Technology segment improved throughout the third quarter. Our team has also done a nice job stabilizing and now meaningfully growing our FA business sequentially. The momentum has largely been carried into the fourth quarter, which puts us in a position to expect to deliver sequential billing day growth in both our Technology and FA businesses in the fourth quarter. "

Interestingly, the stock is up 36.5% since reporting and currently trades at $33.51.

First Advantage

Processing approximately 100 million background checks annually across more than 200 countries and territories, First Advantage provides employment background screening, identity verification, and compliance solutions to help companies manage hiring risks.

First Advantage reported revenues of $409.2 million, up 105% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. The business had a strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

First Advantage scored the fastest revenue growth and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 9.6% since reporting. It currently trades at $14.17.

Weakest Q3: Insperity

Pioneering the professional employer organization (PEO) industry it helped establish, Insperity provides human resources outsourcing services to small and medium-sized businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration.

Insperity reported revenues of $1.62 billion, up 4% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

The stock is flat since the results and currently trades at $45.36.

Read our full analysis of Insperity’s results here.

ManpowerGroup

Founded during the post-World War II economic boom when businesses needed temporary workers, ManpowerGroup connects millions of people to employment opportunities through its global network of staffing, recruitment, and workforce management services.

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $4.63 billion, up 2.3% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. Taking a step back, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is down 23% since reporting and currently trades at $29.28.

Read our full, actionable report on ManpowerGroup here, it’s free.

Robert Half

With roots dating back to 1948 as the first specialized recruiting firm for accounting and finance professionals, Robert Half provides specialized talent solutions and business consulting services, connecting skilled professionals with companies across various fields.

Robert Half reported revenues of $1.35 billion, down 7.5% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged EPS in line with analysts’ estimates but revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

Robert Half had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 8% since reporting and currently trades at $27.26.

Read our full, actionable report on Robert Half here, it’s free.

The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who not so much). Let’s take a look at how professional staffing & hr solutions stocks fared in Q3, starting with ManpowerGroup .

The Professional Staffing & HR Solutions subsector within Business Services is set to benefit from evolving workforce trends, including the rise of remote work and the gig economy. With companies casting a wider net to find talent due to remote work, the expertise of staffing and recruiting companies is even more valuable. For those who invest wisely, the use of predictive AI in recruitment and screening as well as automation in HR workflows can enhance efficiency and scalability. On the other hand, digitization means that talent discovery is less of a manual process, opening the door for tech-first platforms. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny around data privacy in HR is evolving and may require companies in this sector to change their go-to-market strategies over time.

The 8 professional staffing & HR solutions stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 0.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.1% below.

While some professional staffing & hr solutions stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 4% since the latest earnings results.

ManpowerGroup

Founded during the post-World War II economic boom when businesses needed temporary workers, ManpowerGroup connects millions of people to employment opportunities through its global network of staffing, recruitment, and workforce management services.

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $4.63 billion, up 2.3% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. Overall, it was a satisfactory quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates but a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO, said "After 11 consecutive quarters of organic constant currency revenue declines, we crossed back over to growth during the third quarter. The stabilization of demand in recent quarters in North America and Europe, despite ongoing tariff uncertainty, has been a key factor in the revenue trend improvement. Currently our entire organization has a relentless focus on two main outcomes - Winning In The Market to increase our market share and the acceleration of initiatives to remove structural costs from the organization to drive a more efficient ManpowerGroup for the future. We are pleased with our progress in both and confident in our ability to deliver long-term value to all of our stakeholders.

The stock is down 23% since reporting and currently trades at $29.28.

Best Q3: Kforce

With nearly 60 years of matching skilled professionals with the right opportunities, Kforce is a professional staffing company that specializes in placing technology and finance experts with businesses on both temporary and permanent bases.

Kforce reported revenues of $332.6 million, down 5.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. The business had an exceptional quarter with revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 36.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $33.51.

Weakest Q3: Insperity

Pioneering the professional employer organization (PEO) industry it helped establish, Insperity provides human resources outsourcing services to small and medium-sized businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration.

Insperity reported revenues of $1.62 billion, up 4% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates.

The stock is flat since the results and currently trades at $45.36.

Read our full analysis of Insperity’s results here.

Barrett

Operating as a professional employer organization (PEO) that serves over 8,000 companies with more than 120,000 worksite employees, Barrett Business Services provides management solutions that help small and mid-sized businesses handle human resources, payroll, workers' compensation, and other administrative functions.

Barrett reported revenues of $318.9 million, up 8.4% year on year. This print met analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 7.1% since reporting and currently trades at $37.84.

Read our full, actionable report on Barrett here, it’s free.

Korn Ferry

With clients including 97% of the S&P 100 and operations in 103 offices across 51 countries, Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm that helps organizations design optimal structures, recruit talent, develop leaders, and create effective compensation strategies.

Korn Ferry reported revenues of $729.8 million, up 7% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. Zooming out, it was a slower quarter as it produced revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations and a slight miss of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates.

Korn Ferry achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The stock is up 2.3% since reporting and currently trades at $66.47.

Read our full, actionable report on Korn Ferry here, it’s free.