Robert Half Inc : Truist Securities Cuts Target Price To $35 From $50

Earnings results often indicate what direction a company will take in the months ahead. With Q3 behind us, let’s have a look at Insperity and its peers.

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 7 professional staffing & hr solutions stocks we track reported a mixed Q3. As a group, revenues along with next quarter’s revenue guidance were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 7.5% since the latest earnings results.

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. This print was in line with analysts’ expectations, but overall, it was a disappointing quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

“We are actively working to position Insperity for sustainable profitability at normal historical levels as we execute on our plan in response to unexpected, elevated healthcare cost trend. We are simultaneously taking assertive actions, including through the new contract with UnitedHealthcare, and will continue to focus on attracting and retaining the right clients at the right price and prudently managing expenses,” said Paul J. Sarvadi, Insperity chairman and chief executive officer.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 21.7% since reporting and currently trades at $35.32.

Read our full report on Insperity here, it’s free for active Edge members.

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 22.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $30.06.

Is now the time to buy Kforce? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Alight

Born from a corporate spinoff in 2017 to focus on employee experience technology, Alight provides human capital management solutions that help companies administer employee benefits, payroll, and workforce management systems.

Alight reported revenues of $533 million, down 4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and EPS in line with analysts’ estimates.

Alight delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and weakest full-year guidance update in the group. As expected, the stock is down 13.9% since the results and currently trades at $2.36.

Read our full analysis of Alight’s results here.

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 number met analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as it also produced 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 7.4% since reporting and currently trades at $27.45.

Read our full, actionable report on Robert Half here, it’s free for active Edge members.

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. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

First Advantage scored the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 8% since reporting and currently trades at $13.97.

Read our full, actionable report on First Advantage here, it’s free for active Edge members.

What Happened?

A number of stocks jumped in the afternoon session after comments from a key Federal Reserve official hinted at a potential interest rate cut in December. 

John Williams, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, signaled he was open to lowering the fed funds rate—the key interest rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans—to support the job market. Speaking at an event, Williams stated that he sees “room for a further adjustment” for interest rates, which immediately shifted market expectations. Following his remarks, the perceived likelihood of an interest rate cut at the Federal Reserve's December meeting flipped from unlikely to more likely than not. The prospect of lower borrowing costs sent a wave of optimism through the markets, leading to a rally in major indices like the S&P 500, Dow Jones Industrial Average, and the Nasdaq Composite.

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:

• Professional Staffing & HR Solutions company Robert Half jumped 6.4%. Is now the time to buy Robert Half? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Digital Media & Content Platforms company Rumble jumped 6.8%. Is now the time to buy Rumble? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Hardware & Infrastructure company Xerox jumped 10.9%. Is now the time to buy Xerox? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Advertising & Marketing Services company Magnite jumped 8.2%. Is now the time to buy Magnite? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.
• Specialized Technology company OSI Systems jumped 8.4%. Is now the time to buy OSI Systems? Access our full analysis report here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Zooming In On Xerox (XRX)

Xerox’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 42 moves greater than 5% over the last year. But moves this big are rare even for Xerox and indicate this news significantly impacted the market’s perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 1 day ago when the stock dropped 3.9% on the news that markets faded the Nvidia rally in the morning session, as investors remained uncertain about future rate cuts. 

While the trading day began with significant enthusiasm, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average up more than 700 points and the Nasdaq Composite up 2.6%, momentum quickly evaporated as the session wore on. The primary catalyst for this sharp reversal was a stronger-than-expected jobs report, which reduced the implied odds of a December interest rate cut to less than 40%.This macroeconomic anxiety overshadowed stellar corporate performance. Nvidia initially surged 5% on blockbuster earnings and CEO Jensen Huang's bullish outlook on "off the charts" demand for Blackwell chips. However, the stock eventually turned negative, acting as a heavy weight that dragged the broader indices into the red. The sell-off partly reflects a deepening caution regarding high-flying tech valuations in a "higher-for-longer" rate environment. 

Consequently, investors appeared to rotate capital away from volatile growth sectors and toward defensive staples, evidenced by Walmart's 6% gain following its own earnings beat. Ultimately, the market could not sustain the morning's euphoria, as traders prioritized rate realities over AI potential.

Xerox is down 68.4% since the beginning of the year, and at $2.61 per share, it is trading 73.5% below its 52-week high of $9.84 from January 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Xerox’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $115.54.