QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.03 EPS

QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The technology company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.03, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $287.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.07 million. QuinStreet had a net margin of 0.96% and a return on equity of 6.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.20 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from QuinStreet’s conference call:

• QuinStreet beat its Q2 outlook, reporting revenue of $287.8 million, Adjusted EBITDA of $21 million, and adjusted net income of $14.0 million ($0.24/share).
• The company closed the acquisition of HomeBuddy ( $115M at closing: $45M cash + $70M revolver; $75M in post-closing payments over 4 years), expects it to be accretive and to generate >$30M of Adjusted EBITDA in the first 12 months, and gains social/native media scale plus auction-driven exclusive leads.
• Updated outlook (including HomeBuddy): Q3 revenue $330–340M and Adjusted EBITDA $26.5–30.5M; FY26 revenue $1.25–1.3B and Adjusted EBITDA $110–115M, while reiterating core (ex-HomeBuddy) revenue growth ≥10% and Adjusted EBITDA growth ≥20% and a goal of reaching a 10% quarterly Adjusted EBITDA margin this fiscal year.
• Management highlighted continued strength in auto insurance (auto revenue +6% sequentially) and double-digit growth in home services, and emphasized that AI adoption and the company’s proprietary data/integrations are expected to be a net competitive benefit.
• Balance sheet and one-offs: the quarter ended with $107M cash and no bank debt but included a $70M draw on a new $150M revolver to fund HomeBuddy, plus a one-time non‑cash $48M tax benefit from reversing a valuation allowance that is excluded from non‑GAAP metrics.

QuinStreet Price Performance

NASDAQ:QNST traded up $1.73 on Friday, reaching $12.79. 980,338 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 714,896. The firm has a market cap of $725.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 67.19 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $14.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $14.90. QuinStreet has a 52 week low of $10.70 and a 52 week high of $25.18.

Key Headlines Impacting QuinStreet

Here are the key news stories impacting QuinStreet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q2 / Q4 results beat consensus — QNST reported $0.24 EPS (above estimates) and revenue roughly $287.8M, surprising to the upside and showing modest year-over-year growth; beats are driving near-term upside. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 revenue guidance to ~$1.3B and issued Q3 revenue guidance around $330–$340M, signaling confidence in growth trajectory and integration benefits. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: HomeBuddy acquisition expands the home‑services footprint and is cited by management as a key driver toward the $1.3B revenue target — increases addressable market and cross‑sell opportunities. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Barrington Research reaffirmed an “Outperform” rating and set a $24 price target (material upside vs. current levels), which supports bullish sentiment but is not a rating upgrade. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors can review the full earnings call transcript and company press release for details on segment performance, margin drivers and M&A rationale. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Despite beats, profitability remains thin (reported net margin ~0.96%) and revenue growth is modest year-over-year; some coverage has highlighted reasons the stock fell previously, underscoring lingering execution/valuation concerns. Article Title

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. FJ Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in QuinStreet during the 3rd quarter valued at $135,000. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of QuinStreet in the second quarter valued at $170,000. Amundi bought a new stake in shares of QuinStreet during the 3rd quarter valued at $166,000. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of QuinStreet by 225.4% during the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 12,008 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $193,000 after purchasing an additional 8,318 shares during the period. Finally, Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of QuinStreet in the third quarter worth about $189,000. 97.83% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

QNST has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded QuinStreet from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of QuinStreet in a research report on Friday. Lake Street Capital set a $15.00 price target on shares of QuinStreet in a report on Friday. Finally, B. Riley raised their price objective on shares of QuinStreet from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $24.00.

QuinStreet Company Profile

QuinStreet, Inc operates a technology-based performance marketing platform that connects companies with prospective customers across multiple verticals. The company specializes in data-driven lead generation for financial services, education, insurance, healthcare, and home services firms. By leveraging proprietary targeting algorithms and real-time analytics, QuinStreet manages customized digital marketing campaigns to optimize customer acquisition and retention for its clients.

Through a portfolio of consumer-facing websites and comparison platforms, QuinStreet delivers targeted visitors who are actively researching products and services.