Winners And Losers Of Q4: Barrett (NASDAQ:BBSI) Vs The Rest Of The Professional Staffing & HR Solutions Stocks

The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Barrett (NASDAQ:BBSI) and the rest of the professional staffing & hr solutions stocks fared in Q4.

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 Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.4% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 12.4% since the latest earnings results.

Barrett (NASDAQ:BBSI)

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

Barrett reported revenues of $321.1 million, up 5.3% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and EPS in line with analysts’ estimates.

“BBSI closed 2025 with another quarter of solid execution, finishing in line with our earnings expectations and delivering one of our strongest years of controllable growth in recent history,” said Gary Kramer, President and CEO of BBSI.

Barrett delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 11.2% since reporting and currently trades at $27.94.

Is now the time to buy Barrett? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: First Advantage (NASDAQ:FA)

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

First Advantage reported revenues of $420 million, up 36.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.3%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.

First Advantage delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 31.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $12.54.

Is now the time to buy First Advantage? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Insperity (NYSE:NSP)

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

Insperity reported revenues of $1.67 billion, up 3.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. 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.

As expected, the stock is down 36.5% since the results and currently trades at $21.37.

Read our full analysis of Insperity’s results here.

ManpowerGroup (NYSE:MAN)

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

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $4.71 billion, up 7.1% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. More broadly, it was a slower quarter as it produced a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

The stock is down 3.2% since reporting and currently trades at $28.05.

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

Kforce (NYSE:KFRC)

With nearly 60 years of matching skilled professionals with the right opportunities, Kforce (NYSE:KFRC) 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 million, down 3.4% year on year. This number beat analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The stock is down 25.9% since reporting and currently trades at $27.18.

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

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