Specialized talent solutions company Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) met Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q3 2026, but sales were flat year on year at $1.36 billion. Its GAAP profit of $0.49 per share was 4.2% above analysts’ consensus estimates.
Is now the time to buy Robert Half? Find out by accessing our full research report, it’s free.
Robert Half (RHI) Q3 2026 highlights:
- Revenue: $1.36 billion vs analyst estimates of $1.36 billion (flat year on year, in line)
- EPS (GAAP): $0.49 vs analyst estimates of $0.47 (4.2% beat)
- Operating Margin: 5.5%, up from 1% in the same quarter last year
- Free Cash Flow was -$31.21 million, down from $63.57 million in the same quarter last year
- Market Capitalization: $3.48 billion
Company overview
With roots dating back to 1948 as the first specialized recruiting firm for accounting and finance professionals, Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) provides specialized talent solutions and business consulting services, connecting skilled professionals with companies across various fields.
Revenue growth
A company’s long-term performance is an indicator of its overall quality. Any business can put up a good quarter or two, but the best consistently grow over the long haul.
With $5.30 billion in revenue over the past 12 months, Robert Half is one of the larger companies in the business services industry and benefits from a well-known brand that influences purchasing decisions. However, its scale is a double-edged sword because it’s harder to find incremental growth when you’ve penetrated most of the market. For Robert Half to boost its sales, it likely needs to adjust its prices, launch new offerings, or lean into foreign markets.
As you can see below, Robert Half struggled to generate demand over the last five years. Its sales dropped by 2.4% annually, a tough starting point for our analysis.
Long-term growth is the most important, but within business services, a half-decade historical view may miss new innovations or demand cycles. Robert Half’s recent performance shows its demand remained suppressed as its revenue has declined by 5.1% annually over the last two years. 
This quarter, Robert Half’s $1.36 billion of revenue was flat year on year and in line with Wall Street’s estimates.
Looking ahead, sell-side analysts expect revenue to grow 2.9% over the next 12 months. While this projection implies its newer products and services will fuel better top-line performance, it is still below average for the sector.
ALSO WORTH WATCHING: Nvidia’s Quiet Partner. Nvidia’s chips cost a hundred grand. The connectors that make them work cost even more. One company makes them all.
Every AI server needs specialized infrastructure the chip companies don’t make. High-speed cables. Power connectors. Thermal sensors. This 90-year-old company built a monopoly on it. The AI boom just started. This stock is still flying under the radar. Claim The Stock Ticker Here for FREE.
Adjusted operating margin
Robert Half was profitable over the last five years but held back by its large cost base. Its average adjusted operating margin of 7.7% was weak for a business services business.
Looking at the trend in its profitability, Robert Half’s adjusted operating margin decreased by 9.4 percentage points over the last five years. Robert Half’s performance was poor no matter how you look at it - it shows that costs were rising and it couldn’t pass them onto its customers.
In Q3, Robert Half generated an adjusted operating margin profit margin of 5.5%, in line with the same quarter last year. This indicates the company’s overall cost structure has been relatively stable.
Earnings per share
We track the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) for the same reason as long-term revenue growth. Compared to revenue, however, EPS highlights whether a company’s growth is profitable.
Sadly for Robert Half, its EPS declined by 23.7% annually over the last five years, more than its revenue. This tells us the company struggled because its fixed cost base made it difficult to adjust to shrinking demand.
We can take a deeper look into Robert Half’s earnings to better understand the drivers of its performance. As we mentioned earlier, Robert Half’s adjusted operating margin was flat this quarter but declined by 9.4 percentage points over the last five years. This was the most relevant factor (aside from the revenue impact) behind its lower earnings; interest expenses and taxes can also affect EPS but don’t tell us as much about a company’s fundamentals.
Like with revenue, we analyze EPS over a shorter period to see if we are missing a change in the business.
For Robert Half, its two-year annual EPS declines of 33.6% show it’s continued to underperform. These results were bad no matter how you slice the data.
In Q3, Robert Half reported EPS of $0.49, up from $0.43 in the same quarter last year. This print beat analysts’ estimates by 4.2%. Over the next 12 months, Wall Street expects Robert Half’s full-year EPS to grow 46% from $1.21 to $1.77.
Key takeaways from Robert Half’s Q3 results
It was good to see Robert Half beat analysts’ EPS expectations this quarter. Overall, this print had some key positives. The stock remained flat at $37.71 immediately after reporting.
So should you invest in Robert Half right now? When making that decision, it’s important to consider its valuation, business qualities, as well as what has happened in the latest quarter. We cover that in our actionable full research report which you can read here (it’s free).
