As the Q4 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the business process outsourcing & consulting industry, including CRA (NASDAQ:CRAI) and its peers.
The sector stands to benefit from ongoing digital transformation, increasing corporate demand for cost efficiencies, and the growing complexity of regulatory and cybersecurity landscapes. For those that invest wisely, AI and automation capabilities could emerge as competitive advantages, enhancing process efficiencies for the companies themselves as well as their clients. On the flip side, AI could be a headwind as well as the technology could lower the barrier to entry in the space and give rise to more self-service solutions. Additional challenges in the years ahead could include wage inflation for highly skilled consultants and potential regulatory scrutiny on outsourcing practices—especially in industries like finance and healthcare where who has access to certain data matters greatly.
The 8 business process outsourcing & consulting stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. 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 10.3% since the latest earnings results.
Best Q4: CRA (NASDAQ:CRAI)
Often retained for high-stakes matters with multibillion-dollar implications, CRA International (NASDAQ:CRAI) provides economic, financial, and management consulting services to corporations, law firms, and government agencies for litigation, regulatory proceedings, and business strategy.
CRA reported revenues of $176.4 million, up 9.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 5.8%. Overall, it was a stunning quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year revenue guidance beating analysts’ expectations.
CRA scored the biggest analyst estimates beat and highest full-year guidance raise of the whole group. Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 14.9% since reporting and currently trades at $160.48.
Is now the time to buy CRA? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Huron (NASDAQ:HURN)
Founded in 2002 during a time of significant regulatory change in corporate America, Huron Consulting Group (NASDAQ:HURN) is a professional services company that helps organizations develop growth strategies, optimize operations, and implement digital transformation solutions.
Huron reported revenues of $399.3 million, up 14.1% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. The business had a very strong quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.
The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 8.5% since reporting. It currently trades at $136.04.
Is now the time to buy Huron? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN)
With a team of experts deployed across 30+ countries to tackle complex business challenges, FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN) is a global business advisory firm that helps organizations manage change, mitigate risk, and resolve disputes across financial, legal, operational, and regulatory matters.
FTI Consulting reported revenues of $894.9 million, down 3.2% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations.
FTI Consulting delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 20.5% since the results and currently trades at $151.24.
Read our full analysis of FTI Consulting’s results here.
Concentrix (NASDAQ:CNXC)
With a team of approximately 450,000 employees across 75 countries, Concentrix (NASDAQ:CNXC) designs and delivers customer experience solutions that help global brands manage their customer interactions across digital channels and contact centers.
Concentrix reported revenues of $2.37 billion, down 1.3% year on year. This print met analysts’ expectations. It was a satisfactory quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $45.67.
Read our full, actionable report on Concentrix here, it’s free.
TaskUs (NASDAQ:TASK)
Starting as a virtual assistant service in 2008 before evolving into a global digital services provider, TaskUs (NASDAQ:TASK) provides outsourced digital services including customer experience management, content moderation, and AI data services to innovative technology companies.
TaskUs reported revenues of $274.2 million, up 17.1% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 2%. More broadly, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 13.7% since reporting and currently trades at $13.49.
Read our full, actionable report on TaskUs here, it’s free.
Market Update
In response to the Fed’s rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has been gradually trending down from its post-pandemic peak, trending closer to the Fed’s 2% target. Despite higher borrowing costs, the economy has avoided flashing recessionary signals. This is the much-desired soft landing that many investors hoped for. The recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November 2024) have bolstered the stock market, making 2024 a strong year for equities. Donald Trump’s presidential win in November sparked additional market gains, sending indices to record highs in the days following his victory. However, debates continue over possible tariffs and corporate tax adjustments, raising questions about economic stability in 2025.
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