RHI Q1 Earnings Call: Management Cites Cautious Clients and Cost Actions Amid Revenue Miss

Specialized talent solutions company Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) missed Wall Street’s revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales falling 8.4% year on year to $1.35 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $0.17 per share was 52.6% below analysts’ consensus estimates.

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StockStory’s Take

Robert Half’s first quarter results reflected ongoing challenges across its core staffing and consulting businesses, as management pointed to persistent client and job seeker caution driven by economic and trade policy uncertainty. CEO Keith Waddell highlighted that elongated decision cycles and subdued hiring activity weighed on both Talent Solutions and Protiviti, stating, “Business confidence levels moderated during the quarter in response to heightened economic uncertainty over U.S. trade and other policy developments.” Cost actions were undertaken, with one-time charges impacting earnings, but Waddell emphasized these reductions targeted administrative roles to protect revenue-generating capacity.

Looking ahead, management signaled that demand remains closely tied to macroeconomic sentiment and business confidence, with any shift likely to drive rapid changes in hiring and project activity. Waddell noted, “As business confidence improves, hiring urgency returns, project demand accelerates, deferred backlogs and growth initiatives are reprioritized, and labor churn normalizes,” suggesting that Robert Half is positioned to respond quickly if the environment turns. However, the guidance for the next quarter remains conservative, as management expects continued caution from clients and a slow pace of project starts absent a notable improvement in the broader economic outlook.

Key Insights from Management’s Remarks

Management attributed the first quarter’s performance to a combination of subdued client demand, administrative cost reductions, and shifting project pipelines, with specific impacts across business segments and regions.

• Client caution and elongated cycles: Persistent economic and trade policy uncertainty led to slower decision-making by clients, elongating hiring cycles and delaying new project starts, particularly in the U.S.
• Administrative cost reduction: The company implemented targeted cost-cutting measures focused on corporate services and administrative roles, expected to yield $80 million in annual savings. These reductions were designed to avoid impacting revenue-producing teams.
• Protiviti revenue resilience: Despite the challenging macro environment, Protiviti achieved year-over-year revenue growth for the third consecutive quarter, though margins contracted due to slower project conversions and a greater impact on full-time employees versus contract staff.
• Bill rate improvement and skill mix: Contract Talent Solutions saw a year-over-year increase in average bill rates, aided by a shift toward higher-skilled placements in technology roles. This was partially offset by lower overall volumes.
• Competition and industry trends: Management reported a stable competitive landscape, with pricing rationalizing among major consulting competitors and local staffing markets showing little change. Technology platforms and job boards remain “frenemies,” but have not significantly altered the company’s client acquisition dynamics.

Drivers of Future Performance

Management’s outlook remains guarded, with macroeconomic uncertainty and client caution expected to continue as dominant themes, while cost savings and technology investments are positioned to support profitability as conditions evolve.

• Cost savings impact: Newly implemented administrative cost reductions are expected to deliver $80 million in annual savings, with the majority of financial benefit realized beginning in the second quarter, supporting margin stabilization.
• Pipeline and project conversion: The strength of Protiviti’s project pipeline and the return of deferred hiring and consulting demand are seen as critical to any rebound, though management noted conversion times remain extended under current conditions.
• Technology-driven productivity: Increased use of artificial intelligence and digital tools is enabling recruiters to better target clients and improve conversion rates, potentially allowing for a faster ramp-up in activity if demand returns.

Top Analyst Questions

• Mark Marcon (Baird): Asked about the mix of discretionary versus non-discretionary work in Protiviti and margin sensitivity; management detailed that regulatory and audit services are less discretionary, while technology and process improvement projects have more variability.
• Andrew Steinerman (JPMorgan): Probed whether administrative cost cuts would affect sales capacity; CEO Keith Waddell clarified reductions were focused on corporate and field management, not revenue-producing roles.
• Manav Patnaik (Barclays): Questioned the timing of cost actions and client behavior; management cited a renewed wave of client caution and prolonged uncertainty, prompting the decision to act on costs now.
• George Tong (Goldman Sachs): Asked about sequential revenue trends and the extent to which AI-driven job displacement is impacting business; management attributed declines to cyclical factors rather than technological disruption.
• Trevor Romeo (William Blair): Sought clarity on skill mix trends and demand for high-skilled versus operational roles; Waddell noted continued movement up the skill curve, especially in technology, with higher bill rates reflecting this shift.

Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters

In the coming quarters, the StockStory team will be watching (1) the pace at which client decision cycles and hiring activity normalize in response to changes in economic confidence, (2) whether the recently announced cost reduction measures translate into improved operating margins, and (3) the conversion rate of Protiviti’s pipeline into realized project revenue. We will also pay attention to technology adoption rates within Robert Half’s recruiting operations and any shifts in competitive dynamics that could influence market share.

Robert Half currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 16.7×. In the wake of earnings, is it a buy or sell? See for yourself in our free research report.

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