Kelly Reports First-Quarter 2025 Earnings

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Kelly Services, Inc.
Kelly Services, Inc.

TROY, Mich., May 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kelly (Nasdaq: KELYA, KELYB), a leading specialty talent solutions provider, today announced results for the first quarter of 2025.

  • Q1 revenue of $1.16 billion, up 11.5% year-over-year reflecting previously disclosed acquisitions, and up 0.2% on an organic basis

  • Q1 operating earnings of $10.8 million; $22.1 million on an adjusted basis, down 4.3% versus the prior year period

  • Q1 adjusted EBITDA of $34.9 million, up 4.8% versus the prior year; adjusted EBITDA margin decreased 20 basis points (bps) to 3.0%

  • Company expects year-over-year revenue growth of 6.0% to 7.0% in Q2. Also expects Q2 year-over-year adjusted EBITDA margin decline of 20 to 30 bps, with anticipated margin expansion in Q3 and Q4, and for the full year.

“In the first quarter, Kelly delivered organic revenue growth that was in-line with our expectations, and once again outperformed the market. Our performance was driven primarily by continued strength in Education, as well as growing demand for our higher-margin outcome-based solutions within the semiconductor and renewables sectors,” said Peter Quigley, president and chief executive officer. “Through our ongoing focus on efficiency and effectiveness, we are well prepared to navigate this rapidly evolving macroeconomic environment while driving further progress on our specialty growth journey. By staying close with our customers and executing our strategic priorities, Kelly will be well positioned to capitalize when demand rebounds.”

Financial Results for the thirteen-week period ended March 30, 2025:

  • Revenue of $1.16 billion, an 11.5% increase compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024 resulting primarily from the May 2024 acquisition of Motion Recruitment Partners, LLC (“MRP”). Excluding the impact of the MRP acquisition, revenue was up 0.2% on an organic basis, includes approximately 0.8% of revenue decline due to reduced demand for U.S. federal government contractors and growth of 6.3% in the Education segment.

  • Operating earnings of $10.8 million, compared to earnings of $26.8 million reported in the first quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings1 were $22.1 million in the first quarter of 2025 and $23.1 million in the first quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA1 of $34.9 million, an increase of 4.9% versus the prior year period. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 3.0%, a decrease of 20 basis points driven primarily by near-term margin pressure in SET reflecting timing of revenue trends and related expense actions.

  • Earnings per share was $0.16 compared to earnings per share of $0.70 in the first quarter of 2024. On an adjusted basis1, earnings per share were $0.39 in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $0.56 per share in the corresponding quarter of 2024. The year-over-year decline includes $0.15 of increased net interest expense due to an elevated cash balance in the prior year quarter and debt incurred in Q2 2024 in conjunction with the MRP acquisition.