QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) Shares Gap Up After Better-Than-Expected Earnings

Shares of QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:QNST) gapped up before the market opened on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $11.06, but opened at $13.98. QuinStreet shares last traded at $12.36, with a volume of 317,275 shares.

The technology company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $287.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.07 million. QuinStreet had a return on equity of 10.07% and a net margin of 5.64%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 1.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.20 EPS.

QuinStreet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting QuinStreet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly beat — QNST reported EPS of $0.24 vs. consensus ~$0.21 and revenue of $287.9M vs. ~$275.1M, showing top- and bottom-line outperformance that directly supports the rally. QuinStreet Inc (QNST) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue guidance raised — management updated FY‑2026 revenue guidance to ~$1.3B (above street prior ~$1.2B) and Q3 revenue guidance of $330M–$340M, signaling meaningful top‑line growth expectations tied to recent M&A. This guidance lift is a primary catalyst for investor optimism. QuinStreet targets $1.3B revenue
• Positive Sentiment: HomeBuddy acquisition synergy — management emphasized HomeBuddy will expand the home‑services vertical and contribute materially to the $1.3B revenue target, improving growth visibility in higher‑value lead verticals. HomeBuddy expands home services
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — William Blair reiterated a Buy and Barrington reaffirmed an Outperform with a $24 PT, highlighting operational outperformance, acquisition synergies and what analysts call attractive valuation vs. upside potential. Analyst notes are reinforcing the move. TipRanks: Buy rating Barrington Research note
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call nuance — the earnings call/transcript adds color on execution and margins; investors should read management commentary for details on integration costs and timing for HomeBuddy contributions. Earnings call transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Modest organic growth and margins — revenue climbed ~1.9% YoY and net margin/ROE remain modest; the story is more acquisition/growth-driven than an improvement in legacy margin profile. Investors should watch margin trajectory as HomeBuddy is integrated. Zacks: Beats Q2 estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Pre‑earnings weakness and residual concerns — some headlines earlier in the week flagged potential headwinds and preview risk, which contributed to volatility ahead of the print; any execution or margin misses on integration could reverse gains. Why shares were falling

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently commented on QNST shares. B. Riley Financial increased their target price on shares of QuinStreet from $25.00 to $26.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings lowered QuinStreet from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of QuinStreet in a research report on Friday. Finally, Lake Street Capital set a $15.00 target price on QuinStreet in a research report on Friday. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $24.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On QuinStreet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in QNST. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in QuinStreet by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 7,896 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $113,000 after acquiring an additional 730 shares during the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its holdings in shares of QuinStreet by 8.2% in the second quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 14,622 shares of the technology company’s stock valued at $235,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Entropy Technologies LP raised its stake in shares of QuinStreet by 10.0% during the third quarter. Entropy Technologies LP now owns 14,063 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 1,284 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its stake in shares of QuinStreet by 4.5% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 31,983 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $571,000 after purchasing an additional 1,381 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legal & General Group Plc lifted its holdings in shares of QuinStreet by 1.1% during the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 157,011 shares of the technology company’s stock worth $2,528,000 after purchasing an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.83% of the company’s stock.

QuinStreet Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of $694.62 million, a PE ratio of 11.23 and a beta of 0.70. The business’s 50-day moving average is $14.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $14.88.

QuinStreet Company Profile

QuinStreet, Inc operates a technology-based performance marketing platform that connects companies with prospective customers across multiple verticals. The company specializes in data-driven lead generation for financial services, education, insurance, healthcare, and home services firms. By leveraging proprietary targeting algorithms and real-time analytics, QuinStreet manages customized digital marketing campaigns to optimize customer acquisition and retention for its clients.

Through a portfolio of consumer-facing websites and comparison platforms, QuinStreet delivers targeted visitors who are actively researching products and services.