Barrington Research Cuts Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA) Price Target to $15.00

Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA) had its price target lowered by Barrington Research from $16.00 to $15.00 in a research note published on Friday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an outperform rating on the business services provider’s stock.

KELYA has been the topic of a number of other reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kelly Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 15th. Zacks Research raised Kelly Services from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Kelly Services in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $15.00.

Kelly Services Price Performance

KELYA opened at $9.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $345.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.35, a PEG ratio of 0.43 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.10. Kelly Services has a 12-month low of $7.98 and a 12-month high of $14.94. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.55 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.19.

Kelly Services (NASDAQ:KELYA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The business services provider reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.45 by ($0.29). Kelly Services had a positive return on equity of 4.05% and a negative net margin of 5.98%.The business had revenue of $1.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.03 billion. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kelly Services will post 2.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kelly Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 11th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Kelly Services’s payout ratio is -4.13%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kelly Services

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KELYA. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in Kelly Services by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,949 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $140,000 after purchasing an additional 905 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kelly Services by 8.8% in the 4th quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,543 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $110,000 after acquiring an additional 1,017 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its stake in Kelly Services by 52.0% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,006 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $39,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in Kelly Services by 173.2% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,970 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 1,249 shares during the period. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in Kelly Services by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 10,706 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $94,000 after purchasing an additional 1,369 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.34% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kelly Services

Here are the key news stories impacting Kelly Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.075 per share (record Feb 25; payable Mar 11), implying a ~3.1% yield — provides income support and can reduce downside for yield-seeking investors.
• Positive Sentiment: Barrington Research maintained an “outperform” rating and set a $15 price target (lowered from $16), signaling analyst conviction and ~50%+ upside from current levels — a potential positive catalyst if investors follow the buy recommendation. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Press release and formal Q4 results are available; revenue of $1.05B slightly exceeded consensus ($1.03B), showing top-line resilience even as profitability weakened. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Full Q4 earnings call transcript is available for additional color on margins, staffing demand and cost actions — useful for investors wanting management’s detail on outlook and margin drivers. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: Reports show a strange/insignificant short-interest data point (zeros/NaNs); nothing actionable from short-interest filings at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS of $0.16 missed consensus of $0.45 and fell sharply from prior-year EPS — the earnings miss is the primary near-term negative catalyst, highlighting pressure on margins and earnings quality. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Management updated 1Q FY2026 guidance below street expectations (revenue guidance came in under consensus), which increases downside risk until management demonstrates margin recovery or clearer topline momentum.

About Kelly Services

Kelly Services, Inc is a global workforce solutions provider specializing in talent acquisition and staffing services across a wide range of industries. The company offers temporary staffing, permanent placement, outsourcing solutions, and consulting services to help organizations address their workforce needs. Its service offerings are designed to support clients in areas such as administrative support, information technology, engineering, science, education, healthcare, and industrial sectors.

Founded in 1946 by William Russell Kelly, Kelly Services has grown from a small local staffing firm into an international organization.