QuinStreet (NASDAQ:QNST) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ:QNST)’s share price gapped up before the market opened on Friday after the company announced better than expected quarterly earnings. 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 changing hands.

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

QuinStreet News Roundup

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On QuinStreet

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in QNST. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in QuinStreet during the third quarter worth $105,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of QuinStreet by 10.2% in 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 period. FJ Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of QuinStreet during the 3rd quarter worth about $135,000. Cerity Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of QuinStreet in the 2nd quarter valued at about $170,000. Finally, Amundi bought a new stake in shares of QuinStreet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $166,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.83% of the company’s stock.

QuinStreet Trading Up 10.7%

The firm has a market capitalization of $694.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.23 and a beta of 0.70. The company’s 50 day moving average is $14.28 and its 200-day moving average is $14.87.

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.