Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) and the best and worst performers in the professional staffing & hr solutions industry.

The Professional Staffing & HR Solutions subsector within Business Services is set to benefit from evolving workforce trends, including the rise of remote work and the gig economy. With companies casting a wider net to find talent due to remote work, the expertise of staffing and recruiting companies is even more valuable. For those who invest wisely, the use of predictive AI in recruitment and screening as well as automation in HR workflows can enhance efficiency and scalability. On the other hand, digitization means that talent discovery is less of a manual process, opening the door for tech-first platforms. Additionally, regulatory scrutiny around data privacy in HR is evolving and may require companies in this sector to change their go-to-market strategies over time.

The 8 professional staffing & HR solutions stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.1% below.

Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 12% since the latest earnings results.

ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN)

Founded during the post-World War II economic boom when businesses needed temporary workers, ManpowerGroup (NYSE: MAN) connects millions of people to employment opportunities through its global network of staffing, recruitment, and workforce management services.

ManpowerGroup reported revenues of $4.71 billion, up 7.1% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup Chair & CEO, said "We are pleased with our solid fourth quarter results, which reflect improving stabilization in market trends and continued execution of our go-to market and cost optimization strategy. Throughout 2025, we delivered sequential progress in both revenue and profitability, as adjusted, exiting the year with strengthening trends. France and Northern Europe improved, alongside market-leading performance in Italy. In North America, Manpower and Talent Solutions TAPFIN MSP continued to perform well, while Experis stabilized and RPO and permanent recruitment faced continued headwinds. Looking ahead, assuming current trends hold, we see opportunity to capitalize on improving market demand as we progress technology initiatives to diversify our capabilities and win market share. We will remain agile and continue to execute against our disciplined transformation to drive productivity gains and operating leverage."

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 3.4% since reporting and currently trades at $27.96.

Read our full report on ManpowerGroup here, it’s free.

Best Q4: First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA)

Processing over 200 million screens annually across more than 200 countries and territories, First Advantage (NASDAQ: FA) provides employment background screening, identity verification, and compliance solutions to help companies manage hiring risks.

First Advantage reported revenues of $420 million, up 36.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.3%. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ revenue and EPS estimates.

First Advantage pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 19% since reporting. It currently trades at $11.33.

Is now the time to buy First Advantage? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q4: Insperity (NYSE: NSP)

Pioneering the professional employer organization (PEO) industry it helped establish, Insperity (NYSE: NSP) provides human resources outsourcing services to small and medium-sized businesses, handling payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR administration.

Insperity reported revenues of $1.67 billion, up 3.4% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 21.8% since the results and currently trades at $26.33.

Read our full analysis of Insperity’s results here.

Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY)

With clients including 97% of the S&P 100 and operations in 103 offices across 51 countries, Korn Ferry (NYSE: KFY) is a global consulting firm that helps organizations design optimal structures, recruit talent, develop leaders, and create effective compensation strategies.

Korn Ferry reported revenues of $725 million, up 7.2% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Taking a step back, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates but revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

The stock is down 1.1% since reporting and currently trades at $62.92.

Read our full, actionable report on Korn Ferry here, it’s free.

Alight (NYSE: ALIT)

Born from a corporate spinoff in 2017 to focus on employee experience technology, Alight (NYSE: ALIT) provides human capital management solutions that help companies administer employee benefits, payroll, and workforce management systems.

Alight reported revenues of $653 million, down 4% year on year. This number met analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a softer quarter as it recorded a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

The stock is down 47.6% since reporting and currently trades at $0.69.

Read our full, actionable report on Alight here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.