Equifax Q3 2026 Earnings Expected to Rise 8.3% Year Over Year
Equifax is projected to post an 8.3% year-over-year increase in third-quarter 2026 earnings, with full-year 2026 and 2027 earnings expected to rise 11.8% and 17.7% respectively, according to Zacks Investment Research. Revenue is anticipated to grow 10.9% in 2026 and 9.6% in 2027. In the second quarter of 2026, Workforce Solutions segment revenues rose 7% year over year to $705.4 million, including Verification Services revenues of $607.6 million, up 7%, while the company signed about $300 million in state-government agreements, comprising roughly $100 million of new business and $200 million of renewals. Equifax's Vitality Index reached 16% in the second quarter of 2026, above its 15% full-year goal, and management doubled expected AI-driven run-rate savings for 2026-2028 to $150 million from $75 million. International revenues increased 8% year over year on a reported basis to $383.1 million, led by Asia Pacific, where revenues rose 17% to $99.7 million. Equifax carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), while TrueBlue and Trane Technologies each hold a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).
Paychex Set to Report Q1 Fiscal 2027 Results on Sept. 23
Paychex is scheduled to release first-quarter fiscal 2027 results on Sept. 23, 2026, before market open, with the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings pinned at $1.33 per share, a 9% gain from the year-ago quarter's reported figure. The consensus estimate for first-quarter fiscal 2027 revenues is set at $1.6 billion, suggesting a 5.1% uptick from the year-ago quarter. Paychex beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in four preceding quarters, with an average earnings surprise of 1.3%. The company has said it aims to raise the top line by increasing revenue per client rather than relying heavily on client-base expansion, with price realization and product penetration cited as vital drivers, while Paycor-related cross-selling and revenue synergies were flagged by CFO Robert Schrader on the fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings call. Paychex currently has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% and a Zacks Rank #3, a combination the model does not use to conclusively predict an earnings beat.
Affirm Launches AI Underwriting Model, Sees 3.4% More Completed Purchases
Affirm Holdings is launching a new transformer-based machine learning model for real-time credit underwriting at U.S. checkouts, drawing on 14 years of its own transaction and repayment data to analyze the order and timing of events across a consumer's credit history. In initial testing, the model approved applications the previous system would have declined, including consumers with limited credit histories and no FICO scores, and those incremental approvals produced 3.4% more completed purchases than the control group, with the loans performing better than a comparable expansion under the previous model. Affirm says the model is built to deliver fast and explainable decisions, and the release does not provide a dollar estimate of the financial impact. The company frames the launch as expanding approvals without simply lowering credit standards, with the financial benefit depending on how the early results scale. Affirm shares have risen 58.2% over the past six months compared with the industry's 20.2% growth, and the stock trades at a forward price-to-sales ratio of 4.1X versus the industry average of 4.2X.
Wall Street analysts expect Paychex to report quarterly earnings of $1.33 per share in its upcoming report, a year-over-year increase of 9%, on revenues of $1.62 billion, up 5.1% from the year-ago quarter. Over the last 30 days, the consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised downward by 0.3%. Within the revenue breakdown, analysts project Management Solutions revenue of $1.22 billion, up 5.1%, and PEO and Insurance Solutions revenue of $353.39 million, up 7.4%, while total service revenue is expected to reach $1.58 billion, up 5.6%, and interest on funds held for clients is seen at $47.17 million, down 0.9%. Analysts also forecast average interest rates earned on funds held for clients of 3.3% versus 3.5% a year ago, and 3.6% on corporate cash equivalents and investments versus 4.2%. Over the past month, Paychex shares have returned -5.2% against the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.3% change, and the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Mistras agrees to $866M all-cash buyout by H.I.G. Capital at $20.35 per share
Mistras Group has agreed to be acquired by investment firm H.I.G. Capital in an all-cash deal carrying an $866M enterprise value, including debt. Under the terms, Mistras shareholders will receive $20.35 per share in cash for each share of common stock they own, a premium of 8% to the company's 30-day volume-weighted average share price and 13% to its 90-day volume-weighted average share price. Once the transaction closes, Mistras shares will no longer be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The stock gained 3.3% in pre-market trading Friday on the news.
Intermex Falls 5.2% for Third Day as Investors Await Western Union Deal Update
International Money Express dropped 5.2% and fell for a third straight day as investors wait for an update on its planned $500 million sale to Western Union. Shares of Intermex have declined 11% this week on no new apparent news, and the stock is now trading at its lowest since Aug. 13, the day before a New York regulator approved the transaction in what investors initially thought was the final approval needed for the deal to close. The companies also announced the same day that they received a letter from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation suspending the approval extension previously granted on July 31. Some people have told Seeking Alpha that Western Union has been conducting meetings with investors this week, which may be the reason for Intermex's decline. Western Union and Intermex did not immediately respond to Seeking Alpha's email request for comment. Western Union agreed to buy Intermex for $16 per share in cash last August.
September 17 Earnings and News Roundup: Apple International Raises Ordinary Profit Forecast by 18%
Disclosure filings released after the September 17 market close produced a full slate of positive and negative developments relevant to investment decisions. On the positive side, Apple International raised its ordinary profit forecast for the current fiscal year by 18% and increased its dividend by 5 yen; Choshimaru reversed its current-year ordinary profit outlook to a 21% increase, projecting a record high for the first time in three terms along with a 1 yen dividend hike; Kasumigaseki Capital raised its prior-year ordinary profit forecast by 7%, adding to its record-high projection; and Hobonichi raised its prior-year ordinary profit forecast by 67%. In M&A, Saint Marc Holdings will take over the udon specialty restaurant business Tsurutontan from K Express for 12.8 billion yen, while B-style Holdings will acquire all shares of HR Asocié for 1.21 billion yen, making it a subsidiary. Ferrotec will launch a tender offer for Japan Resistor Manufacturing at 1,901 yen per share, a 49.1% premium to the September 17 closing price, aiming to make it a wholly owned subsidiary, while Nippon Seiki will buy back up to 3.61 million shares, or 6.27% of its outstanding shares, for a maximum of 9.979 billion yen. On the negative side, Chubu Steel Plate reversed its current-year ordinary profit outlook to a 46% decline; PharmaRise Holdings ended the June-August quarter with a 31% drop in ordinary profit; Industrial & Infrastructure Fund Investment Corporation is expected to post a 2% decline in current-year ordinary profit; Advance Residence Investment Corporation a 6% decline; and Ichigo Hotel REIT Investment Corporation an 18% decline.
Jacobs Solutions Leads Government Consulting Peers With 8.3% Q2 Revenue Growth
Jacobs Solutions reported Q2 revenues of $2.42 billion, up 8.3% year on year, the fastest growth among the seven government and technical consulting stocks tracked, though full-year EPS guidance came in merely in line with analysts' estimates. SAIC posted the group's biggest estimate beat, with revenues of $1.88 billion up 6.3% year on year and 7.1% above consensus, alongside beats on EPS and full-year EPS guidance. Amentum was the weakest performer, reporting revenues of $3.49 billion, down 2% year on year and 2.2% short of expectations, with a significant EPS miss. Booz Allen Hamilton recorded revenues of $2.8 billion, down 4.2% year on year and 0.5% below expectations, but still beat on EPS, while UL Solutions reported revenues of $816 million, up 5.2% and in line with expectations, also beating on EPS. As a group, the seven stocks' revenues matched consensus and share prices have fallen 3% on average since the latest results.
Leidos Wins $875 Million Navy Network Modernization Contract Extension
Leidos Holdings secured an $875 million contract extension to support and modernize networks serving more than 650,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel worldwide. The agreement covers network services and infrastructure supporting the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, ONE-Net and Marine Corps Enterprise Network, enhancing secure connectivity for military operations across global locations. The award aligns with the company's NorthStar 2030 strategy, which focuses on digital modernization, cybersecurity and mission-critical technology solutions, and should provide additional revenue visibility while reinforcing Leidos' role in critical defense IT programs. Shares of Leidos have lost 29.7% in the past year compared with the industry's 17.7% decline, and the stock carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
SK Hynix, Intel Rise on Reported U.S. Memory Chip Talks; J.B. Hunt Warns on Q3 Earnings
SK Hynix and Intel shares each rose more than 2.5% premarket after a Reuters report that SK Hynix was in talks with Intel to manufacture memory chips in the U.S. for the first time, though SK Hynix said no decisions have been made regarding any partnership with Intel. J.B. Hunt Transport Services tumbled more than 11% after warning that its earnings may fall between 5% and 10% in the third quarter compared to the previous three-month period, a decline it attributed to internal adjustments for rising rates of purchase transportation. Expedia fell more than 2.5% after Morgan Stanley downgraded the stock to underweight, citing a weak risk/reward profile and greater exposure to a potentially weaker consumer. Energy stocks moved lower as U.S. oil prices fell 2% following a report that energy inventories rose last week, with Diamondback Energy down almost 4%, Occidental Petroleum off 1%, and ExxonMobil and Devon Energy each down almost 1%. Paychex rose more than 1% on a Wolfe Research upgrade to peer perform, while Union Pacific gained 1.5% after UBS upgraded the stock to buy.
Adecco Group Rolls Out Salesforce Agentforce Coworker Across 40 Plus Countries
The Adecco Group announced the global rollout of Salesforce's Agentforce Coworker across 40 plus countries, following a successful pilot in the UK and France. The enterprise AI teammate, embedded directly in the platform and powered by Anthropic's Claude, supports work across sales, recruitment and client and candidate engagement workflows. The rollout extends agentic AI infrastructure into the daily workflows of 27,000 employees, building on an unlimited Agentforce 360 enterprise agreement with Salesforce; the company has already deployed agentic AI across recruitment workflows in ten countries, representing 50% of Adecco business revenues. Coworker will also draw on context from more than 2.5 million agent-candidate interactions since April 2025. CEO Denis Machuel will join Salesforce chair and CEO Marc Benioff, alongside the CEOs of Anthropic, NVIDIA and Siemens, at the main Dreamforce keynote to discuss human-centric AI, saying the rollout gives teams a single interface that knows candidate history and client context for the moment when human judgment matters most.
ADP Data Shows U.S. Private Employers Added 16,250 Jobs a Week in Late August
U.S. private employers added an average of 16,250 jobs per week for the four weeks ending August 29, 2026, according to the preliminary NER Pulse estimate released by ADP Research. The reading marks the second consecutive weekly increase in hiring, up from 12,250 for the four weeks ending August 22 and 10,000 for the period ending August 15. The NER Pulse is a weekly update of the monthly ADP National Employment Report, based on ADP's high-frequency data, seasonally adjusted with a two-week lag, and the figures are preliminary and subject to change as new data arrives. The report is produced by ADP Research in collaboration with the Stanford Digital Economy Lab, and the next NER Pulse is scheduled for release on September 22, 2026.
TriNet declared a quarterly dividend of $0.29 per share, in line with its previous payout. The forward yield on the dividend is 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Oct. 1. The payable date and the record date were not disclosed.
Leidos Wins $875 Million Navy Option Year for Network Contract
The Department of the Navy has awarded Leidos $875 million for the second option year of the Next Generation Enterprise Network Service Management, Integration and Transport contract, keeping more than 650,000 U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel securely connected worldwide. Under the award, Leidos manages more than 425,000 devices at more than 2,500 sites around the globe, handling all aspects of user support, operations and IT transformational activities on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet, the Outside the Continental United States Navy Enterprise Network and the Marine Corps Enterprise Network. Steve Hull, president of Leidos Digital, said military and civilian personnel rely on these networks to communicate, make decisions and carry out missions that protect the nation and its allies. Since being awarded the contract in 2020, Leidos has introduced automation that delivers patches to network devices 93% faster and accelerates patching across the enterprise by 94%. DJ LeGoff, a retired Navy captain and the Navy and Marine Corps portfolio leader at Leidos, said the results reflect the team's round-the-clock dedication. The award supports Leidos' NorthStar 2030 strategy and its focus on digital modernization, cyber capabilities and mission software.
Paycom Leads HR Software Q2 as Paylocity, Paychex, Asure Report
Paycom posted the strongest quarter among the four HR software stocks tracked, reporting revenues of $531.2 million, up 9.8% year on year and 3.5% above analysts' expectations, with full-year EBITDA guidance exceeding estimates and a solid beat on billings. Paylocity reported revenues of $444.7 million, up 11% year on year and 3.1% ahead of expectations, delivering the highest guidance raise of the group, though its stock is down 1.1% since reporting and trades at $141.75. Asure Software reported revenues of $37.11 million, up 23.2% year on year and in line with expectations, but posted a significant miss on billings estimates and the weakest guidance update in the group, with its stock flat at $8.44. Paychex reported revenues of $1.61 billion, up 12.5% year on year and in line with expectations, with a decent beat on adjusted operating income estimates, and its stock is up 18.2% since reporting at $115.83. As a group, the four HR software stocks beat consensus revenue estimates by 1.7%, next quarter's revenue guidance came in line, and share prices are up 10.8% on average since the latest earnings results, with Paycom up 25.3% to $218.96.
Cass: TL Linehaul Rates Jump 11.3% in August as Freight Shipments Turn Positive
Truckload linehaul rates rose 11.3% year over year in August while freight shipments turned positive for the first time in three and a half years, according to data from Cass Information Systems. The Cass TL linehaul index, which tracks rates excluding fuel and accessorial surcharges, marked its 20th consecutive year-over-year increase and its largest gain since June 2022, and was up 70 basis points from July. Freight shipments recorded by Cass increased 2.1% year over year, the first such increase after 42 months of declines, and were 5.6% higher sequentially in August, or up 5% seasonally adjusted. Cass' expenditures index, which measures total freight spend including fuel, surged 18.7% year over year and rose 5.8% from July, or 6% seasonally adjusted, driven by the positive inflection in shipments and diesel prices that were up 46% year over year and 10% sequentially. The report said the sequential increase in linehaul rates was in line with expectations and noted that even as spot rates slow with modest sequential declines, the much larger contract market is adjusting higher, adding that the freight bottom is probably in and growth should continue, though modestly. Cass, a provider of payment management solutions, processes $37 billion in freight payables annually on behalf of customers.
Ipsos CEO Kelly Beaver Accelerates Horizons Strategic Plan Execution
Ipsos Chief Executive Officer Kelly Beaver used an investor presentation in Paris on September 14, 2026 to confirm the Horizons strategic plan and pledge to accelerate its execution. Beaver, who was appointed CEO on July 30, 2026, said the plan, built around six pillars covering global solutions growth, strong local presence, speed, artificial intelligence, access to real people, and data integration and analytics, remains the right strategy but must now translate into results more quickly, particularly as performance since the beginning of the year has fallen short of the company's ambitions. As of August 31, organic growth in the order book stood at 1.2%, stable compared with the end of June, while organic revenue growth was 1.1%, up from 0.8% at the end of the first half. Beaver also launched a new corporate campaign, Augmented Ipsos, under the tagline Augmenting Speed, Augmenting Insights, Augmenting Trust. Ipsos will present its Q3 2026 results on 23 October at 8:30 a.m. CET.
Recruit Holdings Q1 Operating Profit of 255.4 Billion Yen for Fiscal Year Ending March 2027; Full-Year Forecast Raised 20% to 945 Billion Yen
Recruit Holdings announced its first-quarter results for the fiscal year ending March 2027, posting revenue of 1.0453 trillion yen, operating profit of 255.4 billion yen, and net profit of 202.6 billion yen. Its full-year operating profit forecast was raised by 158 billion yen, or 20%, from 787 billion yen to 945 billion yen; the revenue forecast was also revised upward from 4.03 trillion yen to 4.23 trillion yen, and the net profit forecast from 623 billion yen to 755 billion yen. The earnings-per-share forecast was also lifted from 447 yen to 543 yen. First-quarter operating profit represents 27.0% progress toward the full-year forecast of 945 billion yen, exceeding the 25% mark that a simple four-way split would suggest. Meanwhile, the stock closed at 15,500 yen on September 11, down just over 2% from the previous trading day and roughly 16% below the 18,215 yen seen on August 31.
Korn Ferry Completes £850 Million Acquisition of UK-Based AMS
Korn Ferry completed its £850 million acquisition of UK-based AMS from OMERS Private Equity on September 1. The deal combines two well-reputed brands into a leading business within the global talent and organizational consulting space, giving Korn Ferry broader market reach and coverage spanning several new industries. At closing, Korn Ferry paid approximately £473 million and $326 million in cash, covering consideration to the sellers, repayment of AMS indebtedness and other transaction obligations, and issued 3,118,628 Korn Ferry shares to the sellers, financed through a mix of existing cash, share issuance and borrowings. The acquisition extends Korn Ferry's growth trajectory, which included a sixth consecutive quarter of topline growth and 9% growth in adjusted diluted EPS of $1.43 in its recently announced first quarter results. The deal carries liquidity constraints from the significant cash outflow and dilution risk from the new shares issued, while retaining AMS's long-term client agreements depends on sustaining service standards through the transition.
Red Violet Posts Record Q2 Revenue of $26.7 Million, Net Income Nearly Doubles
Red Violet Inc. reported second-quarter 2026 results for the period ended June 30, with revenue rising 23% to $26.7 million and net income nearly doubling to $5 million. Gross profit climbed 29% to $20.2 million, lifting gross margin to 76% from 72%, while adjusted EBITDA jumped 48% to $11.2 million and adjusted net income rose 58% to $7.2 million. Operating cash flow increased 42% to a record $10.6 million for the quarter, and the company added a record 447 new IDI customers, ending with 10,869 on the platform, while its FOREWARN product reached 443,173 users and 660 REALTOR Associations under contract. In August, Red Violet closed an underwritten public offering of 1,916,667 shares, including 250,000 shares from the underwriters' full exercise of their option, generating net proceeds of about $109.0 million, which together with existing funds gives it over $160 million in cash and no debt. The company repurchased 74,500 shares by June 30 at an average of $41.87 per share and had $15.5 million left on its buyback authorization, while diluted earnings came in at $0.34 and adjusted diluted earnings at $0.50 versus $0.51 on a basic basis.
Zacks Adds Five Stocks to Strong Buy List for September 11th
Zacks Investment Research added five stocks to its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) List for September 11th. RCM Technologies, a national provider of business, technology and resource solutions in information technology and professional engineering to corporate and government customers, saw its Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings rise 13.3% over the last 60 days. Healthcare Services Group, which provides housekeeping, laundry, linen, facility maintenance and food services to the health care industry, posted a 12.9% increase in its consensus estimate for current-year earnings over the same period. Bloomin' Brands, the casual dining restaurant company with a portfolio of differentiated restaurant concepts, recorded a 10.1% gain in its current-year earnings estimate, while Argan, an engineering and construction firm operating through wholly owned subsidiaries across power generation, industrial construction and teledata infrastructure, saw a 6.7% increase. Globus Medical, a medical device company that develops and commercializes healthcare solutions for patients with musculoskeletal disorders, rounded out the list with a 5.3% rise in its current-year earnings estimate over the last 60 days.
Thomson Reuters prices US$1.3B U.S. notes and C$1B Canadian placement
Thomson Reuters has priced a dual-currency debt transaction combining a U.S. public offering and a Canadian private placement, raising aggregate net proceeds of approximately US$1.29B and C$997M respectively, with both offerings expected to close on September 17, 2026. The U.S. tranche totals US$1.3B and is issued by Delaware subsidiary TR Finance LLC with full guarantees from Thomson Reuters Corporation and select subsidiaries, comprising US$800 million of 5.100% notes due 2028 and US$500 million of 5.750% notes due 2033, both paying interest semi-annually. Concurrently, Thomson Reuters will directly issue a C$1B Canadian private placement, fully guaranteed by specified subsidiaries, structured as C$350M of 4.130% notes due 2029, C$350M of 4.480% notes due 2031, both with semi-annual coupon payments, and C$300M of floating rate notes due 2029 that pay interest quarterly at daily compounded CORRA plus 0.76% per annum. Thomson Reuters plans to deploy the net proceeds from both offerings for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of outstanding debt under its commercial paper program.
Korn Ferry reported Q2 CY2026 revenue of $756.5 million, up 5.7% year on year and above analyst estimates of $747.1 million, with adjusted EPS of $1.43 beating the $1.36 consensus. The organizational consulting firm guided Q3 CY2026 revenue to $869 million at the midpoint, 15.9% above analyst estimates of $749.6 million, though its Q3 adjusted EPS guidance of $1.35 came in below the $1.48 consensus. Management attributed the sixth consecutive quarter of top-line growth to its "We Are Korn Ferry" strategy and the completed acquisition of AMS, a major recruitment process outsourcing provider that immediately expands Korn Ferry's contingent workforce and early career solutions. CEO Gary Burnison said the AMS combination adds a high proportion of recurring multi-year contracts, with client relationships averaging 14 years, and the company is targeting $40 million of incremental EBITDA from AMS within the first year of the deal. CFO Robert Rozek said the company will monitor the pace of integration and ensure disciplined capital allocation, with full platform alignment targeted by May 2027, while management flagged ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty in EMEA and APAC.
RCM Technologies Falls 2.9% as Analysts Lift EPS Estimates Ahead of Earnings
RCM Technologies, Inc. closed down 2.9% at $39.12, a smaller decline than the S&P 500's 0.59% loss, while the Dow fell 0.6% and the Nasdaq dropped 0.65%. The company is expected to report earnings per share of $0.63 for its upcoming quarter, a 50% increase from the same quarter a year earlier, on revenue of $85.78 million, up 22.04% year over year. For the full fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $3.07 per share and revenue of $359.88 million, representing growth of 22.8% and 12.67%, respectively. Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has risen 16.59%, and RCM Technologies currently carries a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). The stock trades at a forward P/E of 13.12, below its industry's average of 17.81, while its Staffing Firms industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 168, placing it in the bottom 32% of more than 250 industries.
Paylocity Q2 Revenue Up 11% to $444.7 Million, Beating Estimates
Paylocity reported Q2 revenues of $444.7 million, up 11% year on year and 3.1% above analysts' consensus estimates, as the four HR software stocks tracked by the report beat revenue expectations by 1.7% as a group while next quarter's revenue guidance came in line. Paylocity posted the highest guidance raise but the weakest full-year guidance update in the group, and its stock is flat since reporting at $142.09. Paycom delivered the best quarter of the cohort with revenues of $531.2 million, up 9.8% year on year and 3.5% ahead of expectations, alongside the biggest analyst estimate beat and highest full-year guidance raise among peers, sending its stock up 25.5% to $219.31. Asure Software was the weakest performer, reporting revenues of $37.11 million, up 23.2% year on year and in line with expectations, but posting a significant miss on billings estimates and the weakest guidance update in the group, with its stock flat at $8.36. Paychex reported revenues of $1.61 billion, up 12.5% year on year, meeting expectations, and its stock is up 17.1% since reporting at $114.79. HR software stocks have risen 10.4% on average since the latest earnings results.
Experian Launches AI-Enabled Activate Decisioning Platform for Its Consumer Marketplace
Experian has rolled out Experian Activate, an AI-enabled decisioning engine powering the Experian Marketplace, its consumer comparison-shopping platform for credit cards, personal loans and auto insurance. The platform is described as first-of-its-kind in combining credit data, AI and consumer-permissioned cash flow insights in one decisioning engine, helping match Experian's 90+ million members to offers they are likely to qualify for. Unlike traditional marketplaces that rely on pre-screened lists or periodically refreshed data, Experian Activate evaluates consumers using real-time information while they are actively shopping for credit, and the same real-time credit intelligence extends to third-party experiences such as ChatGPT. As part of the rollout, Experian has integrated Experian Cashflow Attributes into the Marketplace, letting participating lenders incorporate consumer-permissioned cash flow data alongside traditional credit information, with insights available in the same session when consumers connect their bank accounts. Experian cited research showing 60% of previously denied or under-offered borrowers believe the outcome would have changed if lenders had factored in recent income and banking activity. Rakesh Patel, Executive Vice President, Experian Marketplace at Experian, said the platform brings together the company's data, analytics, marketplace reach and AI capabilities, while Ashley Knight, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Financial Services and Data at Experian, said cash flow data is transforming how consumer behavior is understood and risk assessed.
Zacks Adds Build-A-Bear, Barrett Business Services and Buzzi to Strong Sell List
Zacks Investment Research added three stocks to its Zacks Rank #5 Strong Sell List for September 10th. Build-A-Bear Workshop, ticker BBW, the leading and only national company providing a make your own stuffed animal interactive retail-entertainment experience, saw its Zacks Consensus Estimate for current year earnings revised almost 11.6% downward over the last 60 days. Barrett Business Services, ticker BBSI, which provides light industrial, clerical and technical employees through staff leasing, contract staffing, site management and temporary staffing arrangements, had its current year consensus estimate revised almost 10.6% downward over the same period. BUZZI SPA, ticker BZZUF, which manufactures, distributes and sells cement, ready-mix concrete and aggregates, saw its current year consensus estimate revised 8% downward over the last 60 days.
Coincheck to Temporarily Restrict Transfers to New Addresses from September 15
Cryptocurrency exchange Coincheck announced on September 10 that it will restrict transfers of crypto assets to newly registered destination addresses for a certain period, starting September 15. The measure applies to all destination addresses newly registered on or after September 15, which will be unable to receive transfers for a set period after registration, but transfers to addresses already registered are unaffected and can be used as before. Once the restriction period passes, transfers become possible, but the exchange will not accommodate shortening or early lifting of the period, and the specific duration is not being disclosed for security reasons. The measure follows a joint request made on August 6 by the National Police Agency and the Financial Services Agency to the Japan Crypto-Asset Exchange Association to strengthen measures to prevent fraud, amid the spread of social media-based investment fraud and romance scams. The Financial Services Agency is calling for advance registration of withdrawal destination addresses and a ban on withdrawals for a certain period after registration, as well as restrictions on external withdrawals after fiat currency deposits or crypto asset purchases, setting withdrawal limits based on customer attributes, strengthening monitoring of transaction and access environments, and establishing a system to promptly restrict transactions even at night or on holidays when suspicious activity is detected.
Timee Prepares Application to Move to Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market, Targeting 2027
Timee, a service for posting and filling short-term shift work, decided on the 10th to prepare an application to change its market listing to the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market. The company says it aims for medium- to long-term growth and further improvement of corporate value. It is targeting the change application for sometime in 2027, though the application date and other scheduling details are undecided at this point. Timee listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in July 2024.
Korn Ferry Guides Q2 FY2027 Fee Revenue to $860M-$878M Including Two Months of AMS
Korn Ferry said it expects second-quarter fiscal 2027 fee revenue of $860 million to $878 million, with adjusted EBITDA margin of 16.8% to 17.2% and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.30 to $1.40, guidance that includes the acquisition of AMS for only two months, September and October. The outlook follows a first quarter in which fee revenue grew 7% year over year to $756 million, adjusted EBITDA rose $8 million, or 7%, to $128 million, and adjusted diluted earnings per share came in at $1.43. Chief Executive Gary Burnison said the quarter marked the sixth consecutive quarter of top-line growth and that completing the combination with AMS creates a global leader in talent and organizational consulting, with the combined firm now carrying a backlog of $3.5 billion. Chief Financial Officer Robert Rozek said estimated remaining fees under existing contracts grew 14% year over year to $1.92 billion, of which about 56%, or $1.1 billion, is expected to be recognized over the next four quarters and the remaining 44%, or $835 million, beyond that. Regionally, Americas fee revenue rose 9% to $442 million, EMEA grew 4% to $228 million, and APAC returned to growth at $87 million, up 1%. Management said it would lean toward using investable cash to reduce debt tied to the AMS acquisition, while keeping buybacks in view, and targets a $140 million AMS run-rate EBITDA level within a year of close, with integration onto a common platform set for May 1, 2027.
Korn/Ferry Beats Q1 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Korn/Ferry reported quarterly earnings of $1.43 per share, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.35 and up from $1.31 a year ago, marking a 5.93% surprise. Revenues for the quarter ended July 2026 reached $756.5 million, beating estimates by 2.90% and rising from $708.61 million in the prior year. The company has exceeded consensus EPS and revenue estimates in each of the last four quarters. Management's commentary on the earnings call will likely influence near-term stock movement, with shares up 24.3% year-to-date versus the S&P 500's 12.1% gain. Looking ahead, the consensus EPS estimate for the coming quarter is $1.48 on $750 million in revenues, and for the current fiscal year, $6.04 on $3.03 billion in revenues. Korn/Ferry currently holds a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating expectations of in-line performance with the market.
Global Hiring Outlook Strengthens for Q4 as Workforce Transformation Drives Demand for New Skills
Employers expect global hiring momentum to strengthen slightly heading into the final quarter of 2026, according to ManpowerGroup's latest Employment Outlook Survey of 39,878 employers across 42 countries. The global Net Employment Outlook for Q4 2026 stands at 29%, up two points from the previous quarter and six points from the same period last year. Among employers planning to add staff, 62% cite changing roles and skills as the primary driver, including branching into new areas, new expertise demanded by advancing technology, and shifts in the skills their services require. Forty-three percent of employers globally plan to increase staffing between October and December, compared with 14% anticipating reductions, while 41% expect staffing levels to remain unchanged. The survey also finds that 45% of employers are increasing entry-level hiring compared with 2025, against 20% pulling back, and that construction and real estate and finance and insurance report the strongest hiring intentions at 36%, followed by information at 35%. Regionally, the Americas posts the strongest outlook at 36%, with Brazil at 53%, Panama at 49%, Mexico at 41%, and the United States at 36%, while India leads all countries at 54%, followed by Vietnam at 36% and China at 34%.
Hang Feng Technology Innovation Reports First Half 2026 Net Loss
Hang Feng Technology Innovation Co., Ltd., a Nasdaq-listed company headquartered in Hong Kong, announced its financial results for the six months ended June 30, 2026, reporting a net loss of $553,033 and a comprehensive loss of $593,754, compared to net income of $363,524 and comprehensive income of $330,221 in the first half of 2025. Total revenue fell sharply to $362,511 from $1,327,707 in the prior-year period, primarily due to a decline in management consulting revenue as the company shifts its strategic focus toward RWA initiatives. The company maintained a strong balance sheet with total assets of $8,215,946, including $6,606,369 in cash, and recorded $329,755 in loan interest revenue to cushion the transition. In May 2026, it incorporated a wholly-owned Singapore subsidiary, HF Helios AI PTE Limited, and in June 2026, shareholders approved a capital reorganization into 9 billion Class A and 1 billion Class B ordinary shares. Additionally, its Hong Kong subsidiary, Hang Feng International Asset Management Limited, held Type 4 and Type 9 licenses and was granted a Type 1 license on July 7, 2026.
Verisk Launches Fraud Discovery Platform to Combat Insurance Fraud
Verisk has announced the launch of Verisk Fraud Discovery, a modular fraud prevention platform that unifies fraud intelligence, advanced analytics, network analysis, digital media forensics, and case management into a single scalable solution. The platform is designed to help insurers detect, investigate, and disrupt fraud, addressing the growing sophistication of fraud networks and economic pressures driving opportunistic fraud. In 2024, UK insurers detected £1.16bn in fraudulent claims across 98,400 cases, with industry estimates suggesting a similar amount may go undetected. Early adopters include Hiscox, Allianz, and law firm Weightmans, reflecting demand for more connected approaches to fraud investigation and case management.
Northsand Rebounds After Announcing Application to Change Market Classification to Prime Market
Northsand rebounded. After the close of trading on the 7th, it announced that it had applied to the Tokyo Stock Exchange to change its market classification to the Prime Market, which is viewed as a positive factor. The approval date is currently undecided, and it is uncertain whether approval will be granted, but the start of procedures toward the transition to the Prime Market has been well received. If approved, it is expected to lead to an expansion of the investor base and an increase in corporate recognition due to the step-up in the listing market.
UL Solutions' Q2 Profit Surge Driven by One-Time Gain
UL Solutions Inc. reported second-quarter net income of $254 million, up 161.9% year over year, but the surge was largely due to a one-time gain from the sale of its Employee Health and Safety software business. Excluding that gain, adjusted net income rose 17.3% to $129 million, with adjusted diluted EPS growing from $0.52 to $0.59. Revenue increased 5.2% to $816 million, while adjusted EBITDA climbed 11.2% to $219 million, and the company guided for a full-year 2026 adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 27%. The company also reduced total debt to $303 million and raised cash to $434 million, but capital expenditures are rising faster than revenue, and management flagged geopolitical uncertainty as a potential risk to customer spending.
Multiconsult and Rejlers announce merger of equals
Multiconsult ASA and Rejlers AB have announced a cross-border merger of equals to create Multiconsult Rejlers, a leading pan-Nordic multidisciplinary consultancy group. Under the merger plan, each Multiconsult shareholder will receive 0.9725 Rejlers class B shares per share, resulting in Multiconsult shareholders owning 54% and Rejlers shareholders 46% of the combined company. The new group will have close to 8,000 employees and a market capitalisation of close to SEK 8 billion, with headquarters in Stockholm and a main office in Oslo. Viktor Svensson will serve as President and CEO, with Kristin O. Augestad as Deputy CEO. The merger is expected to generate annual cost synergies of about SEK 100-120 million within three years, with one-off integration costs of approximately SEK 40 million. The combined entity will be dual listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and Euronext Oslo Børs, and completion is targeted for late 2026 or early 2027, subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals.
Midday movers: Sandisk, Tesla, Lululemon, Quanex, AMC & more
In midday trading, several stocks made notable moves. Guidewire Software plummeted 21% after issuing weaker-than-expected current-quarter revenue guidance of $372 million to $378 million, below the LSEG consensus of $387 million. Tesla dropped 6% following a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigation into whether its Cybercab meets federal safety standards, after the company launched robotaxis in Austin. Sandisk and KLA rallied more than 8% and 7% respectively, as the semiconductor sector gained ahead of the long weekend, with the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH) up over 2% and the Roundhill Memory ETF (DRAM) up 5%. Quanex Building Products surged 19% after beating third-quarter estimates with adjusted earnings of 79 cents per share on revenue of $501.8 million, versus the FactSet consensus of 66 cents and $497.5 million. AMC Entertainment rose 6.5% after CEO Adam Aron criticized Robinhood's stock tokens as "contemptible, outrageous, disgusting," while Robinhood slipped nearly 1%. Credit monitoring firms Equifax, TransUnion, and Fair Isaac fell after Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said they have been "overcharging Americans for too long," with Fair Isaac down over 15%, Equifax down 6.8%, and TransUnion down over 7%. Smith & Wesson gained 6% on an earnings beat, reporting 6 cents per share versus an expected loss of 6 cents, on revenue of $112.6 million versus the $98.7 million consensus. Lululemon Athletica tumbled 17% after forecasting current-quarter earnings of 93 to 98 cents per share on revenue of $2.29 billion to $2.32 billion, below analyst expectations of $2.40 per share and $2.53 billion. Zscaler slipped 5% despite beating earnings estimates, while Adobe fell 6% after announcing Anil Chakravarthy as its next CEO. Asana dropped 14% on weak guidance, Samsara advanced 4% on strong full-year outlook, UiPath lost 16% despite in-line guidance, and Oxford Industries sank 17% after cutting its full-year guidance.
Verisk Launches U.S. Data Center Exposure Database for Insurers
Verisk Analytics has launched a new U.S. Data Center Exposure Database, providing building-level information on more than 2,500 facilities nationwide to help insurers, reinsurers, and brokers manage growing concentrations of risk. The database includes rooftop-level geocoding, building footprints, construction type, floor area, capacity, and operational redundancy characteristics, and is available within Verisk's Synergy Studio and Touchstone platforms. The launch comes as AI drives significant investment in digital infrastructure, with industry sources indicating that global data center insurance premiums could more than double from approximately $10 billion in 2026 to $23 billion by 2030. Verisk executives Rob Newbold and Jay Guin emphasized that data centers represent billions of dollars in concentrated assets and that understanding their location and risk accumulation is critical for insurers and capital markets participants. The database was developed by AIR Worldwide Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Verisk Analytics.
EXL President Vivek Jetley Departs to Lead Hexaware Technologies
ExlService Holdings, Inc., a global data and AI company, announced that Vivek Jetley, president and head of Insurance, Healthcare and Life Sciences, will depart effective October 26, 2026, to become Chief Executive Officer of Hexaware Technologies Limited. Jetley will continue in his current role during the transition. Chairman and CEO Rohit Kapoor praised Jetley's nearly 20 years of contributions, including building analytics capabilities and leading insurance and healthcare businesses. Jetley expressed pride in his work and commitment to a smooth handover. EXL, headquartered in New York with about 68,000 employees, emphasized its deep leadership bench and continued execution of its data and AI strategy.