TrueBlue (NYSE:TBI) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.17 EPS

TrueBlue (NYSE:TBI) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The business services provider reported ($0.25) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.08) by ($0.17), FiscalAI reports. TrueBlue had a negative net margin of 1.78% and a negative return on equity of 4.42%. The firm had revenue of $418.18 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $413.31 million.

Here are the key takeaways from TrueBlue’s conference call:

• Q4 revenue was $418 million (+8% YoY) with the company delivering its second consecutive quarter of organic revenue growth (+5%, including ~3 pts from HSP).
• The energy/renewables vertical was a major growth driver — energy revenue grew ~60% and now represents about 15% of the portfolio, with a strong pipeline and recent multimillion-dollar project wins.
• Management cut SG&A by 11% while growing revenue, ended the quarter with $25 million cash and $92 million total liquidity, and reduced debt by $2 million, which they say improves flexibility to scale as demand rebounds.
• Gross margin compressed to 21.5% (from 26.6%) mainly because last year’s unusually favorable workers’ compensation reserve development did not repeat and because faster growth in lower-margin renewable work (with pass-through travel costs) changed the mix.
• GAAP net loss was $32 million (includes an $18 million non‑cash impairment); adjusted net loss was $8 million and adjusted EBITDA was $2 million, and Q1 2026 revenue is guided to +3%–9% with a near-term margin headwind as workers’ comp normalizes.

TrueBlue Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of NYSE TBI traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $4.59. The company had a trading volume of 248,070 shares, compared to its average volume of 188,952. The company has a quick ratio of 2.01, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.22. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $4.92 and its 200-day moving average price is $5.37. The stock has a market cap of $137.33 million, a PE ratio of -4.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 1.49. TrueBlue has a one year low of $3.45 and a one year high of $7.86.

Analyst Ratings Changes

TBI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of TrueBlue in a research report on Monday, December 29th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of TrueBlue from $8.00 to $6.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of TrueBlue to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $6.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TrueBlue

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Boston Partners boosted its stake in TrueBlue by 37.6% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 2,220,850 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $10,106,000 after purchasing an additional 606,446 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in TrueBlue by 32.4% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 2,012,217 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $9,156,000 after acquiring an additional 492,984 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of TrueBlue by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 692,713 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $4,490,000 after purchasing an additional 3,269 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in TrueBlue by 80.8% during the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 656,233 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $2,986,000 after acquiring an additional 293,363 shares during the period. Finally, Prosight Management LP lifted its holdings in TrueBlue by 456.8% in the 4th quarter. Prosight Management LP now owns 442,554 shares of the business services provider’s stock worth $2,014,000 after purchasing an additional 363,078 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.15% of the company’s stock.

TrueBlue Company Profile

TrueBlue, Inc is a Tacoma, Washington–based workforce solutions provider specializing in temporary staffing, permanent placement and managed service solutions. Operating through its subsidiaries and brands, TrueBlue connects clients across manufacturing, logistics, retail, construction and public sector markets with skilled professionals for both short-term and long-term engagements. The company’s offerings encompass on-demand blue-collar labor, specialized industrial staffing, recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) and contingent workforce management.

TrueBlue’s primary service lines include PeopleReady, which supplies general labor for construction, hospitality and event services; PeopleManagement, which focuses on technical and industrial professionals; PeopleScout, a global RPO business offering end-to-end talent acquisition and consulting; and Staff Management | SMX, which delivers seasonal staffing for large-scale events, amusement parks and federal workforce contracts.