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DHI Group, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 November 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 3 narrowed, 3 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue flat as ClearanceJobs offsets Dice: Total revenue was $32.2 million, unchanged from the year-earlier quarter. ClearanceJobs revenue rose 18% to $16.5 million; Dice revenue fell 13% to $15.7 million. Source
  • Bookings up 10% on ClearanceJobs growth: Total bookings were $27.9 million, up 10%. ClearanceJobs bookings were $15.8 million, up 32%; Dice bookings were $12.1 million, down 9%. Source
  • ClearanceJobs bookings up 15% excluding Point Solutions: Excluding Point Solutions Group, ClearanceJobs bookings rose 15%, compared with the 32% growth reported including it. Source
  • Bookings decline narrowed for second quarter: Management said the year-over-year bookings decline narrowed for the second consecutive quarter, reflecting progress on stabilizing the business. Source
  • Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA margin 28%: Adjusted EBITDA was $8.9 million, a 28% margin, against $10.3 million and 32% a year earlier; the second-quarter margin was 27%. Source
  • Backlog down 7% year over year: Backlog totaled $87.5 million at September 30, 2026, down 7% from $94.3 million a year earlier and from $92.3 million at June 30, 2026. Source
  • Free cash flow $5.3 million: Cash from operations was $7.2 million against $4.8 million; after $1.9 million of fixed asset purchases, free cash flow was $5.3 million against $3.2 million. Source

“Our third-quarter results reflect growing momentum at ClearanceJobs and continued progress at Dice.”

Art Zeile, President and CEO of DHI Group

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenue (DHI) SourceFull year 2026$124M-$126MNarrowed, top end cut from $124M-$128M
ClearanceJobs revenue SourceFull year 2026$62M-$63MNarrowed, top end cut from $62M-$64M
Dice revenue SourceFull year 2026$62M-$63MNarrowed, top end cut from $62M-$64M
Total revenue (DHI) SourceFourth quarter 2026$31M-$33MNew
ClearanceJobs revenue SourceFourth quarter 2026$16M-$17MNew
Dice revenue SourceFourth quarter 2026$15M-$16MNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin (DHI) SourceFull year 202626%Raised from 25%
Adjusted EBITDA margin (Dice) SourceFull year 202625%Raised from 24%
Adjusted EBITDA margin (ClearanceJobs) SourceFull year 202640%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Full-year revenue guidance narrowed at the top end for DHI, ClearanceJobs and Dice; the bottom ends are unchanged. Source
  • Guidance raised: Full-year Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance raised for DHI from 25% to 26% and for Dice from 24% to 25%; ClearanceJobs kept at 40%. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2026 revenue guidance added, as the prior release gave third-quarter guidance. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue flat as ClearanceJobs offsets Dice: Total revenue was $32.2 million, unchanged from the year-earlier quarter. ClearanceJobs revenue rose 18% to $16.5 million; Dice revenue fell 13% to $15.7 million. Source
  • Bookings up 10% on ClearanceJobs growth: Total bookings were $27.9 million, up 10%. ClearanceJobs bookings were $15.8 million, up 32%; Dice bookings were $12.1 million, down 9%. Source
  • ClearanceJobs bookings up 15% excluding Point Solutions: Excluding Point Solutions Group, ClearanceJobs bookings rose 15%, compared with the 32% growth reported including it. Source
  • Year-to-date revenue down 3%: Revenue for the first nine months was $93.3 million, down 3%. ClearanceJobs rose 12% to $46.1 million; Dice fell 15% to $47.2 million. Source

ClearanceJobs segment

  • ClearanceJobs Adjusted EBITDA margin 41%: ClearanceJobs Adjusted EBITDA was $6.7 million, a 41% margin, compared with $5.9 million and 43% a year earlier. Source
  • Revenue per customer up 10%: Average annual revenue per recruitment package customer was $29,228, up 10%, while the recruitment package customer count fell 3% year over year. Source
  • Renewal rate on revenue rose to 93%: Renewal rate on revenue was 93%, against 85% a year earlier. Retention rate on revenue was 111%, against 106%. Source
  • New-business team's largest quarter in history: The new-business team recorded the largest bookings quarter in the platform's 24-year history; recruitment package customer count rose sequentially. Source

“We believe this progress, together with demand from traditional defense contractors, emerging defense technology companies and allied defense firms expanding in the United States, positions ClearanceJobs for sustained growth.”

Art Zeile, President and CEO of DHI Group

Dice segment

  • Dice Adjusted EBITDA margin 25%: Dice Adjusted EBITDA was $4.0 million, a 25% margin, compared with $6.2 million and 34% a year earlier. Source
  • Bookings decline narrowed for second quarter: Management said the year-over-year bookings decline narrowed for the second consecutive quarter, reflecting progress on stabilizing the business. Source
  • Renewal rates lower at Dice: Renewal rate on revenue was 67%, against 69% a year earlier. Renewal rate on count fell to 58% from 68%; retention rate was 92%, unchanged. Source
  • Dice customer count down 19%: Dice ended the quarter with 3,452 recruitment package customers, down 19%, while average annual revenue per customer rose 4% to $16,399. Source

Costs, margins and net income

  • Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA margin 28%: Adjusted EBITDA was $8.9 million, a 28% margin, against $10.3 million and 32% a year earlier; the second-quarter margin was 27%. Source
  • Cost of revenue rose: Cost of revenue rose to $6.7 million from $4.6 million; sales and marketing rose to $10.0 million from $9.1 million; general and administrative fell to $5.8 million from $7.0 million. Source
  • No impairment charges this quarter: No impairment charges were recorded in the quarter; the year-earlier quarter included a $9.6 million impairment of intangible assets. Source
  • Severance and professional fees increased: Severance, professional fees and related costs were $1.4 million, against $0.4 million a year earlier. Non-cash stock-based compensation was $1.0 million. Source
  • Net income positive versus year-earlier loss: Net income was $2.4 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, against a net loss of $4.3 million, or $0.10 per diluted share, a year earlier. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS up to $0.10: Non-GAAP earnings per share was $0.10 per diluted share, against $0.09 a year earlier. The company reconciles this measure to diluted earnings per share in the release. Source

“Our third-quarter performance demonstrates the cash-generating strength of our business model.”

Greg Schippers, CFO of DHI Group

Demand, backlog and renewals

  • Backlog down 7% year over year: Backlog totaled $87.5 million at September 30, 2026, down 7% from $94.3 million a year earlier and from $92.3 million at June 30, 2026. Source
  • Deferred revenue and uninvoiced commitments lower: Deferred revenue was $37.3 million, down from $41.5 million at June 30, 2026. Contractual commitments not invoiced were $50.1 million, down 16% from December 31, 2025. Source
  • Enterprise renewal spending under pressure: Management said enterprise renewal spending remains under pressure, while pointing to new-business sales performance and demand for specialized technology talent as encouraging signs. Source

Cash, debt and share repurchases

  • Free cash flow $5.3 million: Cash from operations was $7.2 million against $4.8 million; after $1.9 million of fixed asset purchases, free cash flow was $5.3 million against $3.2 million. Source
  • Year-to-date free cash flow up 104%: Year-to-date free cash flow was $16.6 million against $8.1 million a year earlier, a 104% increase. Source
  • Total debt down $2.0 million: Total debt was $30.0 million, flat against year-end 2025 and down $2.0 million from $32.0 million at June 30, 2026. Source
  • Shares repurchased in the quarter: The company repurchased 0.9 million shares for $3.8 million in the quarter, under its repurchase program and from vesting of share-based awards. Source
  • Year-to-date repurchase payments $9.4 million: Year-to-date payments under the repurchase plan were $9.4 million, against $4.5 million a year earlier. Source
  • Cash balance at quarter end: Cash ended the quarter at $3.2 million, down from $3.8 million at June 30, 2026. Source

Strategy and market positioning

  • Balancing investment, debt and returns: Management said it balances growth investment with financial discipline, debt reduction and capital returns, and that recurring revenue and cash generation provide flexibility. Source
  • Focus on Dice retention and execution: Management said it remains focused on Dice customer retention and sales execution while building on ClearanceJobs momentum. Source
  • AI demand for experienced technology talent: Management said AI initiatives create new requirements for experienced technology professionals and that the Dice skills-based marketplace is well positioned to serve them. Source

Coming up, as management said on 4 November 2026

  • Fourth-quarter 2026 revenue guidance provided: Fourth-quarter 2026 revenue guidance provided for DHI, ClearanceJobs and Dice in this release. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Recruitment package customers, ClearanceJobs Source1,764
Recruitment package customers, Dice Source3,452
Backlog Source$87.5 million ($87,456 thousand)
Total bookings, third quarter Source$27.9 million
Average annual revenue per recruitment package customer, ClearanceJobs Source$29,228

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said Dice customer retention and new-business performance remain areas of work while expenses are managed. Source
  • Demand: Management said the focus is on converting stronger ClearanceJobs bookings into sustained revenue growth. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The second-quarter release reaffirmed full-year revenue guidance; the third-quarter release narrowed the range. Management did not state a status.
  • Not stated: The second-quarter release raised Dice full-year margin guidance from 22% to 24%; the third-quarter release sets it at 25%.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.