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Huron Consulting Group Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 5 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record RBR, up 12.1%: RBR rose $48.0 million, or 12.1%, to $443.7 million, a company record, from $395.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Organic RBR growth was 7.3%: Acquisitions completed since December 31, 2024 contributed $19.3 million of incremental RBR. Excluding that amount, RBR grew 7.3% organically. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 21.9%: Adjusted EBITDA was $50.6 million, or 11.4% of RBR, against $41.5 million, or 10.5%, a year earlier. EBITDA rose 34.1% to $45.9 million. Source
  • Healthcare RBR up 13.5%: Healthcare RBR was $225.2 million. Segment operating margin was 28.4%, unchanged, and operating income rose 13.6% to $64.0 million. Source
  • Consulting and Managed Services up 21.3%: Consulting and Managed Services RBR was $271.6 million, up 21.3%. Digital RBR was $172.1 million, up 0.2%. Source
  • Repurchases returned $155.5 million: The company repurchased 1.1 million shares in the quarter, 6.5% of shares outstanding at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Operating cash used widened: Net cash used in operating activities was $162.2 million, against $106.8 million a year earlier. Source

“Revenues before reimbursable expenses (RBR) increased 12% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to 2025, driven by growth across the Healthcare, Education, and Commercial segments, including record RBR performance in Healthcare”

Mark Hussey, chief executive officer and president of Huron

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenues before reimbursable expenses (RBR) SourceFull year 2026$1.78 billion to $1.86 billionKept
Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of RBR SourceFull year 202614.5% to 15.0%Kept
Adjusted diluted earnings per share SourceFull year 2026$8.35 to $9.15Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Full-year 2026 guidance affirmed, including the RBR range of $1.78 billion to $1.86 billion. Source
  • New: One Commercial Digital offering was reclassified to the same offering within Healthcare, with prior-period headcount revised. Source
  • New: One Education Managed Services offering was reclassified to Education Consulting, with prior-period headcount and RBR revised. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record RBR, up 12.1%: RBR rose $48.0 million, or 12.1%, to $443.7 million, a company record, from $395.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Organic RBR growth was 7.3%: Acquisitions completed since December 31, 2024 contributed $19.3 million of incremental RBR. Excluding that amount, RBR grew 7.3% organically. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA up 21.9%: Adjusted EBITDA was $50.6 million, or 11.4% of RBR, against $41.5 million, or 10.5%, a year earlier. EBITDA rose 34.1% to $45.9 million. Source
  • Net income down on tax expense: Net income was $23.2 million, or 5.1% of total revenues, against $24.5 million, or 6.1%. Diluted EPS was $1.34, against $1.33. Income tax was a $3.8 million expense, against a $3.1 million benefit. Source
  • Adjusted diluted EPS up 3.0%: Adjusted diluted EPS was $1.73, against $1.68, an increase of 3.0%. Adjusted net income was $30.0 million, against $31.1 million. Source

Segments and regions

  • Healthcare RBR up 13.5%: Healthcare RBR was $225.2 million. Segment operating margin was 28.4%, unchanged, and operating income rose 13.6% to $64.0 million. Source
  • Education margin rose to 21.6%: Education RBR was $127.5 million, up 3.8%. Segment operating margin was 21.6%, against 18.8%, and operating income rose 19.6% to $27.6 million. Source
  • Commercial RBR up 22.3%: Commercial RBR was $91.0 million. Segment operating margin was 16.4%, against 15.2%, and operating income rose 31.9% to $14.9 million. Source
  • Healthcare was 51% of RBR: Year-to-date 2026 RBR mix by segment was Healthcare 51%, Education 29% and Commercial 20%. Source

“We continue to believe we are well positioned to serve as our clients’ trusted advisor as they evolve their business models and organizations to succeed in challenged markets and in an increasingly AI-enabled world.”

Mark Hussey, chief executive officer and president of Huron

Capabilities and demand

  • Consulting and Managed Services up 21.3%: Consulting and Managed Services RBR was $271.6 million, up 21.3%. Digital RBR was $172.1 million, up 0.2%. Source
  • Demand in Healthcare and Commercial: Management attributed the RBR growth to continued demand for Consulting and Managed Services within Healthcare and Commercial. Source
  • Healthcare Managed Services revenue up: Healthcare Managed Services RBR was $26.1 million, against $18.3 million. Education Managed Services RBR was $5.8 million, against $5.6 million. Source

Costs and margins

  • Direct costs rose with revenue: Direct costs were $308.2 million, against $278.0 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $84.7 million, against $76.6 million. Source
  • Unallocated corporate costs up 14.6%: Unallocated corporate expenses were $60.0 million, against $52.4 million. Depreciation and amortization was $9.7 million, against $6.9 million. Source
  • Contingent consideration remeasurement charges: Other losses of $3.8 million were contingent consideration remeasurement charges, adjusted out of the non-GAAP measures. Source

“We are encouraged by the strong start to the year and strength of our pipeline and backlog as we affirm our annual RBR and margin guidance.”

Mark Hussey, chief executive officer and president of Huron

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Repurchases returned $155.5 million: The company repurchased 1.1 million shares in the quarter, 6.5% of shares outstanding at December 31, 2025. Source
  • Operating cash used widened: Net cash used in operating activities was $162.2 million, against $106.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Long-term debt rose substantially: Long-term debt, net of current portion, was $834.7 million at March 31, 2026, against $489.7 million at December 31, 2025. Source

Strategy and investment

  • Focus on market tailwinds: Management said it remains focused on executing against market tailwinds and strengthening its competitive position for clients. Source
  • Capex rose, software spend slightly lower: Purchases of property and equipment were $5.7 million, against $1.9 million. Capitalized internally developed software was $6.2 million, against $6.7 million. Source

People and leadership

  • Revenue-generating professionals up 12.6%: Revenue-generating professionals, excluding Managed Services, numbered 5,346, up from 4,748, reflecting acquisitions and hiring. Source
  • Managed Services professionals up 59.5%: Managed Services professionals numbered 2,643, up from 1,657. Healthcare had 2,537 of them, against 1,568 a year earlier. Source
  • Digital utilization fell: Digital utilization was 74.8%, against 78.2% a year earlier. Consulting utilization was 74.6%, against 74.1%. Source
  • Great Place To Work certification: Huron was certified by Great Place To Work for the second consecutive year, in five countries including the United States. Source

Reporting changes this quarter

  • Commercial Digital offering moved to Healthcare: Professionals in one Commercial Digital offering moved into Healthcare, where they mainly serve healthcare clients. Totals are unchanged, and prior-period headcount was revised. Source
  • Education Managed Services offering moved to Consulting: One Education Managed Services offering moved into Education Consulting. Its RBR was $1.8 million in Q1 2025 and $1.6 million in Q4 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 5 May 2026

  • Form 10-Q filing: Operating-industry financial results will appear in the forthcoming Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Revenue-generating professionals, excluding Managed Services Source5,346 at March 31, 2026, up 12.6%
Managed Services professionals Source2,643 at March 31, 2026, up 59.5%
Total revenue-generating professionals Source7,989 at March 31, 2026, up 24.7%

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management referred to a continuing trajectory of margin expansion, attributing it to disciplined execution. Source

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.