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PJT Partners Inc.: Q3 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 November 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 37% in the quarter: Third quarter revenues were $447.1 million, up 37% from $326.3 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenues were $1,178.5 million, up 16% from $1,015.9 million. Source
  • Pretax income and EPS both up: GAAP pretax income was $91.0 million, up 84%; adjusted pretax income was $94.0 million, up 86%. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.47 against $0.79, and adjusted EPS $1.85 against $0.93. Source
  • Advisory fees up 37% on strategic work: Advisory fees were $389.8 million, up 37% from $283.8 million. Management attributed the rise principally to strategic advisory revenues. Nine-month advisory fees rose 17% to $1,026.5 million. Source
  • Compensation rose with revenue: GAAP compensation and benefits was $303.3 million, or 67.8% of revenues, against $226.8 million. Management attributed the increase to higher revenues, partly offset by a lower accrual rate. Source
  • Cash rose to $521 million, no debt: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $521 million at September 30, 2025, against $318 million at June 30, 2025. The company had no funded debt. Source
  • Nine-month repurchases reached 2.3 million shares: The company repurchased 2.3 million shares and share equivalents through September 30, 2025, against 2.1 million through June 30, at a volume-weighted average price of $156.55. Source

“the significant investments we have made over an extended period of time continue to bear fruit.”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Dividend SourceQuarterly dividend paid December 17, 2025 to holders of record December 3, 2025$0.25 per share of Class A common stockKept
Buybacks (Partnership Unit exchange for cash) SourceExchange priced at the volume-weighted average price on November 6, 2025115 thousand Partnership UnitsNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: The quarterly dividend was kept at $0.25 per share, the same amount as the prior quarter. Source
  • New: The company announced an intended exchange of 115 thousand Partnership Units for cash, subject to Board approval, which the prior release did not contain. Source
  • New: Prior-period expense presentation changed: 2024 amounts were moved from Other Expenses to Communications and Information Services, with no effect on EPS. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 37% in the quarter: Third quarter revenues were $447.1 million, up 37% from $326.3 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenues were $1,178.5 million, up 16% from $1,015.9 million. Source
  • Pretax income and EPS both up: GAAP pretax income was $91.0 million, up 84%; adjusted pretax income was $94.0 million, up 86%. GAAP diluted EPS was $1.47 against $0.79, and adjusted EPS $1.85 against $0.93. Source
  • Nine-month profit up across measures: Nine-month GAAP pretax income was $220.0 million, up 31%, and adjusted pretax income $230.2 million, up 34%. Nine-month GAAP diluted EPS was $4.70, up 53%, and adjusted EPS $4.43, up 43%. Source

Revenue lines and drivers

  • Advisory fees up 37% on strategic work: Advisory fees were $389.8 million, up 37% from $283.8 million. Management attributed the rise principally to strategic advisory revenues. Nine-month advisory fees rose 17% to $1,026.5 million. Source
  • Placement fees up 51% on fund placements: Placement fees were $49.2 million, up 51% from $32.5 million. Management attributed the rise principally to fund placement revenues. Nine-month placement fees rose 13% to $128.4 million. Source
  • Interest income and other fell: Interest income and other was $8.1 million, down 19% from $10.1 million. For the nine months it rose 5% to $23.6 million. Source

“We see tremendous opportunity ahead and we remain determined to capitalize on our enormous potential.”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Compensation and other expenses

  • Compensation rose with revenue: GAAP compensation and benefits was $303.3 million, or 67.8% of revenues, against $226.8 million. Management attributed the increase to higher revenues, partly offset by a lower accrual rate. Source
  • Non-compensation expense up overall: GAAP non-compensation expense was $52.8 million against $50.1 million; adjusted $51.4 million against $48.9 million. Nine-month GAAP non-compensation expense was $157.2 million against $142.2 million. Source
  • Other expenses fell on absent legal reserves: Other expenses were $5.3 million against $6.9 million. Management attributed the decline principally to the absence of legal reserves. Source

Margins, tax and share count

  • Expense ratio fell to 79.7%: GAAP total expenses were 79.7% of revenues against 84.9%, and adjusted 79.0% against 84.5%. Pretax margin was 20.3% on a GAAP basis and 21.0% adjusted. Source
  • Nine-month pretax margin rose to 18.7%: Nine-month GAAP pretax margin was 18.7% against 16.5%, and adjusted 19.5% against 16.9%. Nine-month expense ratio was 81.3% GAAP and 80.5% adjusted. Source
  • Nine-month GAAP tax rate 4.3%: GAAP effective tax rate was 17.6% for the quarter against 16.8%, and 4.3% for nine months against 12.1%. Adjusted If-Converted nine-month rate was 15.5% against 20.6% for full-year 2024. Source
  • Company owns 61.8% of holding partnership: The company held 61.8% of PJT Partners Holdings LP at September 30, 2025, against 61.5% at June 30, 2025. The company is subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income tax. Source
  • Diluted share count fell to 28.6 million: Weighted-average GAAP diluted shares were 28.6 million for the quarter, against 44.6 million a year earlier. Adjusted If-Converted shares were 43.8 million against 44.5 million. Source

“As before, we remain highly confident in our future growth prospects.”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Capital, cash and buybacks

  • Cash rose to $521 million, no debt: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $521 million at September 30, 2025, against $318 million at June 30, 2025. The company had no funded debt. Source
  • Nine-month repurchases reached 2.3 million shares: The company repurchased 2.3 million shares and share equivalents through September 30, 2025, against 2.1 million through June 30, at a volume-weighted average price of $156.55. Source
  • Third-quarter unit exchange at $178.22: In the third quarter the company exchanged 186 thousand Partnership Units for cash at a volume-weighted average price of $178.22 per share. Source
  • Repurchase authorization held at $87 million: The remaining repurchase authorization was $87 million at September 30, 2025, the same figure reported at June 30, 2025. Source

Footprint, travel and technology

  • Occupancy rose on global office footprint: Occupancy and related expense was $15.4 million against $13.0 million. The prior-period explanation cited London and New York offices; this quarter's cites the global office footprint. Source
  • Travel costs rose on business development: Travel and related expense was $10.4 million against $8.3 million, linked by management to business development activity and higher cost of travel. Source
  • Technology spend and market data rising: Communications and information services were $8.5 million against $8.1 million for the quarter, and $27.4 million for nine months against $24.6 million. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The prior release stated the planned exchange. The third-quarter release reports 186 thousand units exchanged during the quarter and does not name the August 5 date.

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.