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PJT Partners Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 3 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 1 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Full-year revenue up 15%: Full-year 2025 revenues were $1.71 billion, up 15% from a year earlier, according to the company's headline figures. Source
  • Full-year pretax income up 27%: GAAP pretax income was $343 million and adjusted pretax income was $357 million, up 27% and 28% from a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year diluted EPS up 36%: GAAP diluted EPS was $6.68, up 36%; adjusted EPS was $6.98, up 39%. Adjusted EPS is calculated on an if-converted share count. Source
  • Advisory growth from strategic and restructuring: Full-year advisory fees were $1.50 billion, up 14%. The company attributed the increase to strategic advisory and restructuring revenues. Source
  • Compensation rose with higher revenue: Full-year GAAP compensation and benefits were $1.16 billion, against $1.03 billion, or 67.6% of revenues versus 69.1%. The company cited a lower accrual rate as an offset. Source
  • Cash balance rose; no funded debt: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $586 million at year-end, up from $521 million at September 30, with no funded debt. Source
  • Repurchases and exchanges during 2025: For 2025 the company repurchased 2.4 million shares and share equivalents at an average of $157.18: 1.3 million in the open market, 796 thousand units exchanged for cash, and 346 thousand net-settled for employee tax obligations. Source

“2025 was a year of record setting performance across the board with record Revenues, record Adjusted Pretax Income and record Adjusted EPS.”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Quarterly dividend SourcePayable March 18, 2026$0.25 per share of Class A common stockKept
Partnership Unit cash exchange SourcePricing on February 5, 2026850 thousand Partnership UnitsNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance kept: Quarterly dividend held at $0.25 per share, the same amount as in the third quarter 2025 release. Source
  • New: Next Partnership Unit cash exchange is 850 thousand units priced February 5, 2026, up from 115 thousand units priced November 6, 2025. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Full-year revenue up 15%: Full-year 2025 revenues were $1.71 billion, up 15% from a year earlier, according to the company's headline figures. Source
  • Full-year pretax income up 27%: GAAP pretax income was $343 million and adjusted pretax income was $357 million, up 27% and 28% from a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year diluted EPS up 36%: GAAP diluted EPS was $6.68, up 36%; adjusted EPS was $6.98, up 39%. Adjusted EPS is calculated on an if-converted share count. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue up 12%: Fourth-quarter revenues were $535 million, up 12% from $477 million in the prior-year quarter. Source
  • Fourth-quarter adjusted EPS up 34%: Fourth-quarter GAAP diluted EPS was $1.97, up 8%; adjusted EPS was $2.55, up 34%, on an if-converted share basis. Source

Revenue mix by line

  • Advisory growth from strategic and restructuring: Full-year advisory fees were $1.50 billion, up 14%. The company attributed the increase to strategic advisory and restructuring revenues. Source
  • Fourth-quarter advisory driven by restructuring: Fourth-quarter advisory fees were $474 million, up 9% from $435 million; the company attributed the increase to restructuring revenues. Source
  • Placement fees rose 24% for year: Full-year placement fees were $181.6 million, up 24%; fourth-quarter placement fees were $53.2 million, up 64%. Source
  • Interest income declined on lower rates: Interest income and other was $31.7 million for the year, down 4%, and $8.1 million in the quarter, down 22%. The company cited lower interest rates. Source

“our sustained investment in building the best advisory-focused firm”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Expenses and compensation

  • Compensation rose with higher revenue: Full-year GAAP compensation and benefits were $1.16 billion, against $1.03 billion, or 67.6% of revenues versus 69.1%. The company cited a lower accrual rate as an offset. Source
  • Non-compensation costs rose year on year: Full-year GAAP non-compensation expense was $213 million, against $191 million, driven mainly by occupancy, travel, and communications and information services. Source
  • Fourth-quarter compensation ratio fell: Fourth-quarter GAAP compensation and benefits were $357 million, against $326 million, or 66.6% of revenues versus 68.3%. Source

Margins and tax

  • Full-year pretax margin rose: GAAP pretax margin was 20.0% for the year, against 18.1%; adjusted pretax margin was 20.8%, against 18.6%. Source
  • Fourth-quarter pretax margin rose: Fourth-quarter GAAP pretax margin was 23.0%, against 21.6%; adjusted pretax margin was 23.7%, against 22.4%. Source
  • Full-year GAAP tax rate fell: The GAAP effective tax rate was 9.7% for 2025, against 11.9%. The company attributed the decrease to a greater tax benefit on delivery of vested shares. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP tax rate rose: The GAAP effective tax rate for the quarter was 19.3%, against 11.6%. The adjusted if-converted tax rate for the year was 14.1%, against 20.6%. Source
  • Non-GAAP measures remove certain items: Adjusted measures remove acquisition-related compensation, acquisition-related intangible amortization and the net change in the amount payable to former parent Blackstone Inc. The company states they are not substitutes for GAAP measures. Source

“our firm remains well positioned to prosper in nearly any market environment.”

Paul J. Taubman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer

Strategy and investment

  • Office footprint expansion lifted occupancy: Full-year occupancy and related costs were $59.7 million, against $50.7 million, reflecting the expansion of the global office footprint. Source
  • Technology spending continued to rise: Full-year communications and information services were $37.6 million, against $33.1 million, citing technology infrastructure, business applications and market data. Source
  • DeNovo acquisition equity awards excluded: Acquisition-related compensation was $8.0 million for the year and $2.2 million in the quarter, for equity awards tied to the deNovo Partners acquisition on October 1, 2024. Source

Capital and returns to shareholders

  • Cash balance rose; no funded debt: Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $586 million at year-end, up from $521 million at September 30, with no funded debt. Source
  • Repurchases and exchanges during 2025: For 2025 the company repurchased 2.4 million shares and share equivalents at an average of $157.18: 1.3 million in the open market, 796 thousand units exchanged for cash, and 346 thousand net-settled for employee tax obligations. Source
  • Fourth-quarter repurchases at $166.89: In the fourth quarter the company repurchased 148 thousand shares and share equivalents at an average price of $166.89 per share. Source
  • Remaining buyback authorization $82 million: Remaining repurchase authorization for Class A common stock was $82 million at year-end, down from $87 million at September 30. Source

Share count and ownership

  • Ownership of PJT Holdings LP rose: The company owned 62.0% of PJT Partners Holdings LP at year-end, up from 61.8% at September 30. The company is subject to U.S. federal and state corporate income tax. Source
  • Fully diluted share count fell: Fully-diluted shares outstanding were 45,655,469 at December 31, 2025, against 46,675,815 a year earlier, with Partnership Units and unvested RSUs assumed converted. Source
  • Fourth-quarter if-converted shares: Fourth-quarter if-converted weighted-average shares were 43,811,665, against 44,948,160 a year earlier; this is the share basis for adjusted EPS. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Partner and firm-wide headcount Source133 partners; 1,224 firm-wide headcount at December 31, 2025

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management restated its confidence in future growth prospects, referring back to its earlier statements. No specific milestone was given. 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.