EL7.AI
StocksMediumUpdated•Originally published 9 September 2026•Updated 9 September 2026•
2 min read

Korn Ferry Shares Fall as Second-Quarter Earnings Outlook of $1.30 to $1.40 Misses $1.46 Estimate

Key Facts

1First-quarter adjusted earnings were $1.43 a share versus LSEG's $1.36 estimate.
2Fee revenue was $756.5 million versus LSEG's $739.4 million estimate.
3The company expects second-quarter adjusted earnings between $1.30 and $1.40 a share, below LSEG's $1.46 estimate.
4Second-quarter fee-revenue guidance is between $860 million and $878 million.

Korn Ferry shares fell after the company forecast adjusted earnings of $1.30 to $1.40 a share for its fiscal second quarter of 2027, below the $1.46 LSEG estimate, even as its first-quarter results exceeded expectations.

First-quarter adjusted earnings were $1.43 a share versus the $1.36 LSEG estimate, while fee revenue reached $756.5 million against an estimate of $739.4 million.

Fee revenue rose 7% year over year to $756.5 million, while net income attributable to Korn Ferry increased 4% to $69.0 million. Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, or EBITDA, advanced 7% to $128.2 million, with the margin unchanged at 17.0%.

For the second quarter, the company expects fee revenue between $860 million and $878 million, an adjusted EBITDA margin between 16.8% and 17.2%, and adjusted earnings between $1.30 and $1.40 a share.

The outlook includes AMS results for September and October. Korn Ferry said the earnings range incorporates the after-tax effects of incremental intangible-asset amortization, net interest expense and additional shares tied to the acquisition completed on September 1, 2026.

Attention will turn to whether Korn Ferry can deliver fee revenue between $860 million and $878 million while maintaining an adjusted EBITDA margin between 16.8% and 17.2% and adjusted earnings between $1.30 and $1.40 a share as it integrates AMS.