Quess Corp shares slid 5.39% to ₹306.95 on the BSE after the company disclosed a 44.9% YoY jump in net profit to ₹75 crore, up from ₹52 crore a year earlier—an unexpected lift that tripped traders into a sell‑off. Revenue also grew 14.7% to ₹4,396 crore, but EBITDA margin held flat at 2%, nudging analysts to downgrade the upside for the quarter.
The General Staffing arm led the charge, turning in ₹3,823 crore of revenue and ₹57 crore EBITDA, while the construction vertical nearly doubled its EBITDA year‑on‑year, and Professional Staffing maintained an 11% margin on ₹1,000 crore of revenue. Headcount surged to 490,000, adding 20,000 new hires, and 116 new client logos were inked, keeping the top‑line trajectory strong.
Board approval of a ₹5 per share interim dividend—half the ₹10 par value—comes as cash on hand swelled to ₹471 crore and quarterly cash collections topped ₹5,000 crore, signalling liquidity health and shareholder confidence. CEO Lohit Bhatia noted that “this quarter’s performance was marked by a significant milestone as our headcount crossed 500k, driven largely by headcount additions of over 20k in our General Staffing business.”
Looking at the first half, revenue rose 15% YoY to ₹8,578 crore, adjusted EBITDA climbed 22% to ₹178 crore, and ROE leapt to 25% from 20% in FY26—an indicator that the company’s profitability engine is tightening. PAT for H1 hit ₹157 crore, and EPS climbed to ₹10.4.
Bhatia flagged a target of 10% YoY revenue growth for FY27 Q3, while the board reiterated its commitment to sustainable shareholder returns, hinting that the ₹5 dividend may be matched or increased if the trend persists. Investors will be watching the next earnings release, scheduled for November 15, to gauge whether the staffing boom continues amid macro‑economic headwinds.