Quess Corp delivered steady financial performance in Q4 FY26 and the full year FY26, reporting revenue growth alongside strong margin expansion and improved earnings quality. The company's earnings call highlighted disciplined execution across its staffing and international segments, a structural shift towards higher-margin businesses, and a robust balance sheet — culminating in a total dividend of ₹6 per share declared by the Board.

Q4 FY26 and Full-Year FY26 Financial Highlights

For Q4 FY26, consolidated revenues stood at ₹3,892 crore, reflecting 6% year-on-year growth. EBITDA came in at ₹86 crore, up 28% year-on-year and 8% sequentially, with EBITDA margins improving to 2.2% — an expansion of 37 basis points year-on-year. Reported PAT stood at ₹64 crore, reflecting a 167% year-on-year increase, with EPS of ₹4.3 per share. For the full year FY26, consolidated revenues stood at ₹15,305 crore, reflecting 2% year-on-year growth. EBITDA increased to ₹312 crore, delivering 19% year-on-year growth, with margins expanding to 2%. Adjusted PAT for the year stood at ₹250 crore, up 10% year-on-year, with adjusted EPS of ₹15.4 per share. Return on equity remained strong at 20%.

The Board approved a final dividend of ₹3 per share and a special dividend of ₹3 per share to mark the 10th anniversary of the company's IPO, bringing the total dividend to ₹6 per share.

Segment-Wise Performance

General Staffing

General Staffing remains the largest segment, contributing 86% of total FY26 revenue. For Q4 FY26, revenues stood at ₹3,328 crore, up 6% year-on-year, while segment EBITDA stood at ₹52 crore, reflecting 21% year-on-year growth. For the full year, revenues stood at ₹13,176 crore with EBITDA at ₹189 crore. The segment added 59 new contracts in Q4, taking total FY26 new contract additions to 281. DSO remained tightly controlled at 24 days, including unbilled revenue, with AR DSO at 15 days. Collect & Pay mix remained strong at 76%. The segment reported an EBITDA margin of 1.5%. During FY26, approximately 26,000 net headcount additions were made in the Staffing Solutions business, though discontinued projects resulted in a loss of 7,000 headcount during the year. Management noted that the discontinued project had a revenue impact of approximately ₹200 crore, or roughly 1.3% of revenue.

Professional Staffing

Professional Staffing delivered strong margin-led growth. For Q4 FY26, revenues stood at ₹232 crore, with EBITDA of ₹30 crore, up 47% year-on-year, and margins at 12%. For the full year, revenue grew to ₹930 crore, up 13% year-on-year, while EBITDA increased to ₹111 crore, up 43% year-on-year. GCC-led engagements accounted for over 70% of headcount deployment. Management indicated that Professional Staffing margins are expected to remain in the 11%–12% range in the medium term.

Overseas Business

The Overseas business delivered consistent growth with improving margins. For Q4 FY26, revenues stood at ₹332 crore, up 16% year-on-year, with EBITDA of ₹21 crore, up 18% year-on-year. For the full year, revenue stood at ₹1,197 crore, up 5% year-on-year, with EBITDA of ₹77 crore, up 21% year-on-year. Blended EBITDA margins remained in the range of 6%–7%.

Key international highlights included Middle East closing FY26 with 11% EBITDA margin, posting revenue and EBITDA growth of 27% and 40% respectively. Malaysia delivered revenue growth of 83% year-on-year, scaling to 900 headcount with an EBITDA margin of 4.3%. Philippines posted 49% revenue growth at a 10% EBITDA margin, crossing 700 headcount. Quess Singapore's General Staffing added 68 new contracts and over 491 local headcounts, taking total headcount in that geography to over 1,026. The company added 125 new logos in the Overseas business during the year.

Balance Sheet and Capital Allocation

Quess Corp's balance sheet remained strong at the close of FY26, with a net cash position of ₹271 crore and zero gross debt. Operating cash flow conversion remained robust at 80% of EBITDA, reflecting disciplined working capital management. The company ended the year with a total headcount of approximately 4,78,594 associates across its staffing platforms.

Margin Targets and Growth Outlook

Management outlined a phased approach to margin expansion and revenue growth. In the near term, the company targets sustaining a margin above 2%, with a medium-term goal of 2.4% over the next three years. For the Professional Staffing segment, margins are expected to remain in the 11%–12% range. The Overseas business is targeted to sustain margins above 6%. For the staffing business, management indicated expectations of 10%–11% headcount growth and 12%–13% revenue growth. The effective tax rate is expected to remain in the 7%–10% range over the next three years.

High-margin businesses — Professional Staffing and Overseas — now contribute approximately 50% of total operating profitability, reflecting a structural shift in the company's business mix. Quess Corp also noted it has been certified as a "Great Place to Work" for the 7th consecutive year, with recognition across India, Singapore, and the Middle East, and received the "LinkedIn Talent Award 2025" for "AI Pioneer."

Quess Corp Limited announced its audited financial results for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2026, at its Board meeting held on May 4, 2026. The company reported a consolidated net profit of INR 2,222.01 million for FY26, a significant increase compared to INR 458.89 million in the previous year. For the quarter ended March 31, 2026, consolidated net profit attributable to owners of the company stood at INR 641.35 million, reversing the loss of INR 954.93 million reported in the same period last year. Profit before tax (PBT) for Q4 FY26 was INR 690.18 million, compared to a loss of INR 989.12 million in Q4 FY25. Total comprehensive income for FY26 stood at INR 2,421.45 million versus INR 380.54 million in the prior year.

Financial Performance

Consolidated revenue from operations for FY26 was INR 1,53,051.87 million, up 2% year-on-year. EBITDA for the year rose 19% to ₹312 crore, with a margin improvement of 29 basis points. Adjusted PAT for FY26 was ₹230 crore, up 10% YoY, with a return on equity (ROE) of 20%. EBITDA to operating cash flow (OCF) stood at 80% for FY26. On a quarterly basis, Q4 revenue was ₹3,892 crore, and EBITDA reached ₹86 crore, up 28% YoY and 8% QoQ. The previous quarter carried an exceptional item of INR 1.58 billion. The following table summarises the key quarterly and annual performance metrics:

Excluding one-time exceptional items

Commenting on the results, CEO Mr. Lohit Bhatia said, "I am pleased to report our FY26 results. We closed the year strong with EBITDA of ₹312 crore, up by 19% YoY and Adj. PAT of ₹230 crore, up by 10% YoY. The Board has approved a special interim dividend of ₹3 per share on account of 10 years of IPO and a final dividend of ₹3 per share, staying true to our commitment to shareholders in line with Quess' guiding principles. Our EBITDA growth was driven by Professional Staffing and Overseas Business. Despite regulatory and global headwinds, our Staffing Solutions business added around 26,000 to its headcount, a testament to our resilient, all-weather business model."

Segment-Wise Performance

The company operates across four segments. The following table presents segment revenue for the quarter and year ended March 31, 2026 (INR in millions):

General Staffing added around 26,000 to its headcount during the year, with 281 new contracts added. Accounts receivable DSO stood at 15 days with collection and payment (C&P) at 76%, and the construction vertical delivered an 8.3% margin. However, discontinued projects resulted in a headcount loss of 7,000 during the year.

Professional Staffing delivered a 43% YoY increase in EBITDA with a record margin of approximately 12%, driven by sustained GCC hiring momentum. GCC share of total headcount stood at 71%, and 13 new client logos were added in Q4, taking total new contracts for FY26 to 61.

Overseas Business closed the year with 21% EBITDA growth, driven by strong performances from UAE, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The Middle East closed FY26 with an 11% EBITDA margin, posting revenue and EBITDA growth of 27% and 40% respectively. Malaysia delivered revenue growth of 83% YoY, scaling to 900 headcount with an EBITDA margin of 4.3%. The Philippines posted 49% revenue growth and a 10% EBITDA margin, crossing the 700 headcount milestone. Quess Singapore – General Staffing added 68 new contracts and 491 local headcount, taking overall headcount to 1,026. A total of 125 new logos were added across the Overseas Business with double-digit growth in both revenue and EBITDA.

Dividend Declaration

The Board declared a special interim dividend of INR 3 per equity share to mark the tenth anniversary of the company's listing, aggregating to INR 447.99 million. The record date for this special interim dividend is May 8, 2026, with payment scheduled on or before May 21, 2026. Additionally, the Board recommended a final dividend of INR 3 per equity share for FY26, subject to shareholder approval at the 19th Annual General Meeting, also aggregating to INR 447.99 million. Separately, an interim dividend of INR 5.00 per equity share was declared in January 2026, aggregating to INR 746.02 million, which was paid on February 16, 2026. The total dividend per share for FY26 thus stands at INR 11 per share across all three tranches.

Auditor Qualification and Tax Matters

Statutory auditors, Deloitte Haskins & Sells LLP, issued a qualified opinion on the audited financial results for both standalone and consolidated financials. The qualification relates to income tax matters where certain deductions claimed under Section 80JJAA and depreciation on goodwill have been disallowed by tax authorities for fiscal years 2017 to 2023. The company has challenged these disallowances and assessed INR 3,879.94 million as contingent liabilities. The company has claimed Section 80JJAA deduction of INR 1,588.24 million for the year ended March 31, 2026, and for fiscal 2024 and 2025, had also claimed deductions aggregating to INR 8,447.82 million for which assessment is yet to be completed. Additionally, the company recognised an incremental expense of INR 62.23 million under Exceptional Items on account of new Labour Codes effective November 21, 2025. The company also incurred professional fees relating to demerger and certain employee benefits expense aggregating to INR 18.51 million for FY26 towards the Composite Scheme of Arrangement.

Board and Governance Changes

The Board approved several governance changes at its May 4, 2026 meeting. Mr. Anish Thurthi (DIN: 08713000) was appointed as an Additional Director (Non-Executive, Non-Independent) effective June 1, 2026, till the ensuing 19th AGM, based on the recommendation of the Nomination and Remuneration Committee. Mr. Thurthi is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of experience in investment management, M&A, and financial advisory, and is a Director at Fairbridge Capital Private Limited. Concurrently, Mr. Chandran Ratnaswami (DIN: 00109215) resigned as Non-Executive Director effective May 31, 2026, citing advancing age. The Board also announced the appointment of KFin Technologies Limited as its new Registrar and Share Transfer Agent, replacing MUFG Intime India Private Limited, with the effective date to be communicated in due course.