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KFYKorn FerryHold6.0·$78.25+0.53%
HoldModerate Confidence
Investment thesis

Korn Ferry has delivered four consecutive earnings beats at consistent margins and trades at an attractive 12.4x forward earnings, but with an earnings report due in two days, only 2.6% headroom to the near-term price target, and falling on-balance volume, the setup demands patience rather than immediate action.

Thesis pillars

  • Perfect Earnings Beat StreakStable
  • Attractive Forward ValuationStable
  • Earnings Binary Event RiskStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

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Korn Ferry (KFY) Stock Analysis

HoldValueModerate Confidence

Industrials · Staffing & Employment Services

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $78.25, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (2.2% away).

Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm operating across five Solution areas — Consulting, Digital, Executive Search, Professional Search & Interim, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing — organized into eight reportable segments spanning 103 offices in 51 countries. The company... Read more

$78.25-12.0% A.UpsideScore 6.0/10#1 of 9 Staffing & Employment Services
QualityF-score8 / 9FCF yield6.14%
IncomeYield2.83%(5y avg 1.56%)Payout38.12%sustainable
Stop $73.87Target $78.37(resistance)A.R:R -0.8:1
Analyst target$81.00+3.5%4 analysts
$78.37our TP
$78.25price
$81.00mean
$75
$85

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $78.25, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (2.2% away). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. Score 6.0/10, moderate confidence.

Passes 7/8 gates (positive momentum, clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, earnings proximity 45d clear, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on favorable risk/reward ratio. Suitability: aggressive.

10-K grounded · weekly refresh

About Korn Ferry

About Korn Ferry

Korn Ferry generated $2,730.1 million in consolidated fee revenue in fiscal 2025, led by its Executive Search Solution area at $846.2 million, followed by Consulting at $662.7 million, Professional Search & Interim at $503.5 million, Digital at $363.5 million and RPO at $354.1 million. The firm operates 103 offices across 51 countries in four regions — North America, EMEA, APAC and Latin America — supported by 9,253 full-time professionals as of April 30, 2025.

Korn Ferry's 350 Marquee and Diamond strategic accounts accounted for approximately 39% of consolidated fee revenue in fiscal 2025, more than double their share at the program's inception, while cross-Solution referrals contributed approximately 25% of fee revenue, up from 14% in 2018. More than 83% of fiscal 2025 assignments were with clients served in the prior three years, reflecting a recurring, relationship-driven revenue base. The firm delivers services through three engagement models — custom consulting engagements, embedded subscription and license solutions, and standalone digital products via its Korn Ferry Talent Suite — spanning Consulting, Digital, Executive Search, Professional Search & Interim and RPO. Competitors include Heidrick & Struggles and Mercer, among large global advisory firms and specialized boutiques, with Korn Ferry differentiating through proprietary assessment data spanning more than 108 million assessments and behavioral-science intellectual property.

Show full overview

Beyond Solution-area mix, Korn Ferry's business concentrates unusually tightly around individual consultants: the top six consultants combined generated only about 3% of total fee revenue in fiscal 2025, and the top ten about 5%, yet the filing warns that because client relationships are held by a small number of consultants, the departure of key personnel could move client business to a competitor. Separately, the company discloses uncertainty from emerging AI regulation, noting that European regulators have proposed stringent AI rules and other jurisdictions, including certain U.S. states, are expected to adopt similar legislation as Korn Ferry incorporates AI and machine learning into its Digital and RPO offerings.

See also: Industrials · Staffing & Employment Services

From Korn Ferry's most recent 10-K filing, extracted July 19, 2026.

TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Wed, Sep 9, 202645d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
Strong earnings beat streak (4/4)
Attractive valuation
Positive insider activity
Risks
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining
Near 52-week high (2.2% away)

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)15.0
P/E (Fwd)12.4
Mkt Cap$4.0B
EV/EBITDA8.4
Profit Mgn9.5%
ROE14.6%
Rev Growth6.7%
Beta1.22
Dividend2.83%
Rating analysts9

Quality Signals

Piotroski F8/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C0.88neutral
IV46%normal

Concentration Risks(10-K Item 1A)

  • MEDIUMCustomerMarquee and Diamond accounts39%
    10-K Item 1: 'As of fiscal year-end 2025, our 350 Marquee and Diamond accounts represented approximately 39% of consolidated fee revenue'

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

Not investment advice. TrendMatrix is not a registered investment adviser. Our content is for informational and educational purposes only. Consult your own licensed investment adviser, broker, or tax professional before making any investment decision.

Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

10 dimensions · all in-band

GatesA.R:R -0.8=NEGATIVEMomentum 6.9>=5.5Insider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTEARNINGS PROXIMITY 45d clearSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
72 · Overbought
20D MA 50D MA 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $65.88Resistance $79.97

Price Targets

$74
$78
A.Upside-12.0%
A.R:R-0.8:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-12.0% upside)
! Negative risk/reward — downside exceeds upside

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-09-09 (45d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is KFY stock a buy right now?

Hold if already holding. Not a fresh buy at $78.25, but acceptable to hold if already in. Reasons: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (2.2% away). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Maintain position. Not compelling to add more. Target $78.37 (+0.2%), stop $73.87 (−5.9%), A.R:R -0.8:1. Score 6.0/10, moderate confidence.

What is the KFY stock price target?

Take-profit target: $78.37 (-12.0% upside). Target $78.37 (+0.2%), stop $73.87 (−5.9%), A.R:R -0.8:1. Stop-loss: $73.87.

What are the risks of investing in KFY?

Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (2.2% away).

Is KFY overvalued or undervalued?

Korn Ferry trades at a P/E of 15.0 (forward 12.4). TrendMatrix value score: 7.2/10. Verdict: Hold.

What do analysts say about KFY?

9 analysts cover KFY with a consensus score of 4.1/5. Average price target: $81.

What does Korn Ferry do?Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm operating across five Solution areas — Consulting, Digital, Executive Search,...

Korn Ferry is a global consulting firm operating across five Solution areas — Consulting, Digital, Executive Search, Professional Search & Interim, and Recruitment Process Outsourcing — organized into eight reportable segments spanning 103 offices in 51 countries. The company generated $2,730.1 million in fee revenue in fiscal 2025, with its 350 Marquee and Diamond strategic accounts representing approximately 39% of consolidated fee revenue and 9,253 full-time employees supporting delivery.

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