QuinStreet (QNST)
Market Price (12/4/2025): $15.05 | Market Cap: $863.2 MilSector: Communication Services | Industry: Interactive Media & Services
QuinStreet (QNST)
Market Price (12/4/2025): $15.05Market Cap: $863.2 MilSector: Communication ServicesIndustry: Interactive Media & Services
Investment Highlights
Why It Matters
Which of these 2 stories sounds closer for this stock?
1. Generates cash flow
The stock generated 4% or more of the share price (called cash flow yield), and shows moderate 10-15% or more growth.
2. Riding a trend
Think Tesla during the pandemic of 2020 when EVs were riding a cultural high, or Nvidia in the current AI boom, or even Figma. These companies don’t have enough yield, or, enough growth, or both - however - they are riding a trend. They have momentum. These can be more volatile - they don’t have the floor of strong cash flow
| Cash is significant % of market capNet D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is -11% | Weak multi-year price returns2Y Excs Rtn is -18%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -64% | Expensive valuation multiplesP/EBITPrice/EBIT or Price/(Operating Income) ratio is 73x, P/EPrice/Earnings or Price/(Net Income) is 84x |
| Strong revenue growthRev Chg LTMRevenue Change % Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 43% | Yield minus risk free rate is negativeERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is -3.0% | |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 11% | ||
| Attractive yieldFCF Yield is 12% | ||
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 45% | ||
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Digital Advertising, and E-commerce & Digital Retail. Themes include Ad-Tech Platforms, Online Marketplaces, Show more. |
| Cash is significant % of market capNet D/ENet Debt/Equity. Debt net of cash. Negative indicates net cash. Equity is taken as the Market Capitalization is -11% |
| Strong revenue growthRev Chg LTMRevenue Change % Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 43% |
| Attractive cash flow generationCFO/Rev LTMCash Flow from Operations / Revenue (Sales), Last Twelve Months (LTM) is 11% |
| Attractive yieldFCF Yield is 12% |
| Low stock price volatilityVol 12M is 45% |
| Megatrend and thematic driversMegatrends include Digital Advertising, and E-commerce & Digital Retail. Themes include Ad-Tech Platforms, Online Marketplaces, Show more. |
| Weak multi-year price returns2Y Excs Rtn is -18%, 3Y Excs Rtn is -64% |
| Expensive valuation multiplesP/EBITPrice/EBIT or Price/(Operating Income) ratio is 73x, P/EPrice/Earnings or Price/(Net Income) is 84x |
| Yield minus risk free rate is negativeERPEquity Risk Premium (ERP) = Total Yield - Risk Free Rate, Reflects the premium above risk free assets offered by the investment. is -3.0% |
Valuation, Metrics & Events
QNST Stock
Why The Stock Moved
Qualitative Assessment
AI Generated Analysis | Feedback
Here are five key points explaining the approximate -3.3% stock movement for QuinStreet (QNST) between August 31, 2025, and December 4, 2025:
1. Initial Negative Market Reaction to Q4 Fiscal 2025 Earnings.
QuinStreet reported its fiscal Q4 2025 earnings on August 7, 2025, which, despite strong revenue growth, included an adjusted earnings per share (EPS) that missed analyst consensus estimates. This led to an initial stock decline of 4.62% month-to-date as of August 22, 2025, setting a negative tone even before the start of the requested period and potentially carrying over into it.
2. Cautious Guidance from Q1 Fiscal 2026 Earnings.
On November 6, 2025, QuinStreet released its Q1 Fiscal 2026 results, beating revenue and EPS estimates. However, the company's forward guidance for the next quarter (Q2 Fiscal 2026) indicated a projected year-on-year decline in sales of 2.7% and EBITDA guidance that was slightly below analyst expectations, which may have tempered investor enthusiasm and led to aftermarket selling.
Stock Movement Drivers
Return vs. Risk
Price Returns Compared
| 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | Total [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Returns | |||||||
| QNST Return | 40% | -15% | -21% | -11% | 80% | -40% | -10% |
| Peers Return | 43% | 24% | -25% | 25% | 3% | 7% | 83% |
| S&P 500 Return | 16% | 27% | -19% | 24% | 23% | 16% | 112% |
Monthly Win Rates [3] | |||||||
| QNST Win Rate | 67% | 33% | 58% | 58% | 75% | 30% | |
| Peers Win Rate | 27% | 35% | 18% | 35% | 27% | 65% | |
| S&P 500 Win Rate | 58% | 75% | 42% | 67% | 75% | 70% | |
Max Drawdowns [4] | |||||||
| QNST Max Drawdown | -60% | -38% | -53% | -52% | -9% | -43% | |
| Peers Max Drawdown | -13% | -12% | -28% | -8% | -17% | -19% | |
| S&P 500 Max Drawdown | -31% | -1% | -25% | -1% | -2% | -15% | |
[1] Cumulative total returns since the beginning of 2020
[2] Peers: Z, ZIP, STUB, WSHP, GOOGL.
[3] Win Rate = % of calendar months in which monthly returns were positive
[4] Max drawdown represents maximum peak-to-trough decline within a year
[5] 2025 data is for the year up to 12/3/2025 (YTD)
How Low Can It Go
| Event | QNST | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 Inflation Shock | ||
| % Loss | -72.1% | -25.4% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 257.8% | 34.1% |
| Time to Breakeven | 637 days | 464 days |
| 2020 Covid Pandemic | ||
| % Loss | -60.2% | -33.9% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 151.4% | 51.3% |
| Time to Breakeven | 194 days | 148 days |
| 2018 Correction | ||
| % Loss | -47.4% | -19.8% |
| % Gain to Breakeven | 90.0% | 24.7% |
| Time to Breakeven | 482 days | 120 days |
Compare to Z, ZIP, STUB, WSHP, GOOGL
In The Past
QuinStreet's stock fell -72.1% during the 2022 Inflation Shock from a high on 2/12/2021. A -72.1% loss requires a 257.8% gain to breakeven.
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Latest Trefis Analyses
| Title | |
|---|---|
| ARTICLES |
Trade Ideas
Select past ideas related to QNST. For more, see Trefis Trade Ideas.
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11302025 | PINS | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 2.9% | 2.9% | 0.0% | |
| 11212025 | TMUS | T-Mobile US | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 0.8% | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 11212025 | Z | Zillow | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.0% |
| 11072025 | IRDM | Iridium Communications | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | -0.5% | -0.5% | -5.6% |
| 10032025 | TTD | Trade Desk | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | -22.5% | -22.5% | -25.6% |
| Date | Ticker | Company | Category | Trade Strategy | 6M Fwd Rtn | 12M Fwd Rtn | 12M Max DD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11302025 | PINS | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 2.9% | 2.9% | 0.0% | |
| 11212025 | TMUS | T-Mobile US | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 0.8% | 0.8% | -1.2% |
| 11212025 | Z | Zillow | Monopoly | MY | Getting CheaperMonopoly-Like with P/S DeclineLarge cap with monopoly-like margins or cash flow generation and getting cheaper based on P/S multiple | 1.3% | 1.3% | 0.0% |
| 11072025 | IRDM | Iridium Communications | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | -0.5% | -0.5% | -5.6% |
| 10032025 | TTD | Trade Desk | Dip Buy | DB | CFO/Rev | Low D/EDip Buy with High Cash Flow MarginsBuying dips for companies with significant cash flows from operations and reasonable debt / market cap | -22.5% | -22.5% | -25.6% |
Research & Analysis
Invest in Strategies
Wealth Management
Peer Comparisons for QuinStreet
| Peers to compare with: |
Financials
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Price | 45.59 |
| Mkt Cap | 9.6 |
| Rev LTM | 1,792 |
| Op Inc LTM | -8 |
| FCF LTM | 127 |
| FCF 3Y Avg | 122 |
| CFO LTM | 268 |
| CFO 3Y Avg | 226 |
Growth & Margins
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Rev Chg LTM | 14.3% |
| Rev Chg 3Y Avg | 9.0% |
| Rev Chg Q | 9.2% |
| QoQ Delta Rev Chg LTM | 2.2% |
| Op Mgn LTM | -1.3% |
| Op Mgn 3Y Avg | 0.8% |
| QoQ Delta Op Mgn LTM | 0.1% |
| CFO/Rev LTM | 13.8% |
| CFO/Rev 3Y Avg | 14.4% |
| FCF/Rev LTM | 7.8% |
| FCF/Rev 3Y Avg | 9.0% |
Valuation
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| Mkt Cap | 9.6 |
| P/S | 4.2 |
| P/EBIT | -13.4 |
| P/E | 7.6 |
| P/CFO | 21.3 |
| Total Yield | 0.5% |
| Dividend Yield | 0.0% |
| FCF Yield 3Y Avg | 2.9% |
| D/E | 0.0 |
| Net D/E | -0.0 |
Returns
| Median | |
|---|---|
| Name | |
| 1M Rtn | 1.8% |
| 3M Rtn | 2.4% |
| 6M Rtn | 2.9% |
| 12M Rtn | -20.7% |
| 3Y Rtn | 51.0% |
| 1M Excs Rtn | 1.8% |
| 3M Excs Rtn | -5.2% |
| 6M Excs Rtn | -11.8% |
| 12M Excs Rtn | -35.4% |
| 3Y Excs Rtn | -10.9% |
Returns Analyses
SEC Filings
Expand for More| Report Date | Filing Date | Filing |
|---|---|---|
| 9302025 | 11072025 | 10-Q 9/30/2025 |
| 6302025 | 8212025 | 10-K 6/30/2025 |
| 3312025 | 5082025 | 10-Q 3/31/2025 |
| 12312024 | 2072025 | 10-Q 12/31/2024 |
| 9302024 | 11082024 | 10-Q 9/30/2024 |
| 6302024 | 8212024 | 10-K 6/30/2024 |
| 3312024 | 5092024 | 10-Q 3/31/2024 |
| 12312023 | 2082024 | 10-Q 12/31/2023 |
| 9302023 | 11032023 | 10-Q 9/30/2023 |
| 6302023 | 8212023 | 10-K 6/30/2023 |
| 3312023 | 5052023 | 10-Q 3/31/2023 |
| 12312022 | 2092023 | 10-Q 12/31/2022 |
| 9302022 | 11042022 | 10-Q 9/30/2022 |
| 6302022 | 8222022 | 10-K 6/30/2022 |
| 3312022 | 5062022 | 10-Q 3/31/2022 |
| 12312021 | 2092022 | 10-Q 12/31/2021 |
External Quote Links
| Y Finance | Barrons |
| TradingView | Morningstar |
| SeekingAlpha | ValueLine |
| Motley Fool | Robinhood |
| CNBC | Etrade |
| MarketWatch | Unusual Whales |
| YCharts | Perplexity Finance |
| FinViz |