Upgraded Full-Year Guidance
Revised consolidated full-year revenue increased by JPY 66.1 billion to JPY 3,664.7 billion and EBITDA+S increased by JPY 30.2 billion to JPY 763.8 billion versus prior outlook; basic EPS guidance raised by JPY 22 to JPY 335 (up 23.4% year-over-year). Company expects full-year revenue, EBITDA, EBITDA+S, profit attributable to owners and basic EPS to all reach new record highs.
Strong U.S. HR Technology Performance
HR Technology U.S. revenue for Q3 was USD 1.3 billion, up 10.1% year-over-year and above prior outlook; U.S. ARPJ grew ~18% in Q3 and is expected to be ~19% in Q4. Q4 U.S. revenue outlook is USD 1.33 billion (up 12.4% YoY). Management's baseline for the next fiscal year targets U.S. ARPJ growth in the ~10% range on a full-year basis.
Europe & Other Markets Showing Strong Monetization
Europe & Others Q3 revenue on a USD basis was USD 507 million, up 19.6% year-over-year (including positive FX impact); Q4 expected USD 518 million, up 21.7% YoY. UK revenue grew ~16% and Canada ~12% on a local currency basis, driven by adoption of premium sponsored jobs.
MMT Strategic Shift and Expected Incremental Revenue
MMT introduced a GMV-linked model in Beauty (1% of GMV as an add-on to existing plans), expected to deliver approximately JPY 12 billion of incremental revenue in the next fiscal year. Beauty GMV reached ~JPY 1.1 trillion last fiscal year, and Hot Pepper Beauty serves >12 million monthly average active users.
MMT Growth & Margin Targets
Full-year MMT revenue outlook of JPY 566.8 billion (up 5.1% YoY) with EBITDA+S margin expected at 27.1%. Management targets EBITDA+S margins of 30% next fiscal year and 35% by FY2028, citing AI integration, GMV-linked expansion and operational efficiency as drivers.
Platform Scale and TAM Positioning
Indeed & Glassdoor scale: >645 million job seeker profiles on Indeed and >235 million on Glassdoor; ~3.3 million business clients use Indeed annually. Company estimates global HR matching TAM ~USD 310 billion (2024) with U.S. market ~USD 89 billion and U.S. job advertising & talent sourcing market ~USD 13 billion.
Shareholder Returns and Capital Position
Completed the JPY 250 billion share buyback program on Feb 4, 2026; total share purchases since the start of the fiscal year amounted to JPY 677.9 billion. Based on the latest guidance, total payout ratio corresponds to ~176.7%. Net cash as of Dec 31, 2025 was JPY 648.2 billion and is expected to be roughly JPY 700 billion at fiscal year-end.
Operational Efficiency Driving Margins
Segment-level improvements: Q3 segment EBITDA margin was 35.4% and EBITDA+S margin 39.1%; overall Q3 segment revenue on a USD basis was USD 2.3 billion (up 7.9% YoY) with Q4 revenue expected at USD 2.4 billion (up 8.5% YoY). Company cited revenue growth and reduced employee benefit expenses as drivers of EBITDA expansion.