Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ:BBSI) Shares Gap Down – Here’s What Happened

Barrett Business Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:BBSI) shares gapped down before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $31.47, but opened at $28.30. Barrett Business Services shares last traded at $26.6690, with a volume of 148,885 shares changing hands.

More Barrett Business Services News

Here are the key news stories impacting Barrett Business Services this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS met street expectations at $0.64 and the company showed solid profitability metrics (ROE ~24.4%, net margin ~4.5%), signaling underlying operating strength that limits downside from the print. BBSI Reports Strong Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: The board declared a quarterly cash dividend ($0.08/share), providing a modest yield and some income support for shareholders; ex-dividend date set for March.
• Neutral Sentiment: Management emphasized record sales volume and other operational highlights on the earnings call, which could imply continued growth opportunities if trends persist. Barrett Business Services Inc (BBSI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Highlights: Record Sales Volume and …
• Neutral Sentiment: Full call transcript and Q&A are available for deeper color on revenue drivers and margin outlook — useful for assessing guidance and customer metrics. Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Some outlets flagged that reported sales missed certain analysts’ expectations (top-line perception of a miss), which likely triggered the sell-off despite EPS meeting estimates. Investors often punish revenue misses more than matched EPS. Barrett (NASDAQ:BBSI) Misses Q4 CY2025 Sales Expectations
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest rose meaningfully in February (to roughly 2.9% of float at one report), adding downward pressure and amplifying volatility if sentiment turns negative.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $46.00 price objective on shares of Barrett Business Services in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. CJS Securities raised shares of Barrett Business Services to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, December 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Barrett Business Services in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $46.00.

Barrett Business Services Stock Down 16.8%

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $36.13 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.86. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 1.27. The firm has a market cap of $670.60 million, a PE ratio of 12.58, a PEG ratio of 0.77 and a beta of 0.99.

Barrett Business Services (NASDAQ:BBSI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The business services provider reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.64. The business had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $323.43 million. Barrett Business Services had a return on equity of 24.36% and a net margin of 4.48%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 5.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.63 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Barrett Business Services, Inc. will post 2 earnings per share for the current year.

Barrett Business Services Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.08 dividend. This represents a $0.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Barrett Business Services’s dividend payout ratio is 15.38%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Barrett Business Services

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in BBSI. Tripletail Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Barrett Business Services during the third quarter worth $34,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Barrett Business Services during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Barrett Business Services by 1,388.3% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 893 shares of the business services provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares in the last quarter. Bard Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Barrett Business Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in Barrett Business Services during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $54,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.76% of the company’s stock.

About Barrett Business Services

Barrett Business Services, Inc (NASDAQ: BBSI) is a professional employer organization (PEO) headquartered in Northridge, California. Founded in 1971 by Barrett K. Levesque, the company provides comprehensive human resources outsourcing solutions to small and mid-sized businesses. Through its consultative model, Barrett Business Services helps clients streamline administrative processes, mitigate regulatory risk and focus on core operations.

The company’s core offerings include payroll administration, employee benefits management, workers’ compensation and risk management services.