Barrett Business Services (BBSI Quick QuoteBBSI - Free Report) reported $2.25 billion in revenue for the quarter ended December 2024, representing a year-over-year increase of 9.8%. EPS of $0.63 for the same period compares to $0.54 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of +1.40% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.22 billion. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.63, the company has not delivered EPS surprise.

While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.

Since these metrics play a crucial role in driving the top- and bottom-line numbers, comparing them with the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated about them helps investors better project a stock's price performance.

Here is how Barrett performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

• Gross billings: $2.25 billion compared to the $2.22 billion average estimate based on two analysts.
• Revenues- Professional employer services: $284.52 million compared to the $274.35 million average estimate based on two analysts. The reported number represents a change of +11.9% year over year.
• Revenues- Staffing services: $20.30 million versus the two-analyst average estimate of $22.10 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of -9.4%.

View all Key Company Metrics for Barrett here>>>

Shares of Barrett have returned -7.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -2.3% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.