Hays reports 3.00 percent fee drop: RBC targets Hays stock at GBp 85.00

Published on 10/15/2026 at 12:34 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Hays reported first-quarter net fees down 3.00 percent on October 12, 2026. Hays stock costs EUR 0.69 on October 15, 2026.

Hiring pressure and restructuring

Hays reported a 3.00 percent like-for-like net fee decline for the first quarter on October 12, 2026.
Permanent recruitment fees fell 7.00 percent while consultant productivity rose 8.00 percent in the same quarter.
Hays stock trades at EUR 0.69 at 12:28 p.m. CEST at Lang & Schwarz on October 15, 2026.
RBC Capital set an 85.00 GBp price target on October 13, 2026.

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Hays plc (ISIN GB0004161021) reported a 3.00 percent like-for-like decline in net fees for the first quarter ended September 30, 2026, while RBC Capital set an 85.00 GBp price target for Hays stock. The update keeps weak permanent hiring at the center of the investment case.

First-quarter fees fell 3.00 percent

According to Reuters on October 12, 2026, Hays posted its 14th consecutive quarterly decline in net fees. The 3.00 percent like-for-like fall was better than the 4.00 percent decline expected by analysts and eased from an 8.00 percent drop in the same quarter a year earlier.

Permanent recruitment remained the weaker division, with fees down 7.00 percent, while temporary and contracting fees declined 1.00 percent. North America provided a counterweight: fees rose 8.00 percent in the United States, 12.00 percent in Canada, 27.00 percent in Greater China and 2.00 percent in Japan, according to Reuters.

What does the portfolio reset change?

The operating response is becoming more measurable. Hays said consultant net fee productivity increased 8.00 percent year over year in the first quarter, while the group is narrowing its focus to 16 core markets and reviewing operations in seven countries, according to The Independent on October 12, 2026.

Three dated developments frame the reset: Hays reported a GBP 54.5 million pretax loss for fiscal 2026 in August; the first-quarter update delivered a 3.00 percent like-for-like fee decline on October 12, 2026; and Business Insider reported on October 13, 2026 that RBC Capital maintained a Buy rating with an 85.00 GBp target.

Dates for Hays investors

Hays lists October 16, 2026 as the core dividend record date and November 18, 2026 for the results of its annual general meeting. The dividend timetable also lists November 26, 2026 as the payment date, subject to board and shareholder approval.

Stock trades at EUR 0.69

For investors, the key tension is visible in the operating mix: permanent recruitment fees fell 7.00 percent, while productivity rose 8.00 percent and temporary work proved more resilient. That combination gives the restructuring plan a concrete measure as Hays works through a difficult European hiring market.

Hays stock was trading at EUR 0.69 at Lang & Schwarz on October 15, 2026 at 12:28 p.m. CEST.

The further course of trading is shown by the continuously updated real-time quote of Hays stock.