Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Heidrick And Struggles International Inc (HSII) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Heidrick And Struggles International Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 1,218M vs 8,287M combined for its competitors (12.8% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+7.7% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs holding steady (+0.6%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Heidrick And Struggles International Inc generated 15.9% revenue growth year over year in Q3 2025, vs -2.9% for its competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 13.5% net margin compares with 5.6% for the peer group.
- Peer revenue share: Heidrick And Struggles International Inc accounted for 13.6% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 11.6% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.55M compares with $0.35M for the peer group (1.6x).
- Structure: Heidrick And Struggles International Inc operates in the following segments: On-Demand Talent, Heidrick Consulting.
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
HSII Sales vs. its Competitors, Q3 2025
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc reported revenue growth of 15.94 % year on year in Q3 2025, above its competitors' combined revenue change of -2.92 %.
With a net margin of 13.46 %, Heidrick And Struggles International Inc achieved higher profitability than its competitors (5.58 %).
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc generated 13.59 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 11.64 % a year earlier.
API endpoints for this dataset
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc vs. its Competitors, Q3 2025
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in Heidrick And Struggles International Inc reports; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Heidrick And Struggles International Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (4) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Employment Agencies industry grew revenue 3.2% year over year, combined, vs 15.9% for Heidrick And Struggles International Inc. Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 17.40% to 19.55%, a gain of 2.15 percentage points.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Group definitions: see Methodology: Performance Group Definitions.
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (2) | ||||
| High-Confidence Competitors (1) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (6) | 83.30 % (5 of 6) | 50.00 % (3 of 6) | 50.00 % (3 of 6) | 16.70 % (1 of 6) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
HSII Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
HSII Stock Performance relative to High-Confidence Competitors
HSII Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Half Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Korn Ferry | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's best-performing competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Heidrick and Struggles International Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
 Heidrick and Struggles International Inc |
1,257.86 | 1,218.13 |
 Robert Half Inc |
4,339.41 | 5,299.13 |
 Korn Ferry |
3,961.93 | 2,987.72 |
| SUBTOTAL | 9,559.20 | 9,504.99 |
Sources: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Heidrick and Struggles International Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Competitors Named by the Company
Competitive relationships identified from Heidrick And Struggles International Inc reports and corroborating sources, each with a basis and confidence.| Competitor | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Korn Ferry | Company report | 85% |
| Russell Reynolds Associates | Company report | 85% |
| Egon Zehnder International | Company report | 85% |
| Spencer Stuart | Company report | 85% |
| Robert Half Inc | Company report | 85% |
Company report basis, confidence, active dates and source counts for Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's named competitors require a Commercial License.
Methodology: see Methodology: Peer & Competitor Identification, Sourcing.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | On-Demand Talent 15.53 % |
| Robert Half Inc | Contract talent solutions 55.83 % |
| Korn Ferry | Consulting 23.96 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's reports (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | 1,258 | 550,693 | 44,458 |
| Robert Half Inc | 4,339 | 365,458 | 8,395 |
| Korn Ferry | 3,962 | 333,265 | 31,554 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 8,301 | 353,158 | 17,243 |
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 4 companies in Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Heidrick And Struggles International Inc ranks #0 of 4 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 0.00 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 9,841, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (see Methodology: Market Structure & Concentration).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Korn Ferry | 3,962 | 99.20 % |
| 2 | Gee Group Inc | 21 | 0.52 % |
| 3 | Syra Health Corp | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 4 | Click Holdings Limited | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 0 | Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | 1,258 | 0.00 % |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2025-12-09.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Employment Agencies industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (8 companies). See the full Employment Agencies industry profitability benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 89.07 % | 41.97 % (avg) | +47.1 pp |
| Operating Margin | 3.04 % | industry median | +0.3 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 12.56 % | -4.37 % (avg) | +16.9 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | 1.27 % | 0.93 % (avg) | +0.3 pp |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Employment Agencies industry average (8 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns. See the full Employment Agencies industry valuation benchmarks.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 20.6x | 17.3x | +3.3x |
| EV / EBITDA | 4.4x | 12.7x | -8.2x |
| P/B | 2.1x | 2.4x | -0.2x |
| Return on Equity | 20.49 % | industry aggregate | 6.87 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 2.90 % | 4.21 % (avg) | -1.31 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in company reports.| Metric | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 6.52 % | 14.94 % | -1.36 % | -13.81 % | 25.46 % | 7.45 % | -3.91 % | 7.15 % |
| Operating Margin | -4.14 % | 9.36 % | 8.75 % | -6.23 % | -0.74 % | 14.19 % | 7.24 % | 0.67 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | -4.50 % | 11.41 % | 8.27 % | -5.01 % | -0.84 % | 17.14 % | 6.50 % | 0.59 % |
| P/E | - | 13.2x | 13.0x | - | - | 10.2x | 18.4x | 41.5x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Strategic Group Map
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC are labeled. See Methodology: Strategic Group Map for how this chart is built.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's trailing-12-month revenue growth of 11.5% and operating margin of 3.0% compares with an average of 10.7% growth and 7.6% margin across its 6 closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC -- Heidrick And Struggles International Inc sits above that peer average on growth and below it on margin.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 9,841 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Barriers to Entry | High (capital intensive) | Capital intensity (capex / revenue) of 1.27 % vs industry average 0.93 % (see Profitability & Cost Structure above) |
Note: see Methodology: Porter's Five Forces. Supplier power and buyer power are covered on Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's dedicated Suppliers and Customers pages, not here.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
See Methodology: GE/McKinsey Matrix for how the two axes are built.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / High strength cell: Invest / Grow.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Return on equity 6.9 points above the industry aggregate.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+7.7% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
No rule matched.
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Korn Ferry, holding 99.20 % of industry market cap.
- High capital intensity requires continuous reinvestment just to keep pace with the industry.
Methodology: see Methodology: SWOT Analysis.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | 0.77 | 1.61 | - |
| Robert Half Inc | 0.25 | 1.51 | - |
| Korn Ferry | 1.08 | 2.13 | 0.20 |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | Q3 2025 | +15.9 % | +22.8 % |
| Robert Half Inc | Q3 2026 | +0.4 % | +16.2 % |
| Korn Ferry | Q2 2026 | +6.9 % | +3.1 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +4.2 % | +11.8 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | Q3 2025 | +21.3 % | -15.4 % |
| Robert Half Inc | Q3 2026 | -2.7 % | -39.0 % |
| Korn Ferry | Q2 2026 | +126.4 % | -20.7 % |
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | 8.51% | 12.39% | 20.49% |
| Robert Half Inc | 4.32% | 7.42% | 9.89% |
| Korn Ferry | 7.32% | 9.04% | 14.50% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Heidrick And Struggles International Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Heidrick and Struggles International Inc | 25.22 | 1.03 |
| Robert Half Inc | 35.55 | 0.82 |
| Korn Ferry | 14.59 | 1.33 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 19.01 | 1.01 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.