U.S. natural gas prices upside likely in 2026 - Morgan Stanley
Introduction & Market Context
FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:FCN) released its first quarter 2025 financial results on April 24, showing mixed performance with year-over-year revenue declines but sequential improvement from a disappointing fourth quarter. The company, which had missed analyst expectations in Q4 2024, demonstrated some recovery with improved adjusted earnings metrics despite ongoing challenges.
The consulting firm’s stock closed at $168.51 on April 23, 2025, showing a modest 0.6% gain ahead of the earnings release. FCN has traded between $151.75 and $243.60 over the past 52 weeks, indicating significant volatility for a company that historically maintains a low beta of 0.14.
Quarterly Performance Highlights
FTI Consulting reported Q1 2025 revenues of $898.3 million, representing a 3.3% decrease compared to $928.6 million in Q1 2024, but a slight 0.4% improvement from $894.9 million in Q4 2024. When excluding the impact of foreign currency translation, revenues declined by 2.5% year-over-year.
Net income for the quarter stood at $61.8 million, down 22.7% from $80.0 million in the prior-year period but up 24.4% from $49.7 million in Q4 2024. This translated to earnings per diluted share of $1.74, a 22.0% decrease from $2.23 in Q1 2024 but a 26.1% increase from $1.38 in the previous quarter.
As shown in the following comprehensive financial results:
Notably, adjusted EBITDA increased to $115.2 million, up 3.7% from $111.1 million in Q1 2024 and significantly higher than the $73.7 million reported in Q4 2024. The adjusted EBITDA margin improved to 12.8%, compared to 12.0% in the prior-year period and 8.2% in the previous quarter, indicating enhanced operational efficiency despite revenue challenges.
Segment Analysis
FTI Consulting’s performance varied across its five business segments, with Corporate Finance & Restructuring generating the highest revenue at $343.6 million. Forensic and Litigation Consulting followed with $190.6 million, while Economic Consulting—which faced challenges from senior departures noted in the previous earnings call—contributed $179.9 million.
The Technology segment generated $97.2 million in revenue, while Strategic Communications added $87.0 million to the company’s top line. The detailed segment breakdown reveals varying profitability levels across business units:
This segmentation highlights the company’s diversified business model, which helps mitigate risks associated with market fluctuations in specific practice areas. The previous earnings call had mentioned potential impacts of approximately $35 million from departures in the Economic Consulting segment, and these Q1 results may reflect some of those challenges.
Cash Position and Capital Allocation
One of the most notable aspects of FTI Consulting’s Q1 2025 results was its significant cash utilization. The company reported cash and cash equivalents of $151.1 million as of March 31, 2025, down substantially from $660.5 million at the end of 2024 and $244.0 million in the year-ago period.
This dramatic reduction in cash reserves was primarily driven by $465.2 million used in operating activities and $182.6 million allocated to stock buybacks—a significant increase from no stock repurchases in Q1 2024 and just $10.2 million in Q4 2024. The company also took on $160 million in debt during the quarter, compared to zero debt at the end of 2024.
The cash position and capital allocation details are illustrated in the following snapshot:
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO) improved to 100 days from 105 days in Q1 2024, though it increased slightly from 97 days at the end of 2024. This metric indicates the company’s ability to collect payments from clients, with the improvement year-over-year suggesting enhanced collection efficiency.
Geographic Performance
FTI Consulting’s revenue remains heavily concentrated in North America, which accounted for 66.6% of total revenue in Q1 2025 with $597.9 million. Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) contributed $245.5 million or 27.3% of total revenue, while Asia Pacific and Latin America accounted for 5.1% and 1.0% respectively.
The geographic breakdown of the company’s revenue streams provides insight into its global operations and regional performance:
North American revenues declined by 5.2% year-over-year when excluding foreign currency impacts, while EMEA showed more resilience with a 2.5% increase. Asia Pacific revenues grew by 6.0%, and Latin America saw the strongest growth at 13.1%, albeit from a much smaller base.
Recognition and Strategic Positioning
Despite financial challenges, FTI Consulting continued to receive industry recognition during the first quarter of 2025. The company was named to several prestigious lists, including Management Consulted’s "2025 Top Consulting Firms," Financial Times’ "UK’s Best Employers 2025," and CEOWORLD Magazine’s "World’s Best Public Relations Agencies" for 2025.
Additionally, the company was recognized for its recruitment strategies, tech innovation, candidate experience, and internship programming as a 2025 Campus Forward Winner by RippleMatch. These accolades highlight FTI Consulting’s continued focus on talent acquisition and development, which remains crucial for a professional services firm.
The company’s awards and recognition during the quarter are summarized in the following slide:
Forward-Looking Statements
While the Q1 2025 presentation did not provide specific updated guidance, it’s worth noting that in the previous earnings call, FTI Consulting had projected 2025 revenue between $3.66 billion and $3.81 billion, with adjusted EPS expected to range from $7.80 to $8.60.
The first quarter results, with revenues of $898.3 million and adjusted EPS of $2.29, suggest the company is on track to meet these projections if it maintains similar performance throughout the year. However, the significant cash utilization and increased debt levels bear watching in future quarters.
The company’s ability to maintain its adjusted EBITDA margin improvement while addressing the challenges in its Economic Consulting segment will be critical factors for investors to monitor as FTI Consulting progresses through 2025.
Full presentation:
This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C.