Sydney, Feb 17, 2026, 18:17 AEDT — The market has closed.
- SEEK dropped 3.3% after releasing its half-year numbers and sharing a venture-fund update tied to Employment Hero
- Adjusted profit jumped 35%, yet a write-down on Zhaopin pushed the company into a statutory loss.
- The company narrowed its FY2026 guidance and announced a record interim dividend.
SEEK Ltd dropped 3.3% to finish at A$16.54 Tuesday, weighed down by a statutory loss tied to a write-down on its China exposure. The jobs platform also said it’s looking to sell its Employment Hero stake via its venture fund.
The timing came right in the thick of Australia’s February reporting season, a period when investors waste no time hammering stocks at the first sign of softer hiring trends or wobbly international holdings. As for SEEK, the question now is whether stronger “yield”—the amount it pulls in from each job ad and placement—continues to make up for softer ad volumes.
China’s been the headline risk dogging the company for weeks, and Tuesday’s filings finally pinned down some numbers. There’s a narrower full-year profit range now, plus the company is promising a larger cash return to shareholders.
SEEK reported a 35% jump in adjusted profit, reaching A$104.1 million for the six months ended Dec. 31. Net revenue moved up 12% to A$600.9 million. EBITDA—a commonly used measure of operating profit—rose 19% to A$267.1 million. However, statutory results showed a loss of A$249.9 million, weighed down by “significant items,” with a total impairment of A$356 million related to Zhaopin. https://company-announcements.afr.com/asx/…
The company narrowed its FY2026 outlook, now expecting net revenue to land somewhere between A$1.19 billion and A$1.23 billion. Adjusted profit? That’s pegged at roughly A$195 million to A$215 million. For EBITDA, management is sticking with a figure in the A$530 million to A$550 million zone. Total expenditure guidance stays put at A$810 million to A$840 million.
SEEK unveiled a record interim dividend: 27 Australian cents a share, fully franked, giving investors the benefit of Australian tax credits. The record date lands on March 18, and shareholders can expect payments on April 1.
SEEK, on the venture front, announced that the SEEK Growth Fund has kicked off efforts to sell its interest in Employment Hero. Looking ahead, the fund expects to open a liquidity window in calendar 2026 and will use “reasonable endeavours” to handle any liquidity requests over the following 12 to 24 months.
Ian Narev, the chief executive, said SEEK’s “Unification” programme had left the business with momentum he called “very pleasing.” He highlighted a strategy focused on expanding placements, boosting yield and squeezing out operating leverage. Narev also referenced SEEK’s “4.9x” lead in placement share over its closest rival in Australia.
Volume remains the wild card. SEEK flagged that economic signals are all over the map in Asia-Pacific, and the prospect of tighter monetary policy in Australia could put the brakes on jobs growth and hiring appetite. In parts of Asia, SEEK expects near-term recruitment to remain sluggish. As for the Zhaopin writedown, the half-year update tied it to ongoing talks over streamlining Zhaopin’s ownership and a strategic review now in the hands of new management, making the outlook tough to pin down.
UBS analyst Lucy Huang called the result broadly as expected, noting yield carried most of the weight. She also pointed to a potential downside if volumes slip further, according to Finance News Network.
The bell’s rung, so attention shifts to brokers’ next moves in coming sessions, more specifics on the Employment Hero divestment, and whether SEEK’s yield bump can stick as job-ad numbers feel the macro squeeze. March 18 is on the calendar as the dividend record date, with payment slated for April 1.
