AMN HEALTHCARE SERVICES INC (AMN) Q3 2025 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q3 2025 revenue was $634.5M, down 8% YoY and 4% QoQ, with Adjusted EBITDA of $57.5M (9.1% margin) and Adjusted EPS of $0.39; management cited better-than-expected Nurse & Allied and Physician & Leadership performance and disciplined SG&A as drivers .
- Results beat S&P Global Wall Street consensus on both revenue and EPS for Q1–Q3 2025; Q3 revenue was $634.5M vs $618.1M estimate and EPS was $0.39 vs $0.20 estimate (see Estimates Context table; values marked with asterisks from S&P Global)*.
- Q4 2025 guidance: revenue $715–$730M including ~$100M labor disruption revenue (ex-strike “just over” $620M); consolidated gross margin 25.5%–26.0% (about 100 bps lower due to lower-margin strike mix), SG&A 20.0%–20.5%, Adjusted EBITDA margin 6.8%–7.3% .
- Setup into Q4/Q1: winter orders and sequential volume improvement, early signs of bill rate increases in Nurse & Allied (first YoY uptick in ~3 years), and a strong labor disruption pipeline, balanced by pricing pressure in Language Services and lower-margin revenue mix .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
-
What Went Well
- Outperformed guidance with $634M revenue and Adjusted EBITDA $57.5M; “All three business segments beat consensus revenue estimates” (led by $12M upside in Nurse & Allied) .
- Demand recovery signs: travel nurse winter orders modestly above prior year; extension rates rebounded; management expects Q4 Nurse & Allied revenue to be up low-single digits YoY (down ~6–8% ex-strike) .
- Strategic/financial execution: zero revolver balance exiting Q3; completed October refinancing (new 2031 notes, revolver downsized with higher leverage covenant) improving flexibility .
- Quote: “We expect bill rates for nurse and allied staffing to be at modestly year-over-year in the fourth quarter for the first time in three years.” — Cary Grace, CEO .
-
What Went Wrong
- Margin pressure: consolidated gross margin fell 190 bps YoY to 29.1% with decline across all segments; mix and competitive pressures cited .
- Technology & Workforce Solutions (TWS) headwinds: revenue down 12% YoY/7% QoQ (SmartSquare sale, VMS decline), with segment gross margin down 640 bps YoY and expected to step down ~100 bps in Q4 .
- Language Services: minutes growth modest but pricing pressure offsetting top-line; management expects pressure to persist into Q4; operating model changes aimed at 2026 cost-to-serve improvements .
Financial Results
Consolidated performance (oldest → newest):
Segment revenue (oldest → newest):
Key KPIs (oldest → newest):
Additional details:
- Nurse & Allied gross margin: 24.1% in Q3 (‑90 bps YoY; +20 bps QoQ) .
- Segment details Q3: Travel Nurse revenue $196M (‑20% YoY; ‑6% QoQ), Allied $142M (+1% YoY; ‑2% QoQ), labor disruption revenue $12M .
- Physician & Leadership Q3 GM 27.2% (‑110 bps YoY) with locums revenue +3% YoY; interim leadership ‑20% YoY .
- TWS Q3 GM 51.5% (‑640 bps YoY), driven by VMS mix, SmartSquare sale, and lower Language margin .
Guidance Changes
Notes:
- Management indicated consolidated GM would be about 100 bps higher ex-labor disruption revenue .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- “We expect bill rates for nurse and allied staffing to be at modestly year-over-year in the fourth quarter for the first time in three years.” — Cary Grace, CEO .
- “For the fourth quarter, we expect about $100 million in labor disruption revenue.” — Cary Grace, CEO .
- “Gross margin is projected to be between 25.5%–26%. Excluding the impact of labor disruption revenue, our gross margin would be higher by about 100 basis points.” — Brian Scott, CFO/COO .
- “At the end of the third quarter, we had a zero balance on our revolving line of credit… In early October, we completed a debt refinancing… extended our earliest debt expiration to 2029.” — Cary Grace, CEO .
- “If you… remove [strike impact]… you’d be looking at 26.5%–27% [consolidated gross margin]… a reasonable floor.” — Brian Scott, CFO/COO .
- “We expect international nurse to be up… 20+% [revenue]… and that is a higher margin business.” — Cary Grace, CEO .
Q&A Highlights
- Gross margin drivers Q3→Q4: After normalizing for Q3 strike benefit (~100 bps) and adding back ~100 bps to Q4 for strike mix, the underlying sequential GM change is “a little over 100 bps,” driven primarily by segment mix (declines in higher-margin PLS and TWS) and seasonality (lower hours in N&A) .
- Underlying EBITDA ex-strike: Management indicated mid-6% Adjusted EBITDA margin for Q4 excluding the large strike event .
- Demand and pricing: Demand up ~50% from mid-May lows in travel nurse; winter orders higher YoY; supply is healthy when orders are priced right; targeted rate increases are aimed at improving fill and volume rather than near-term margin expansion .
- Language Services: Minutes growth offset by pricing pressure in Q3; expect continued pricing pressure in Q4 with operating model changes targeting 2026 margin improvements .
- VMS/TWS: Q3 TWS revenue down mainly on SmartSquare sale and VMS decline; expecting further modest step down in Q4; management anticipates a return to VMS growth in 2026 as marketplace runoff ends and wins layer in .
Estimates Context
Consensus vs. actuals (S&P Global) — beats in bold:
- AMN beat on both revenue and EPS in each of Q1–Q3 2025; Q3 beats were ~+2.7% revenue and ~+$0.19 EPS vs consensus (derived from table above) .
- Management stated all three segments beat consensus revenue in Q3 .
*Values retrieved from S&P Global.
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Q3 execution and three straight quarterly beats vs consensus support credibility; near-term stock catalysts center on Q4 strike-driven revenue inflection vs lower consolidated margin mix .
- Underlying margin “floor” emerging: ex-strike, management frames consolidated GM around ~26.5%–27% for Q4, with opportunity to rebuild via mix (international nurse, leadership/search, VMS normalization) into 2026 .
- Demand signals are improving (winter orders, extension rates, travel nurse demand from May trough), and initial bill rate increases should help fill rates/volume even if near-term spreads don’t expand materially .
- TWS and Language Services remain pressure points (VMS runoff, SmartSquare divestiture, pricing) near term; 2026 cost-to-serve actions and VMS normalization are key to watch .
- Labor disruption pipeline is active over next 12 months; model lower margin on strike revenue and ~$5M incremental Q4 SG&A to support events .
- Balance sheet flexibility improved post-refi; zero revolver balance at Q3-end reduces risk and affords optionality for growth execution .
Appendix: Prior Quarter References and Other Q3 Press Releases
- Q2 2025 results: revenue $658.2M, Adjusted EBITDA $58.3M, Adjusted EPS $0.30; noted SmartSquare sale, margin dynamics by segment .
- Q1 2025 results: revenue $689.5M, Adjusted EBITDA $64.2M, Adjusted EPS $0.45; stronger bookings and early signs of locums growth .
- Other Q3 2025 press releases included the earnings call logistics announcement on Oct 8, 2025 (no incremental financials) .
Sources: Q3 2025 earnings 8-K/press release and exhibits -; Q3 2025 earnings call transcript -; Q2 2025 release/transcript - -; Q1 2025 release -.