HI
HEALTHEQUITY, INC. (HQY)·Q2 2026 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q2 FY2026 delivered solid growth and expanding profitability: revenue $325.8M (+9% YoY), non-GAAP EPS $1.08 (+26% YoY), and record gross margin 71% with adjusted EBITDA $151.1M (+18% YoY) .
- Both revenue and EPS beat Wall Street consensus; revenue $325.8M vs $320.7M*, and non-GAAP “primary” EPS $1.08 vs $0.918*; GAAP diluted EPS was $0.68 . The company raised FY2026 guidance across revenue, GAAP/non-GAAP EPS, and adjusted EBITDA .
- Strategic tailwinds include the largest HSA market expansion in two decades (ACA bronze/catastrophic plans become HSA-eligible on Jan 1, 2026) and heightened employer demand to manage rising healthcare costs; management is leaning in with mobile-first security, passkeys, and AI-driven service modernization .
- Custodial economics have been de-risked with $1.2B of Treasury forward contracts locking the five-year base near ~4%, supporting guidance assumption of ~3.5% average HSA cash yield for FY2026; fraud costs continue normalizing toward a run-rate target of 1 bp of total HSA assets per annum by year-end .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
- What Went Well
- Record profitability metrics: gross margin 71% and adjusted EBITDA margin ~46% in Q2, reflecting cost efficiencies and mix; “record adjusted EBITDA of $151 million” (CEO) .
- Strong custodial revenue growth (+15% YoY to $159.9M) on higher yields and balances; interchange revenue grew +8% YoY, outpacing account growth as on-platform payments increased (CFO) .
- Legislative catalyst: “largest legislative expansion of HSAs since 2006,” adding millions of potential HSA households; company preparing redesigned mobile enrollment and targeted campaigns (Founder/VC) .
- What Went Wrong
- Softer macro and labor market dampened net new HSA sales (163K vs 187K in Q2 FY2025), as management cited slower job growth; still, enterprise pipeline and retention remain strong .
- Fraud costs persist though improving: ~$1.2M member fraud reimbursements in Q2 and net reserve release of ~$1M; normalization to 1 bp target expected in H2 FY2026 (CFO) .
- HSA cash growth slower vs investments; mix shift to investors (23% growth YoY to $16.1B) and higher spending can temper custodial cash growth quarter-to-quarter (CFO) .
Financial Results
Core P&L vs Prior Year and Prior Quarter
Segment Revenue Mix
KPIs and Balance Mix
Guidance Changes
Notes:
- Management expects average HSA cash yield ~3.5% for FY2026 (assumption) .
- Share repurchase authorizations remaining ~$352M (CFO) and $351.8M at Q2-end .
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO: “record gross margin of 71% and record adjusted EBITDA of $151 million” and “largest legislative expansion of HSAs since 2006” .
- CFO on mix and margins: “Custodial revenue grew 15%… Interchange revenue grew 8%… Gross profit… a record 71% of revenue… adjusted EBITDA… 46%” .
- Founder/VC on ACA expansion: “All individual bronze and catastrophic plans will be allowed to be coupled with HSAs beginning January 1, 2026… could allow 3 to 4 million more American families to have access” .
- CFO on cash taxes: “accelerating these tax deductions may reduce our federal cash taxes paid over the next two fiscal years by $65 million-$75 million” .
- CEO on AI roadmap: “We expect to further leverage Agentic AI in our voice channel… reducing call wait time… expanded AI service capabilities can potentially… further drive down our service costs” .
Q&A Highlights
- Fraud normalization: Progress each month; target exit run-rate near 1 bp of total HSA assets per year; no major milestone, continued execution (CEO) .
- Custodial yield hedging: ~$1.2B five-year Treasury forwards; locking base near ~4%; majority of maturing basic-rate cash likely migrates to enhanced rates with spread (CFO) .
- HSA growth dynamics: Q2 net new HSAs from sales 163K; macro headwinds acknowledged; enterprise pipeline and retention strong (CEO/CFO) .
- Mix shift and economics: Investor balances up; spending up; interchange growing faster than account growth; cash growth more “lumpy” across quarters (CFO) .
- ACA opportunity: Company will not separate ACA-origin HSAs; focus on capturing several million households through partners and marketing (CFO/Founder) .
Estimates Context
Notes:
- Values retrieved from S&P Global.*
- Result: Revenue beat (+$5.1M vs consensus*) and EPS beat (+$0.162 vs consensus*). GAAP diluted EPS was $0.68 .
Key Takeaways for Investors
- Earnings quality strengthening: expanding gross margin (71%) and adjusted EBITDA margin (46%) reflect operating discipline and mix; expect continued leverage as AI/service modernization scale .
- FY2026 guidance raised across all key metrics; hedging program supports custodial yields and reduces volatility risk as major maturities roll through Q4 FY2026–Q4 FY2027 .
- Structural TAM catalyst in 2026 from ACA plan eligibility, with company prepared via redesigned mobile onboarding and targeted campaigns; watch enterprise wins and ACA conversion into HSAs .
- Fraud cost trajectory improving; monitor progress toward 1 bp exit-run rate and mobile/passkey adoption (1.7M downloads) as key underwriting variables for service cost normalization .
- Mix matters: investor balances +23% YoY to $16.1B and rising on-platform spend drive interchange/fee momentum; custodial cash growth can be seasonally lumpy .
- Capital allocation: robust operating cash flow ($200.6M in H1), debt paydown, and remaining $351.8M authorization support opportunistic buybacks and portfolio acquisitions .
- Near-term trading lens: raised guidance and consensus beats, plus legislative expansion narrative, are positive sentiment drivers; hedge-backed yield visibility reduces macro rate sensitivity .