QuinStreet Closes Acquisition of HomeBuddy

Key Terms

adjusted EBITDA financial

Adjusted EBITDA is a way companies measure how much money they make from their core operations, like running a business, by removing certain costs or income that aren’t part of regular business activities. It helps investors see how well a company is doing without distractions from unusual expenses or gains, making it easier to compare companies or track performance over time.

EPS financial

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revolving credit facility financial

A revolving credit facility is a type of loan that a business can borrow from whenever it needs money, up to a set limit. It’s like having a credit card for companies—allowing them to borrow, pay back, and borrow again as needed, providing flexibility for managing cash flow or funding short-term expenses.

non-GAAP financial

Non-GAAP refers to financial measures that companies use to show their earnings or performance without including certain expenses or income that are often added back to give a different picture. It matters because it can make a company's results look better or more favorable, but it may also hide important costs, so investors need to look at both GAAP (official rules) and non-GAAP numbers to get a full understanding.

GAAP financial

GAAP, or Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, are a set of standardized rules and guidelines that companies follow when preparing their financial statements. They ensure consistency, transparency, and comparability across different companies, making it easier for investors to understand and compare financial information accurately. This helps investors make informed decisions based on trustworthy and uniform financial reports.

stock-based compensation financial

Stock-based compensation is when a company pays employees, directors or consultants with shares or the right to buy shares instead of or in addition to cash. It matters to investors because issuing stock or options spreads ownership thinner (like cutting a pie into more slices), which can reduce each existing share’s claim on profits and can also change reported earnings; investors watch it to assess true cost of running the business and how management is incentivized.

contingent consideration financial

Contingent consideration is an additional payment agreed when one company buys another that will be paid later only if specific future targets are met, such as revenue, profit, or regulatory milestones. It matters to investors because it shifts risk between buyer and seller and affects the acquiring company's future cash flow and reported value — like promising a bonus after results are proven.

restructuring costs financial

Restructuring costs are the immediate expenses a company incurs when reorganizing operations, such as closing facilities, laying off staff, breaking leases, or consolidating divisions. Investors care because these upfront outlays can lower short-term profits but may reduce future running costs or improve efficiency—like paying to renovate a house to make it cheaper to maintain—so they signal whether near-term earnings are being affected and what benefits might follow.

FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: QNST), a leader in performance marketplaces and technologies for the financial and home services industries, announced today that it has closed the acquisition of SIREN GROUP AG d/b/a HomeBuddy (“HomeBuddy”). Terms of the acquisition include $115 million in cash at closing and $75 million in post-closing payments payable equally over four years, subject to certain closing adjustments.

QuinStreet further announced that it has entered into a new $150 million revolving credit facility with a syndicate of commercial banks.

QuinStreet expects to integrate HomeBuddy into its Modernize Home Services business, significantly extending Modernize’s already impressive platform, market footprint, and growth opportunity with complementary new products, media, and clients.

QuinStreet expects the acquisition of HomeBuddy to be accretive to its adjusted EBITDA and EPS, adding an expected $30 million or more to adjusted EBITDA in the first twelve months following closing of the transaction, with significantly more margin dollars expected to be added as the Company implements identified synergies from the combination. More details about the transaction will be shared in QuinStreet's FY2026 Q2 earnings call in February 2026, and in subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This release includes a discussion of adjusted EBITDA, which is a non-GAAP financial measure that is provided as a complement to results provided in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("GAAP"). The term "adjusted EBITDA" refers to a financial measure that we define as net income (loss) less provision for income taxes, depreciation expense, amortization expense, stock-based compensation expense, interest and other expense, net, acquisition costs, contingent consideration adjustment, litigation settlement expense, tax settlement expense, and restructuring costs. This non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, GAAP results. In addition, our definition of adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to the definition as reported by other companies.

We believe adjusted EBITDA is relevant and useful information because it provides us and investors with an additional measurement to analyze the Company’s operating performance.

Adjusted EBITDA is useful to us and investors because (i) we seek to manage our business to a level of adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of net revenue, (ii) it is used internally by us for planning purposes, including preparation of internal budgets; to allocate resources; to evaluate the effectiveness of operational strategies and capital expenditures as well as the capacity to service debt, (iii) it is a key basis upon which we assess our operating performance, (iv) it is one of the primary metrics investors use in evaluating Internet marketing companies, (v) it is a factor in determining compensation, (vi) it is an element of certain financial covenants under our historical borrowing arrangements, and (vii) it is a factor that assists investors in the analysis of ongoing operating trends. In addition, we believe adjusted EBITDA and similar measures are widely used by investors, securities analysts, ratings agencies and other interested parties in our industry as a measure of financial performance, debt-service capabilities and as a metric for analyzing company valuations.

We use adjusted EBITDA as a key performance measure because we believe it facilitates operating performance comparisons from period to period by excluding potential differences caused by variations in capital structures (affecting interest expense), tax positions (such as the impact of changes in effective tax rates or fluctuations in permanent differences or discrete quarterly items), non-recurring charges, certain other items that we do not believe are indicative of core operating activities (such as litigation settlement expense, tax settlement expense, acquisition costs, contingent consideration adjustment, restructuring costs and other income and expense) and the non-cash impact of depreciation expense, amortization expense and stock-based compensation expense.

With respect to our adjusted EBITDA guidance, the Company is not able to provide a quantitative reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure without unreasonable efforts due to the high variability, complexity and low visibility with respect to certain items such as taxes, and income and expense from changes in fair value of contingent consideration from acquisitions. We expect the variability of these items to have a potentially unpredictable and potentially significant impact on future GAAP financial results, and, as such, we also believe that any reconciliations provided would imply a degree of precision that would be confusing or misleading to investors.

About QuinStreet, Inc.

QuinStreet, Inc. (NASDAQ: QNST) is a pioneer in delivering online marketplace solutions to match searchers with brands in digital media. QuinStreet is committed to providing consumers and businesses with the information and tools they need to research, find and select the products and brands that meet their needs.

About Modernize Home Services

Modernize Home Services is a leading home improvement performance marketing platform connecting homeowners with trusted contractors across the United States. With millions of homeowner inquiries annually and a robust suite of performance solutions, Modernize helps contractors grow more profitably through high-intent demand, digital engagement, and data-driven insights. Visit www.modernize.com.

About HomeBuddy

HomeBuddy is a home services demand generation provider specializing in exclusive, high-intent homeowner inquiries that help contractors win more business with greater predictability. Built on a commitment to quality and contractor success, HomeBuddy delivers a proven model designed to drive stronger ROI, higher conversion potential, and sustainable growth. Visit www.homebuddy.com.

Legal Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. These statements relate to future events or to future financial performance and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. This includes, but is not limited to, statements regarding estimates and forecasts of financial and performance metrics and expectations and timing related to potential benefits, terms and timing of the HomeBuddy transaction. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as “may,” “could,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “target,” “seek,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” or “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Other words and terms of similar meaning or import in connection with any discussion of future plans, actions, events or operating, financial or other performance identify forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, because they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond our control and that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance. In particular, these forward-looking statements include statements regarding our acquisition of HomeBuddy, which could disrupt our business operations, be more difficult or costly than expected to integrate, or fail to achieve the anticipated benefits. Other factors that could materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance, or achievements can be found in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, annual reports on Form 10-K, and current reports on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks or uncertainties materialize or if our underlying assumptions prove to be incorrect, actual results may vary significantly from what we projected. Any forward-looking statement in this press release reflects our current views with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties, and assumptions relating to our operations, results of operations, growth strategy, and liquidity. We assume no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260105048510/en/

Investor Contact

Robert Amparo

Email: ramparo@quinstreet.com

Phone: (347) 223-1682

Media Contact

Jamie Smith

Email: jsmith@modernize.com

Phone: 856-889-2671

Website: www.modernize.com

Source: QuinStreet, Inc.