Harte Hanks, Inc. (HHS) Financial Ratios
30 years of historical data (1996–2025) · Communication Services · Advertising Agencies
EV/EBITDA
↓
5.64
↓-18% vs avg
5yr avg: 6.91
30Y Low4.2·High16.3
P/FCF
↑
N/A
—
5yr avg: 5.12
30Y Low2.4·High33.9
P/B Ratio
↓
1.00
↓-60% vs avg
5yr avg: 2.48
30Y Low1.1·High35.0
ROE
↓
-3.8%
↑-101% vs avg
5yr avg: 442.4%
30Y Low-183%·High82%
Debt/EBITDA
↑
3.37
+11% vs avg
5yr avg: 3.04
30Y Low0.0·High3.8
Percentile shows where the current value sits in 30-year historical distribution. Sparklines show 5-year trend.
HHS Valuation Multiples
Price-based multiples — how expensive the stock is relative to earnings, sales, book value, and cash flow
Harte Hanks, Inc. currently has a negative P/E ratio, indicating the company is operating at a loss on a trailing-twelve-month basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market Cap | $21M | $22M | $38M | $50M | $87M | $55M | $18M | $22M | $15M | $59M | $93M |
| Enterprise Value | $37M | $39M | $52M | $60M | $98M | $74M | $43M | $28M | $8M | $50M | $47M |
| P/E Ratio → | -25.27 | — | — | — | 2.46 | 4.32 | — | — | 0.86 | — | — |
| P/S Ratio | 0.13 | 0.14 | 0.20 | 0.26 | 0.42 | 0.28 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.05 | 0.15 | 0.23 |
| P/B Ratio | 1.00 | 1.08 | 1.73 | 2.50 | 4.60 | — | — | — | — | — | 34.96 |
| P/FCF | — | — | — | 6.48 | 3.76 | — | — | 2.44 | — | — | 11.75 |
| P/OCF | — | — | — | 4.74 | 3.01 | — | — | 1.86 | — | — | 6.36 |
P/E links to full P/E history page with 30-year chart
HHS EV Ratios
Enterprise-value multiples — capital-structure-neutral measures of total business value
Harte Hanks, Inc.'s enterprise value stands at 5.6x EBITDA, 18% below its 5-year average of 6.9x. The Communication Services sector median is 9.0x, placing the stock at a 38% discount on an enterprise-value basis.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EV / Revenue | — | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.31 | 0.48 | 0.38 | 0.25 | 0.13 | 0.03 | 0.13 | 0.12 |
| EV / EBITDA | 5.64 | 5.88 | 8.06 | 7.87 | 5.52 | 7.22 | — | — | — | — | — |
| EV / EBIT | 17.26 | 18.02 | 6.81 | 6.61 | 4.99 | 4.29 | — | — | — | — | — |
| EV / FCF | — | — | — | 7.80 | 4.28 | — | — | 3.02 | — | — | 5.93 |
HHS Profitability
Margins and return-on-capital ratios measuring operating efficiency
Harte Hanks, Inc. earns an operating margin of 1.4%. A negative ROE of -3.8% indicates the company is currently destroying shareholder equity. ROIC of 4.4% represents below-average returns on invested capital.
Margins
Full margin charts and quarterly trend are on the Earnings History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 15.3% | 15.3% | 69.4% | 68.9% | 68.1% | 74.2% | 72.1% | 65.1% | 64.8% | 71.6% | 71.0% |
| Operating Margin | 1.4% | 1.4% | 1.1% | 1.8% | 7.3% | 3.9% | -6.0% | -9.9% | -9.1% | -10.6% | -13.8% |
| Net Profit Margin | -0.5% | -0.5% | -16.4% | -0.8% | 17.8% | 7.7% | -1.0% | -12.1% | 6.2% | -10.9% | -32.4% |
Return on Capital
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROE | -3.8% | -3.8% | -145.8% | -8.1% | 1927.5% | — | — | — | — | — | -183.2% |
| ROA | -0.8% | -0.8% | -26.0% | -1.3% | 32.3% | 13.2% | -1.4% | -21.8% | 13.7% | -24.3% | -41.7% |
| ROIC | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 8.3% | 65.4% | 148.2% | — | — | — | — | -53.4% |
| ROCE | 3.4% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 4.2% | 21.3% | 11.1% | -14.9% | -30.7% | -38.7% | -47.4% | -26.2% |
HHS Leverage & Debt
Solvency and debt-coverage ratios — lower is generally safer
Harte Hanks, Inc. carries a Debt/EBITDA ratio of 3.4x, which is moderately leveraged (roughly in line with the sector average of 3.5x). Net debt stands at $17M ($22M total debt minus $6M cash). Interest coverage of 8.7x is adequate, though a cyclical earnings downturn could tighten the margin of safety.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Debt / Equity | 1.09 | 1.09 | 1.13 | 1.44 | 1.19 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Debt / EBITDA | 3.37 | 3.37 | 3.80 | 3.75 | 1.25 | 3.02 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Net Debt / Equity | — | 0.82 | 0.68 | 0.51 | 0.64 | — | — | — | — | — | -17.32 |
| Net Debt / EBITDA | 2.53 | 2.53 | 2.26 | 1.34 | 0.67 | 1.85 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Debt / FCF | — | — | — | 1.32 | 0.52 | — | — | 0.57 | — | — | -5.82 |
| Interest Coverage | 8.74 | 8.74 | 40.98 | — | 45.09 | 19.01 | -14.73 | -7.77 | -13.63 | -9.72 | -4.39 |
HHS Liquidity & Efficiency
Short-term solvency ratios and asset-utilisation metrics
A current ratio of 1.54x means Harte Hanks, Inc. can comfortably meet its short-term obligations, though there is limited excess liquidity. The current ratio has improved from 1.36x to 1.54x over the past 3 years.
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current Ratio | 1.54 | 1.54 | 1.53 | 1.36 | 1.52 | 1.78 | 1.83 | 1.74 | 1.94 | 1.53 | 1.43 |
| Quick Ratio | 1.54 | 1.54 | 1.53 | 1.36 | 1.52 | 1.78 | 1.83 | 1.73 | 1.93 | 1.53 | 1.42 |
| Cash Ratio | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.28 | 0.38 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.62 | 0.75 | 0.39 | 0.12 | 0.44 |
| Asset Turnover | — | 1.74 | 1.82 | 1.46 | 1.72 | 1.80 | 1.48 | 1.88 | 2.27 | 2.93 | 1.89 |
| Inventory Turnover | — | — | — | — | — | — | 1071.52 | 214.41 | 223.78 | 185.84 | 139.77 |
| Days Sales Outstanding | — | 79.81 | 78.55 | 80.53 | 92.30 | 107.41 | 86.96 | 66.73 | 72.58 | 77.39 | 80.16 |
HHS Shareholder Yields
Earnings, FCF, buyback, and dividend yields — total returns to shareholders
Harte Hanks, Inc. returns 0.3% to shareholders annually primarily through share buybacks.
Dividends
Full dividend history and growth charts are on the Dividend History page
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dividend Yield | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5.7% |
| Payout Ratio | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Total Shareholder Return Metrics
| Metric | TTM | FY 2025 | FY 2024 | FY 2023 | FY 2022 | FY 2021 | FY 2020 | FY 2019 | FY 2018 | FY 2017 | FY 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings Yield | — | — | — | — | 40.6% | 23.2% | — | — | 115.7% | — | — |
| FCF Yield | — | — | — | 15.4% | 26.6% | — | — | 40.9% | — | — | 8.5% |
| Buyback Yield | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 6.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Total Shareholder Yield | 0.3% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 6.1% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.8% | 0.0% | 5.7% |
| Shares Outstanding | — | $7M | $7M | $7M | $7M | $7M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M | $6M |
Peer Comparison
Compare HHS with 10 similar companies in its peer group
| Company | Market Cap | P/E | EV/EBITDA | P/FCF | Gross Margin | Op Margin | ROE | ROIC | Debt/EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 HHSYou | $21M | -25.3 | 5.6 | — | 15.3% | 1.4% | -3.8% | 4.4% | 3.4 |
 STGW | $2B | 58.7 | 7.9 | 6.6 | 36.5% | 5.5% | 3.7% | 5.2% | 4.0 |
 KFRC | $790M | 22.1 | 15.4 | 16.9 | 26.8% | 3.8% | 24.9% | 19.1% | 1.3 |
 MMS | $4B | 12.1 | 6.7 | 9.9 | 23.0% | 10.6% | 18.1% | 15.1% | 2.0 |
 ICLR | $10B | 13.1 | 7.9 | 8.5 | 29.4% | 13.3% | 8.4% | 6.5% | 2.3 |
 TTEC | $149M | -0.8 | 5.8 | 1.8 | 17.6% | 4.5% | -101.0% | 6.2% | 5.4 |
 TASK | $573M | 5.8 | 3.3 | 7.8 | 32.6% | 11.9% | 18.6% | 16.3% | 1.5 |
 EXLS | $5B | 20.4 | 13.8 | 16.4 | 38.4% | 15.0% | 27.2% | 20.4% | 1.1 |
 CNXN | $2B | 20.0 | 12.4 | 28.4 | 18.8% | 3.6% | 9.2% | 10.6% | 0.0 |
 CRM | $179B | 23.9 | 20.0 | 12.4 | 77.7% | 21.5% | 12.4% | 10.9% | 0.8 |
 HUBS | $13B | 284.1 | 69.2 | 17.8 | 83.8% | 0.4% | 2.3% | 0.4% | 2.8 |
| Communication Services Median | — | 15.4 | 9.0 | 11.8 | 48.3% | 0.7% | 2.2% | 3.0% | 3.5 |
Peer selection based on competitive and market overlap. Compare multiple stocks →
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Start ComparisonHHS — Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers to the most common questions about buying HHS stock.
What is Harte Hanks, Inc.'s P/E ratio?
Harte Hanks, Inc.'s current P/E ratio is -25.3x. The historical average is 17.1x.
What is Harte Hanks, Inc.'s EV/EBITDA?
Harte Hanks, Inc.'s current EV/EBITDA is 5.6x. This enterprise value multiple compares the company's total value (equity + debt - cash) to its EBITDA. The historical average is 9.1x.
What is Harte Hanks, Inc.'s ROE?
Harte Hanks, Inc.'s return on equity (ROE) is -3.8%. The historical average is -4.4%.
Is HHS stock overvalued?
Based on historical data, Harte Hanks, Inc. is trading at a P/E of -25.3x. Compare with industry peers and growth rates for a complete picture.
What are Harte Hanks, Inc.'s profit margins?
Harte Hanks, Inc. has 15.3% gross margin and 1.4% operating margin.
How much debt does Harte Hanks, Inc. have?
Harte Hanks, Inc.'s Debt/EBITDA ratio is 3.4x, indicating high leverage. A ratio between 2-4x is manageable but warrants monitoring.