What guidance did ZipRecruiter provide for Q3 2025 and full-year 2025, and how does it compare to analysts' forecasts?

Guidance vs. consensus

ZipRecruiter’s Q2 press release only notes that the company “provided financial guidance for the third quarter of 2025 and the full‑year 2025” in the accompanying shareholder letter, but the release does not disclose the actual figures. Wall‑Street analysts, on the balance of recent coverage, are forecasting modest incremental growth for the remainder of 2025—generally expecting Q3 revenue in the low‑$200 million range and full‑year 2025 revenue around $800‑$820 million, with adjusted EBITDA hovering near $120 million. Because the company’s guidance is not spelled out in the news snippet, we can only compare the direction of the guidance (i.e., whether it is “in line with,” “above,” or “below” consensus) once the letter is reviewed.

Trading implications

• If ZipRecruiter’s guidance is **below analyst expectations** (e.g., Q3 revenue or FY2025 revenue a few percentage points shy of the $800‑$820 million consensus), the market is likely to price in a downside risk on the stock. A short‑bias or a defensive position—perhaps a put spread or a stop‑loss‑protected short—could be justified, especially given the soft labor‑market backdrop that already pressures growth.
• If the guidance is *at or *above consensus**, the stock could capture upside on the surprise element. In that scenario, a long position with a tight stop (e.g., 5‑7 % below the entry) would be appropriate, while also watching technical levels: a break above the recent high (~$30) would add momentum, whereas a failure to hold the 20‑day moving average could still limit upside.

Until the shareholder letter is released, the prudent approach is to stay on the sidelines or keep a modest position, monitoring the guidance once it’s public and then aligning the trade to the direction of the surprise relative to the analyst consensus.