Forrester Research (FORR) Beats Q2 2026 EPS by 51% Despite Revenue Decline
As seen on the 24/7 Wall St. homepage on July 30, 2026.
Forrester Research crushed earnings with a 51% EPS beat by slashing headcount and restarting buybacks, while customer retention ticked higher even as revenue fell 10% year-over-year. CEO George Colony is pivoting hard into AI-integrated research tools, with Microsoft Teams and Copilot integrations rolling out this fall.
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Forrester posted Q2 2026 earnings per share of $0.40 against a consensus estimate of $0.265, a beat of roughly 51%. Revenue came in at $100.2 million, about 3% above the $96.9 million analysts had expected, though it still represented a 10% decline compared to the same quarter a year ago. The company achieved this EPS outperformance by cutting headcount and resuming share buybacks, moves that lifted the bottom line even as the top line contracted.
Customer retention improved during the quarter, which is a meaningful signal for a subscription-driven research business where renewal rates are a core indicator of long-term health. The improvement suggests that even as Forrester shrinks its revenue base, the clients it is retaining are staying put — a foundation CEO George Colony appears to be building on as the company repositions itself.
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Colony is steering Forrester toward AI-integrated research products, with integrations into Microsoft Teams and Copilot set to roll out this fall. The strategic pivot comes after a rough Q1 2026, when the company missed its $0.12 EPS estimate by reporting a loss of $0.04 per share. The Q2 recovery and the upcoming product launches will be closely watched as signals of whether the AI-driven transition can stabilize and eventually grow revenue.
Mentioned: FORR