Seek Limited (ASX: SEK) delivered one of the most impressive performances on the ASX today, with its share price jumping 6.86% to $23.67 following the release of a comprehensive Investor Day presentation. The surge reflects strong investor confidence in Seek’s future outlook, technology roadmap, and renewed growth strategy.
Trading was buoyant throughout the day, with nearly $24 million in turnover and almost 1 million shares exchanged by early afternoon. The stock reached an intraday high of $24.87, building on a recent rally that has seen Seek’s share price rise over 16% in the past month and more than 7% this week alone.
Seek Limited Impressed the Market Today and Fetched nearly 7% Gain on Stock Price [Market Index]
Investor Day Highlights
The Investor Day presentation, released to the ASX on 21 May, outlined Seek’s strategic direction across its Australian, New Zealand, and Asian markets. Presentations by CEO Ian Narev, CFO Kendra Banks, and senior product leaders showcased a unified vision: to grow ad placements, increase yield, and achieve operational efficiency through technology and scale.
Upgraded Financial Outlook
One of the key takeaways was the upgraded financial guidance for FY25. Seek expects to land in the top half of its forecasted ranges for revenue, earnings, and adjusted profit. The new guidance includes:
- Revenue: $1.06 billion to $1.10 billion
- EBITDA: $440 million to $470 million
- Adjusted Profit: $135 million to $160 million
Operating costs remain within expectations, and lower-than-anticipated interest expenses, following proceeds from the SEEK Growth Fund’s partial sell-down of Employment Hero, have further supported the outlook.
Seek’s placement share and yield are rising across both Australia and Asia, with Australia reaching 35.4% placement share in H1 25 and Asia climbing to 25.6% in Q3 25. Yield growth remains strong, particularly in Asia, which saw 28% growth in FY23 and 19% in H1 25, while ANZ sustained double-digit yield increases driven by upgraded ad tiers and AI-powered pricing.
Innovation in Advertising and AI
A major point of investor enthusiasm was the rollout of Seek’s upgraded ad tiers, launched in April 2025 in Australia and May in New Zealand. These tiered ad products, ranging from Basic to Premium, are designed to align pricing with the likelihood of placement success. Seek has already reported:
- 13% more high-fit applications on premium-tier ads
- A 3x increase in advanced ad tier usage
- Enhanced return on investment for hirers
Powered by proprietary AI, these upgrades not only improve targeting and engagement but also provide Seek with clearer pricing power and product differentiation.
APAC Platform Unification and Freemium Expansion
Seek has completed the unification of its digital platform across its eight APAC markets, allowing it to launch consistent features, streamline data use, and scale product innovations more efficiently.
In Asia, Seek’s freemium model—offering free basic ads to small and medium hirers—has been a standout success. First launched in the Philippines and now expanding into Thailand, Indonesia, and Singapore, the freemium strategy is already yielding positive results:
- ~50% growth in total ads, with more than 30% from new hirers
- Yield growth in the low double digits
- Over 15 applications per free ad
- An increase in Seek’s placement share across several markets
This early success is positioning Seek to monetise its Asian user base more effectively through paid add-ons and value-based pricing in the near future.
Clear Strategic Focus
Seek’s leadership team was unequivocal in its commitment to three strategic pillars:
- Grow Placements – By better matching candidates and hirers using AI, personalisation, and automation
- Grow Yield – Through pricing based on outcomes and enhancing value for employers
- Achieve Operating Leverage – By keeping cost growth slower than revenue growth
The presentation showed that operating leverage is already being realised. Core technology, sales, and corporate costs are stabilising, while discretionary investment is being directed towards product innovation—particularly in AI and trust features such as credential verification.
Product and AI Leadership
Seek has invested heavily in AI since 2013, and this long-term focus is now a competitive advantage. AI is being deployed across multiple aspects of the business:
- Smart ad writing and automated placement
- Dynamic pricing linked to ad performance
- Personalised job recommendations for candidates
- Credential and identity verification to build trust
These capabilities are enabling Seek to deliver better hiring outcomes, reduce time-to-hire, and maintain leadership in a rapidly evolving market.
Data from Australia and New Zealand supports this approach: between January 2023 and January 2025, Seek has seen:
- 18% increase in unique visitors
- 40% increase in visits
- 63% growth in total job applications
Market Outlook
While Seek’s 12-month return (+0.98%) has underperformed the broader ASX 200 and its sector peers, today’s 6.86% rally marks a turning point in investor sentiment. The company’s clear strategy, supported by product execution and financial discipline, is giving the market renewed confidence.
Its market capitalisation now stands at approximately $8.45 billion, ranking Seek 70th out of 2,323 ASX-listed entities, and 5th within the Communication Services sector.
Conclusion
Seek’s share price surge today underscores the market’s enthusiastic response to a company clearly on the front foot. With upgraded financial guidance, a differentiated ad product offering, rapid advances in AI, and scalable growth in Asia, Seek has laid a strong foundation for long-term value creation.
Investors responded to not just strong numbers, but a compelling story—of a company that understands its users, leverages technology smartly, and is executing a focused growth strategy across a region with enormous upside potential.
As the Investor Day made clear, Seek is not just recovering—it’s reinventing itself for the next phase of digital employment marketplaces.
