Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - ASGN reported revenues of $1,020 million for Q2 2025, which was above the high end of guidance and represented a decrease of 1.4% year over year [5][23] - Adjusted EBITDA margin was 10.6%, at the top end of expectations for the quarter [5][27] - Net income for the quarter was $29.3 million, with free cash flow of $115.8 million, translating to a conversion rate of approximately 107% of adjusted EBITDA [27][28] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - IT consulting revenues grew to approximately 63% of total revenues, up from 57% in the prior year [5] - Commercial consulting revenues totaled $325.7 million, an increase of 15.7% year over year, driven by contributions from TopLock [23] - Federal government segment revenues were $312.5 million, an increase of 1.1% year over year, including $10 million of higher than expected license revenue [23] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Consumer and industrial accounts showed mid double-digit growth year over year, driven by strong performance in materials, utilities, and consumer discretionary sectors [10] - The healthcare vertical remained flat year over year, while financial services and TMT accounts declined compared to the previous year [10][11] - Federal contract awards totaled $72 million for the quarter, with a book-to-bill ratio of 1.1 times [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - ASGN is focusing on AI investments to enhance competitiveness and drive demand for cloud and data solutions [6][30] - The company launched the ASGN AI Innovation Center to unify AI expertise and promote business growth [31][33] - Strategic partnerships with companies like AWS and Workday are being leveraged to deliver tailored technology solutions [18][31] Management Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that macroeconomic uncertainty is impacting discretionary spending, but clients are still investing in AI to maintain competitiveness [5][30] - The recent increase in U.S. Defense spending is expected to benefit ASGN's federal business, particularly in AI and automation [8][30] - Management expressed cautious optimism regarding future growth, particularly in the commercial consulting space [63] Other Important Information - The company has approximately $470 million remaining under its $750 million share repurchase authorization [28] - ASGN plans to host an Investor Day in Q4 to discuss long-term strategies for growth and value creation [34] Q&A Session Summary Question: How is TopLock performing relative to expectations? - TopLock is tracking just ahead of revenue and bookings expectations, with EBITDA margins in the high teens [39] Question: What impact is AI having on the cyclical part of the assignment business? - The cyclicality is stable, with no significant impact from AI observed at this stage [46] Question: What is the long-term margin profile for the government consulting area? - The long-term margin profile is expected to remain in the 20% to 21% range, with opportunities for increasing direct labor [56] Question: What were the expectations regarding the DOGE impact? - The DOGE impact was expected to be less than 2% of total revenues, consistent with prior expectations [59] Question: Can you discuss the strength in the consumer and industrial segments? - Strength was driven by significant investments in cloud, data, and AI, particularly in materials and utilities [87][90] Question: How is ASGN using AI internally? - ASGN is implementing AI across enterprise software tools to enhance productivity and efficiency in operations [92]