Zhihu (ZH) Return on Sales [ROS] (2020 - 2026)
Zhihu's Return on Sales [ROS] was -10.96% in the quarter ended Jun 30, 2026, up 1.73 percentage points from -12.69% a year earlier but down 1.35 percentage points from the prior quarter.
Zhihu (ZH) Return on Sales [ROS] (2020 - 2026) Analysis & Trends
On a trailing twelve-month basis, Zhihu's Return on Sales [ROS] was -18.91% through Jun 30, 2026, down 12.34 percentage points year-over-year; for the year ended Dec 31, 2025, it was -17.96%, down 4.59 percentage points from the prior year.
- Return on Sales [ROS] shows a five-year change of +26.63 percentage points (years ended Dec 2020 to Dec 2025).
- In earlier years, Return on Sales [ROS] was -13.37% in the year ended Dec 31, 2024 (+12.17 pp), -25.54% in the year ended Dec 31, 2023 (+18.95 pp), -44.49% in the year ended Dec 31, 2022 (+2.51 pp) and -46.99% in the year ended Dec 31, 2021 (-2.41 pp).
- Quarterly Return on Sales [ROS] has moved between -87.21% (the quarter ended Mar 31, 2022) and 15.65% (the quarter ended Dec 31, 2023) over five years.
- Compared with a year earlier, Return on Sales [ROS] was higher in four of the last eight quarters, with an average year-over-year change of -1.84 percentage points.
- The best year-over-year quarter for Return on Sales [ROS] over five years was the quarter ended Mar 31, 2023 (a gain of 65.33 percentage points); the worst was the quarter ended Dec 31, 2025 (a drop of 43.70 percentage points).
- Per Business Quant data, ZH's Return on Sales [ROS] in the three quarters before the quarter ended Jun 30, 2026 was -9.61% (quarter ended Mar 31, 2026), -41.00% (quarter ended Dec 31, 2025) and -15.15% (quarter ended Sep 30, 2025).
Peer Comparison
| # | Company | Market Cap | Enterprise Value | Gross Profit (Qtr) | ROS (Qtr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alphabet | 4,173.87 Bn | 3,931.39 Bn | 73.85 Bn | 34.03% |
| 2 | Meta Platforms | 1,849.67 Bn | 1,552.19 Bn | 49.47 Bn | 30.88% |
| 3 | Netflix | 279.23 Bn | 239.43 Bn | 6.52 Bn | 33.38% |
| 4 | Alibaba Group Holding | 245.86 Bn | 63.73 Bn | 15.11 Bn | 5.62% |
| 5 | Shopify | 196.08 Bn | 173.27 Bn | 1.71 Bn | 13.62% |
| 6 | Uber Technologies | 138.90 Bn | 110.88 Bn | 6.38 Bn | 13.32% |
| 7 | Booking Holdings | 119.48 Bn | 52.53 Bn | - | 34.00% |
| 8 | PDD Holdings | 107.30 Bn | -144.64 Bn | 9.45 Bn | 24.62% |
| 9 | Spotify Technology | 97.33 Bn | 54.56 Bn | 1.86 Bn | 13.71% |
| 10 | Zhihu | 276.19 Mn | -2.00 Bn | 57.98 Mn | -10.96% |
Historic Data
| Date | Value |
|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | -10.96% |
| Mar 31, 2026 | -9.61% |
| Dec 31, 2025 | -41.00% |
| Sep 30, 2025 | -15.15% |
| Jun 30, 2025 | -12.69% |
| Mar 31, 2025 | -7.21% |
| Dec 31, 2024 | 2.69% |
| Sep 30, 2024 | -9.98% |
| Jun 30, 2024 | -19.69% |
| Mar 31, 2024 | -23.39% |
| Dec 31, 2023 | 15.65% |
| Sep 30, 2023 | -34.55% |
| Jun 30, 2023 | -31.34% |
| Mar 31, 2023 | -21.88% |
| Dec 31, 2022 | -19.42% |
| Sep 30, 2022 | -30.56% |
| Jun 30, 2022 | -55.97% |
| Mar 31, 2022 | -87.21% |
| Dec 31, 2021 | -36.82% |
| Sep 30, 2021 | -39.16% |
Zhihu Return on Sales [ROS] API
Pull this series into your own models, spreadsheets and apps with the Business Quant
Historical Metrics API. The request below matches the chart above — change the
frequency, period or values and it follows. Swap YOUR_API_KEY for your own key.
https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=ZH&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEYimport requests
url = "https://data.businessquant.com/historic"
params = {"slug": "return-on-sales-[ros]", "ticker": "ZH", "period": "max", "api_key": "YOUR_API_KEY"}
data = requests.get(url, params=params).json()const res = await fetch("https://data.businessquant.com/historic?slug=return-on-sales-%5Bros%5D&ticker=ZH&period=max&api_key=YOUR_API_KEY");
const data = await res.json();