diff --git a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/instructions/cp/QuantilePickCPInstruction.java b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/instructions/cp/QuantilePickCPInstruction.java
index a7bfbf5a16c..3edb145e92c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/instructions/cp/QuantilePickCPInstruction.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/apache/sysds/runtime/instructions/cp/QuantilePickCPInstruction.java
@@ -83,31 +83,33 @@ else if( parts.length == 6 ) {
 	public void processInstruction(ExecutionContext ec) {
 		switch( _type ) 
 		{
-			case VALUEPICK: 
-				if( _inmem ) //INMEM VALUEPICK
-				{
-					MatrixBlock matBlock = ec.getMatrixInput(input1.getName());
+			case VALUEPICK:
+				// Handle both in-memory and non-in-memory VALUEPICK by materializing
+				// the input matrix and invoking the pick routines. Previously only
+				// the in-memory branch was executed which left the output unset
+				// when _inmem==false (see SYSTEMDS-3898).
+			{
+				MatrixBlock matBlock = ec.getMatrixInput(input1.getName());
 
-					if ( input2.getDataType() == DataType.SCALAR ) {
-						ScalarObject quantile = ec.getScalarInput(input2);
-						//pick value w/ explicit averaging for even-length arrays
-						double picked = matBlock.pickValue(
-							quantile.getDoubleValue(), matBlock.getLength()%2==0);
-						ec.setScalarOutput(output.getName(), new DoubleObject(picked));
-					} 
-					else {
-						MatrixBlock quantiles = ec.getMatrixInput(input2.getName());
-						//pick value w/ explicit averaging for even-length arrays
-						MatrixBlock resultBlock = matBlock.pickValues(
-							quantiles, new MatrixBlock(), matBlock.getLength()%2==0);
-						quantiles = null;
-						ec.releaseMatrixInput(input2.getName());
-						ec.setMatrixOutput(output.getName(), resultBlock);
-					}
-					ec.releaseMatrixInput(input1.getName());
+				if ( input2.getDataType() == DataType.SCALAR ) {
+					ScalarObject quantile = ec.getScalarInput(input2);
+					// pick value w/ explicit averaging for even-length arrays
+					double picked = matBlock.pickValue(
+					quantile.getDoubleValue(), matBlock.getLength()%2==0);
+					ec.setScalarOutput(output.getName(), new DoubleObject(picked));
+				} 
+				else {
+					MatrixBlock quantiles = ec.getMatrixInput(input2.getName());
+					// pick values w/ explicit averaging for even-length arrays
+					MatrixBlock resultBlock = matBlock.pickValues(
+					quantiles, new MatrixBlock(), matBlock.getLength()%2==0);
+					quantiles = null;
+					ec.releaseMatrixInput(input2.getName());
+					ec.setMatrixOutput(output.getName(), resultBlock);
 				}
-				break;
-
+				ec.releaseMatrixInput(input1.getName());
+			}
+                        	break;
 			case MEDIAN:
 				if( _inmem ) //INMEM MEDIAN
 				{