Looking back on advertising & marketing services stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, including Liberty Broadband (NASDAQ: LBRDK) and its peers.
The sector is on the precipice of both disruption and growth as AI, programmatic advertising, and data-driven marketing reshape how things are done. For example, the advent of the Internet broadly and programmatic advertising specifically means that brand building is not a relationship business anymore but instead one based on data and technology, which could hurt traditional ad agencies. On the other hand, the companies in the sector that beef up their tech chops by automating the buying of ad inventory or facilitating omnichannel marketing, for example, stand to benefit. With or without advances in digitization and AI, the sector is still highly levered to the macro, and economic uncertainty may lead to fluctuating ad spend, particularly in cyclical industries.
The 7 advertising & marketing services stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 62.8% above.
Amidst this news, share prices of the companies have had a rough stretch. On average, they are down 29.8% since the latest earnings results.
Best Q4: Liberty Broadband (NASDAQ: LBRDK)
Operating across the United States, Liberty Broadband (NASDAQ: LBRDK) is a provider of high-speed internet, cable television, and telecommunications services across various markets.
Liberty Broadband reported revenues of $263 million, up 5.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. Overall, it was a stunning quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is down 9.8% since reporting and currently trades at $73.25.
Is now the time to buy Liberty Broadband? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
QuinStreet (NASDAQ: QNST)
Founded during the dot-com era in 1999 and specializing in high-intent consumer traffic, QuinStreet (NASDAQ: QNST) operates digital performance marketplaces that connect clients in financial and home services with consumers actively searching for their products.
QuinStreet reported revenues of $282.6 million, up 130% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 17.9%. The business had a very strong quarter with full-year revenue guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations and a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
QuinStreet delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is down 48.3% since reporting. It currently trades at $13.01.
Is now the time to buy QuinStreet? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.
Weakest Q4: Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI)
Born from the 2020 merger of Rubicon Project and Telaria, Magnite (NASDAQ: MGNI) operates the world's largest independent sell-side advertising platform that automates the buying and selling of digital advertising inventory across all channels and formats.
Magnite reported revenues of $194 million, up 3.8% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 6.1%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
Magnite delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. As expected, the stock is down 46.8% since the results and currently trades at $8.97.
Read our full analysis of Magnite’s results here.
Taboola (NASDAQ: TBLA)
Often appearing as those "You May Also Like" or "Recommended For You" boxes at the bottom of news articles, Taboola (NASDAQ: TBLA) operates a digital platform that recommends personalized content to users across publisher websites, helping both publishers monetize their sites and advertisers reach target audiences.
Taboola reported revenues of $212.7 million, up 26.2% year on year. This number lagged analysts' expectations by 0.7%. In spite of that, it was a strong quarter as it recorded an impressive beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.
Taboola had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is down 36.4% since reporting and currently trades at $2.36.
Read our full, actionable report on Taboola here, it’s free.
Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC)
With a vast network of creative agencies that helped craft some of the most memorable ad campaigns in history, Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) is a strategic holding company that provides advertising, marketing, and communications services to many of the world's largest companies.
Omnicom Group reported revenues of $4.32 billion, up 6.4% year on year. This result was in line with analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a mixed quarter as its performance in some other areas of the business was disappointing.
The stock is down 20.2% since reporting and currently trades at $69.39.
Read our full, actionable report on Omnicom Group here, it’s free.
Market Update
Thanks to the Fed’s series of rate hikes in 2022 and 2023, inflation has cooled significantly from its post-pandemic highs, drawing closer to the 2% goal. This disinflation has occurred without severely impacting economic growth, suggesting the success of a soft landing. The stock market thrived in 2024, spurred by recent rate cuts (0.5% in September and 0.25% in November), and a notable surge followed Donald Trump’s presidential election win in November, propelling indices to historic highs. Nonetheless, the outlook for 2025 remains clouded by potential trade policy changes and corporate tax discussions, which could impact business confidence and growth. The path forward holds both optimism and caution as new policies take shape.
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