Wrapping up Q4 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the advertising software stocks, including The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) and its peers.

The digital advertising market is large, growing, and becoming more diverse, both in terms of audiences and media. As a result, there is a growing need for software that enables advertisers to use data to automate and optimize ad placements.

The 6 advertising software stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady. On average, they are relatively unchanged since the latest earnings results.

Weakest Q4: The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD)

Built as an alternative to "walled garden" advertising ecosystems, The Trade Desk (NASDAQ: TTD) provides a cloud-based platform that helps advertisers and agencies plan, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across multiple channels and devices.

The Trade Desk reported revenues of $846.8 million, up 14.3% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a softer quarter for the company with revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations and EBITDA guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

“The Trade Desk delivered $2.9 billion in revenue in 2025 while continuing to generate significant profitability and cash flow,” said Jeff Green, Co-Founder and CEO of The Trade Desk.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 9.1% since reporting and currently trades at $22.88.

Is now the time to buy The Trade Desk? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q4: PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM)

Powering billions of daily ad impressions across the open internet, PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM) operates a technology platform that helps publishers maximize revenue from their digital advertising inventory while giving advertisers more control and transparency.

PubMatic reported revenues of $80.05 million, down 6.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.2%. The business had an exceptional quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

PubMatic achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 13.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $8.04.

Is now the time to buy PubMatic? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV)

Using advanced analytics to evaluate over 17 billion digital ad transactions daily, DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV) provides AI-powered technology that verifies digital ads are viewable, fraud-free, brand-suitable, and displayed in the intended geographic location.

DoubleVerify reported revenues of $205.6 million, up 7.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. It was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

DoubleVerify delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. The stock is flat since the results and currently trades at $9.51.

Read our full analysis of DoubleVerify’s results here.

LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP)

Serving as the digital middleman in an increasingly privacy-conscious world, LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP) provides technology that helps companies securely share and connect their customer data with trusted partners while maintaining privacy compliance.

LiveRamp reported revenues of $212.2 million, up 8.6% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. Taking a step back, it was a slower quarter as it logged revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations and full-year revenue guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

LiveRamp scored the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The company added 8 enterprise customers paying more than $1 million annually to reach a total of 140. The stock is up 18.3% since reporting and currently trades at $26.53.

Read our full, actionable report on LiveRamp here, it’s free.

Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA)

Powered by an AI engine that processes over one trillion consumer signals monthly, Zeta Global (NYSE: ZETA) operates a data-driven cloud platform that helps companies target, connect, and engage with consumers through personalized marketing across channels like email, social media, and video.

Zeta Global reported revenues of $394.6 million, up 25.4% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. It was a very strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates and full-year guidance of accelerating revenue growth.

The stock is down 5.5% since reporting and currently trades at $16.05.

Read our full, actionable report on Zeta Global here, it’s free.

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.