Wrapping up Q4 earnings, we look at the numbers and key takeaways for the advertising software stocks, including DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV) 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.

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. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Overall, it was a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a slight miss of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

DoubleVerify delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates of the whole group. Interestingly, the stock is up 2.7% since reporting and currently trades at $9.79.

Read our full report on DoubleVerify 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 pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 16.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $8.21.

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

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, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 0.6%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations and EBITDA guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

As expected, the stock is down 12.6% since the results and currently trades at $21.99.

Read our full analysis of The Trade Desk’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 print was in line with analysts’ expectations. More broadly, it was a slower quarter as it produced revenue guidance for next quarter 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 result beat analysts’ expectations by 3.7%. Overall, it was a very strong quarter as it also put up an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates and full-year guidance of accelerating revenue growth.

Zeta Global had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is down 7.2% since reporting and currently trades at $15.76.

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 Top 5 Quality Compounder Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.