AppLovin modestly exceeds sales and earnings expectations in Q3
AppLovin after the adtech company reported top and bottom line results that modestly exceeded expectations, along with guidance for the current quarter that strikes a similar chord.
The Q3 results:
Revenue: $1.41 billion (estimate: $1.34 billion, guidance of $1.33 billion)
Adjusted EBITDA: $1.16 billion (estimate: $1.09 billion, guidance of $1.08 billion)
Q4 guidance:
After its Q2 report, CEO Adam Foroughi said that the real “fun” starts this quarter, as the company began to open its self-service ad portal on a referral basis on October 1. Bank of America analyst Omar Dessouky is especially bullish on this channel, expecting the company to book 4,000 large advertisers after the portal becomes fully available for onboards in the first half of 2026.
However, Q4 has not been fun for the adtech company thus far. Shares are down about 15% since the end of September, with the bulk of the decline catalyzed by a report that the SEC is investigating its data collection practices, which was followed by another report indicating that multiple state regulators are also looking into the same matter.
“Legal risk lingers: AppLovin has denied short-seller claims about its Array product, which was later shut down amid possible probes by the SEC and some US state regulators,” wrote Bloomberg Intelligence technology analyst Nathan Naidu ahead of this report. “A related class-action suit filed in March could cost up to $750 million if it proceeds to trial. “