Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at Omnicom Group (NYSE: OMC) and the best and worst performers in the advertising & marketing services industry.

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 satisfactory Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 4% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.7% below.

Luckily, advertising & marketing services stocks have performed well with share prices up 13.7% on average since the latest earnings results.

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 $5.53 billion, up 27.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 22.8%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a slower quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

"Since the successful closing of the Interpublic acquisition on November 26, we made key leadership and brand announcements, refreshed our enterprise growth strategy, and launched the next generation of our Omni data and technology platform," said John Wren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom.

Omnicom Group pulled off the biggest analyst estimates beat and fastest revenue growth of the whole group. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 21.9% since reporting and currently trades at $85.52.

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

Best Q4: 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 $287.8 million, up 1.9% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. The business had a stunning quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 6% since reporting. It currently trades at $11.73.

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

Slowest 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 $205.4 million, up 5.9% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 15% since the results and currently trades at $13.77.

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 $522.3 million, up 6.4% year on year. This result missed analysts’ expectations by 2.9%. It was a slower quarter as it also recorded a significant miss of analysts’ revenue estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

Taboola pulled off the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is down 3.3% since reporting and currently trades at $3.04.

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

Ibotta (NYSE: IBTA)

Originally launched as a way to make grocery shopping more rewarding for budget-conscious consumers, Ibotta (NYSE: IBTA) is a mobile shopping app that allows consumers to earn cash back on everyday purchases by completing tasks and submitting receipts.

Ibotta reported revenues of $88.53 million, down 10% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 6.5%. It was a strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

Ibotta had the slowest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is up 24.5% since reporting and currently trades at $25.53.

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

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