RankAlpha logo
Back to Rankings

STGW

StagwellB
Nasdaq / Media & Entertainment
Last Price
Quote time unavailable
View Chart
Documents
55
Stored
Transcripts
1
Recent loaded
Latest document
2026-10-22
Related article

Document history

Transcripts and related coverage stored for STGW. Related articles may discuss other companies and are not verified issuer releases.

12 shown
Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-10-22

Omnicom (OMC) Q3 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates

Zacks
Omnicom (OMC) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.73 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.68 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.24 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +1.87%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this advertising company would post earnings of $2.64 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.65, delivering a surprise of +0.38%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Omnicom, which belongs to the Zacks Advertising and Marketing industry, posted revenues of $6.42 billion for the quarter ended September 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.48%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $4.04 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Omnicom shares have lost about 0.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 13.3%. While Omnicom has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Omnicom was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stoc…Read full document

Omnicom (OMC) came out with quarterly earnings of $2.73 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.68 per share. This compares to earnings of $2.24 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +1.87%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this advertising company would post earnings of $2.64 per share when it actually produced earnings of $2.65, delivering a surprise of +0.38%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates two times. Omnicom, which belongs to the Zacks Advertising and Marketing industry, posted revenues of $6.42 billion for the quarter ended September 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 4.48%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $4.04 billion. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Omnicom shares have lost about 0.3% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 13.3%. While Omnicom has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Omnicom was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $3.31 on $6.82 billion in revenues for the coming quarter and $10.50 on $25.84 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Advertising and Marketing is currently in the bottom 33% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Another stock from the same industry, Stagwell (STGW), has yet to report results for the quarter ended September 2026. The results are expected to be released on October 29. This marketing communications company is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.31 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +29.2%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Stagwell's revenues are expected to be $817.7 million, up 10.1% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Stagwell Inc. (STGW) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-10-08

Stagwell Schedules Webcast to Discuss Financial Results for the Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2026

ACCESS Newswire

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / October 8, 2026 / Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW), the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI, will report financial results for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2026, on Thursday, October 29, 2026, before market open. Stagwell will host a video webcast to review those results the same day at 8:30 AM (ET). Register here to attend the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available following the event at Stagwell's website, https://www.stagwellglobal.com/investors/. About Stagwell Stagwell is the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 40+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com. IR Contact: Ben Allanson [email protected] PR Contact: Lena Petersen [email protected] SOURCE: Stagwell View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-09-03

Is Stagwell (STGW) Fully Priced As Strong Earnings Lift Its Outlook?

Simply Wall St.
Stagwell (STGW) drew fresh investor attention after reporting quarterly results that included 11% revenue growth and a higher full-year adjusted EPS outlook, supported by new client wins and increased use of its AI-driven marketing tools. Against this backdrop, Stagwell’s share price has climbed 31.61% over the past 90 days, and the year-to-date share price return of 86.15% points to strong recent momentum. The 1-year total shareholder return of 55.29% shows how that shift compares with a more modest 5-year total shareholder return of 1.67%. Spot similar momentum plays by scanning our hand picked 20 high quality undiscovered gems that share Stagwell’s mix of earnings traction and under the radar pricing. After that sharp move, the real fork in the road for Stagwell is simple. Does it make sense to accept today’s post earnings price or wait and hope the recent enthusiasm cools? The valuation numbers give some clues next. Stagwell’s most followed narrative pegs fair value at $9.71 per share, a touch above the last close of $8.81. This frames today’s post earnings move in a different light. Read the complete narrative. Want to see what sits behind that margin story? The narrative leans on steadier revenue growth, sharply higher profitability, and a very different earnings multiple than today. It is worth examining which forecasts would need to materialize for that $9.71 fair value to hold up. Result: Fair Value of $9.71 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, Stagwell’s reliance on a small group of large tech clients and the ongoing integration of past acquisitions could quickly weaken that 9.4% undervaluation narrative. Find out about the key risks to this Stagwell narrative. The popular Stagwell narrative leans on future earnings and a fair value of $9.71, yet today the stock trades on a P/E of 133x. That is far above the US Media industry at 20.7x, the peer average at 40.6x, and the fair ratio of 31.1x. Is that a margin of safety or a valuation risk? For a closer look at what this wide gap could mean in practice, including how far the P/E might move toward the fair ratio under different scenarios, See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown. If this mix of optimism and concern around Stagwell leaves you undecided, act quickly and check the facts for yourself.…Read full document

Stagwell (STGW) drew fresh investor attention after reporting quarterly results that included 11% revenue growth and a higher full-year adjusted EPS outlook, supported by new client wins and increased use of its AI-driven marketing tools. Against this backdrop, Stagwell’s share price has climbed 31.61% over the past 90 days, and the year-to-date share price return of 86.15% points to strong recent momentum. The 1-year total shareholder return of 55.29% shows how that shift compares with a more modest 5-year total shareholder return of 1.67%. Spot similar momentum plays by scanning our hand picked 20 high quality undiscovered gems that share Stagwell’s mix of earnings traction and under the radar pricing. After that sharp move, the real fork in the road for Stagwell is simple. Does it make sense to accept today’s post earnings price or wait and hope the recent enthusiasm cools? The valuation numbers give some clues next. Stagwell’s most followed narrative pegs fair value at $9.71 per share, a touch above the last close of $8.81. This frames today’s post earnings move in a different light. Read the complete narrative. Want to see what sits behind that margin story? The narrative leans on steadier revenue growth, sharply higher profitability, and a very different earnings multiple than today. It is worth examining which forecasts would need to materialize for that $9.71 fair value to hold up. Result: Fair Value of $9.71 (UNDERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, Stagwell’s reliance on a small group of large tech clients and the ongoing integration of past acquisitions could quickly weaken that 9.4% undervaluation narrative. Find out about the key risks to this Stagwell narrative. The popular Stagwell narrative leans on future earnings and a fair value of $9.71, yet today the stock trades on a P/E of 133x. That is far above the US Media industry at 20.7x, the peer average at 40.6x, and the fair ratio of 31.1x. Is that a margin of safety or a valuation risk? For a closer look at what this wide gap could mean in practice, including how far the P/E might move toward the fair ratio under different scenarios, See what the numbers say about this price — find out in our valuation breakdown. If this mix of optimism and concern around Stagwell leaves you undecided, act quickly and check the facts for yourself. To weigh both sides clearly, start with the 3 key rewards and 2 important warning signs. If Stagwell has caught your attention, do not stop here. The market rarely serves up just one opportunity at a time, and you do not want to overlook other compelling setups. Target potential mispricing by scanning our 54 high quality undervalued stocks that combine solid fundamentals with prices that may not fully reflect their underlying strength. Build staying power into your portfolio by reviewing the list of solid balance sheet and fundamentals (52 results) that can better handle tough conditions and surprise headlines. Stack the odds toward stability by checking the 75 resilient stocks with low risk scores that score well on our risk metrics and may help smooth out portfolio swings. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include STGW. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email [email protected]

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Stagwell Inc. (NASDAQ:STGW) Reports Results for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2026

ACCESS Newswire
Q2 YoY Revenue Growth of 11% to $786 million; Q2 YoY Net Revenue Growth of 6% to $632 million Q2 YoY Digital Transformation Organic Net Revenue Growth of 18%; Two-Year Digital Transformation Organic Net Revenue Growth Stack of 29% Q2 EPS of $(0.03); Q2 Adjusted EPS Growth YoY of 39% to $0.25 Q2 Net Loss Attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $8 million; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA Growth YoY of 15% to $109 million Record Net New Business of $171 million in Q2; LTM Net New Business of $540 million Raise Full-Year 2026 Adjusted EPS Guidance to $1.03 to $1.17 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / July 30, 2026 / (NASDAQ:STGW) - Stagwell Inc. ("Stagwell") today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. SECOND QUARTER RESULTS: Q2 Revenue of $786 million, an increase of 11% versus the prior year period; YTD Revenue of $1,490 million, an increase of 10%; Q2 Revenue increased 10% organically versus the prior year period; YTD Revenue increased 8% organically; Q2 Net Revenue of $632 million, an increase of 6% versus the prior year period; YTD Net Revenue of $1,216 million, an increase of 5%; Q2 Net Revenue increased 5% organically versus the prior year period; YTD Net Revenue increased 3% organically; Q2 Digital Transformation Net Revenue of $107 million, an organic increase of 18% versus the prior year period; Two-Year Net Revenue Growth Stack for Digital Transformation of 34%, Two-Year Organic Net Revenue Growth Stack for Digital Transformation of 29%; Q2 Net Loss attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $8 million versus $5 million in the prior year period; YTD Net Loss attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $21 million versus $8 million in the prior year period; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA of $109 million, an increase of 15% versus the prior year period; YTD Adjusted EBITDA of $198 million an increase of 12%; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 17% on net revenue; YTD Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 16%; Q2 Loss Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $(0.03) versus $(0.02); YTD Loss Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $(0.08) versus $(0.06) in the prior year period; Q2 Adjusted Earnings Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $0.25 versus $0.18; YTD Adjusted Earnings Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $0.42 versus $0.30…Read full document

Q2 YoY Revenue Growth of 11% to $786 million; Q2 YoY Net Revenue Growth of 6% to $632 million Q2 YoY Digital Transformation Organic Net Revenue Growth of 18%; Two-Year Digital Transformation Organic Net Revenue Growth Stack of 29% Q2 EPS of $(0.03); Q2 Adjusted EPS Growth YoY of 39% to $0.25 Q2 Net Loss Attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $8 million; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA Growth YoY of 15% to $109 million Record Net New Business of $171 million in Q2; LTM Net New Business of $540 million Raise Full-Year 2026 Adjusted EPS Guidance to $1.03 to $1.17 NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / July 30, 2026 / (NASDAQ:STGW) - Stagwell Inc. ("Stagwell") today announced financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. SECOND QUARTER RESULTS: Q2 Revenue of $786 million, an increase of 11% versus the prior year period; YTD Revenue of $1,490 million, an increase of 10%; Q2 Revenue increased 10% organically versus the prior year period; YTD Revenue increased 8% organically; Q2 Net Revenue of $632 million, an increase of 6% versus the prior year period; YTD Net Revenue of $1,216 million, an increase of 5%; Q2 Net Revenue increased 5% organically versus the prior year period; YTD Net Revenue increased 3% organically; Q2 Digital Transformation Net Revenue of $107 million, an organic increase of 18% versus the prior year period; Two-Year Net Revenue Growth Stack for Digital Transformation of 34%, Two-Year Organic Net Revenue Growth Stack for Digital Transformation of 29%; Q2 Net Loss attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $8 million versus $5 million in the prior year period; YTD Net Loss attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $21 million versus $8 million in the prior year period; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA of $109 million, an increase of 15% versus the prior year period; YTD Adjusted EBITDA of $198 million an increase of 12%; Q2 Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 17% on net revenue; YTD Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 16%; Q2 Loss Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $(0.03) versus $(0.02); YTD Loss Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $(0.08) versus $(0.06) in the prior year period; Q2 Adjusted Earnings Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $0.25 versus $0.18; YTD Adjusted Earnings Per Share attributable to Stagwell Inc. Common Shareholders of $0.42 versus $0.30 in the prior year period; YTD Net Cash provided by Operating Activities of $64 million versus $55 million in the prior year period; Net new business of $171 million in the second quarter, last twelve-month net new business of $540 million See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for explanations and reconciliations of the Company's non-GAAP financial measures. "Our second quarter results demonstrate Stagwell is thriving in today's AI era. Stagwell's unique combination of software, services and engineers is being embraced by the industry leading to another record-breaking Net New Business quarter of $171 million, highlighted by recent wins with IBM, Adobe, Mondelez and Heineken," said Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO of Stagwell. "Our organic net revenue growth continues to accelerate, led by 18% growth in our Digital Transformation segment, and 12% growth in Communications as the political cycle starts to ramp up. Strong growth, combined with proactive cost management and share repurchases, means we are raising our adjusted EPS outlook for the year today, and we expect to deliver double-digit growth in the second half, the lions' share of which will be organic." Ryan Greene, Chief Financial Officer, added: "This was Stagwell's biggest ever second quarter. As we grew our top-line, we controlled costs to expand adjusted EBITDA 15% year-over-year to $109 million. These strong results, combined with continued share repurchases, resulted in 39% growth in adjusted EPS to $0.25. We are firmly on course to deliver on our full-year outlook, including our raised adjusted EPS guidance." Financial Outlook 2026 financial guidance is updated as follows: Adjusted EPS guidance is raised to $1.03 - $1.17 (from $0.98 - $1.12) Total Net Revenue growth of 8% to 12% is reiterated Adjusted EBITDA of $475 million to $525 million is reiterated Free Cash Flow Conversion of 50% to 60% is reiterated Guidance includes anticipated impact from acquisitions or dispositions. * The Company has excluded a quantitative reconciliation with respect to the Company's 2026 guidance under the "unreasonable efforts" exception in Item 10(e)(1)(i)(B) of Regulation S-K. See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below for additional information. Video Webcast Management will host a video webcast on Thursday, July 30, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. (ET) to discuss results for Stagwell Inc. for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026. The video webcast will be accessible at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/zd4zz6jw/. An investor presentation has been posted on our website at www.stagwellglobal.com and may be referred to during the webcast. A recording of the webcast will be accessible one hour after the webcast and available for ninety days at www.stagwellglobal.com. Stagwell Inc. Stagwell is the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 45+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at www.stagwellglobal.com. Contacts For Investors:Ben [email protected] For Press:Lena [email protected] Non-GAAP Financial Measures In addition to its reported results, Stagwell Inc. has included in this earnings release certain financial results that the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") defines as "non-GAAP Financial Measures." Management believes that such non-GAAP financial measures, when read in conjunction with the Company's reported results, can provide useful supplemental information for investors analyzing period to period comparisons of the Company's results. Such non-GAAP financial measures include the following: (1) Organic Net Revenue: "Organic net revenue growth" and "Organic net revenue decline" reflects the year-over-year change in the Company's reported net revenue attributable to the Company's management of the entities it owns. We calculate organic net revenue growth (decline) by subtracting the net impact of acquisitions (divestitures) and the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations from the aggregate year-over-year increase or decrease in the Company's reported net revenue. The net impact of acquisitions (divestitures) reflects the year-over-year change in the Company's reported net revenue attributable to the impact of all individual entities that were acquired or divested in the current and prior year. We calculate impact of an acquisition as follows: (a) for an entity acquired during the current year, we present the entity's current period reported revenue as the impact of the acquisition in the current year; and (b) for an entity acquired in the prior year, we present an amount equal to the entity's current year net revenue for the same period during which we didn't own the entity in the prior year as the impact of the acquisition in the current year. We calculate impact of a divestiture as follows: (a) for a divestiture in the current year, we present the entity's prior year net revenue for the same period during which we no longer owned it in the current year as impact of the divestiture in the current year; and (b) for a divestiture in the prior year, we present the entity's prior year net revenue for the period during which we owned it in the prior year as impact of the divestiture in the current year. We calculate the impact of any acquisition or divestiture without adjusting for foreign currency exchange fluctuations. The impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations reflects the year-over-year change in the Company's reported net revenue attributable to changes in foreign currency exchange rates. We calculate the impact of foreign currency exchange fluctuations for the portion of the reporting period in which we recognized revenue from a foreign entity in both the current year and the prior year. The impact is calculated as the difference between (1) reported prior period net revenue (converted to U.S. dollars at historical foreign currency exchange rates) and (2) prior period net revenue converted to U.S. dollars at current period foreign exchange rates. (2) Net New Business: Estimate of annualized revenue for new wins less annualized revenue for losses incurred in the period. (3) Adjusted EBITDA: is defined as Net income (loss) attributable to Stagwell Inc. common shareholders excluding non-operating income or expense, income tax expense or benefit, equity in income or loss of non-consolidated entities and net income or loss attributable to noncontrolling and redeemable noncontrolling interest holders to achieve Operating income (loss), plus depreciation and amortization, stock-based compensation, deferred acquisition consideration adjustments, impairment and other losses, and other items. Other items primarily includes restructuring, certain system implementation costs, working capital administrative fees and acquisition-related expenses. Adjusted EBITDA for our reportable segments is reconciled to Operating income (loss), as Net income (loss) is not relevant for reportable segment financial metric. (4) Adjusted Diluted EPS: is defined as Adjusted Net Income (loss) attributable to Stagwell Inc. common and Class C shareholders, divided by the diluted weighted average shares outstanding. Adjusted Net Income represents net income (loss) attributable to Stagwell Inc. common and Class C shareholders, excluding amortization, impairment and other losses, stock-based compensation, deferred acquisition consideration adjustments, discrete tax items, and other items (as defined above), allocated between the two share classes based on their respective income allocation percentages using a normalized effective tax rate. The diluted weighted average shares outstanding includes the diluted weighted average common shares outstanding plus Class C common stock, par value $0.00001 per share (the "Class C Common Stock") as if converted to shares of Class A Common Stock if not included because they were anti-dilutive. (5) Free Cash Flow: defined as consolidated net cash flow from operations less cash outflow from capital expenditures and capitalized software, excluding material nonrecurring capital purchases. Free Cash Flow Conversion is the percentage of adjusted EBITDA. Included in this earnings release are tables reconciling reported Stagwell Inc. results to arrive at certain of these non-GAAP financial measures. This document contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). The Company's representatives may also make forward-looking statements orally or in writing from time to time. Statements in this document that are not historical facts, including, statements about the Company's beliefs and expectations, future financial performance, growth, and future prospects, the Company's strategy, business and economic trends and growth, technological leadership and differentiation, potential and completed acquisitions, anticipated and actual operating efficiencies and synergies and estimates of amounts for redeemable noncontrolling interests and deferred acquisition consideration, constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements, which are generally denoted by words such as "ability," "aim," "anticipate," "assume," "believe," "better," "build," "consider," "continue," "could," "develop," "depend," "drive," "enhance," "estimate," "expect," "focus," "forecast," "future," "grow," "guidance," "improve," "intend," "likely," "maintain," "may," "ongoing," "outlook," "plan," "position," "possible," "potential," "probable," "project," "seek," "should," "target," "will," "would" or the negative of such terms or other variations thereof and terms of similar substance used in connection with any discussion of current plans, estimates and projections are subject to change based on a number of factors, including those outlined in this section. Forward-looking statements in this document are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by the Company. Although the management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. The material assumptions upon which such forward-looking statements are based include, among others, assumptions with respect to general business, economic and market conditions, the competitive environment, anticipated and unanticipated tax consequences and anticipated and unanticipated costs. These forward-looking statements are based on current plans, estimates and projections, and are subject to change based on a number of factors, including those outlined in this section. These forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Company's control. Therefore, you should not place undue reliance on such statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any of them in light of new information or future events, if any. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. Such risk factors include, but are not limited to, the following: risks associated with international, national and regional unfavorable economic conditions, including the effect of changing tariffs and other trade policies, inflation and other macroeconomic factors that could affect the Company or its clients; demand for the Company's services, which may precipitate or exacerbate other risks and uncertainties; inflation and actions taken by central banks to counter inflation; the Company's ability to attract new clients and retain existing clients; the impact of a reduction in client spending and changes in client advertising, marketing and corporate communications requirements; financial failure of the Company's clients; the Company's ability to retain and attract key employees; the Company's ability to compete in the markets in which it operates; the Company's ability to achieve its cost saving initiatives; the Company's implementation of strategic initiatives; the Company's ability to remain in compliance with its debt agreements and the Company's ability to finance its contingent payment obligations when due and payable, including but not limited to those relating to redeemable noncontrolling interests, deferred acquisition consideration and profit interests; the Company's ability to manage its growth effectively; the Company's ability to identify and complete acquisitions or other strategic transactions that complement and expand the Company's business capabilities and successfully integrate newly acquired businesses into the Company's operations, retain key employees, and realize cost savings, synergies and other related anticipated benefits within the expected time period; the Company's ability to identify and complete divestitures and to achieve the anticipated benefits therefrom; the Company's ability to develop products incorporating new technologies, including augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality, and realize benefits from such products; the Company's use of artificial intelligence, including generative artificial intelligence; adverse tax consequences for the Company, its operations and its stockholders, that may differ from the expectations of the Company, including that recent or future changes in tax laws, potential changes to corporate tax rates in the United States and disagreements with tax authorities on the Company's determinations that may result in increased tax costs; adverse tax consequences in connection with the business combination that formed the Company in August 2021, including the incurrence of material Canadian federal income tax (including material "emigration tax"); the Company's ability to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, including the risk that the Company's internal controls will fail to detect misstatements in its financial statements; the Company's ability to accurately forecast its future financial performance and provide accurate guidance; the Company's ability to protect client data from security incidents or cyberattacks; economic disruptions resulting from war and other economic and geopolitical tensions (such as the ongoing military conflicts in Iran and the Middle East, and between Russia and Ukraine), terrorist activities, natural disasters, public health events, and tariff and trade policies; stock price volatility; and foreign currency fluctuations. Investors should carefully consider these risk factors, the additional risk factors outlined under the caption "Risk Factors" in this Form 10-K, and in the Company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. SCHEDULE 1STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) SCHEDULE 2STAGWELL INC.UNAUDITED COMPONENTS OF NET REVENUE CHANGE(amounts in thousands) (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Organic Net Revenue. SCHEDULE 3STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED COMPONENTS OF NET REVENUE CHANGE(amounts in thousands) (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Organic Net Revenue. SCHEDULE 4STAGWELL INC.UNAUDITED SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS(amounts in thousands) For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and Other items, net. SCHEDULE 5STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS(amounts in thousands) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and Other items, net. SCHEDULE 6STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS(amounts in thousands) For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2025 (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and Other items. SCHEDULE 7STAGWELL INC.UNAUDITED SEGMENT OPERATING RESULTS(amounts in thousands) (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted EBITDA and Other items, net. SCHEDULE 8STAGWELL INC.UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE (NON-GAAP MEASURE)(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2026 (1) Adjusted Diluted EPS is defined within the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of the Executive Summary. (2) Other items, net, primarily includes restructuring, certain system implementation costs, working capital administrative fees, acquisition-related expense, and other non-recurring expenses. (3) Represents the difference between the income tax benefit of $0.3 million at an effective tax rate of 3.8% on a GAAP basis and the income tax expense of $21.8 million at an effective tax rate of 26.5% on a non-GAAP basis. The difference reflects the tax impact of non-GAAP adjustments. SCHEDULE 9STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE (NON-GAAP MEASURE)(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2026 (1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted Diluted EPS. (2) Other items, net, primarily includes restructuring, certain system implementation costs, working capital administrative fees, acquisition-related expense, and other non-recurring expenses. (3) Represents the difference between the income tax benefit of $3.2 million at an effective tax rate of 12.5% on a GAAP basis and the income tax expense of $37.2 million at an effective tax rate of 26.5% on a non-GAAP basis. The difference reflects the tax impact of non-GAAP adjustments. SCHEDULE 10STAGWELL INC.UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE (NON-GAAP MEASURE)(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) For the Three Months Ended June 30, 2025 1) Adjusted Diluted EPS is defined within the Non-GAAP Financial Measures section of the Executive Summary. (2) Other items, net, primarily includes restructuring, certain system implementation costs, working capital administrative fees, acquisition-related expense, and other non-recurring expenses. (3) Represents the difference between the income tax expense of $2.7 million at an effective tax rate of (134.9)% on a GAAP basis and the income tax expense of $16.6 million at an effective tax rate of 26.5% on a non-GAAP basis. The difference reflects the tax impact of non-GAAP adjustments. SCHEDULE 11STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF ADJUSTED DILUTED EARNINGS PER SHARE (NON-GAAP MEASURE)(amounts in thousands, except per share amounts) For the Six Months Ended June 30, 2025 1) See Non-GAAP Financial Measures section above for the definition of Adjusted Diluted EPS. (2) Other items, net, primarily includes restructuring, certain system implementation costs, working capital administrative fees, acquisition-related expense, and other non-recurring expenses. (3) Represents the difference between the income tax benefit of $4.4 million at an effective tax rate of (78.7)% on a GAAP basis and the income tax expense of $29.1 million at an effective tax rate of 26.5% on a non-GAAP basis. The difference reflects the tax impact of non-GAAP adjustments. SCHEDULE 12STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS(amounts in thousands) SCHEDULE 13STAGWELL INC. AND SUBSIDIARIESUNAUDITED SUMMARY CASH FLOW DATA(amounts in thousands) SOURCE: Stagwell View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Stagwell: Q2 Earnings Snapshot

Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — Stagwell Inc. (STGW) on Thursday reported a loss of $8.1 million in its second quarter. The New York-based company said it had a loss of 3 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, came to 25 cents per share. The marketing communications company posted revenue of $786.3 million in the period. Stagwell expects full-year earnings in the range of $1.03 to $1.17 per share. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on STGW at https://www.zacks.com/ap/STGW

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Stagwell Q2 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat
Interested in Stagwell Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Strong Q2 performance: Revenue rose 11% to $786 million, organic revenue increased 10%, and adjusted EBITDA grew 15% to $108.7 million as margins expanded to 17.2%. Adjusted EPS climbed 39% to $0.25. AI-driven demand and new business fueled growth: Digital transformation organic net revenue surged 18% and communications grew 12%, while record net new business reached $171 million. Stagwell also secured $16 million in committed enterprise technology revenue and expects to exceed its $25 million annual bookings target for AI products. Outlook maintained, EPS raised: Full-year revenue, EBITDA and free-cash-flow guidance remained unchanged, but adjusted EPS guidance increased to $1.03–$1.17 due largely to share repurchases. Cost savings, improving cash flow and planned debt reduction are expected to lower leverage toward the mid-two-times range by year-end. Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) reported second-quarter results marked by accelerating organic growth, higher profitability and record net new business, as the marketing services company emphasized demand for AI-enabled digital transformation and communications work. Revenue increased 11% year over year to $786 million, while net revenue rose 6% to $632 million, Chief Financial Officer Ryan Greene said. Organic revenue grew 10% and organic net revenue grew 5%, which Greene described as the company’s strongest growth rate in the past six quarters. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now Adjusted EBITDA rose 15% to $108.7 million, and the adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 143 basis points to 17.2%. Adjusted earnings per share increased 39% year over year to $0.25, aided by both EBITDA growth and a lower share count following repurchases. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Penn said the company’s digital transformation segment was a principal growth driver, posting 18% organic net revenue growth to $107 million. The segment generated a 30% margin during the quarter, its highest since the merger, according to Greene. → 3 Value ETFs to Consider as Growth Stocks Lag Behind Penn attributed the performance to demand for work combining business strategy, technology, creativity and AI transformation. He said clients are moving away from commoditized IT services and seeking partners that can help redesign consumer communications and workflow…Read full document

Interested in Stagwell Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Strong Q2 performance: Revenue rose 11% to $786 million, organic revenue increased 10%, and adjusted EBITDA grew 15% to $108.7 million as margins expanded to 17.2%. Adjusted EPS climbed 39% to $0.25. AI-driven demand and new business fueled growth: Digital transformation organic net revenue surged 18% and communications grew 12%, while record net new business reached $171 million. Stagwell also secured $16 million in committed enterprise technology revenue and expects to exceed its $25 million annual bookings target for AI products. Outlook maintained, EPS raised: Full-year revenue, EBITDA and free-cash-flow guidance remained unchanged, but adjusted EPS guidance increased to $1.03–$1.17 due largely to share repurchases. Cost savings, improving cash flow and planned debt reduction are expected to lower leverage toward the mid-two-times range by year-end. Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW) reported second-quarter results marked by accelerating organic growth, higher profitability and record net new business, as the marketing services company emphasized demand for AI-enabled digital transformation and communications work. Revenue increased 11% year over year to $786 million, while net revenue rose 6% to $632 million, Chief Financial Officer Ryan Greene said. Organic revenue grew 10% and organic net revenue grew 5%, which Greene described as the company’s strongest growth rate in the past six quarters. → Why SK hynix Could Be the Best AI Chip Stock to Buy Now Adjusted EBITDA rose 15% to $108.7 million, and the adjusted EBITDA margin expanded 143 basis points to 17.2%. Adjusted earnings per share increased 39% year over year to $0.25, aided by both EBITDA growth and a lower share count following repurchases. Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Mark Penn said the company’s digital transformation segment was a principal growth driver, posting 18% organic net revenue growth to $107 million. The segment generated a 30% margin during the quarter, its highest since the merger, according to Greene. → 3 Value ETFs to Consider as Growth Stocks Lag Behind Penn attributed the performance to demand for work combining business strategy, technology, creativity and AI transformation. He said clients are moving away from commoditized IT services and seeking partners that can help redesign consumer communications and workflows around AI. “AI is the tech transformation that we were built for,” Penn said, adding that the company expects the demand to be sustainable over the long term. He said approximately 75% of coding work is now performed agentically, improving efficiency while Stagwell pursues higher-level client assignments. → 5 AI Stocks Are Pulling Back—Which Growth Catalysts Still Look Strongest? Communications organic net revenue increased 12% to $112 million, its strongest second quarter since the merger. Penn said political activity is beginning to contribute to the segment’s growth and should accelerate ahead of November’s midterm elections, while public relations work has also continued to rebound. Other segment results included: Marketing Cloud organic net revenue growth of 4% to $27 million, supported by demand for AI-embedded products and subscription offerings. Marketing Services net revenue of $243 million, up 0.5% organically. Greene said major creative assignments awarded during the quarter are expected to scale in the second half and support stronger growth in 2027. Media and Commerce organic net revenue growth of 1% to $155 million. Geographically, U.S. organic net revenue increased 7.1%, while U.K. organic net revenue rose 13.4%. Stagwell reported $171 million in net new business, its highest level to date and 45% above the prior-year second quarter, Penn said. New assignments included IBM’s creative business, expanded work with Adobe, Visit California, Hershey, Mondelez, Heineken, Haier Europe, Navy Federal Credit Union and Allegiant Air. Penn said the company expects its cumulative year-end new-business pipeline to be about 30% higher than the prior year. He characterized the wins as evidence that clients are seeking a combination of creativity, technology and agility from agencies. The company is also developing an enterprise suite of agentic marketing products, including The Machine, the Knowledge Machine, the Targeting Machine and The Media Machine. Penn said Stagwell had secured $16 million in committed enterprise technology revenue during the first half, with another $16 million in its pipeline. The company remains on track to exceed its initial $25 million annual bookings goal for the products, he said. Stagwell’s Targeting Machine, or SATS, is built on Palantir’s Foundry platform, while the company has also expanded its relationship with Adobe. Penn said the company is adding sales teams to support technology-product distribution alongside its traditional marketing-services sales infrastructure. Greene said Stagwell has implemented about $70 million in annualized savings since launching a cost-reduction program in April 2025 and remains on track for $80 million to $100 million of savings by year-end. Staff costs declined 280 basis points year over year to 60.9% of net revenue, the company’s lowest second-quarter labor ratio in four years. Year-to-date cash flow from operations was $63.7 million, up $9 million, or 16%, from the first half of the prior year. Stagwell expects operating cash flow to improve through the remainder of the year because of business seasonality and anticipated election-related communications activity. The company’s revolver balance was $360 million at quarter-end, with $374 million in unused borrowing capacity. Net leverage stood at 3.04 times, and management said it expects to exit the year with leverage in the mid-two-times range. During the quarter, Stagwell repurchased approximately 5.9 million shares at an average price of $6.22 each. Through the first half, it repurchased about 14.4 million shares for $88 million at an average price of $6.10 per share. Shares outstanding at the end of the second quarter were 244.4 million, down 6.4% from a year earlier. Stagwell maintained its full-year guidance for net revenue growth of 8% to 12%, adjusted EBITDA of $475 million to $525 million, and free-cash-flow conversion of 50% to 60% of adjusted EBITDA. However, the company raised its adjusted EPS outlook to $1.03 to $1.17, primarily reflecting year-to-date share repurchases. Management said growth in the second half is expected to be overwhelmingly organic, led by digital transformation and communications. Penn said Stagwell expects some acquisitions in the second half but does not anticipate any transaction that would be “huge or disruptive.” He said capital allocation will remain balanced among debt reduction, share buybacks, capital expenditures and selective small- to midsize acquisitions. Stagwell Inc is a modern marketing and communications network that partners with global organizations to drive brand growth through data-driven insights and creative solutions. The company operates a diversified portfolio of specialized agencies and technology platforms, offering services that span digital marketing, advertising, public relations, consumer and market research, social media strategy, and commerce consulting. By integrating research, creative, media, and technology under a unified network, Stagwell aims to deliver end-to-end marketing solutions tailored to the evolving needs of clients in sectors such as technology, healthcare, consumer goods, and financial services. Founded in 2015 by long-time political strategist and pollster Mark Penn, Stagwell has expanded organically and through strategic acquisitions to build capabilities across the marketing value chain. This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected]. The article "Stagwell Q2 Earnings Call Highlights" was originally published by MarketBeat. View MarketBeat's top stocks for July 2026.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Stagwell Inc (STGW) (Q2 2026) Earnings Call Highlights: Record Revenue and AI-Driven Growth ...

GuruFocus.com
This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Stagwell Inc (NASDAQ:STGW) reported its strongest second quarter ever with 10% organic revenue growth and 5% organic net revenue growth. Digital transformation segment saw 18% organic net revenue growth, driven by AI adoption and high-value work. Adjusted EBITDA increased 15% year-over-year to $109 million, with margins expanding 140 basis points to 17.2%. Net new business of $171 million was a record high, winning major accounts like IBM, Hershey, and Mondelez from legacy competitors. Adjusted EPS grew 39% year-over-year to $0.25, supported by strong EBITDA growth and share buybacks. Marketing services segment only achieved 0.5% organic net revenue growth, indicating slower performance in creative assignments. Media and commerce segment grew just 1% organically, lagging behind other segments. Net leverage remains elevated at 3.04 times, though the company targets mid-twos by year-end. Free cash flow conversion is still targeted at 50-60% of adjusted EBITDA, suggesting room for improvement. The company expects minimal M&A activity in 2026, relying heavily on organic growth which may limit diversification. Here are the key highlights from the Stagwell Inc (NASDAQ:STGW) Q2 2026 earnings call, focusing on the most significant Q&A exchanges. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with STGW. Is STGW fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Can you talk about what is driving the strong level of growth in digital transformation and if it is sustainable into the back half of 2026 and 2027?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) I think it's sustainable for about 10 years. The conversion to AI is the primary driver. Every company that touches the consumer will have to redo how they communicate based on AI, creating an enormous backlog of work for firms like ours that focus on that last mile. We have the largest pipeline in history for these services, and we are getting higher-level assignments while working more efficiently, with about 75% of coding now done identically. Q: Agency peers are talking about a tougher environment for new business. Is Stagwell seeing any shortage of opportunities, and why is the company performing so well in competitive pitches?A: (Mark Penn, C…Read full document

This article first appeared on GuruFocus. Release Date: July 30, 2026 For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript. Stagwell Inc (NASDAQ:STGW) reported its strongest second quarter ever with 10% organic revenue growth and 5% organic net revenue growth. Digital transformation segment saw 18% organic net revenue growth, driven by AI adoption and high-value work. Adjusted EBITDA increased 15% year-over-year to $109 million, with margins expanding 140 basis points to 17.2%. Net new business of $171 million was a record high, winning major accounts like IBM, Hershey, and Mondelez from legacy competitors. Adjusted EPS grew 39% year-over-year to $0.25, supported by strong EBITDA growth and share buybacks. Marketing services segment only achieved 0.5% organic net revenue growth, indicating slower performance in creative assignments. Media and commerce segment grew just 1% organically, lagging behind other segments. Net leverage remains elevated at 3.04 times, though the company targets mid-twos by year-end. Free cash flow conversion is still targeted at 50-60% of adjusted EBITDA, suggesting room for improvement. The company expects minimal M&A activity in 2026, relying heavily on organic growth which may limit diversification. Here are the key highlights from the Stagwell Inc (NASDAQ:STGW) Q2 2026 earnings call, focusing on the most significant Q&A exchanges. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 10 Warning Signs with STGW. Is STGW fairly valued? Test your thesis with our free DCF calculator. Q: Can you talk about what is driving the strong level of growth in digital transformation and if it is sustainable into the back half of 2026 and 2027?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) I think it's sustainable for about 10 years. The conversion to AI is the primary driver. Every company that touches the consumer will have to redo how they communicate based on AI, creating an enormous backlog of work for firms like ours that focus on that last mile. We have the largest pipeline in history for these services, and we are getting higher-level assignments while working more efficiently, with about 75% of coding now done identically. Q: Agency peers are talking about a tougher environment for new business. Is Stagwell seeing any shortage of opportunities, and why is the company performing so well in competitive pitches?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) We are seeing competitive differences come to the fore. While others have stepped back from creativity, we stepped up with premium creativity powered by AI, which is winning in the marketplace. This is why we won major accounts from legacy players. We have also opened pipelines in government and globally, and our new structure in the UK is resulting in double-digit organic growth. Q: How are you using AI to accelerate revenues and lower costs?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) We set out a year and a half ago to infuse AI throughout every process. Our strong internal technology team has been at the forefront of implementing AI across the enterprise. Ryan (CFO) has been applying AI to back-office services, and our engineers are applying agentic coding to make work faster, simpler, and better. This is defining Stagwell as the leading transformer of marketing today. Q: Can you talk about the margin trajectory within the digital transformation business, particularly in the second half and into 2027?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) The products we are delivering are becoming more efficient due to our smart use of AI internally. Client demand is high because they need this work done now to save money. Their focus is on getting online as quickly as possible, which supports our margin trajectory. Q: How do you think about capital allocation in the back half of the year, specifically regarding M&A, stock buybacks, and debt paydown?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) We did not make many acquisitions in the first half, so there will be some in the second half, but the year will be primarily organic. Our capital allocation will be balanced: we aim to hit a debt ratio in the mid-twos by year-end, continue buybacks, fund CapEx, and do some acquisitions. As our stock value goes up, it becomes even more effective to do certain transactions. Q: How is the political business looking for the back half of the year and looking ahead to 2028?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) Political is on track. Midterm elections are typically close in size to the past Presidential election. The day after the midterms, the Presidential race will start, so we expect significant political work in the second half of 2027 with the Presidential primaries. This is going to be a political supercycle unlike anything in modern history. Q: Regarding the enterprise tech products (like the Machine), you mentioned $16 million in committed revenue and a $16 million pipeline. Where are you at in that build, and what are you looking for through the rest of the year?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) Our teams are 100% on track. We set a $25 million first-year goal for bookings and are on track to achieve it. We are now building the sales infrastructure to sell these products, which is different from our marketing services sales. This will work collaboratively with our existing client base and then expand to the outside market, and we expect it to really explode next year. Q: What is the strategy for M&A? Will the acquisitions be smaller or bigger?A: (Mark Penn, Chairman and CEO) I don't see anything huge or disruptive at this point. We have a pattern of buying small and mid-sized companies in areas with excellent growth potential that continue our path to global full service. We have also been successfully diversifying into owned media properties and will continue to look at acquisitions in that area. For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-30

Stagwell (STGW) Q2 Earnings and Revenues Surpass Estimates

Zacks
Stagwell (STGW) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.25 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.17 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.17 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +47.06%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this marketing communications company would post earnings of $0.18 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.17, delivering a surprise of -5.56%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Stagwell, which belongs to the Zacks Advertising and Marketing industry, posted revenues of $786.31 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.10%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $706.82 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Stagwell shares have added about 65.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Stagwell has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Stagwell was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Ran…Read full document

Stagwell (STGW) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.25 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.17 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.17 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items. This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +47.06%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this marketing communications company would post earnings of $0.18 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.17, delivering a surprise of -5.56%. Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. Stagwell, which belongs to the Zacks Advertising and Marketing industry, posted revenues of $786.31 million for the quarter ended June 2026, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 5.10%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $706.82 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates four times over the last four quarters. The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call. Stagwell shares have added about 65.2% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 6.9%. While Stagwell has outperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock? There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions. Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Stagwell was mixed. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to perform in line with the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.31 on $811.27 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $1.00 on $3.14 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year. Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Advertising and Marketing is currently in the bottom 37% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1. Banzai International, Inc. (BNZI), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. This company is expected to post quarterly loss of $2.92 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of +95.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has remained unchanged over the last 30 days. Banzai International, Inc.'s revenues are expected to be $2.8 million, down 14.1% from the year-ago quarter. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Stagwell Inc. (STGW) : Free Stock Analysis Report Banzai International, Inc. (BNZI) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research

TranscriptFY2026 Q22026-07-30

FY2026 Q2 earnings call transcript

Earnings source - 48 paragraphs
Ben Allanson

Good morning. Thank you for joining us for Stagwell's second quarter earnings webcast. I'm Ben Allanson, and I lead the investor relations function here at Stagwell. With me are Mark Penn, Stagwell's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Ryan Greene, Stagwell's Chief Financial Officer. Mark will provide a business update before Ryan shares a financial review. After the prepared remarks, we will open the floor for Q&A. Please remember to submit the questions through the chat function. Before we begin, I'd like to remind you that the following remarks include forward-looking statements and non-GAAP financial data. Forward-looking statements about the company, including those related to earnings guidance, are subject to uncertainties and risk factors addressed in our earnings release, slide presentation, and the company's SEC filings. Please refer to our website, stagwellglobal.com/investors, for an investor presentation and some additional resources.

Ben Allanson

This morning's press release and slide deck provide definitions, explanations, and reconciliations of non-GAAP financial data. With that, I'd like to turn the call over to our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mark Penn.

Mark Penn

Thank you, Ben. When I founded Stagwell, I was convinced that the marketing services industry needed transformation. Stagwell was founded as a tech-forward challenger to the legacy players, with a vision of providing customers with everything from global full service to platform self-service solutions. Stagwell's first half, and especially the second quarter, is validation of these founding principles and the work we have done to build Stagwell over the last decade, and the incredible teams of people here who really make Stagwell what it is. AI is the tech transformation that we were built for, and our business is thriving as we become recognized as the leader of cutting-edge agentic marketing. This was the biggest second quarter in the history of the company. Organic revenue grew 10% year-over-year, and organic net revenue grew 5%.

Mark Penn

The standout was 18% organic net revenue growth in digital transformation, along with 12% from communications. Geographically, we saw 7% organic net revenue growth in the U.S. and 13% organic growth in the U.K. Adjusted EBITDA of $109 million is more than 15% higher than last year, and the margin of 17.2% is 140 basis points higher. This improvement in profitability is a result of continued focus on cost management. Our labor ratio in the quarter stood at 61%, an almost 300 basis point improvement year-over-year. Net new business of $171 million was our highest ever, and 45% greater than Q2 2025, led by some major new assignments. Adjusted EPS grew 39% year-over-year to $0.25 or $0.25. I said last quarter that 2026 is a pivotal year for Stagwell. These results show we are steadily moving ahead of the competition.

Mark Penn

Starting with net new business, the run of flagship wins clearly signifies us moving into a top four position in the industry when it comes to key capabilities. We continued our strength with tech companies by taking IBM's creative business away from a 30-plus year legacy incumbent. We expanded our relationship with Adobe and added Colombia-based leading Adobe implementation firm QStrauss Consulting to the Code and Theory network just earlier this week. We continued to grow our government work by winning Visit California, an account that hadn't turned over in over 20 years. We made inroads in the packaged food segment by beating out legacy competitors for mandates with both Hershey and Mondelez. We expanded our European presence, joining Heineken's roster and winning both Haier Europe and Alwyn. We celebrated wins with Navy Federal Credit Union, Allegiant Air, and countless others.

Mark Penn

This new business momentum is a testament to the tech-forward collaborative approach Stagwell brings to its pitches and the great quality of its people. The feedback when we win these mandates is consistent. Stagwell is the right combination of strong creativity, great technology, and agility. Our pipeline has never been stronger. We expect cumulative year-end pipeline to be about 30% higher than last year. I've said digital transformation is going to be a major driver of our business this year. In 2Q, we saw organic net revenue growth of 18%, bringing our two-year organic net revenue stack to more than 29%, a meaningful acceleration versus Q1 and the eighth consecutive quarter of improvement on that metric. This is all on top of digital transformation posting a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin in the second quarter.

Mark Penn

I'm regularly asked, how does our digital transformation businesses like Code and Theory, how have they been able to generate mid-teens plus organic net revenue growth over the last 12-18 months, while the IT services and legacy holdco digital transformation businesses have declined or at best stayed flat? As well as how is Stagwell able to generate more than 3x the revenue per head of its IT service players? The answer is simple. The market is increasingly moving away from commoditized IT services with thousands of low-cost engineers towards higher-value work that combines business strategy, technology, creativity, and AI transformation. This intersection is exactly where Stagwell's digital transformation agencies operate, powered by cutting-edge software and forward-deployed specialists who realize value for clients by driving adoption and optimizing workflows. The results from the digital transformation speak for themselves.

Mark Penn

Our tech products are increasingly becoming core to our value proposition across all segments. Our solutions, like The Machine and Stagwell Agentic Targeting System, or SATS, which is built on Palantir's Foundry, fit seamlessly into our customers' way of working. We're doing the same with our media solutions, giving our customers more control and transparency over their media buy with The Media Machine and Stagwell Curate, all powered by AI. We are closing in now on creating a complete suite of agentic products for enterprise, including The Machine, the Knowledge Machine, the Targeting Machine, and The Media Machine. We're seeing real traction with products like The Machine and SATS. Through the first half of the year, we've hit $16 million of committed enterprise technology revenue, and our pipeline exceeds another $16 million, firmly on track to exceed our initial bookings goal for this year of $25 million.

Mark Penn

We see this as part of the flywheel that will drive our new business momentum in the coming years. As we look towards the second half, I want to call out the growing momentum in our communication segment, which saw 12% organic net revenue growth in the second quarter. This represents an almost 700 basis point quarter-over-quarter acceleration from the first quarter. Political is beginning to play an obvious part and will accelerate further as we get closer to the increasingly competitive midterm elections in November. Our PR work continues to rebound strongly as well. We also continue to make strong progress on our initiatives to reduce small client churn, which will also have a positive impact on organic net revenue growth throughout the year. We anticipate an acceleration in the second half with double-digit net revenue growth led by digital transformation and communications.

Mark Penn

The overwhelming majority of that growth will be organic. Our second quarter results are industry leading and showing accelerating trends on all key metrics. Our new business successes over the last 12 months provide a strong foundation for the second half of the year. For that reason, we are updating our full-year guidance today. As I've highlighted, we expect growth in the second half of the year to be overwhelmingly organic. We maintain our 8%-12% total net revenue growth target and our adjusted EBITDA guidance of $475 million-$525 million. We also reiterate our free cash conversion goal of 50%-60% for the full year. However, we are raising our full-year adjusted EPS guidance for $1.03-$1.17. This reflects our increasing confidence in the full year as well as the impact of year-to-date buyback activity.

Mark Penn

This is just the start of a multiyear growth cycle for Stagwell. As we look ahead to 2027 and 2028, our outstanding net new business trends provide increased visibility over the next 24 months plus. We're winning bigger, longer term contracts and some of the most preeminent brands of the world, and we continue to make headway on government contracts. We're winning these away from legacy competitors as clients look to help them adopt AI and new models of marketing. These wins will really make the full impact next year because it takes a while for them to come on board and ramp up as we continue our momentum throughout 2026. This is all before we really start the political super cycle of the midterm elections, presidential primaries, and the largest election in American history in 2028.

Mark Penn

We are also carefully managing our costs throughout the business as we grow and expect our margins to continue expanding. This should mean solid growth and adjusted EBITDA in 2027 and then excellent growth in 2028 with the political season as well. At the same time, we continue to make progress on our free cash generation. With industry-leading growth, expanding margins, and growing free cash flow, we do not believe that our current trading multiples are appropriate. To that end, we'll continue leveraging our buyback authorization to shrink our share count further to have a positive compounding impact on our adjusted EPS growth. It could see us raise our already increased adjusted EPS guidance for the year, later in the year. The second quarter was excellent and is just the start of a multiyear growth story for Stagwell.

Mark Penn

With that, I'd like to hand it over to Ryan, who will walk you through the financials in some more detail. Ryan?

Ryan Greene

Good morning. Thank you, Mark, thank you for joining us. I'm now going to provide some detail on our second quarter results and our progress against our full-year objectives. This quarter reflects accelerating revenue growth and margin expansion while continuing to fund investments that will support our next phase of growth. We delivered 11% revenue growth to $786 million and 6% net revenue growth to $632 million. Second quarter organic revenue grew 10% and net revenue grew 5%, representing our strongest growth in the last six quarters. Organic contributions are expected to drive growth throughout the second half of 2026. Growth was broad-based across the portfolio, with all five operating segments delivering organic revenue and net revenue growth led by Digital Transformation and Communications. Digital Transformation net revenue increased 18% organically year-over-year to $107 million. Our teams are doing far more than system implementations.

Ryan Greene

They are embedding teams alongside clients to drive meaningful business transformation. This is a premium service offering, and as a result, this segment delivered a 30% margin, its highest since the merger. Communications delivered 12% organic net revenue growth to $112 million, representing the segment's strongest second quarter since the merger. Corporate demand continues to grow as clients engage us to address critical communications and public affairs challenges. Our differentiated approach combines senior strategic talent and campaign tested targeting capabilities that deliver results at both the national and local levels. We also expect election-related activity to contribute strongly to our second half results. The Marketing Cloud increased organic net revenue by 4% to $27 million. Growth was driven by demand for AI-embedded products, including 34% from LEADERS, as well as high platform utilization and additional subscription-based offerings.

Ryan Greene

Marketing Services generated $243 million in net revenue, representing a 0.5% organic net revenue growth. Several significant creative assignments were awarded in the second quarter and are expected to scale throughout the second half of the year, positioning the segment for stronger growth in 2027. Media and Commerce grew 1% organically to $155 million in net revenue. Geographically, the U.S., our largest region, reported 7.1% organic net revenue growth year-over-year. The U.K., our second largest region, continued to accelerate, delivering 13.4% organic growth. As the top line accelerated, we also improved the efficiency of our business. Since launching our cost reduction program in April of 2025, we have actioned approximately $70 million of annualized savings and remain on track to achieve our year-end target of $80 million-$100 million. These actions are already contributing to margin expansion in 2026 and will be more fully reflected in 2027.

Ryan Greene

Technology investments are improving efficiency across the organization. Back office automation initiatives are delivering results. The continued rollout of payroll, cash, and expense automation platforms remain on track to generate more than 25,000 hours of monthly productivity efficiencies. Staff costs as a percent of net revenue declined 280 basis points year-over-year to 60.9%, our lowest second quarter labor ratio in four years. Trailing 12-month revenue per head exceeded $280,000, up 6% from the second quarter last year. This remains the highest level in marketing services industry and more than three times that of major IT providers. Even as margins expand, we continue investing in technology and talent to support future growth. We are investing in sales and account teams at both the Stagwell and brand level, as well as platforms and products such as the Stagwell Content Supply Chain, The Machine, and Marketing Cloud offerings.

Ryan Greene

Second quarter adjusted EBITDA increased 15% year-over-year to $108.7 million, with margin expanding 143 basis points to 17.2%. Stronger EBITDA performance is translating into improved cash flow. Year-to-date cash flow from operations was $63.7 million, an increase of $9 million, or 16% compared to the first half of 2025. We expect operating cash flow to improve as the year progresses, driven by the seasonal pattern of our business and the expected second half increase in communications activity related to on-cycle election year. We remain confident in achieving our full-year free cash flow conversion target of 50%-60% of adjusted EBITDA. Deferred acquisition consideration was approximately $57 million at quarter end, and we expect it to be negligible by the end of the year.

Ryan Greene

Our revolver balance was $360 million at quarter end, and we had $374 million of unused borrowing capacity under the credit agreement. Net leverage stood at 3.04x. We remain on track to exit 2026 with net leverage in the mid-twos. Turning to capital allocation, we remain active with share repurchases during the second quarter. We repurchased approximately 5.9 million shares at an average price of $6.22 per share. Year-to-date, we have repurchased approximately 14.4 million shares for $88 million at an average price of $6.10 per share. Shares outstanding at the end of the second quarter were 244.4 million shares, roughly 16.8 million or 6.4% below the same period last year. The lower share count, together with stronger EBITDA growth, drove adjusted EPS of $0.25, an increase of $0.07 per share or 39% compared to the second quarter last year.

Ryan Greene

Year-to-date CapEx and capitalized software are in line with our expectations and reflect the continued scaling of projects already underway. We expect full-year capital expenditures and capitalized software investment to be in line with last year. We are reiterating our guidance for net revenue growth of 8%-12%, adjusted EBITDA of $475 million-$525 million, and free cash flow conversion of 50%-60% of adjusted EBITDA. As Mark mentioned, we are raising our adjusted EPS guidance to a range of $1.03-$1.17 per share, principally reflecting the impact of share repurchases completed year-to-date. The new guidance reflects our current share count, although continued repurchases could provide additional upside. Based on the limited acquisitions to date, we expect these targets to be achieved largely organically. I will hand it back over to Ben for questions.

Ben Allanson

Thank you, Ryan. Just as a reminder, please do submit some questions via the chat button at the top of the screen if you'd like to ask any. I'm going to start with a question about digital transformation in particular. Obviously a really, really nice quarter, continuing a pretty meaningful trend here. Can you talk a little bit about what is sort of driving this strong level of growth there, and is it a sustainable thing in the back half of 2026 and into 2027 as well?

Mark Penn

Well, I think it's sustainable for about 10 years. What's really driving it is the conversion to AI. I think, as I've said for actually two years now, every single company that touches a consumer will have to redo the way they communicate with that consumer based on AI. That is going to create an enormous backlog of work or people like us in Code and Theory that really focus on that last mile with the consumer. That's why we have the largest pipeline in history related to those kinds of services. We've also done some very smart things with business in terms of broadening out the services now, doing the partnership with Adobe, working with Palantir, bringing in the best tools that relate to either content creation or targeting.

Mark Penn

Let me tell you, at the same time, that work is getting far more efficient, because about 75% of the coding now is done agentically. We are getting higher-level assignments, greater backlog of the pipeline, and we're working more efficiently than ever to produce that work.

Ben Allanson

Maybe just to follow up on that, and this is a question from Mark Zgutowicz at [Benchmark]. Just talking about margin trajectory within that business, particularly in the second half and again into 2027. 30%+ I think, in this quarter. Is that something we think we're going to be able to see some upside to and some leverage? How would you think about that?

Mark Penn

Well, look, again, I think the overall products that we're delivering are becoming more efficient because of our smart use of AI internally. I also think the demand for clients is they need this work done now. I think time is increasingly important to those clients and in terms of getting AI and agentic work in place in terms of their communication for customers, because they save money. Where are they going to put their focus? Their focus has got to be getting online as quickly as possible.

Ben Allanson

I want to pivot quickly to new business. Obviously, a very, very strong quarter, continuing those trends. Question from Jason Kreyer at Craig-Hallum , we've heard agency peers in the market talking about a tougher environment for new business. However, it doesn't look like Stagwell's seeing any shortage of new business opportunities. Can we maybe just lay out what we're seeing in the new deal environment right now? Are there any key themes we're seeing in terms of what people are asking for, and why is Stagwell performing so well when it comes to competitive bids?

Mark Penn

Obviously you're seeing some comparative and competitive differences really come to the fore. While others stepped back from creativity and said, "Oh, maybe creativity will be done by AI, or maybe it'll be done in for free." We stepped up with premium creativity that really helps brands differentiate themselves. We're finding that that is really winning in the marketplace. That's why, as I went through in the script, we won so many bigger and amazing accounts, really from legacy players, because we think creativity and human creativity on top of being powered by AI is really what's going to win in the marketplace, and what big companies need to differentiate themselves in this increasingly competitive world.

Mark Penn

Consequently, we're seeing there in digital transformation, we've opened pipelines at government, we've opened our pipelines globally as well as we built a division out in other divisions out in the other parts of the world. You see that we basically also have taken what we had over in London and the U.K., we put in a new structure. We put in a really new team approach that is resulting in double-digit organic growth out there.

Ben Allanson

Great. I want to combine a couple of questions here because I think there's a lot of interesting things here. Laura Martin has asked, can you talk about how you're using AI to accelerate revenues and/or lower costs? I want to also bring in a little bit about CapEx and how that's trending, how that's trended in the first half of the year, and how we're thinking about that in the back half of the year. Maybe Mark, how are we thinking about using AI to accelerate revenues and lower costs?

Mark Penn

Yeah. No, look, I think that we set out really a year and a half ago to make sure that AI was infused throughout every single process. Remember, we've always had a strong internal technology-first team built to help the entire enterprise, not connected just to individual brands within the enterprise. That team has been at the forefront of implementing AI. Ryan here has been at the forefront of taking those back-office services and applying AI to them. Our engineers have been at the forefront of applying agentic coding, again, to making the work faster, simpler, better. All of those things, I think, are working to really continue to define Stagwell as the leading transformer of marketing today.

Ben Allanson

Maybe on the CapEx question.

Mark Penn

Yeah, sure. Last year, we added about $145 million to our fixed assets. When you exclude the intangibles, the capital investments were close to $125 million. If you look at how the investments are going for this year, we're going to be in about the same range we expect, if you look at it from a balance sheet perspective. In terms of cash flow, last year, we had funded only about $111 million of that. We saw some of that pickup carry over into this year. We're closer to $90 million funded this year, and we'll probably keep the same pattern. You'll see the same contribution both from the investment but also the cash perspective this year.

Mark Penn

Remember, we've changed the way that we're investing capital. We basically are doing fewer new acquisitions, more CapEx, which we expect to come out at the same level this year as last year, and share buybacks in terms of our capital allocations.

Ben Allanson

Okay. Question here about The Media Machine. Obviously plays into the broader The Machine narrative. Launched beginning of June. Why is that important? How is that going to drive revenue for the business moving forward, what's traction looking like there? Obviously, it's still very early for it.

Mark Penn

Look, I think we really look at media from a performance-first objective. We look at the other players, some of whom have become just media companies, and they have really dedicated those media operations to winning on the basis of scale and/or principal media. We're coming in from a slightly different approach. We're going to be technology first. We're agentic first. We're performance first. We believe we'll be able to carve out an increasing market share as we reveal to the industry the new tech products on which our media operation is based, you're going to see, I think, stay tuned for further announcements in this as we take an even more competitive stance on media against those legacy players.

Ben Allanson

Great. Just, I want to go a little bit more into some of the enterprise tech products, obviously you talked about $16 million of committed revenue, $16 million of pipeline. Where are we at in that right now? Like, how are we building? Are we on track? What are we looking for kind of through the rest of the year and so on and so forth?

Mark Penn

Well, look, I have a lot of experience in technology. I've been Chief Strategy Officer at Microsoft. Technology is not always the easiest to build, but I will say that our teams are 100% on track with the timing. I set $25 million as a first-year goal. We're really on track for the first-year goal of bookings. That really sets us up nicely to really go next year full bore. At the same time, and most importantly, and I think as Ryan pointed out, while we're keeping our overall labor expenses down, we're investing in new sales teams. Those sales teams are just coming on now. Now that we believe the products are ready to go to market, we're building the sales infrastructure for selling those products, which is really somewhat different from the infrastructure that we use to sell marketing services.

Mark Penn

The two of them are going to work collaboratively and cooperatively to sell to our clients first, the outside market second, and I think you're going to see that really explode next year.

Ben Allanson

Two more questions. First one, a little bit shorter. The second one I think is a little bit more detailed, but the first one is just about political. How is it looking into the back half of the year? How's it going to be as a driver in there? Maybe looking ahead to 2028 as well, when should that presidential cycle really kick off?

Mark Penn

Look, political is on track. What we have typically seen is that the midterm elections are about the size or close to the size of the past presidential election. The presidential election will represent kind of a new level of campaign involvement and expenditure. So far what we're seeing is pretty much on track with that prediction. Remember, the day after the midterms, the presidential race will start. So there will be, I think, significant political work in 2027, which is in contrast to the year before midterms when there really isn't much, if any, political work. I think you're going to see that 2027, particularly the second half of 2027 with the presidential primaries, will really pick up, especially in terms of fundraising and other activities. This is going to be quite a political super cycle, unlike anything we have seen in a modern history.

Ben Allanson

I want to finish with sort of quite a detailed question about capital allocation, particularly in the back half of the year. An investor's pointed out that, based on our guidance, obviously you're going to generate a lot of free cash in the back half. In particular, it's very similar to this traditional seasonal trends. How do you think about capital allocation, be it around M&A, stock buybacks, debt pay down, heading into the back half of the year? The comment from the investor is about how cheap the stock is and a variety of other things. Is that the right way of thinking about it? I want to ask that really.

Mark Penn

Sure. I mean, look, remember that in general in the business, a point that you have to look at is that we did not make almost any acquisitions during the first half. There'll be some acquisitions coming in the second half, but this year will be primarily driven by organic revenue. The way that we're reaching the H2 is actually not as we planned originally in the early part of the year, where we thought there'd be a bunch of acquisitions. Organic growth is higher, acquisitions lower, stock buybacks, I think higher, EPS higher.

Mark Penn

I think as we look at the second half of the year, we're going to continue to distribute our capital use so that, as Ryan said, we hit at the end of the year something closer to the mid twos in terms of our debt ratio, continue to do buybacks, fund our CapEx, and do some acquisitions, because there are some areas I think, particularly as our stock value goes up, it becomes even cheaper and more effective to do certain kinds of transactions. I guess that's a long way of saying that it's a balanced approach to capital allocation that you'll see in the second half of the year.

Ben Allanson

Just on M&A and the strategy of it, diversifying the business, strengthening bits of the business, are they going to be smaller, bigger? How do you think about that?

Mark Penn

Look, I don't see at this point, I don't think anything that's going to be huge or disruptive. I think we have a pattern of buying small to mid-size companies in areas that we think there can be excellent growth, and really that continue our path to global full service down to platform self-service. We've also, I think, successfully been diversifying in owned media properties, and we continue to look at acquisitions either in that area or related to that area, because I think that's something that we've really turned around quite successfully and is contributing to the bottom line this year.

Ben Allanson

Yeah. Organic is the key to the story in 2026.

Mark Penn

Absolutely.

Ben Allanson

With that, I think that's most of the questions we've covered at this point in time. We really appreciate you taking the time to listen in today. We'll obviously have another earnings call for our third quarter later on in the year. Any questions, please do reach out to [email protected]. We'd be more than happy to answer them. Thank you

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-07-13

Stagwell Schedules Webcast to Discuss Financial Results for the Three and Six Months Ended June 30, 2026

ACCESS Newswire

NEW YORK CITY, NY / ACCESS Newswire / July 13, 2026 / Stagwell (NASDAQ:STGW), the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI, will report financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026, on Thursday, July 30, 2026, before market open. Stagwell will host a video webcast to review those results the same day at 8:30 AM (ET). Register here to attend the webcast. A replay of the webcast will be available following the event at Stagwell's website, https://www.stagwellglobal.com/investors/. About Stagwell Stagwell is the global challenger network transforming marketing through AI. We deliver scaled creative performance for the world's most ambitious brands, connecting culture-moving creativity with leading-edge technology to harmonize the art and science of marketing. Led by entrepreneurs, our specialists in 45+ countries are unified under a single purpose: to drive effectiveness and improve business results for our clients. Join us at stagwellglobal.com. IR Contact: Ben Allanson [email protected] PR Contact: Lena Petersen [email protected] SOURCE: Stagwell View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-06-01

Assessing Stagwell (STGW) After Strong Q4 Results And A US$400m Share Buyback Plan

Simply Wall St.
Get insights on thousands of stocks from the global community of over 7 million individual investors at Simply Wall St. Stagwell (STGW) has drawn fresh attention after reporting Q4 and full year 2025 results, which highlighted its digital transformation and Marketing Cloud segments, alongside a planned US$400 million share repurchase program. See our latest analysis for Stagwell. The Q4 update and share buyback plan come after a strong run in the stock, with a 48.2% year to date share price return and a 68.51% total shareholder return over the past year. This suggests momentum has been building as investors reassess growth prospects and risks. If Stagwell's focus on AI powered marketing has your attention, this could be a good moment to broaden your research and check out 60 profitable AI stocks that aren't just burning cash With the stock up 68.5% over the past year and trading at an intrinsic discount of about 19%, the key question for you is simple: is there still a buying opportunity here, or is the market already pricing in future growth? At a last close of $7.01 versus a most-followed fair value of $6.50, the current price sits above the narrative's central estimate while still leaning on strong growth and margin assumptions. Read the complete narrative. Curious how a company with thin current margins, ambitious growth targets and a lower future P/E expectation still lands near today's price? The full narrative lays out a detailed revenue path, margin expansion story and share count assumptions that sit behind that $6.50 fair value anchor. Result: Fair Value of $6.50 (OVERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, the narrative could be upended if high net leverage constrains investment or if clients accelerate shifting marketing work in house, which could pressure revenue and margins. Find out about the key risks to this Stagwell narrative. While the most followed narrative pegs fair value at $6.50, our DCF model points to a future cash flow value of $36.60, implying Stagwell trades at about 81% below that estimate. That is a wide gap. Which set of assumptions do you trust more? To see how those cash flow assumptions are built and stress test them against your own view of the business, Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value. Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) o…Read full document

Get insights on thousands of stocks from the global community of over 7 million individual investors at Simply Wall St. Stagwell (STGW) has drawn fresh attention after reporting Q4 and full year 2025 results, which highlighted its digital transformation and Marketing Cloud segments, alongside a planned US$400 million share repurchase program. See our latest analysis for Stagwell. The Q4 update and share buyback plan come after a strong run in the stock, with a 48.2% year to date share price return and a 68.51% total shareholder return over the past year. This suggests momentum has been building as investors reassess growth prospects and risks. If Stagwell's focus on AI powered marketing has your attention, this could be a good moment to broaden your research and check out 60 profitable AI stocks that aren't just burning cash With the stock up 68.5% over the past year and trading at an intrinsic discount of about 19%, the key question for you is simple: is there still a buying opportunity here, or is the market already pricing in future growth? At a last close of $7.01 versus a most-followed fair value of $6.50, the current price sits above the narrative's central estimate while still leaning on strong growth and margin assumptions. Read the complete narrative. Curious how a company with thin current margins, ambitious growth targets and a lower future P/E expectation still lands near today's price? The full narrative lays out a detailed revenue path, margin expansion story and share count assumptions that sit behind that $6.50 fair value anchor. Result: Fair Value of $6.50 (OVERVALUED) Have a read of the narrative in full and understand what's behind the forecasts. However, the narrative could be upended if high net leverage constrains investment or if clients accelerate shifting marketing work in house, which could pressure revenue and margins. Find out about the key risks to this Stagwell narrative. While the most followed narrative pegs fair value at $6.50, our DCF model points to a future cash flow value of $36.60, implying Stagwell trades at about 81% below that estimate. That is a wide gap. Which set of assumptions do you trust more? To see how those cash flow assumptions are built and stress test them against your own view of the business, Look into how the SWS DCF model arrives at its fair value. Simply Wall St performs a discounted cash flow (DCF) on every stock in the world every day (check out Stagwell for example). We show the entire calculation in full. You can track the result in your watchlist or portfolio and be alerted when this changes, or use our stock screener to discover 46 high quality undervalued stocks. If you save a screener we even alert you when new companies match - so you never miss a potential opportunity. With mixed signals on value and future prospects, this is a moment to move quickly, review the details yourself, and weigh up 3 key rewards and 3 important warning signs If Stagwell has sharpened your interest, do not stop here. Use the Simply Wall Street Screener to quickly spot other opportunities that match your style. Target dependable income and focus on companies that combine higher yields with resilience using the 10 dividend fortresses. Hunt for quality at a discount by filtering for businesses that look attractively priced on fundamentals with the 46 high quality undervalued stocks. Prioritise stability and sleep easier at night by scanning for companies with stronger finances and lower risk profiles through the 64 resilient stocks with low risk scores. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. Companies discussed in this article include STGW. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email [email protected]

Related articleQuarter not tagged2026-05-01

Stagwell Inc. Q1 2026 Earnings Call Summary

Moby
Management is executing a strategic pivot from traditional marketing services to a platform-based model featuring self-service AI applications and agentic marketing operating systems. Record net new business of $141 million in Q1 was driven by a shift toward large-scale enterprise wins and a 15% growth in the top 100 client base. The Digital Transformation segment remains the primary growth engine, achieving 9% net revenue growth and a 22% two-year organic stack as clients seek measurable ROI through tech integration. Operational efficiency improved through a 110 basis point reduction in payroll as a percent of net revenue, with savings being reinvested into AI engineering and a doubled new business team. Management is addressing historical small-client churn through a new AI-enabled client accountability program, aiming to convert these efficiencies into 2-3 points of organic growth. The company is aggressively utilizing its buyback program, having repurchased 7.3 million shares in Q1, based on management's view that the stock is significantly undervalued at 6x free cash flow. Management expects organic net revenue growth to accelerate to double digits by Q3 and Q4, supported by a record political advocacy super cycle and large creative contract closings. The new Enterprise AI Solutions team is targeting a $25 million sales goal for 2026, with $12 million already booked and expectations for a 'hockey stick' growth trajectory in 2027. Guidance for 2026 assumes a ramp in election-related revenues starting in the second quarter, which is expected to continue growing each quarter thereafter. The company expects to exit 2026 with net leverage in the mid-2s, driven by disciplined cost allocation and a target free cash flow conversion of 50% to 60% of adjusted EBITDA. Strategic expansion into the government sector is expected to add hundreds of millions to the pipeline, leveraging partnerships with Palantir and Deloitte for massive contracts. A strengthening dollar and regional conflicts in the Middle East temporarily muted international growth and delayed one product launch from Q1 to Q2. Deferred acquisition consideration was reduced to $50 million and is expected to be negligible by year-end, signaling a shift in capital allocation toward internal tech and buybacks. The Media and Commerce segment continues to burn off the impact of a significant prior-year clie…Read full document

Management is executing a strategic pivot from traditional marketing services to a platform-based model featuring self-service AI applications and agentic marketing operating systems. Record net new business of $141 million in Q1 was driven by a shift toward large-scale enterprise wins and a 15% growth in the top 100 client base. The Digital Transformation segment remains the primary growth engine, achieving 9% net revenue growth and a 22% two-year organic stack as clients seek measurable ROI through tech integration. Operational efficiency improved through a 110 basis point reduction in payroll as a percent of net revenue, with savings being reinvested into AI engineering and a doubled new business team. Management is addressing historical small-client churn through a new AI-enabled client accountability program, aiming to convert these efficiencies into 2-3 points of organic growth. The company is aggressively utilizing its buyback program, having repurchased 7.3 million shares in Q1, based on management's view that the stock is significantly undervalued at 6x free cash flow. Management expects organic net revenue growth to accelerate to double digits by Q3 and Q4, supported by a record political advocacy super cycle and large creative contract closings. The new Enterprise AI Solutions team is targeting a $25 million sales goal for 2026, with $12 million already booked and expectations for a 'hockey stick' growth trajectory in 2027. Guidance for 2026 assumes a ramp in election-related revenues starting in the second quarter, which is expected to continue growing each quarter thereafter. The company expects to exit 2026 with net leverage in the mid-2s, driven by disciplined cost allocation and a target free cash flow conversion of 50% to 60% of adjusted EBITDA. Strategic expansion into the government sector is expected to add hundreds of millions to the pipeline, leveraging partnerships with Palantir and Deloitte for massive contracts. A strengthening dollar and regional conflicts in the Middle East temporarily muted international growth and delayed one product launch from Q1 to Q2. Deferred acquisition consideration was reduced to $50 million and is expected to be negligible by year-end, signaling a shift in capital allocation toward internal tech and buybacks. The Media and Commerce segment continues to burn off the impact of a significant prior-year client loss, with recovery expected to follow a holiday-weighted seasonal pattern. Management noted that while legacy competitors are seeing shrinkage, Stagwell is positioning itself to disrupt long-standing 'holdco' relationships in CPG and healthcare. Our analysts just identified a stock with the potential to be the next Nvidia. Tell us how you invest and we'll show you why it's our #1 pick. Tap here. Management reported a shift from legal concerns to urgent demand for AI integration, resulting in 600 new leads from the Adobe Summit alone. The company has already achieved 50% of its first-year sales quota for new AI products within the first few months of the year. Growth is not solely dependent on AI; it is underpinned by several large-scale creative contracts currently in final negotiations and a record-breaking political pipeline. Management expressed high confidence because the necessary clients for the second-half surge are already 'in the bank'. Stagwell has instituted an accountability system where every client, regardless of size, is assigned a specific person responsible for reporting needs into an AI monitoring engine. The goal is to reduce churn by 25%, which management believes could contribute 2 to 3 percentage points to total organic growth. Direct impact is limited to approximately 3% of the business related to Middle East tourism, which management expects to bounce back quickly. Management stated they see no evidence of clients pulling back or making contingency plans due to macro factors, as AI investment remains a 'must-have' priority. One stock. Nvidia-level potential. 30M+ investors trust Moby to find it first. Get the pick. Tap here.

As of 2026-10-24 • Updated weeklySource: Earnings sourceIngestion runbook