As the Q2 earnings season wraps, let’s dig into this quarter’s best and worst performers in the sales and marketing software industry, including Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT) and its peers.

The Internet and the exploding amount of data have transformed how businesses interact with, market to, and transact with their customers. Personalization of offerings, e-commerce, targeted advertising and data-empowered sales teams are now table stakes for modern businesses, and sales and marketing software providers are becoming the tools of evolving customer interaction.

The 17 sales and marketing software stocks we track reported a mixed Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.5% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 1.2% below.

Luckily, sales and marketing software stocks have performed well with share prices up 15.6% on average since the latest earnings results.

Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT)

Born from the recognition that businesses needed a centralized way to handle their growing social media presence, Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT) provides a comprehensive software platform that helps businesses manage, analyze, and optimize their presence across various social media networks.

Sprout Social reported revenues of $123.8 million, up 10.8% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with EPS guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

Interestingly, the stock is up 55.1% since reporting and currently trades at $12.70.

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

Best Q2: PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM)

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

PubMatic reported revenues of $78.59 million, up 10.5% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 13.7%. The business had an incredible quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and revenue guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

PubMatic delivered the biggest analyst estimate beat and highest guidance raise in the group. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 23.2% since reporting. It currently trades at $16.61.

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

Slowest Q2: DoubleVerify (NYSE: DV)

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

DoubleVerify reported revenues of $193.8 million, up 2.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4.2%. It was a disappointing quarter, leaving some shareholders looking for more.

Interestingly, the stock is up 15.4% since the results and currently trades at $13.52.

Read our full analysis of DoubleVerify’s results here.

LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP)

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

LiveRamp reported revenues of $214 million, up 9.8% year on year. This result surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also produced a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates.

The company lost 1 enterprise customers paying more than $1 million annually and ended up with a total of 132. The stock is up 1% since reporting and currently trades at $38.18.

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

Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH)

Starting as a customer service solution before expanding into a comprehensive software suite, Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH) provides AI-powered software-as-a-service solutions that help companies manage customer service, IT support, sales, and marketing functions.

Freshworks reported revenues of $237.4 million, up 16% year on year. This print topped analysts’ expectations by 1.6%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also recorded a solid beat of analysts’ adjusted operating income estimates and full-year EPS guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The company added 268 enterprise customers paying more than $5,000 annually to reach a total of 25,356. The stock is up 25.1% since reporting and currently trades at $15.06.

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

Market update

Over the past year, investors have been forced to repeatedly answer the same question: what is the market’s biggest risk? The answer has changed several times, and each shift has reshaped market leadership.

Late in 2025 and early 2026, artificial intelligence became the market’s primary uncertainty. Investors questioned whether AI would erode software pricing power and weaken competitive moats as AI made it easier to replicate once-differentiated products.

By the spring, technology took a back seat to geopolitics. The U.S. conflict with Iran briefly became the market’s dominant narrative, raising concerns about oil prices, inflation, and global growth. But as energy markets remained orderly and fears of a prolonged supply disruption faded, investors quickly turned their focus back to fundamentals.

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