Looking back on sales and marketing software stocks’ Q4 earnings, we examine this quarter’s best and worst performers, 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 19 sales and marketing software stocks we track reported a mixed Q4. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 1.3% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 4.4% 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 $120.9 million, up 12.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Despite the top-line beat, it was still a mixed quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but full-year guidance of slowing revenue growth.

“Our team delivered strong results in the fourth quarter, highlighted by 15% total RPO growth and strong non-GAAP profitability," said Ryan Barretto, CEO of Sprout Social.

Unsurprisingly, the stock is down 11.7% since reporting and currently trades at $6.28.

Read our full report on Sprout Social here, it’s free.

Best Q4: PubMatic (NASDAQ: PUBM)

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

PubMatic reported revenues of $80.05 million, down 6.4% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 6.2%. The business had an exceptional quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

PubMatic delivered the biggest analyst estimates beat among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 36.9% since reporting. It currently trades at $9.68.

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

Weakest Q4: Upland Software (NASDAQ: UPLD)

Operating under the mantra "land and expand," Upland Software (NASDAQ: UPLD) provides cloud-based applications that help organizations manage projects, workflows, and digital transformation across various business functions.

Upland Software reported revenues of $49.31 million, down 27.5% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations.

Upland Software delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 27.4% since the results and currently trades at $0.64.

Read our full analysis of Upland Software’s results here.

LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP)

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

LiveRamp reported revenues of $212.2 million, up 8.6% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. However, it was a slower quarter as it logged revenue guidance for next quarter slightly missing analysts’ expectations and full-year revenue guidance slightly missing analysts’ expectations.

The company added 8 enterprise customers paying more than $1 million annually to reach a total of 140. The stock is up 30.1% since reporting and currently trades at $29.17.

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

Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP)

Starting with just three people selling snowboards online in 2004, Shopify (NASDAQ: SHOP) provides a comprehensive platform that enables merchants of all sizes to create, manage and grow their businesses across multiple sales channels.

Shopify reported revenues of $3.67 billion, up 30.6% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 2%. It was a very strong quarter as it also put up a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and a decent beat of analysts’ gross merchandise volume estimates.

The stock is up 4.2% since reporting and currently trades at $132.53.

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

Market Update

Late in 2025 into early 2026, there was hand wringing around artificial intelligence. For software companies, the fear was that AI would erode pricing power and compress margins as new tools made it easier to replicate what once required expensive enterprise platforms. Crypto investors had their own version of the same anxiety: if AI agents could trade, allocate capital, and manage wallets autonomously, what exactly was the long-term value of today’s crypto infrastructure?

These concerns triggered a noticeable rotation away from these sectors and into safer havens. But markets rarely dwell on one narrative for long. Spring 2026 came, and the focus shifted abruptly from technological disruption to geopolitical risk. The US’ conflict with Iran became the dominant driver of market psychology, and when geopolitics takes center stage, the script changes quickly. Investors stop debating growth rates and start worrying about oil supply, inflation, and global stability.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.