Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $0.14 EPS

Criteo (NASDAQ:CRTO) posted its earnings results on Wednesday. The information services provider reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.14), Briefing.com reports. Criteo had a net margin of 5.60% and a return on equity of 14.33%. The business’s revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.31 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from Criteo’s conference call:

• Criteo’s Q3 Contribution ex-TAC fell 15% at constant currency to $240 million. Performance media remained pressured by lower spending from several large enterprise clients, while retail media results included $20 million of previously disclosed client scope reductions.
• Full-year guidance is unchanged, with 2026 Contribution ex-TAC expected to decline 10%–12% at constant currency; Q4 is expected to be down 9%–11%. Management said it is taking a cautious approach and has not included an immediate benefit from sales initiatives in its 2026 outlook.
• Criteo reported growing traction in newer channels: CTV campaigns are expanding, with the company on track to double its Q3 CTV run rate in Q4, while social media spend and campaigns each grew about 20% year over year. New-business spend rose 13% in Q3, and management expects recently signed clients to begin ramping in Q4 and reach full run rate in the first half of 2027.
• Excluding the previously announced client scope reductions, retail media Contribution ex-TAC grew 10% across the underlying client base, with media spend up 22%. Adjusted EBITDA of $65 million exceeded plan, and the company ended September with $275 million in cash and no long-term debt.

Criteo Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:CRTO traded up $0.47 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $15.64. 717,888 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 319,632. The firm has a market cap of $766.33 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 0.35. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $16.01 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.03. Criteo has a 1 year low of $13.95 and a 1 year high of $25.29.

Trending Headlines about Criteo

Here are the key news stories impacting Criteo this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 media spend reached $1.2 billion, up 9% year over year, indicating increased activity on Criteo’s platform. Criteo Q3 2026 results
• Positive Sentiment: Criteo is expanding its Performance Connected TV offering beyond the U.S., starting in Brazil and Mexico by year-end 2026, with additional markets planned for 2027. The expansion could broaden its addressable market and create new growth opportunities. Criteo expands Performance CTV capabilities
• Negative Sentiment: Quarterly EPS of $0.43 missed the $0.57 analyst consensus. Revenue fell 16.7% year over year, while EPS was also well below the $1.31 reported in the year-ago quarter—evidence of significant financial pressure that may weigh on investor sentiment. Criteo earnings report and call
• Neutral Sentiment: The earnings call was described as signaling growth amid pressure, leaving investors to assess whether platform and product expansion can offset the weaker reported results. Criteo earnings call highlights

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on CRTO shares. Huber Research lowered Criteo from an “overweight” rating to an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Zacks Research raised Criteo from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, October 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on Criteo from $29.00 to $25.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Criteo from $16.00 to $15.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 27th. Finally, DA Davidson reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $24.00 target price on shares of Criteo in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $22.35.

Insider Activity at Criteo

In other Criteo news, CEO Michael Komasinski sold 1,656 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.28, for a total value of $28,615.68. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 343,891 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,942,436.48. The trade was a 0.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, insider Ryan Damon sold 6,178 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.23, for a total value of $106,446.94. Following the transaction, the insider owned 167,765 shares in the company, valued at $2,890,590.95. This trade represents a 3.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. In the last quarter, insiders sold 30,877 shares of company stock worth $531,717. Insiders own 1.52% of the company’s stock.

Criteo Company Profile

Criteo SA (NASDAQ: CRTO) is a global commerce media and advertising technology company headquartered in Paris, France. The company helps brands, retailers and other businesses use commerce data and artificial intelligence to reach consumers, build customer relationships and measure advertising performance across digital channels.

Criteo’s offerings include retail media solutions, which enable retailers and marketplace operators to provide sponsored product listings and other advertising placements, as well as performance media tools for campaigns across websites, mobile applications and the open internet.