As the craze of earnings season draws to a close, here’s a look back at some of the most exciting (and some less so) results from Q4. Today, we are looking at sales and marketing software stocks, starting with Semrush (NYSE: SEMR).

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 4.7% on average since the latest earnings results.

Semrush (NYSE: SEMR)

Born from the need to make sense of the complex digital marketing landscape, Semrush (NYSE: SEMR) is a software-as-a-service platform that helps companies improve their online visibility, analyze digital marketing efforts, and optimize content across search engines and social media.

Semrush reported revenues of $117.7 million, up 14.6% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 0.9%, but it was still a satisfactory quarter for the company with an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates but a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The market was likely pricing in the results, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $11.99.

Is now the time to buy Semrush? Access our full analysis of the earnings results 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 39.1% since reporting. It currently trades at $9.83.

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 guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly and full-year EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Upland Software delivered the slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 24.6% since the results and currently trades at $0.66.

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

HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS)

Born from the idea that traditional interruptive marketing was becoming less effective, HubSpot (NYSE: HUBS) provides an integrated platform that helps businesses attract, engage, and manage customer relationships through marketing, sales, service, and content management tools.

HubSpot reported revenues of $846.7 million, up 20.4% year on year. This print surpassed analysts’ expectations by 2%. It was a very strong quarter as it also produced an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates and EPS guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The stock is up 10.1% since reporting and currently trades at $230.42.

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

Commerce (NASDAQ: CMRC)

As a founding member of the MACH Alliance advocating for modern tech standards, Commerce (NASDAQ: CMRC) provides a SaaS platform that enables businesses to build and manage online stores, connect with marketplaces, and integrate with point-of-sale systems.

Commerce reported revenues of $89.52 million, up 2.9% year on year. This result missed analysts’ expectations by 0.8%. Overall, it was a slower quarter as it also recorded revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly and a slight miss of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Commerce delivered the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The stock is up 10.8% since reporting and currently trades at $3.04.

Read our full, actionable report on Commerce 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 Strong Momentum Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.