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LiveRamp Holdings, Inc.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 18 May 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Q4 revenue grew 9%: Q4 total revenue was $206 million, up 9%, with subscription revenue of $158 million, up 9%, and Marketplace & Other revenue of $49 million, up 11%. Source
  • ARR reached $545 million: Annualized recurring revenue at March 31, 2026 was $545 million, up 8%, compared with $527 million, up 7%, at December 31, 2025. Management said ARR growth accelerated sequentially. Source
  • Net retention rose to 107%: Subscription net retention improved to 107% from 101% in the prior quarter. Platform net retention rose to 108% from 103%. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income up 75%: Q4 non-GAAP operating income was $40 million, up 75%, at a 20% margin. Fiscal non-GAAP operating income was $182 million, up 34%, at a 22% margin. Source
  • Fiscal operating cash flow $168 million: Fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $168 million, compared with $154 million. Fiscal free cash flow was $166 million, and management described operating cash flow as a record. Source
  • Agent-powered platform access launched: Management introduced agent-powered platform access, letting specialized AI agents collaborate with any partner in place of manual, fragmented workflows. Source
  • Premium of 30% to May 15 close: The $38.50 per share price is a 30% premium to LiveRamp's closing stock price on May 15, 2026, the last full trading day before the announcement. Source

“In addition, we announced an agreement to be acquired by Publicis Groupe, delivering significant and certain value to LiveRamp shareholders.”

CEO Scott Howe

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Definitive agreement to be acquired by Publicis Groupe in an all-cash deal at $38.50 per share, equity value $2.5 billion. Source
  • New: Share repurchase authorization increased by $200 million and its expiration extended one year to December 31, 2027. The prior-quarter release predates this change. Source
  • New: Kristi Argyilan, Global Head of Advertising at Uber, appointed to the Board of Directors. Source
  • Ended: The previously scheduled earnings conference call will not be held, and no financial guidance is given with this release, because of the announced transaction. Source

Fourth quarter and full-year results

  • Q4 revenue grew 9%: Q4 total revenue was $206 million, up 9%, with subscription revenue of $158 million, up 9%, and Marketplace & Other revenue of $49 million, up 11%. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 revenue reached $813 million: Fiscal 2026 total revenue was $813 million, up 9%. Subscription revenue was $614 million, up 8%. Marketplace & Other revenue was $199 million, up 12%. Source
  • Q4 GAAP diluted EPS $1.12: Q4 GAAP diluted EPS was $1.12 and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.52, compared with $0.30 non-GAAP a year earlier. Source
  • Tax valuation release lifted GAAP EPS: Management said GAAP diluted EPS benefited from the release of deferred tax valuation allowances. Fiscal GAAP diluted EPS was $2.24 and non-GAAP $2.27. Source

Recurring revenue, retention and customers

  • ARR reached $545 million: Annualized recurring revenue at March 31, 2026 was $545 million, up 8%, compared with $527 million, up 7%, at December 31, 2025. Management said ARR growth accelerated sequentially. Source
  • Net retention rose to 107%: Subscription net retention improved to 107% from 101% in the prior quarter. Platform net retention rose to 108% from 103%. Source
  • Remaining obligations up 10%: Current remaining performance obligations were $518 million, up 10%. The release defines CRPO as contracted and committed revenue expected over the next 12 months. Source
  • Customers above $1 million rose to 133: Customers with annualized subscription revenue above $1 million numbered 133, up from 128 a year earlier and down from 140 at December 31, 2025. Direct subscription customers were 846, against 840. Source

“Together, we believe we can accelerate data collaboration and the delivery of AI capabilities that help customers and partners advance agentic transformation and derive more value, faster.”

CEO Scott Howe

Margins and operating costs

  • GAAP operating income turned positive: Q4 GAAP operating income was $15 million, a 7% margin, against a loss of $12 million a year earlier. Fiscal GAAP operating income was $83 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income up 75%: Q4 non-GAAP operating income was $40 million, up 75%, at a 20% margin. Fiscal non-GAAP operating income was $182 million, up 34%, at a 22% margin. Source
  • Non-GAAP gross margin compressed 1 point: Q4 GAAP gross margin of 71% expanded 1 point. Fiscal non-GAAP gross margin of 73% compressed by 1 percentage point, per the release. Source

Cash flow and share repurchases

  • Q4 operating cash flow $59 million: Q4 net cash from operating activities was $59 million, against $63 million. Q4 free cash flow was $59 million. Source
  • Fiscal operating cash flow $168 million: Fiscal 2026 operating cash flow was $168 million, compared with $154 million. Fiscal free cash flow was $166 million, and management described operating cash flow as a record. Source
  • Q4 buybacks totaled $76 million: About 2.8 million shares were repurchased in Q4 for $76 million. Fiscal buybacks totaled about 7.1 million shares for $194 million. Source
  • $262 million left on authorization: $262 million remained under the share repurchase authorization at March 31, 2026. The authorization expires December 31, 2027. Source

“We also achieved record operating cash flow in FY26, and returned over 100% to shareholders through buybacks.”

CEO Scott Howe

AI products and partnerships

  • Agent-powered platform access launched: Management introduced agent-powered platform access, letting specialized AI agents collaborate with any partner in place of manual, fragmented workflows. Source
  • NVIDIA support added to clean rooms: Clean rooms and the Marketplace now run on NVIDIA AI infrastructure. Management says models can be trained and deployed at up to 15x speed. Source
  • Unity partnership brings RampID to mobile: The expanded Unity partnership makes RampID available across Unity Exchange, which the release says includes 2.9 billion monthly active mobile devices. Source

Publicis Groupe transaction

  • Premium of 30% to May 15 close: The $38.50 per share price is a 30% premium to LiveRamp's closing stock price on May 15, 2026, the last full trading day before the announcement. Source
  • Deal follows earlier Publicis partnership: The agreement follows a strategic partnership reported in the third-quarter release, linking LiveRamp's platform with Publicis data assets and AI capabilities.
  • Proxy statement to be mailed: A definitive proxy statement will be mailed to LiveRamp shareholders. The release urges investors to read it when it becomes available. Source

Board, events and reporting

  • Board member's retail media background: Kristi Argyilan previously led the Albertsons Media Collective and championed measurement standardization across the industry. Source
  • RampUp drew over 2,300 leaders: RampUp in March brought together more than 2,300 leaders, with over 40 presentations and panels featuring General Motors, JPMorgan Chase, Netflix and Meta. Source
  • Investor presentation was also hosted: Management also hosted an investor presentation, which the release says can be accessed through a link on its investor site. Source

Coming up, as management said on 18 May 2026

  • Publicis deal expected to close: Management expects the Publicis transaction to close by the end of calendar 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Annualized recurring revenue Source$545 million, up 8%
Subscription net retention Source107%
Platform net retention Source108%
Current remaining performance obligations Source$518 million, up 10%
Customers above $1 million annualized subscription revenue Source133 (128 a year earlier)
Direct subscription customers Source846 (840 a year earlier)

Risks management discussed

  • External: Closing depends on customary closing conditions and LiveRamp shareholder approval. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said Q4 revenue and operating income were ahead of consensus, and ARR growth accelerated sequentially. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.