NIQ Global Intelligence Q1 Earnings Report Analysis
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 14 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Earnings Performance: NIQ Global Intelligence reported a Q1 GAAP EPS of -$0.31, missing estimates by $0.06, indicating pressure on profitability that may affect investor confidence.
- Revenue Growth: The company achieved revenue of $1.07 billion, a 10.8% year-over-year increase, beating market expectations by $20 million, demonstrating its growth potential in a competitive market.
- Adjusted Net Income Improvement: Adjusted net income improved by $47.9 million year-over-year to $43.4 million, reflecting positive progress in cost control and operational efficiency, which could enhance future profitability.
- Financial Guidance Reaffirmation: NIQ reaffirmed its 2026 financial guidance, projecting OCC revenue growth of 5.0%-5.3%, an adjusted EBITDA margin of 23.5%-23.8%, and levered free cash flow of $235 million to $250 million, indicating strong confidence in future growth.
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Analyst Views on NIQ
Wall Street analysts forecast NIQ stock price to rise
9 Analyst Rating
8 Buy
1 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 8.350
Low
17.50
Averages
21.07
High
24.00
Current: 8.350
Low
17.50
Averages
21.07
High
24.00
About NIQ
NIQ Global Intelligence PLC is a global consumer intelligence company. The Company provides brands, retailers and other clients with a holistic view of consumer shopping behavior globally to drive strategic and operating decisions. It manages a comprehensive and integrated ecosystem - The NIQ Ecosystem - which combines proprietary data, technology, human intelligence, software applications, and analytics solutions. Its unified, artificial intelligence powered technology platform aggregates, harmonizes and enriches vast amounts of global consumer shopping data from diverse sources, generates proprietary reference data and metadata, and provides a global, omnichannel view of consumer shopping behavior - The Full View. Its solutions include market measurement, consumer behavior and insights, innovation, brands and media, analytics and activation, and product finder. Its industries include consumer packaged goods, financial services, media, public sector, retail, and others.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Consumer Trust and Convenience Drive Beauty Market Dynamics
- Trust and Experience Priority: NIQ's research indicates that trust and emotional connection are the top drivers for consumers choosing prestige beauty retailers, necessitating retailers to provide enjoyable shopping experiences to enhance customer loyalty.
- New Trends in Prestige Market: Prestige retailers must go beyond product quality to offer indulgent and inspiring shopping experiences, with rising expectations for rewards programs, as consumers seek to justify their premium spending despite lower price sensitivity.
- Competitive Edge in Mainstream Retail: Mainstream retailers attract consumers by simplifying shopping processes and providing clear navigation, with low prices and strong value perceptions remaining essential, while convenience and ease of use emerge as new differentiators.
- Rise of E-commerce Channels: Online retailers must become true one-stop shopping platforms, as consumers prioritize saving time and minimizing friction, compelling retailers to create seamless shopping experiences to enhance customer satisfaction and drive repeat purchases.
See More
CEO James Peck Acquires 118,625 Shares in NIQ Global Intelligence
- Share Acquisition Overview: CEO James Peck of NIQ Global Intelligence purchased 118,625 shares in an open-market transaction valued at approximately $1 million, increasing his direct holdings to 424,683 shares worth about $3.58 million, indicating confidence in the company's future prospects.
- Ownership Percentage Change: This transaction boosts Peck's direct ownership by 38.76%, but due to substantial indirect holdings, it results in only a 1.19% increase in total equity exposure, demonstrating his significant ongoing control over the company.
- Market Environment Analysis: Peck acquired shares at $8.43 each, while the stock closed at $9.03 on the transaction date, reflecting his belief that the current price is attractive given the stock's 55.5% decline over the past year, suggesting a strategic opportunity to increase his stake.
- Financial Outlook: Despite NIQ reporting an 11% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.1 billion in Q1, the shift to an operating loss due to restructuring costs has pressured the stock price; Peck's purchase may be based on the company's expectation of achieving $70 million in cost savings, which could improve financial performance over time.
See More
CEO James Peck Acquires Additional NIQ Shares
- Share Acquisition: CEO James Peck purchased 118,625 shares of NIQ Global Intelligence on May 18, 2026, at approximately $8.43 per share, totaling around $1 million, indicating his bullish outlook on the company's prospects.
- Ownership Structure: Following the transaction, Peck directly owns 424,683 shares and holds an additional 9,665,342 shares indirectly through PAVentures II, LLC, bringing his total holdings to 10,090,025 shares, underscoring his significant stake in the company.
- Financial Performance Fluctuations: Despite NIQ reporting an 11% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.1 billion in Q1, the company faced an operating loss of $10.2 million due to $64.9 million in restructuring costs, negatively impacting its stock performance.
- Market Opportunity Assessment: With NIQ's price-to-sales ratio below one, indicating a low stock price, Peck's acquisition may reflect expectations for future financial recovery, even as analysts have not included NIQ in their top investment recommendations.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence CEO Makes Significant Stock Purchase
- Insider Buying Signal: NIQ Global Intelligence's CEO Jim Peck disclosed in a regulatory filing that he purchased 118,625 ordinary shares at a weighted average price of $8.43, indicating strong confidence in the company's future, which may boost investor sentiment.
- Stock Price Surge: This transaction attracted investor attention, leading to a more than 10% increase in the company's stock price during the trading session, providing a rebound despite the stock's decline following the quarterly earnings report.
- Shareholding Structure Change: Peck's personal holdings have increased to 424,683 shares, while an entity he controls holds over 9.6 million shares indirectly, which may influence market perceptions of NIQ.
- Market Reaction Analysis: Although NIQ showed decent revenue growth in the first quarter, investor dissatisfaction with overall performance led to sell-offs; however, the insider buying may prompt a reassessment of NIQ's outlook, especially following the executive's confidence display.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence Shares Plunge 11.6% After Mixed Q1 Results
- Disappointing Earnings: NIQ reported a Q1 loss of $0.31 per share, exceeding expectations by $0.06, although sales reached $1.07 billion, surpassing analyst estimates by approximately $20 million, indicating revenue growth but failing to meet investor expectations for margins.
- Year-to-Date Decline: As of now, NIQ's stock has fallen about 45% year-to-date, reflecting market concerns over the company's future growth potential, particularly amid increasing competition in the artificial intelligence sector, which has dampened investor confidence.
- Sales Growth Guidance: The company projects 2023 sales between $4.466 billion and $4.479 billion, suggesting annual growth of 6.4% to 6.7%; however, this guidance, while not poor, did not meet market expectations for stronger sales performance, putting pressure on the stock price.
- Competitive Risks: As NIQ positions itself in the AI space, emerging AI-focused rivals pose significant disruption risks, leading investors to worry about the company's long-term competitiveness in data tracking and analytics, further impacting stock performance.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
- Significant Revenue Growth: NIQ achieved an 11.1% revenue increase in Q1 2026, reaching $1.1 billion, with organic constant currency growth at 5.1%, indicating strong market demand and enhancing the company's competitive position.
- Profitability Improvement: Adjusted EBITDA accelerated to a 19.1% growth, totaling $224.8 million, with margins expanding by 150 basis points to 21%, reflecting effective cost control and providing a robust financial foundation for future investments.
- Cash Flow Enhancement: The company reported significant free cash flow improvement in Q1, with expected levered free cash flow between $235 million and $250 million for 2026, demonstrating ongoing optimization in financial management and operational efficiency.
- Accelerated AI Investments: NIQ ramped up AI investments in Q1 by launching Arthur AI Analyst and Arthur Chat, laying the groundwork for usage-based monetization, which not only enhances product market appeal but also opens new revenue channels for future growth.
See More
Consumer Trust and Convenience Drive Beauty Market Dynamics
- Trust and Experience Priority: NIQ's research indicates that trust and emotional connection are the top drivers for consumers choosing prestige beauty retailers, necessitating retailers to provide enjoyable shopping experiences to enhance customer loyalty.
- New Trends in Prestige Market: Prestige retailers must go beyond product quality to offer indulgent and inspiring shopping experiences, with rising expectations for rewards programs, as consumers seek to justify their premium spending despite lower price sensitivity.
- Competitive Edge in Mainstream Retail: Mainstream retailers attract consumers by simplifying shopping processes and providing clear navigation, with low prices and strong value perceptions remaining essential, while convenience and ease of use emerge as new differentiators.
- Rise of E-commerce Channels: Online retailers must become true one-stop shopping platforms, as consumers prioritize saving time and minimizing friction, compelling retailers to create seamless shopping experiences to enhance customer satisfaction and drive repeat purchases.
See More
CEO James Peck Acquires 118,625 Shares in NIQ Global Intelligence
- Share Acquisition Overview: CEO James Peck of NIQ Global Intelligence purchased 118,625 shares in an open-market transaction valued at approximately $1 million, increasing his direct holdings to 424,683 shares worth about $3.58 million, indicating confidence in the company's future prospects.
- Ownership Percentage Change: This transaction boosts Peck's direct ownership by 38.76%, but due to substantial indirect holdings, it results in only a 1.19% increase in total equity exposure, demonstrating his significant ongoing control over the company.
- Market Environment Analysis: Peck acquired shares at $8.43 each, while the stock closed at $9.03 on the transaction date, reflecting his belief that the current price is attractive given the stock's 55.5% decline over the past year, suggesting a strategic opportunity to increase his stake.
- Financial Outlook: Despite NIQ reporting an 11% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.1 billion in Q1, the shift to an operating loss due to restructuring costs has pressured the stock price; Peck's purchase may be based on the company's expectation of achieving $70 million in cost savings, which could improve financial performance over time.
See More
CEO James Peck Acquires Additional NIQ Shares
- Share Acquisition: CEO James Peck purchased 118,625 shares of NIQ Global Intelligence on May 18, 2026, at approximately $8.43 per share, totaling around $1 million, indicating his bullish outlook on the company's prospects.
- Ownership Structure: Following the transaction, Peck directly owns 424,683 shares and holds an additional 9,665,342 shares indirectly through PAVentures II, LLC, bringing his total holdings to 10,090,025 shares, underscoring his significant stake in the company.
- Financial Performance Fluctuations: Despite NIQ reporting an 11% year-over-year revenue growth to $1.1 billion in Q1, the company faced an operating loss of $10.2 million due to $64.9 million in restructuring costs, negatively impacting its stock performance.
- Market Opportunity Assessment: With NIQ's price-to-sales ratio below one, indicating a low stock price, Peck's acquisition may reflect expectations for future financial recovery, even as analysts have not included NIQ in their top investment recommendations.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence CEO Makes Significant Stock Purchase
- Insider Buying Signal: NIQ Global Intelligence's CEO Jim Peck disclosed in a regulatory filing that he purchased 118,625 ordinary shares at a weighted average price of $8.43, indicating strong confidence in the company's future, which may boost investor sentiment.
- Stock Price Surge: This transaction attracted investor attention, leading to a more than 10% increase in the company's stock price during the trading session, providing a rebound despite the stock's decline following the quarterly earnings report.
- Shareholding Structure Change: Peck's personal holdings have increased to 424,683 shares, while an entity he controls holds over 9.6 million shares indirectly, which may influence market perceptions of NIQ.
- Market Reaction Analysis: Although NIQ showed decent revenue growth in the first quarter, investor dissatisfaction with overall performance led to sell-offs; however, the insider buying may prompt a reassessment of NIQ's outlook, especially following the executive's confidence display.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence Shares Plunge 11.6% After Mixed Q1 Results
- Disappointing Earnings: NIQ reported a Q1 loss of $0.31 per share, exceeding expectations by $0.06, although sales reached $1.07 billion, surpassing analyst estimates by approximately $20 million, indicating revenue growth but failing to meet investor expectations for margins.
- Year-to-Date Decline: As of now, NIQ's stock has fallen about 45% year-to-date, reflecting market concerns over the company's future growth potential, particularly amid increasing competition in the artificial intelligence sector, which has dampened investor confidence.
- Sales Growth Guidance: The company projects 2023 sales between $4.466 billion and $4.479 billion, suggesting annual growth of 6.4% to 6.7%; however, this guidance, while not poor, did not meet market expectations for stronger sales performance, putting pressure on the stock price.
- Competitive Risks: As NIQ positions itself in the AI space, emerging AI-focused rivals pose significant disruption risks, leading investors to worry about the company's long-term competitiveness in data tracking and analytics, further impacting stock performance.
See More
NIQ Global Intelligence Q1 2026 Earnings Call Highlights
- Significant Revenue Growth: NIQ achieved an 11.1% revenue increase in Q1 2026, reaching $1.1 billion, with organic constant currency growth at 5.1%, indicating strong market demand and enhancing the company's competitive position.
- Profitability Improvement: Adjusted EBITDA accelerated to a 19.1% growth, totaling $224.8 million, with margins expanding by 150 basis points to 21%, reflecting effective cost control and providing a robust financial foundation for future investments.
- Cash Flow Enhancement: The company reported significant free cash flow improvement in Q1, with expected levered free cash flow between $235 million and $250 million for 2026, demonstrating ongoing optimization in financial management and operational efficiency.
- Accelerated AI Investments: NIQ ramped up AI investments in Q1 by launching Arthur AI Analyst and Arthur Chat, laying the groundwork for usage-based monetization, which not only enhances product market appeal but also opens new revenue channels for future growth.
See More
