CRITEO REPORTS RECORD FIRST QUARTER 2025 RESULTS

Deployed $56 Million to Repurchase Shares in Q1 2025

NEW YORK, May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO) ("Criteo" or the "Company"), the commerce media company, today announced financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2025.

First Quarter 2025 Financial Highlights:

The following table summarizes our consolidated financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2025:

"Our results this quarter demonstrate strong execution and a solid foundation to build on," said Michael Komasinski, Chief Executive Officer of Criteo. "Criteo sits at the center of commerce and media, a powerful combination. I'm excited about our opportunities ahead and confident in our ability to deliver long-term value for our shareholders."

Operating Highlights

• Retail Media Contribution ex-TAC grew 18% year-over-year at constant currency² and same-retailer Contribution ex-TAC³ retention for Retail Media was 120%.
• We expanded our platform adoption to 3,800 brands and added new retailers and marketplaces, including Dick's Sporting Goods in the U.S., Endeavour in Australia, d shopping in Japan, Cooperative U in France, and Elkjop in the Nordics.
• We launched our Onsite Video solution for Retail Media into general availability and now offer a comprehensive, full-funnel onsite advertising suite.
• Performance Media Contribution ex-TAC was up 4% year-over-year at constant currency².
• Criteo's media spend⁴ was $4.3 billion in the last 12 months and $919 million in Q1 2025, flat year-over-year at constant currency².
• We deployed $56 million of capital for share repurchases in Q1 2025.
• The Company named Frederik van der Kooi as the Chairperson of the Board of Directors and nominated Stefanie Jay for election to the Board of directors at the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

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Financial Summary

Revenue for Q1 2025 was $451 million, gross profit was $237 million and Contribution ex-TAC was $264 million. Net income for Q1 2025 was $40 million, an increase compared to $9 million in Q1 2024. This represents $0.66 per share on a diluted basis. Adjusted EBITDA for Q1 was $92 million, resulting in an adjusted diluted EPS of  $1.10 . As reported, revenue for Q1 increased 0.3%, gross profit increased 9% and Contribution ex-TAC increased 4%. At constant currency, revenue for Q1 increased 3% and Contribution ex-TAC increased 7%. Cash flow from operating activities was $62 million in Q1 and Free Cash Flow was $45 million in Q1 2025, an increase compared to $1 million in Q1 2024. As of March 31, 2025, we had $329 million in cash and marketable securities on our balance sheet.

Sarah Glickman, Chief Financial Officer, said, "Our first quarter results reflect our broad capabilities to drive performance across the buyer journey, and the strength of our diversified global client base. In an uncertain macro-economic environment, our resilient business model and strong financial foundation position us well to drive results for our clients and protect margins and cash flow."

First Quarter 2025 Results

Revenue, Gross Profit and Contribution ex-TAC

Revenue increased 0.3% year-over-year in Q1 2025, or 3% at constant currency, to $451 million (Q1 2024: $450 million). Gross profit increased 9% year-over-year in Q1 2025 to $237 million (Q1 2024: $217 million). Gross profit as a percentage of revenue, or gross profit margin, was 52% (Q1 2024: 48%). Contribution ex-TAC in the first quarter increased 4% year-over-year, or increased 7% at constant currency, to $264 million (Q1 2024: $254 million).

• Retail Media revenue increased 17%, or 18% at constant currency, reflecting continued strength in Retail Media onsite. Retail Media Contribution ex-TAC increased 17%, or 18% at constant currency, driven by continued strength in Retail Media onsite, new client integrations and growing network effects of the platform.
• Performance Media revenue decreased (2)%, or increased 1% at constant currency, and Performance Media Contribution ex-TAC increased 1%, or 4% at constant currency, driven by the continued traction of our suite of commerce solutions helping advertisers drive measurable performance across the entire buyer journey, partially offset by lower AdTech services.

Net Income and Adjusted Net Income

Net income was $40 million in Q1 2025 (Q1 2024: net income of $9 million). Net income allocated to shareholders of Criteo was $38 million, or $0.66 per share on a diluted basis (Q1 2024: net income available to shareholders of $7 million, or $0.12 per share on a diluted basis).

Adjusted net income, a non-GAAP financial measure, was $63 million, or  $1.10  per share on a diluted basis (Q1 2024: $47 million, or $0.80 per share on a diluted basis).

Adjusted EBITDA and Operating Expenses

Adjusted EBITDA was $92 million, representing an increase of 30% year-over-year (Q1 2024: $71 million). This primarily reflects higher Contribution ex-TAC over the period and effective cost management. Adjusted EBITDA as a percentage of Contribution ex-TAC, or Adjusted EBITDA margin, was 35% (Q1 2024: 28%).

Operating expenses decreased (9)% year-over-year to $189 million (Q1 2024: $207 million), mostly driven by continued rigor on resource allocation and lower equity award compensation expense, partially offset by planned growth investments. Non-GAAP operating expenses decreased (3)% year-over-year to $151 million (Q1 2024: $155 million).

Cash Flow, Cash and Financial Liquidity Position

Cash flow from operating activities increased to $62 million in Q1 2025 (Q1 2024: $14 million).

Free Cash Flow, defined as cash flow from operating activities less acquisition of intangible assets, property and equipment and change in accounts payable related to intangible assets, property and equipment, increased to $45 million in Q1 2025 (Q1 2024: $1 million). On a trailing 12-month basis, Free Cash Flow was $226 million.

Cash and cash equivalents, and marketable securities, were $329 million, a $(3) million decrease compared to December 31, 2024, after spending $56 million on share repurchases in the three months ended March 31, 2025.

As of March 31, 2025, the Company had total financial liquidity of approximately $810 million, including its cash position, marketable securities, revolving credit facility and treasury shares reserved for M&A.

Update on Chrome Third-Party Cookie Policy

On April 23, 2025, Google announced that it will maintain its current approach for offering users control over third-party cookies in the Chrome browser. This decision follows a 2024 proposal to implement a new framework and standalone prompt for collecting user consent regarding third-party cookie usage across web browsing activity. Google confirmed it will not proceed with the proposed standalone consent prompt and instead will continue with its existing mechanisms for user choice.

We appreciate our partnership with Google and the wider ecosystem, and welcome Google's decision to provide greater clarity around their plans for third-party cookies. We have future-proofed our approach to privacy protecting addressability which uses advanced AI to consolidate and then optimize diverse signals, including alternative IDs, first-party data, contextual inputs and browser-based tools like the Privacy Sandbox. This enables us to execute tailored, full-funnel, cross-channel campaigns that drive measurable outcomes for our clients in any scenario.

Commercial Update

On April 30, 2025, our largest Retail Media client notified us that they will curtail the scope of services to be provided commencing November 1, 2025, which will reduce the expected revenue from that date onwards. They will continue to use our industry-leading Retail Media technology platform under a multi-year committed contract while discontinuing our managed services and curtailing the remaining brand demand sales services.

2025 Business Outlook

The following forward-looking statements reflect Criteo's expectations as of May 2, 2025, amidst an uncertain macro-economic backdrop.

Fiscal year 2025 guidance:

• Low-single-digit growth in Contribution ex-TAC at constant currency.
• Adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 33% to 34% of Contribution ex-TAC.

Second quarter 2025 guidance:

• Contribution ex-TAC between $272 million and $278 million, or -2% to flat year-over-year at constant-currency at the midpoint.
• Adjusted EBITDA between $60 million and $66 million.

The above guidance for the second quarter and fiscal year ending December 31, 2025 assumes the following exchange rates for the main currencies impacting our business: a U.S. dollar-euro rate of 0.909, a U.S. dollar-Japanese Yen rate of 150, a U.S. dollar-British Pound rate of 0.787, a U.S. dollar-Korean Won rate of 1,426 and a U.S. dollar-Brazilian Real rate of 5.83.

The above guidance assumes that no additional acquisitions are completed during the second quarter of 2025.

Reconciliations of Contribution ex-TAC, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin guidance to the closest corresponding U.S. GAAP measures are not available without unreasonable efforts on a forward-looking basis due to the high variability, complexity and low visibility with respect to the charges excluded from these non-GAAP measures; in particular, the measures and effects of equity awards compensation expense specific to equity compensation awards that are directly impacted by unpredictable fluctuations in our share price. The variability of the above charges could potentially have a significant impact on our future U.S. GAAP financial results.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release and its attachments include the following financial measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"): Contribution ex-TAC, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Adjusted Net Income, Adjusted diluted EPS, Free Cash Flow and Non-GAAP Operating Expenses. These measures are not calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Contribution ex-TAC is a profitability measure akin to gross profit. It is calculated by deducting traffic acquisition costs from revenue and reconciled to gross profit through the exclusion of other costs of revenue. Contribution ex-TAC is not a measure calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We have included Contribution ex-TAC because it is a key measure used by our management and board of directors to evaluate operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions. In particular, we believe that this measure can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Contribution ex-TAC provides useful information to investors and others in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors. 

Adjusted EBITDA is our consolidated earnings before financial income (expense), income taxes, depreciation and amortization, adjusted to eliminate the impact of equity awards compensation expense, pension service costs, certain restructuring, integration and transformation costs, and certain acquisition costs. Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are key measures used by our management and board of directors to understand and evaluate our core operating performance and trends, to prepare and approve our annual budget and to develop short- and long-term operational plans. In particular, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin provide useful information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Adjusted Net Income is our net income adjusted to eliminate the impact of equity awards compensation expense, amortization of acquisition-related assets, certain restructuring, integration and transformation costs, certain acquisition costs, and the tax impact of these adjustments. Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS are key measures used by our management and board of directors to evaluate operating performance, generate future operating plans and make strategic decisions regarding the allocation of capital. In particular, we believe that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS can provide useful measures for period-to-period comparisons of our business. Accordingly, we believe that Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted diluted EPS provide useful information to investors and the market generally in understanding and evaluating our results of operations in the same manner as our management and board of directors.

Free Cash Flow is defined as cash flow from operating activities less acquisition of intangible assets, property, plant and equipment and change in accounts payable related to intangible assets, property and equipment. Free Cash Flow Conversion is defined as free cash flow divided by Adjusted EBITDA. Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Conversion are key measures used by our management and board of directors to evaluate the Company's ability to generate cash. Accordingly, we believe that Free Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow Conversion permit a more complete and comprehensive analysis of our available cash flows.

Non-GAAP Operating Expenses are our consolidated operating expenses adjusted to eliminate equity awards compensation expense, pension service costs, certain restructuring, integration and transformation costs, and certain acquisition and integration costs. The Company uses Non-GAAP Operating Expenses to understand and compare operating results across accounting periods, for internal budgeting and forecasting purposes, for short-term and long-term operational plans, and to assess and measure our financial performance and the ability of our operations to generate cash. We believe Non-GAAP Operating Expenses reflects our ongoing operating expenses in a manner that allows for meaningful period-to-period comparisons and analysis of trends in our business. As a result, we believe that Non-GAAP Operating Expenses provides useful information to investors in understanding and evaluating our core operating performance and trends in the same manner as our management and in comparing financial results across periods. In addition, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses is a key component in calculating Adjusted EBITDA, which is one of the key measures the Company uses to provide its quarterly and annual business outlook to the investment community.

Please refer to the supplemental financial tables provided in the appendix of this press release for a reconciliation of Contribution ex-TAC to gross profit, Adjusted EBITDA to net income, Adjusted Net Income to net income, Free Cash Flow to cash flow from operating activities, and Non-GAAP Operating Expenses to operating expenses, in each case, the most comparable U.S. GAAP measure. Our use of non-GAAP financial measures has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider such non-GAAP measures in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations are: 1) other companies, including companies in our industry which have similar business arrangements, may address the impact of TAC differently; and 2) other companies may report Contribution ex-TAC, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted Net Income, Free Cash Flow, Non-GAAP Operating Expenses or similarly titled measures but calculate them differently or over different regions, which reduces their usefulness as comparative measures. Because of these and other limitations, you should consider these measures alongside our U.S. GAAP financial results, including revenue and net income.

Forward-Looking Statements Disclosure

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including projected financial results for the quarter ending June 30, 2025 and the year ending December 31, 2025, our expectations regarding our market opportunity and future growth prospects and other statements that are not historical facts and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. Factors that might cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: failure related to our technology and our ability to innovate and respond to changes in technology, uncertainty regarding our ability to access a consistent supply of internet display advertising inventory and expand access to such inventory, investments in new business opportunities and the timing of these investments, whether the projected benefits of acquisitions or strategic transactions materialize as expected, uncertainty regarding international operations and expansion, including related to changes in a specific country's or region's political or economic conditions (such as changes in or new tariffs), the impact of competition or client in-housing, uncertainty regarding legislative, regulatory or self-regulatory developments regarding data privacy matters and the impact of efforts by other participants in our industry to comply therewith, the impact of consumer resistance to the collection and sharing of data, our ability to access data through third parties, failure to enhance our brand cost-effectively, recent growth rates not being indicative of future growth, client flexibility to increase or decrease spend, our ability to manage growth, potential fluctuations in operating results, our ability to grow our base of clients, and the financial impact of maximizing Contribution ex-TAC, as well as risks related to future opportunities and plans, including the uncertainty of expected future financial performance and results and those risks detailed from time-to-time under the caption "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Company's SEC filings and reports, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 28, 2025, and in subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q as well as future filings and reports by the Company. Importantly, at this time, macro-economic conditions including inflation and fluctuating interest rates in the U.S. have impacted and may continue to impact Criteo's business, financial condition, cash flow and results of operations.

Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no duty or obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events, changes in expectations or otherwise.

Conference Call Information

Criteo's senior management team will discuss the Company's earnings on a call that will take place today, May 2, 2025, at 8:00 AM ET, 2:00 PM CET. The conference call will be webcast live on the Company's website at https://criteo.investorroom.com/ and will subsequently be available for replay.

• United States:             +1 800 836 8184
• International:               +1 646 357 8785
• France                         080-094-5120

Please ask to be joined into the "Criteo" call.

About Criteo

Criteo (NASDAQ: CRTO) is the global commerce media company that enables marketers and media owners to drive better commerce outcomes. Its industry leading Commerce Media Platform connects thousands of marketers and media owners to deliver richer consumer experiences from product discovery to purchase. By powering trusted and impactful advertising, Criteo supports an open internet that encourages discovery, innovation, and choice. For more information, please visit www.criteo.com.

Contacts

Criteo Investor Relations

Melanie Dambre, [email protected] 

Criteo Public Relations

Jessica Meyers, [email protected] 

Financial information to follow

SOURCE Criteo Corp