The end of the earnings season is always a good time to take a step back and see who shined (and who didn’t). Let’s take a look at how sales and marketing software stocks fared in Q1, starting with Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE).

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 18 sales and marketing software stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q1. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

While some sales and marketing software stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 3.1% since the latest earnings results.

Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE)

With its technology powering interactions with 6.2 billion monthly active users across the digital landscape, Braze (NASDAQ: BRZE) provides a platform that helps brands build and maintain direct relationships with their customers through personalized, cross-channel messaging and engagement.

Braze reported revenues of $211 million, up 30.2% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 2.8%. Overall, it was a strong quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ billings and EBITDA estimates.

Investor expectations, however, were likely higher than Wall Street’s published projections, leaving some wishing for even better results (analysts’ consensus estimates are those published by big banks and advisory firms, not the investors who make buy and sell decisions). The stock is down 7.6% since reporting and currently trades at $22.71.

We think Braze is a good business, but is it a buy today? Read our full report here, it’s free.

Best Q1: 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 $62.57 million, down 2% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 4.4%. The business had an exceptional quarter with EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 10.4% since reporting. It currently trades at $11.30.

Is now the time to buy PubMatic? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Slowest Q1: 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 $48.69 million, down 23.5% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. It was a softer quarter as it posted full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Upland Software delivered the slowest revenue growth and weakest full-year guidance update in the group. Interestingly, the stock is up 12.8% since the results and currently trades at $0.71.

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

LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP)

Serving as the digital middleman in an increasingly privacy-conscious world, LiveRamp (NYSE: RAMP) provides technology that helps companies securely share and connect their customer data with trusted partners while maintaining privacy compliance.

LiveRamp reported revenues of $206.1 million, up 9.2% year on year. This print met analysts’ expectations. It was a strong quarter as it also recorded a significant improvement in its net revenue retention rate and an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates.

The company lost 7 enterprise customers paying more than $1 million annually and ended up with a total of 133. The stock is up 26.1% since reporting and currently trades at $37.40.

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

Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH)

Starting as a customer service solution before expanding into a comprehensive software suite, Freshworks (NASDAQ: FRSH) provides AI-powered software-as-a-service solutions that help companies manage customer service, IT support, sales, and marketing functions.

Freshworks reported revenues of $228.6 million, up 16.5% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 2.3%. Overall, it was a strong quarter as it also put up a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and full-year EPS guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.

The company added 326 enterprise customers paying more than $5,000 annually to reach a total of 25,088. The stock is up 2.1% since reporting and currently trades at $9.38.

Read our full, actionable report on Freshworks 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 Top 6 Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.