Data & Business Process Services Stocks Q4 Teardown: Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) Vs The Rest
March 25, 2025
The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) and the rest of the data & business process services stocks fared in Q4.
A combination of increasing reliance on data and analytics across various industries and the desire for cost efficiency through outsourcing could mean that companies in this space gain. As functions such as payroll, HR, and credit risk assessment rely on more digitization, key players in the data & business process services industry could be increased demand. On the other hand, the sector faces headwinds from growing regulatory scrutiny on data privacy and security, with laws like GDPR and evolving U.S. regulations potentially limiting data collection and monetization strategies. Additionally, rising cyber threats pose risks to firms handling sensitive personal and financial information, creating outsized headline risk when things go wrong in this area.
The 10 data & business process services stocks we track reported a slower Q4. As a group, revenues along with next quarter’s revenue guidance were in line with analysts’ consensus estimates.
While some data & business process services stocks have fared somewhat better than others, they have collectively declined. On average, share prices are down 4.7% since the latest earnings results.
Planet Labs (NYSE:PL)
Pioneering the concept of "agile aerospace" with hundreds of small but powerful satellites, Planet Labs (NYSE:PL) operates the world's largest fleet of Earth observation satellites, capturing daily images of our planet to provide insights on deforestation, agriculture, and climate change.
Planet Labs reported revenues of $61.55 million, up 4.6% year on year. This print fell short of analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. Overall, it was a softer quarter for the company with a significant miss of analysts’ EPS estimates.
“Last year was an exciting and transitional year for Planet. We introduced a new industry-aligned go-to-market structure and began to shift towards selling AI-enabled solutions. We took a major step forward in the satellite services market and signed a $230 million contract with our long-term partner in Japan, JSAT. We launched over 70 satellites, including our first Tanager hyperspectral satellite and our second Pelican high resolution satellite, both of which are performing well in orbit,” said Will Marshall, Planet’s Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson.
The stock is down 6.8% since reporting and currently trades at $3.95.
Powering billions of critical customer interactions annually, CSG Systems (NASDAQ:CSGS) provides cloud-based software platforms that help companies manage customer interactions, process payments, and monetize their services.
CSG reported revenues of $316.7 million, up 6.5% year on year, in line with analysts’ expectations. The business had an exceptional quarter with a solid beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and full-year revenue guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations.
CSG delivered the highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. However, the results were likely priced into the stock as it’s traded sideways since reporting. Shares currently sit at $61.35.
Known for its proprietary D-U-N-S Number that serves as a unique identifier for businesses worldwide, Dun & Bradstreet (NYSE:DNB) provides business decisioning data and analytics that help companies evaluate credit risks, verify suppliers, enhance sales productivity, and gain market visibility.
Dun & Bradstreet reported revenues of $631.9 million, flat year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 4%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.
Dun & Bradstreet delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth in the group. As expected, the stock is down 14.3% since the results and currently trades at $9.
Processing one out of every six paychecks in the United States, ADP (NASDAQ:ADP) provides cloud-based human capital management solutions that help businesses manage payroll, benefits, talent acquisition, and HR administration.
ADP reported revenues of $5.05 billion, up 8.1% year on year. This number topped analysts’ expectations by 1.7%. It was a very strong quarter as it also put up revenue guidance for next quarter beating analysts’ expectations and a decent beat of analysts’ EPS estimates.
The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $297.35.
Originally founded as an outsourcing company in 1999 before evolving into a technology-focused enterprise, EXL (NASDAQ:EXLS) provides data analytics and AI-powered digital operations solutions that help businesses transform their operations and make better decisions.
EXL reported revenues of $481.4 million, up 16.3% year on year. This result beat analysts’ expectations by 1.1%. Zooming out, it was a slower quarter as it recorded a miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates.
EXL achieved the fastest revenue growth among its peers. The stock is down 5.5% since reporting and currently trades at $46.02.
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