As the Q2 earnings season comes to a close, it’s time to take stock of this quarter’s best and worst performers in the online marketplace industry, including eHealth (NASDAQ: EHTH) and its peers.

Marketplaces have existed for centuries. Where once it was a main street in a small town or a mall in the suburbs, sellers benefitted from proximity to one another because they could draw customers by offering convenience and selection. Today, a myriad of online marketplaces fulfill that same role, aggregating large customer bases, which attracts commission-paying sellers, generating flywheel scale effects that feed back into further customer acquisition.

The 14 online marketplace stocks we track reported a strong Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 4.7% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Thankfully, share prices of the companies have been resilient as they are up 5.1% on average since the latest earnings results.

eHealth (NASDAQ: EHTH)

Aiming to address a high-stakes and often confusing decision, eHealth (NASDAQ: EHTH) guides consumers through health insurance enrollment and related topics.

eHealth reported revenues of $60.78 million, down 7.7% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 31%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with a solid beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

eHealth scored the biggest analyst estimates beat but had the slowest revenue growth and slowest revenue growth of the whole group. The company reported 1.15 million users, down 2.6% year on year. Unsurprisingly, the stock is up 33.7% since reporting and currently trades at $4.36.

Is now the time to buy eHealth? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Best Q2: Shutterstock (NYSE: SSTK)

Originally featuring a library that included many of founder Jon Oringer’s photos, Shutterstock (NYSE: SSTK) is now a digital platform where customers can license and use hundreds of millions of pieces of content.

Shutterstock reported revenues of $267 million, up 21.3% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 7.5%. The business had a stunning quarter with an impressive beat of analysts’ EBITDA and paid downloads estimates.

The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 7.7% since reporting. It currently trades at $21.34.

Is now the time to buy Shutterstock? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Weakest Q2: ACV Auctions (NYSE: ACVA)

Founded in 2014, ACV Auctions (NASDAQ: ACVA) is an online auction marketplace for car dealers and wholesalers to buy and sell used cars.

ACV Auctions reported revenues of $193.7 million, up 20.6% year on year, falling short of analysts’ expectations by 1.2%. It was a disappointing quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ marketplace units estimates and revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations.

ACV Auctions delivered the highest full-year guidance raise but had the weakest performance against analyst estimates in the group. The company reported 210,429 units sold, up 12.8% year on year. As expected, the stock is down 37.3% since the results and currently trades at $8.36.

Read our full analysis of ACV Auctions’s results here.

Cars.com (NYSE: CARS)

Originally started as a joint venture between several media companies including The Washington Post and The New York Times, Cars.com (NYSE: CARS) is a digital marketplace that connects new and used car buyers and sellers.

Cars.com reported revenues of $178.7 million, flat year on year. This print met analysts’ expectations. Zooming out, it was a mixed quarter as it also logged a narrow beat of analysts’ EBITDA estimates but revenue in line with analysts’ estimates.

The company reported 19,412 active buyers, up 0.1% year on year. The stock is down 22.6% since reporting and currently trades at $10.17.

Read our full, actionable report on Cars.com here, it’s free for active Edge members.

CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG)

Bringing transparency to a sometimes opaque process, CarGurus (NASDAQ: CARG) is a digital marketplace where auto dealers can connect with potential customers and where car buyers can browse, purchase, and obtain financing.

CarGurus reported revenues of $234 million, up 7% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 0.7%. Aside from that, it was a satisfactory quarter as it also recorded EBITDA guidance for next quarter exceeding analysts’ expectations but revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

The company reported 33,095 users, up 5.6% year on year. The stock is up 5.1% since reporting and currently trades at $33.

Read our full, actionable report on CarGurus here, it’s free for active Edge members.

Market Update

The Fed’s interest rate hikes throughout 2022 and 2023 have successfully cooled post-pandemic inflation, bringing it closer to the 2% target. Inflationary pressures have eased without tipping the economy into a recession, suggesting a soft landing. This stability, paired with recent rate cuts (0.5% in September 2024 and 0.25% in November 2024), fueled a strong year for the stock market in 2024. The markets surged further after Donald Trump’s presidential victory in November, with major indices reaching record highs in the days following the election. Still, questions remain about the direction of economic policy, as potential tariffs and corporate tax changes add uncertainty for 2025.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our 9 Best Market-Beating Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.

StockStory is growing and hiring equity analyst and marketing roles. Are you a 0 to 1 builder passionate about the markets and AI? See the open roles here.