Taboola has followed the market’s trajectory closely, rising in tandem with the S&P 500 over the past six months. The stock has climbed by 11.4% to $4.05 per share while the index has gained 12.7%.
Is now the time to buy Taboola, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? See what our analysts have to say in our full research report, it’s free for active Edge members.
Why Is Taboola Not Exciting?
We don't have much confidence in Taboola. Here are three reasons you should be careful with TBLA and a stock we'd rather own.
1. Revenue Projections Show Stormy Skies Ahead
Forecasted revenues by Wall Street analysts signal a company’s potential. Predictions may not always be accurate, but accelerating growth typically boosts valuation multiples and stock prices while slowing growth does the opposite.
Over the next 12 months, sell-side analysts expect Taboola’s revenue to drop by 26%, a decrease from its 10.4% annualized growth for the past five years. This projection is underwhelming and indicates its products and services will face some demand challenges.
2. EPS Trending Down
We track the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) because it highlights whether a company’s growth is profitable.
Taboola’s full-year EPS dropped 146%, or 25.3% annually, over the last four years. We’ll keep a close eye on the company as diminishing earnings could imply changing secular trends and preferences.
3. Previous Growth Initiatives Have Lost Money
Growth gives us insight into a company’s long-term potential, but how capital-efficient was that growth? Enter ROIC, a metric showing how much operating profit a company generates relative to the money it has raised (debt and equity).
Taboola’s five-year average ROIC was negative 4.1%, meaning management lost money while trying to expand the business. Its returns were among the worst in the business services sector.
Final Judgment
Taboola isn’t a terrible business, but it doesn’t pass our quality test. That said, the stock currently trades at 9.2× forward P/E (or $4.05 per share). While this valuation is fair, the upside isn’t great compared to the potential downside. We're fairly confident there are better stocks to buy right now. We’d suggest looking at one of our all-time favorite software stocks.
Stocks We Like More Than Taboola
The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).
Stocks that have made our list include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Kadant (+351% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.
