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Cardlytics Inc (CDLX)
NASDAQ:CDLX
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Cardlytics (CDLX) AI Stock Analysis

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CDLX

Cardlytics

(NASDAQ:CDLX)

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Neutral 42 (OpenAI - Gpt-5.6Sol)
Rating:42Neutral
Price Target:
$1.50
▼(-63.68% Downside)
Action:Reiterated
Date:10/09/26
The score is held down primarily by weak financial performance (declining revenue, losses, negative free cash flow, and negative equity) and bearish technicals (price far below key moving averages with negative momentum). The earnings call adds some support from cost discipline and a positive, guidance-beating adjusted EBITDA, but is outweighed by steep year-over-year declines, ongoing cash burn, and cautious near-term outlook.
Positive Factors
Advertiser growth and retention
Expanding advertiser demand and sharply lower churn strengthen Cardlytics’ campaign base and improve the durability of recurring marketing relationships. Better retention can support more predictable billings, while stronger new-business conversion increases the platform’s ability to rebuild scale over time.
Negative Factors
Contracting revenue and user reach
The sharp top-line contraction and lower monthly qualifying users show that prior bank-partner changes have reduced distribution and monetizable audience scale. This weakens near-term revenue recovery, limits operating leverage, and makes rebuilding advertiser growth more dependent on replacing lost reach.
Read all positive and negative factors
Positive Factors
Negative Factors
Advertiser growth and retention
Expanding advertiser demand and sharply lower churn strengthen Cardlytics’ campaign base and improve the durability of recurring marketing relationships. Better retention can support more predictable billings, while stronger new-business conversion increases the platform’s ability to rebuild scale over time.
Read all positive factors

Cardlytics (CDLX) vs. SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY)

Cardlytics Business Overview & Revenue Model

Company Description
Cardlytics, Inc. provides an advertising platform, operating in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Among its key offerings is the Cardlytics platform, a proprietary advertising channel integrated directly into banks' digital environmen...
How the Company Makes Money
Cardlytics makes money primarily by selling advertising and marketing services to brands (marketers) that want to reach consumers and drive incremental purchases. Its core revenue model is tied to campaigns that leverage transaction data and bank ...

Cardlytics Earnings Call Summary

Earnings Call Date:Aug 05, 2026
(Q2-2026)
|
% Change Since: |
Next Earnings Date:Nov 05, 2026
Earnings Call Sentiment Neutral
The call mixed strong operational and product progress—advertiser expansion, large improvements in churn, meaningful AI-driven efficiency gains, and U.K. momentum—against sizable year-over-year declines in billings and revenue, negative operating and free cash flow, and reduced MQUs driven by prior partner changes. Management emphasized execution, cost discipline, and a path toward self-sustainability, while Q3 guidance is cautious but consistent with stabilization.
Positive Updates
Advertiser Base Expansion and Strong New Business
Active advertisers grew 18% quarter-over-quarter and billings grew 11% quarter-over-quarter. New logo volume was up 59% quarter-over-quarter, with new business billings for that cohort up 17% year-over-year; the largest new logo this quarter was more than 100% larger than the largest new logo a year ago.
Negative Updates
Significant Year-over-Year Top-Line Declines
Q2 billings were $65.5 million, down 34% year-over-year, and Q2 revenue was $36.9 million, down 36% year-over-year, reflecting ongoing tough comps related to prior bank partner relationship changes.
Read all updates
Q2-2026 Updates
Negative
Advertiser Base Expansion and Strong New Business
Active advertisers grew 18% quarter-over-quarter and billings grew 11% quarter-over-quarter. New logo volume was up 59% quarter-over-quarter, with new business billings for that cohort up 17% year-over-year; the largest new logo this quarter was more than 100% larger than the largest new logo a year ago.
Read all positive updates
Company Guidance
Cardlytics guided Q3 2026 billings of $61–67M, revenue of $34–39M, adjusted contribution of $20–23M and adjusted EBITDA of $0–$3M, saying this represents comparable performance to Q2 as the business solidifies; management also noted they were within their guide for billings, revenue and adjusted contribution for Q2 and exceeded the high end of adjusted EBITDA guidance. For context, Q2 results were: billings $65.5M, revenue $36.9M, adjusted contribution $21.3M (57.7% of revenue vs. 54% a year ago), adjusted EBITDA $1.7M, adjusted operating expenses $19.6M (down 31% YoY), operating cash flow negative $8.6M, free cash flow negative $10.7M, cash $28M with ~$20M available on the credit facility, and MQUs of $185M (down from $224M YoY); management expects free cash flow to trend toward adjusted EBITDA, no material incremental OpEx/capex, headcount broadly steady, and noted tough year‑over‑year comps through Q1 2027.

Cardlytics Financial Statement Overview

Summary
Weak fundamentals dominate: TTM revenue declined ~12.8%, profitability remains negative with compressed gross margin (~28% TTM vs. ~45% in 2025), and cash generation is inconsistent (TTM operating cash flow slightly negative and free cash flow more negative). The balance sheet is a key risk with negative equity and sizable debt (~$190M TTM) relative to assets (~$235M TTM), limiting flexibility.
Income Statement
22
Negative
Balance Sheet
18
Very Negative
Cash Flow
28
Negative
BreakdownTTMDec 2025Dec 2024Dec 2023Dec 2022Dec 2021
Income Statement
Total Revenue179.33M233.27M278.30M309.20M298.54M267.12M
Gross Profit85.95M105.08M120.89M130.38M112.63M103.34M
EBITDA-69.74M-65.45M-152.53M-99.00M-420.41M-88.21M
Net Income-100.28M-103.49M-189.30M-134.70M-465.26M-128.56M
Balance Sheet
Total Assets234.78M285.64M392.71M574.14M691.24M1.26B
Cash, Cash Equivalents and Short-Term Investments28.04M48.72M65.59M91.83M121.91M233.47M
Total Debt189.89M215.31M221.65M266.11M235.26M197.23M
Total Liabilities250.79M292.15M322.72M439.35M479.63M573.10M
Stockholders Equity-16.00M-6.51M69.99M134.80M211.60M690.70M
Cash Flow
Free Cash Flow-3.96M-6.49M-28.12M-12.58M-67.39M-51.09M
Operating Cash Flow532.00K9.29M-8.82M-185.00K-53.90M-38.52M
Investing Cash Flow11.88M-15.30M-18.75M-10.06M-15.76M-506.69M
Financing Cash Flow-31.13M-11.12M1.44M-20.03M-39.99M486.00M

Cardlytics Technical Analysis

Technical Analysis Sentiment
Negative
Last Price4.13
Price Trends
50DMA
3.28
Negative
100DMA
3.88
Negative
200DMA
6.48
Negative
Market Momentum
MACD
-0.44
Negative
RSI
25.08
Positive
STOCH
23.65
Neutral
Evaluating momentum and price trends is crucial in stock analysis to make informed investment decisions. For CDLX, the sentiment is Negative. The current price of 4.13 is above the 20-day moving average (MA) of 2.28, above the 50-day MA of 3.28, and below the 200-day MA of 6.48, indicating a bearish trend. The MACD of -0.44 indicates Negative momentum. The RSI at 25.08 is Positive, neither overbought nor oversold. The STOCH value of 23.65 is Neutral, not indicating any strong overbought or oversold conditions. Overall, these indicators collectively point to a Negative sentiment for CDLX.

Cardlytics Risk Analysis

Cardlytics disclosed 57 risk factors in its most recent earnings report. Cardlytics reported the most risks in the "Finance & Corporate" category.
Finance & Corporate - Financial and accounting risks. Risks related to the execution of corporate activity and strategy
Latest Risks Added 0 New Risks

Cardlytics Peers Comparison

Overall Rating
UnderperformOutperform
Sector (60)
Financial Indicators
Name
Overall Rating
Market Cap
P/E Ratio
ROE
Dividend Yield
Revenue Growth
EPS Growth
72
Outperform
$945.33M11.6427.66%―18.29%1634.10%
70
Outperform
$729.08M7.379.20%―-4.24%-20.11%
65
Neutral
$1.98B3.2834.27%2.03%-8.46%-157.54%
60
Neutral
$48.67B4.58-11.27%4.14%2.83%-41.78%
42
Neutral
$10.60M-0.101284.85%―-32.63%42.21%
* Communication Services Sector Average
Performance Comparison
Ticker
Company Name
Price
Change
% Change
CDLX
Cardlytics
1.80
-18.90
-91.30%
ZD
Ziff Davis
57.89
21.52
59.17%
QNST
Quinstreet
16.52
1.73
11.70%
CRTO
Criteo SA
14.88
-6.01
-28.77%

Cardlytics Corporate Events

Financial DisclosuresLegal ProceedingsRegulatory Filings and Compliance
Cardlytics Settles Bridg-Related Indemnification Dispute Agreement
Neutral
Sep 11, 2026
Cardlytics has disclosed the resolution of a legal dispute stemming from indemnification obligations it assumed in its 2021 acquisition of Bridg, Inc., involving founder and former Bridg CEO Amit Jain. Jain had sought advancement and indemnificati...
Glossary
BuyA stock rated as a "Buy" is expected to perform better than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock is likely to deliver higher returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
HoldA stock rated as a "Hold" is expected to perform in line with the overall market or a specific benchmark. This rating indicates that the stock is neither particularly compelling nor unfavorable for investment. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
SellA stock rated as a "Sell" is expected to perform worse than the overall market or a specific benchmark over the near-to-medium term. This rating suggests the stock may deliver lower returns compared to other stocks in the same sector or market index. Note: This is not investment advice; please consult a financial advisor before making investment decisions.

Disclaimer

This AI Analyst Stock Report is automatically generated by our AI systems using advanced algorithms and publicly available financial, technical, and market data. While the information provided aims to be accurate and insightful, it is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. Any content created by an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system may contain inaccuracies and/or contain errors. Investing in stocks carries inherent risks, and past performance is not indicative of future results. This report does not account for your personal financial circumstances, objectives, or risk tolerance. Always conduct your own research or consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions. The analysis and recommendations provided are based on historical and current data and may not fully reflect future market conditions or unexpected developments. Neither the creators of this report nor its affiliated entities guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the information presented. Use this report at your own discretion and risk.Date of analysis: Oct 09, 2026