#applovin

#applovin

AppLovin surged to lead the sector after Morgan Stanley raised its price target, maintaining an Overweight rating. That call centers on AppLovin's AXON AI engine, which powers its mobile advertising platform and has been the engine behind a remarkable earnings run. In Q4 2025, AppLovin reported revenue of $1.66 billion, up 66% year over year, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 84%. Investors sold off the stock despite the strong results, but recent defense of its valuation from Wall Street has led to a bounceback.

AppLovin (APP) stock climbed Friday following a report that the advertising technology company is pursuing plans for a new social media platform.

Shares of AppLovin (NASDAQ: APP), the volatile, mobile game-focused adtech stock, were moving lower last month as the company faced another short-seller attack, software valuations came under scrutiny due to threats from AI, and Google unleashed a new platform for AI game creation, which was seen as a threat to gaming stocks. As a result, AppLovin stock fell sharply last month, closing January down 30%, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence.

After AppLovin Corp.'s ( NASDAQ: APP) share price tumbled more than 35% early last year due to a pending class action lawsuit and to short seller reports, the software company's better-than-expected quarterly reports helped the stock recover. Shares hit a new high of $745.61 a piece in September and took another run at that high in late December. Though it has retreated over 22% year to date, AppLovin stock easily outperformed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq over the past year.

AppLovin responded by firmly refuting all allegations in the report. The report is filled with false, misleading, and illogical allegations. In its public disclosure filings, AppLovin has provided full and transparent disclosures regarding the company's material investments, global business operations, and information related to major shareholders. As a publicly traded company, AppLovin's common stock is traded freely on the open market; the company cannot, and is not able to, control any individual's or institution's buying, selling, or holding of its shares.

The CapitalWatch report, titled "The Southeast Asian Money Laundering Syndicate's NASDAQ 'Laundromat'," focuses on AppLovin's capital structure and operations. It accuses primary shareholder Hao Tang and his network of injecting illegal funds into the company while evading anti-money laundering rules. The document links these funds to about 6.67 billion yuan in illegal proceeds from China's Tuandaiwang platform, a collapsed peer-to-peer lending site, and revenues from Southeast Asian scams like "pig-butchering" crypto frauds.

After hitting an all-time high of $525.15 in February, AppLovin Corp.'s ( NASDAQ: APP) share price tumbled more than 35% due to a pending class action lawsuit and to short seller reports. However, the software company's better-than-expected quarterly reports this year have given the stock a boost. The stock hit a new high of $745.61 in September. AppLovin stock is again trading near that high and is 121.8% higher than a year ago, outperforming the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in that time.

In a quarterly Form 13F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2025 ( link), Sapient Capital reported selling 8,029 shares of AppLovin during the quarter. The estimated value of the trade was $3,702,494. The fund retained a position of 1,272,462 shares. What Else to Know The sale reduced AppLovin's position to 13.95% of Sapient Capital's 13F AUM, but it remains the fund's 2nd-largest holding after Eli Lilly.

After hitting an all-time high of $525.15 in February, AppLovin Corp.'s ( NASDAQ: APP) share price tumbled more than 35% due to a pending class action lawsuit and to short seller reports. However, the software company's better-than-expected first-quarter report gave the stock a boost and it has recovered. The stock recently hit a new high of $745.61. Compared to a year ago, AppLovin stock is 420.4% higher, far outperforming the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in that time.

The move marks a turning point for AppLovin, best known for placing ads inside free-to-play mobile games like Wordscapes and Clockmaker. By rebranding its advertising platform around Axon, which is the name of the AI algorithm that powers its ad targeting, the company is positioning itself as a contender in the broader e-commerce advertising market, long dominated by behemoths like Meta and Google.