A securities class action filed against Taboola.com Ltd. alleges the digital advertising company concealed deteriorating publisher quality while telling investors in May that growth was accelerating, a gap that surfaced when shares plunged 27.41 percent in a single session.
The complaint, filed August 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, asserts claims under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 against Taboola, CEO Adam Singolda and CFO Stephen Walker. "Investors deserve transparency about material risks that could affect their investments," Joseph E. Levi, founding partner at Levi & Korsinsky, said.
Taboola reported second-quarter revenue of $476.8 million on August 5, missing its guidance range of $492 million to $505 million. The company cut full-year 2026 revenue guidance by $91 million at the midpoint to $1.93 billion to $1.956 billion and reduced gross profit guidance by $10 million to $605 million to $615 million. Shares fell $1.45 to close at $3.84 on volume of roughly 9.27 million shares, versus about 3.32 million the prior session. Revenue rose 2.4 percent year over year, while ex-TAC gross profit reached $192.4 million, up 11.8 percent.
The complaint alleges management was seeing an increase in low-quality publishers before the class period ended and that the reported value of publisher relationship intangible assets was overstated. Taboola also disclosed a Google policy change that deprecated its "explore more" product, contributing to the revenue shortfall.
Taboola's own earnings release framed the quarter differently, noting it exceeded guidance for ex-TAC gross profit and adjusted EBITDA and raised full-year guidance for those two measures. The company's full-year ex-TAC gross profit outlook stands at $772 million to $783 million. The stock traded as low as approximately $3.52 intraday on August 5 and recovered modestly to about $4.04 on August 6 and $4.10 on August 7, but by August 28 it had settled near $3.78, roughly 28.5 percent below its pre-earnings close of $5.29.
Investors who purchased TBLA securities during the class period have until October 20 to seek lead plaintiff appointment. The case, Fortin v. Taboola.com Ltd. et al., drew investor notices from multiple firms including Rosen Law Firm and Glancy Prongay Wolke & Rotter, which filed the initial complaint. The stock was trading below its 200-day moving average and substantially below its 52-week high as of late August.
The single-session selloff erased $1.45 per share of value, and the stock's failure to reclaim its prior $5 trading range suggests the market has not fully reassessed the company's growth trajectory. The October 20 lead plaintiff deadline will determine how the litigation proceeds and whether additional claims consolidate.
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