AppLovin stock slides as Wells Fargo hikes target ahead of Feb. 11 earnings

8 January 2026

New York, Jan 8, 2026, 13:56 EST — Regular session

AppLovin shares fell in afternoon trade, lagging the broader tech tape.
The company set Feb. 11 for fourth-quarter and full-year results after the U.S. market close.
Wells Fargo raised its price target, while flagging mixed web ad signals.

AppLovin Corp (APP.O) shares slid 3.6% to $610.31 in afternoon trading on Thursday, after opening at $623.71 and swinging between $607.36 and $629.87.

The company said on Wednesday it will report fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on Feb. 11 after the U.S. stock market closes, with a management webcast scheduled for 5 p.m. ET. AppLovin

Wells Fargo analyst Alec Brondolo raised his price target on AppLovin to $735 from $721 and kept an Overweight rating. The firm said it lifted its fourth-quarter revenue view by 3% on “strong mobile game checks,” but added that “web ads trends are mixed,” with first-quarter consensus “a high bar.” TipRanks

Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating and an $800 price target on Wednesday, citing what it called encouraging e-commerce data through the fourth quarter and better Black Friday/Cyber Monday checks. It also said its review of ads-library data showed paid marketing tests tied to more than 180 brands, including Apple and Amazon. Investing

The Invesco QQQ Trust, a proxy for the Nasdaq 100, was down about 0.6% on Thursday.

Ad-tech peers were mixed: Trade Desk fell 2.9%, Digital Turbine dropped 3.9%, and Unity Software rose 0.8%.

For AppLovin, the next call is less about a single quarter and more about the shape of 2026 demand. Investors will be listening for how ad budgets held up through the holiday period, and whether “prospecting” spend — ads aimed at finding new customers — is growing or just getting shuffled around.

There’s a clear risk the stock stays jumpy into the print. Analyst checks pointing in different directions on web ads can set up sharp moves if guidance undershoots, or if advertisers turn cautious on spending levels.

The next hard catalyst is Feb. 11, when AppLovin reports after the close and management takes questions on the webcast later that evening.

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A dedicated markets reporter, she covers stocks, macroeconomics, and major business developments with a sharp eye for detail and accuracy.

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