Pinterest stock is ending 2025 in a tug-of-war between two powerful narratives: on one side, strong user growth, improving international monetization, and a new push into performance TV advertising; on the other, worries about ad-spend softness in its most lucrative market and intensifying competition from bigger digital ad platforms.
As of Dec. 20, 2025, Pinterest Inc. shares are trading around $26, far below their 52-week high and still digesting a sharp post-earnings reset that re-priced expectations for the holiday quarter. [1]
Below is a full roundup of the most important current news, forecasts, and analyst takes shaping Pinterest (NYSE: PINS) right now—plus the key catalysts investors are watching as the company heads into 2026.
Pinterest stock price today: where PINS stands on Dec. 20, 2025
Pinterest shares last closed near $26.08 after a volatile December that included a notable spike in trading volume on Dec. 19. [2]
A few context points investors are using to frame the setup:
- 52-week range: about $23.70 to $40.86, placing the stock roughly 36% below the 52-week high and about 10% above the 52-week low. [3]
- Market capitalization: roughly $17–18 billion, depending on the data source and last trade. [4]
The bigger story behind that $26 handle: the post–third-quarter earnings drawdown. PINS was near $33 just before the Q3 report and then plunged the next day, with one session showing a drop of more than 21% in official closing data. [5]
The biggest headline: Pinterest agrees to buy tvScientific to expand performance ads into connected TV
The most consequential strategic news late in 2025 is Pinterest’s planned acquisition of tvScientific, a connected TV performance advertising platform.
Pinterest says the deal is designed to extend its AI-powered performance advertising from mobile to TV, combining Pinterest’s “intent-rich” signals with a CTV engine so marketers can better measure how TV impacts performance outcomes. The company also says tvScientific will be integrated into Pinterest’s performance ad products, including Pinterest Performance+. [6]
Key details confirmed in reporting and the company announcement:
- The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026 (subject to customary conditions and regulatory review). [7]
- Financial terms were not disclosed, and Pinterest said it does not expect a material impact to financial results. [8]
- tvScientific is expected to continue operating as tvScientific after closing. [9]
- Axios reported tvScientific employs about 160 people and will maintain its branding while the companies explore synergies, especially around data and sales. [10]
Why this matters for the stock: Pinterest is trying to push deeper into measurable, lower-funnel advertising—the budgets that tend to be stickier when marketers demand ROI and clearer attribution. Several ad-industry outlets framed the move as Pinterest attempting to make TV buying behave more like search and social performance marketing. [11]
Earnings recap: record users and strong revenue growth, but guidance spooked Wall Street
Pinterest’s most recent quarterly report (third quarter 2025, reported Nov. 4) showed real operational progress:
- Revenue:$1.049 billion, up 17% year over year
- Global MAUs:600 million, up 12% year over year
- GAAP net income:$92 million
- Adjusted EBITDA:$306 million
- Free cash flow:$318 million [12]
Under the surface, the regional story is what both bulls and bears focus on:
- U.S. and Canada revenue:$786 million (+9%) with ARPU $7.64 (+5%)
- Europe revenue:$193 million (+41%) with ARPU $1.31 (+31%)
- Rest of world revenue:$70 million (+66%) with ARPU $0.21 (+44%) [13]
This is the “Pinterest debate” in one snapshot: international monetization is accelerating, but the company still relies heavily on North America, where growth is slower.
The guidance that moved the stock
Pinterest guided for fourth-quarter 2025 revenue of $1.313 billion to $1.338 billion (14%–16% growth), and adjusted EBITDA of $533 million to $558 million. [14]
Reuters reported the forecast came in slightly below Wall Street expectations and signaled fierce competition for ad dollars heading into the holiday season—contributing to a sharp after-hours decline. [15]
MarketWatch similarly highlighted that the holiday-quarter outlook became a major worry for investors, noting the scale of the selloff after the report. [16]
What’s pressuring Pinterest: ad competition and tariff-related retailer caution
Two themes kept appearing in post-earnings coverage and analyst notes:
1) Competition for ad dollars is brutal
Reuters pointed to larger platforms—especially those with massive user bases and rapidly evolving AI campaign tools—as preferred choices for marketers, citing competition from companies like Meta and TikTok. [17]
The market’s takeaway: Pinterest’s product is improving, but it must prove it can win incremental budget consistently, not just in pockets.
2) Tariff-driven pressure is showing up in retailer ad budgets
Pinterest CFO Julia Donnelly cited “pockets of moderating ad spend” in the U.S. and Canada as larger retailers navigate tariff-related margin pressure, according to Reuters. [18]
Reuters also tied this to shifts following the termination of the U.S. “de minimis” exemption on low-value imports, which has influenced spending patterns for certain Asia-based retailers. [19]
Analyst forecasts: why price targets still imply upside, even after downgrades
Despite the 2025 drawdown, most consensus dashboards still show analysts leaning constructive overall.
Several widely followed aggregators list Pinterest with a Buy-leaning consensus and average price targets around $38–$39, implying substantial upside from ~$26. [20]
But the tone has clearly shifted since Q3. A prominent example: Wedbush downgraded Pinterest to Neutral on Dec. 8 and cut its price target to $30, citing growth concerns. [21]
This split in the tape is important for readers: Pinterest can still look “cheap” versus many growth peers if it re-accelerates, but analysts are demanding clearer proof that product improvements translate into durable revenue momentum—especially in North America.
Institutional and insider activity: what filings are showing
Fresh filing-driven headlines on Dec. 20 focus on institutional repositioning.
MarketBeat reported that Zevenbergen Capital Investments trimmed its Pinterest stake in the third quarter, and the same report highlighted recent insider selling activity and summarized the stock’s consensus rating and price targets. [22]
Separately, broader institutional ownership data providers continue to show Pinterest is widely held by major funds, and list large shareholders such as Vanguard and BlackRock among top holders. [23]
Because filing-based headlines can be noisy (and often reflect quarter-end positioning rather than a real-time view), investors typically treat them as “context,” not a standalone signal. The more actionable question is whether those flows line up with changes in fundamentals—especially ARPU trends and guidance.
The bull case for Pinterest stock going into 2026
Optimists see the current setup as a classic “execution discount” that could unwind if a few things go right:
Pinterest is becoming more directly measurable for advertisers
Pinterest continues to lean into performance tooling and automation through Performance+, adding features like ROAS bidding and workflow improvements designed to reduce friction for advertisers. [24]
Earlier in 2025, Reuters reported that adoption of Performance+ was accelerating among mid-market advertisers and was helping reduce campaign creation time—part of the rationale for why advertisers might shift budgets toward Pinterest if ROI holds up. [25]
International monetization is improving fast
Europe and Rest of World ARPU are growing far faster than North America, even if the absolute dollars remain smaller. [26]
If that trajectory continues, investors argue Pinterest can keep expanding revenue without requiring a major reacceleration in U.S./Canada user growth.
The tvScientific move could open a new performance budget pool
If Pinterest can genuinely connect TV exposure to measurable outcomes using its intent signals and tvScientific’s tooling—and if advertisers buy the narrative—CTV could become a new growth lever rather than a “brand-only” channel. [27]
The bear case: monetization gap and “prove it” moments
Skeptics point to several unresolved issues:
North America still drives the economics
U.S. and Canada ARPU is dramatically higher than elsewhere, which means modest shifts in that region’s advertiser demand can disproportionately affect overall results and guidance sentiment. [28]
Competition isn’t slowing down
Reuters described how major platforms are competing aggressively for performance ad dollars with advanced AI tooling and massive reach. In that environment, Pinterest must show it can win more “always-on” budget, not just seasonal bursts. [29]
Macro and trade-policy uncertainty can hit ad spend quickly
Retailers managing tariff and margin uncertainty can cut marketing budgets fast—exactly the kind of stop-start dynamic that can make guidance feel fragile quarter to quarter. [30]
What to watch next for PINS stock
Here are the near-term catalysts most often cited by market participants:
- Fourth-quarter 2025 earnings and 2026 outlook
Many market calendars estimate Pinterest’s next report for early February 2026 (exact date may vary by source and confirmation). [31] - Holiday-quarter monetization signals
Investors will watch whether Pinterest can stabilize and re-accelerate U.S./Canada revenue and ARPU, and whether international growth remains strong. [32] - Progress milestones on tvScientific
Even before closing, the market will look for details on go-to-market plans, advertiser adoption, and how (or when) the company expects to expand beyond the U.S. [33] - Analyst revisions and price target resets
After the Q3 guidance shock and recent downgrades, the next few rounds of checks and channel data could shift targets quickly—especially if early 2026 ad-spend data improves or worsens. [34]
Bottom line: Pinterest stock enters 2026 with upside leverage—but a narrower margin for error
Pinterest stock at ~$26 reflects a market that still believes in the platform’s long-term opportunity—especially in performance marketing and international monetization—but is no longer willing to “pay up” without proof that product investments translate into steadier North American demand and cleaner guidance beats.
If Pinterest executes—showing stronger U.S./Canada trends, sustained ARPU improvements, and a credible CTV performance pathway through tvScientific—today’s depressed multiple and consensus price targets could look justified. If not, the stock may remain rangebound until fundamentals, not narratives, do the heavy lifting. [35]
References
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