Match Group Announces First Quarter Results
Tinder Registrations Returned to Y/Y Growth in March, Marking First Increase in Nearly Two Years
Hinge Launches Category-First Features and Delivers Strong Revenue Growth
"
In Q1, Tinder demonstrated measurable progress across key metrics and strengthened user trends, with global MAU retention and registrations returning to year-over-year growth in March, while Hinge delivered 28% Y/Y Direct Revenue growth, reflecting continued product momentum and international expansion. The Company also advanced its '1MG' strategy, further simplifying its organizational structure and operating more cohesively to enable faster execution and better leverage shared capabilities across brands.
Rascoff continued, "We are maintaining disciplined execution across the business, driving efficiency while continuing to invest in our highest-priority growth opportunities. We've built a stronger foundation for the business over the past year, and are well-positioned to drive continued progress throughout 2026 and beyond."
-
Total Revenue of
$864 million was up 4% year-over-year ("Y/Y"), flat on a foreign exchange ("FX") neutral basis ("FXN"), driven by a 10% Y/Y increase in RPP to$20.90 , partially offset by a 5% Y/Y decline in Payers to 13.5 million. -
Net Income of
$167 million increased 42% Y/Y, representing a Net Income Margin of 19%. -
Adjusted EBITDA of
$343 million increased 25% Y/Y, representing an Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 40%. -
Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow were
$194 million and$174 million , respectively. -
Repurchased 2.0 million of our shares at an average price of
$31 per share on a trade date basis for a total of$60 million , paid$44 million in dividends, and deployed$75 million of cash toward the net settlement of employee equity awards to reduce dilution, equating to 103% of Free Cash Flow in total. -
Diluted shares outstanding1 were 242 million as of
April 30, 2026 , a decrease of 13 million shares, or 5%, sinceApril 30, 2025 .
The following table summarizes total company consolidated financial results for the three months ended
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||||
|
(Dollars in millions, except RPP, Payers in thousands) |
2026 |
|
2025 |
|
Y/Y |
|
Total Revenue |
$ 864 |
|
$ 831 |
|
4 % |
|
Direct Revenue |
|
|
$ 812 |
|
4 % |
|
Net income attributable to |
$ 167 |
|
$ 118 |
|
42 % |
|
Net Income Margin |
19 % |
|
14 % |
|
|
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ 343 |
|
$ 275 |
|
25 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDA Margin |
40 % |
|
33 % |
|
|
|
Payers |
13,521 |
|
14,198 |
|
(5) % |
|
RPP |
|
|
|
|
10 % |
Other Quarterly Highlights:
- • Tinder's product-led turnaround is underway, with leading indicators improving. In March, Sparks (a proxy for real connection) declined just 1% Y/Y, while Sparks Coverage (a core engagement metric for conversations) increased 6% Y/Y. In March, MAU trends also improved, down 7% Y/Y, the slowest rate of decline in 31 months, and new user registrations returned to Y/Y growth. These trends reflect ongoing product enhancements, including improved recommendations, new features like Astrology Mode and Music Mode, and continued investment in Trust & Safety.
- • Hinge fully rolled out Face Check™ across key markets, reducing interactions with bad actors2 by 20-30% with minimal impact on revenue.
- •
Match Group made a significant$100 million investment in Sniffies in April, further strengthening its investment in the non-heterosexual male segment. As part of this move, the Company will wind down Archer, its gay male app, which is expected to result in approximately$10 million in annualized cost savings, including stock-based compensation. - •
Match Group continued to simplify its organization, folding MG Asia into its E&E business unit, which is expected to result in roughly$15 million in annualized cost savings, including stock-based compensation. The move brings Azar and Pairs, the twoAsia -based businesses, closer to the rest of the Company, and theSeoul -based engineering talent to Tinder. The Company also further centralized performance marketing, driving improved coordination across nearly$600 million in global spend.
A webcast of our first quarter 2026 results will be available at https://ir.mtch.com, along with our Prepared Remarks and Supplemental Financial Materials. The webcast will begin today,
Financial Outlook
For Q2 2026,
- Total Revenue of
$850 to$860 million , down 2% to flat Y/Y. - Adjusted EBITDA of
$325 to$330 million , representing a Y/Y increase of 13% at the midpoints of the ranges. - Adjusted EBITDA Margin of 38% at the midpoints of the ranges.
Dividend Declaration
Financial Results
Consolidated Operating Costs and Expenses
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||||||||
|
(Dollars in thousands) |
2026 |
|
% of |
|
2025 |
|
% of |
|
Y/Y Change |
|
Cost of revenue |
$ 210,656 |
|
24 % |
|
$ 236,908 |
|
29 % |
|
(11) % |
|
Selling and marketing expense |
163,030 |
|
19 % |
|
157,096 |
|
19 % |
|
4 % |
|
General and administrative expense |
89,128 |
|
10 % |
|
111,520 |
|
13 % |
|
(20) % |
|
Product development expense |
116,805 |
|
14 % |
|
120,854 |
|
15 % |
|
(3) % |
|
Depreciation |
14,132 |
|
2 % |
|
21,729 |
|
3 % |
|
(35) % |
|
Impairments and amortization of intangibles |
33,767 |
|
4 % |
|
10,478 |
|
1 % |
|
222 % |
|
Total operating costs and expenses |
$ 627,518 |
|
73 % |
|
$ 658,585 |
|
79 % |
|
(5) % |
Liquidity and Capital Resources
During the three months ended
During the quarter ended
As of
On
On
GAAP Financial Statements
Consolidated Statement of Operations
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||
|
|
2026 |
|
2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(In thousands, except per share data) |
||
|
Revenue |
$ 863,934 |
|
$ 831,178 |
|
Operating costs and expenses: |
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenue (exclusive of depreciation shown separately below) |
210,656 |
|
236,908 |
|
Selling and marketing expense |
163,030 |
|
157,096 |
|
General and administrative expense |
89,128 |
|
111,520 |
|
Product development expense |
116,805 |
|
120,854 |
|
Depreciation |
14,132 |
|
21,729 |
|
Impairment and amortization of intangibles |
33,767 |
|
10,478 |
|
Total operating costs and expenses |
627,518 |
|
658,585 |
|
Operating income |
236,416 |
|
172,593 |
|
Interest expense |
(42,525) |
|
(35,256) |
|
Other income, net |
6,640 |
|
2,616 |
|
Income before income taxes |
200,531 |
|
139,953 |
|
Income tax provision |
(33,686) |
|
(22,382) |
|
Net income |
166,845 |
|
117,571 |
|
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests |
(8) |
|
(1) |
|
Net income attributable to |
$ 166,837 |
|
$ 117,570 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net earnings per share attributable to |
|
|
|
|
Basic |
$ 0.71 |
|
$ 0.47 |
|
Diluted |
$ 0.68 |
|
$ 0.44 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic shares outstanding |
233,441 |
|
251,130 |
|
Diluted shares outstanding |
251,477 |
|
271,928 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Stock-based compensation expense by function: |
|
|
|
|
Cost of revenue |
$ 1,467 |
|
$ 1,835 |
|
Selling and marketing expense |
2,608 |
|
2,742 |
|
General and administrative expense |
19,762 |
|
27,006 |
|
Product development expense |
34,730 |
|
38,811 |
|
Total stock-based compensation expense |
$ 58,567 |
|
$ 70,394 |
Consolidated Balance Sheet
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(In thousands) |
||
|
ASSETS |
|
|
|
|
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ 1,020,095 |
|
$ 1,027,838 |
|
Short-term investments |
3,298 |
|
3,461 |
|
Accounts receivable, net |
293,186 |
|
303,495 |
|
Other current assets |
105,609 |
|
92,500 |
|
Total current assets |
1,422,188 |
|
1,427,294 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Property and equipment, net |
138,877 |
|
131,159 |
|
|
2,336,995 |
|
2,339,350 |
|
Intangible assets, net |
152,411 |
|
192,929 |
|
Deferred income taxes |
195,649 |
|
216,057 |
|
Other non-current assets |
161,817 |
|
154,022 |
|
TOTAL ASSETS |
$ 4,407,937 |
|
$ 4,460,811 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY |
|
|
|
|
LIABILITIES |
|
|
|
|
Current maturities of long-term debt, net |
$ 423,729 |
|
$ 423,580 |
|
Accounts payable |
9,309 |
|
9,577 |
|
Deferred revenue |
150,252 |
|
151,337 |
|
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities |
323,303 |
|
422,051 |
|
Total current liabilities |
906,593 |
|
1,006,545 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Long-term debt, net of current maturities |
3,550,473 |
|
3,549,099 |
|
Income taxes payable |
45,873 |
|
43,522 |
|
Deferred income taxes |
1,781 |
|
10,732 |
|
Other long-term liabilities |
121,334 |
|
104,309 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Commitments and contingencies |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY |
|
|
|
|
Common stock |
303 |
|
300 |
|
Additional paid-in capital |
8,661,187 |
|
8,721,015 |
|
Retained deficit |
(5,799,470) |
|
(5,966,307) |
|
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(434,141) |
|
(422,620) |
|
|
(2,645,996) |
|
(2,585,892) |
|
|
(218,117) |
|
(253,504) |
|
Noncontrolling interests |
— |
|
108 |
|
Total shareholders' equity |
(218,117) |
|
(253,396) |
|
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY |
$ 4,407,937 |
|
$ 4,460,811 |
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||
|
|
2026 |
|
2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(In thousands) |
||
|
Cash flows from operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
Net income |
$ 166,845 |
|
$ 117,571 |
|
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities: |
|
|
|
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
58,567 |
|
70,394 |
|
Depreciation |
14,132 |
|
21,729 |
|
Impairments and amortization of intangibles |
33,767 |
|
10,478 |
|
Deferred income taxes |
11,641 |
|
(3,722) |
|
Other adjustments, net |
2,211 |
|
5,325 |
|
Changes in assets and liabilities |
|
|
|
|
Accounts receivable |
8,992 |
|
2,510 |
|
Other assets |
(9,450) |
|
15,230 |
|
Accounts payable and other liabilities |
(98,042) |
|
(49,339) |
|
Income taxes payable and receivable |
6,491 |
|
11,525 |
|
Deferred revenue |
(796) |
|
(8,584) |
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
194,358 |
|
193,117 |
|
Cash flows from investing activities: |
|
|
|
|
Capital expenditures |
(20,384) |
|
(15,427) |
|
Other, net |
— |
|
(1,067) |
|
Net cash used in investing activities |
(20,384) |
|
(16,494) |
|
Cash flows from financing activities: |
|
|
|
|
Principal payments on Term Loan |
— |
|
(425,000) |
|
Proceeds from issuance of common stock pursuant to stock-based awards |
— |
|
378 |
|
Withholding taxes paid on behalf of employees on net settled stock-based |
(74,848) |
|
(78,749) |
|
Dividends |
(44,189) |
|
(47,791) |
|
Purchase of treasury stock |
(60,104) |
|
(188,676) |
|
Purchase of noncontrolling interests |
(232) |
|
(84) |
|
Other, net |
— |
|
(374) |
|
Net cash used in financing activities |
(179,373) |
|
(740,296) |
|
Total cash used |
(5,399) |
|
(563,673) |
|
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents |
(2,344) |
|
7,102 |
|
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents |
(7,743) |
|
(556,571) |
|
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at beginning of period |
1,027,838 |
|
965,993 |
|
Cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash at end of period |
$ 1,020,095 |
|
$ 409,422 |
Reconciliations of GAAP to Non-GAAP Measures
Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||
|
|
2026 |
|
2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Dollars in thousands) |
||
|
Net income attributable to |
$ 166,837 |
|
$ 117,570 |
|
Add back: |
|
|
|
|
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests |
8 |
|
1 |
|
Income tax provision |
33,686 |
|
22,382 |
|
Other income, net |
(6,640) |
|
(2,616) |
|
Interest expense |
42,525 |
|
35,256 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
58,567 |
|
70,394 |
|
Depreciation |
14,132 |
|
21,729 |
|
Impairment and amortization of intangibles |
33,767 |
|
10,478 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ 342,882 |
|
$ 275,194 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
$ 863,934 |
|
$ 831,178 |
|
Net Income Margin |
19 % |
|
14 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDA Margin |
40 % |
|
33 % |
Reconciliation of Net Income to Adjusted EBITDA used in Leverage Ratios
|
|
Twelve months
|
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
Net income attributable to |
$ 662,713 |
|
Add back: |
|
|
Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests |
22 |
|
Income tax provision |
143,846 |
|
Other income, net |
(25,049) |
|
Interest expense |
154,820 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
246,375 |
|
Depreciation |
59,515 |
|
Impairment and amortization of intangibles |
61,837 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
$ 1,304,079 |
Reconciliation of Operating Cash Flow to Free Cash Flow
|
|
Three months |
|
|
|
|
|
(In thousands) |
|
Net cash provided by operating activities |
$ 194,358 |
|
Capital expenditures |
(20,384) |
|
Free Cash Flow |
$ 173,974 |
Reconciliation of Forecasted Net Income to Forecasted Adjusted EBITDA
|
|
Three Months |
|
|
(In millions) |
|
Net income attributable to |
|
|
Add back: |
|
|
Income tax provision |
40 |
|
Other income, net |
(6) |
|
Interest expense |
43 |
|
Stock-based compensation expense |
65 |
|
Depreciation and amortization of intangibles |
23 |
|
Adjusted EBITDA |
|
|
|
|
|
Revenue |
|
|
Net Income Margin (at the mid-point of the ranges) |
19 % |
|
Adjusted EBITDA Margin (at the mid-point of the ranges) |
38 % |
Reconciliation of GAAP Revenue to Non-GAAP Revenue, Excluding Foreign Exchange Effects
|
|
Three Months Ended |
||||||
|
|
2026 |
|
$ Change |
|
% Change |
|
2025 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
(Dollars in millions, rounding differences may occur) |
||||||
|
Total Revenue, as reported |
$ 863.9 |
|
$ 32.8 |
|
4 % |
|
$ 831.2 |
|
Foreign exchange effects |
(31.6) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Revenue, excluding foreign exchange effects |
$ 832.3 |
|
$ 1.1 |
|
— % |
|
$ 831.2 |
|
|
Average Exercise |
|
|
|
Share Price |
|
|
|
|
Absolute Shares |
|
|
233.3 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Equity Awards |
|
|
|
|
Options |
|
|
0.1 |
|
RSUs and subsidiary denominated equity awards |
|
|
9.0 |
|
Total Dilution - Equity Awards |
|
|
9.1 |
|
Outstanding Warrants |
|
|
|
|
Warrants expiring on |
|
|
— |
|
Warrants expiring on |
|
|
— |
|
Total Dilution - Outstanding Warrants |
|
|
— |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total Dilution |
|
|
9.1 |
|
% Dilution |
|
|
3.8 % |
|
Total Diluted Shares Outstanding |
|
|
242.4 |
______________________
The dilutive securities presentation above is calculated using the methods and assumptions described below; these are different from GAAP dilution, which is calculated based on the treasury stock method.
Options — The table above assumes the options are settled net of the option exercise price and employee withholding taxes, as is our practice, and the dilutive effect is presented as the net shares that would be issued upon exercise. Withholding taxes paid by the Company on behalf of the employees upon exercise is estimated to be
RSUs and subsidiary denominated equity awards — The table above assumes RSUs are settled net of employee withholding taxes, as is our practice, and the dilutive effect is presented as the net number of shares that would be issued upon vesting. Withholding taxes paid by the Company on behalf of the employees upon vesting is estimated to be
All performance-based and market-based awards reflect the expected shares that will vest based on current performance or market estimates. The table assumes no change in the fair value estimate of the subsidiary denominated equity awards from the values used for GAAP purposes at
Exchangeable Senior Notes — The Company has two series of Exchangeable Senior Notes outstanding. In the event of an exchange, each series of Exchangeable Senior Notes can be settled in cash, shares, or a combination of cash and shares. At the time of each Exchangeable Senior Notes issuance, the Company purchased call options with a strike price equal to the exchange price of each series of Exchangeable Senior Notes ("Note Hedge"), which can be used to offset the dilution of each series of the Exchangeable Senior Notes. No dilution is reflected in the table above for any of the Exchangeable Senior Notes because it is the Company's intention to settle the Exchangeable Senior Notes with cash equal to the face amount of the notes; any shares issued would be offset by shares received upon exercise of the Note Hedge.
Warrants — At the time of the issuance of each series of Exchangeable Senior Notes, the Company also sold warrants for the number of shares with the strike prices reflected in the table above. The cash generated from the exercise of the warrants is assumed to be used to repurchase
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
Definitions of Non-GAAP Measures
Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income attributable to
Adjusted EBITDA Margin is defined as Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenues. We believe Adjusted EBITDA Margin is useful for analysts and investors as this measure allows a more meaningful comparison between our performance and that of our competitors. Adjusted EBITDA Margin has certain limitations in that it does not take into account the impact to our consolidated statement of operations of certain expenses.
Free Cash Flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. We believe Free Cash Flow is useful to investors because it represents the cash that our operating businesses generate, before taking into account non-operational cash movements. Free Cash Flow has certain limitations in that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in the cash balance for the period, nor does it represent the residual cash flow for discretionary expenditures. Therefore, we think it is important to evaluate Free Cash Flow along with our consolidated statement of cash flows.
We look at Free Cash Flow as a measure of the strength and performance of our businesses, not for valuation purposes. In our view, applying "multiples" to Free Cash Flow is inappropriate because it is subject to timing, seasonality and one-time events. We manage our business for cash, and we think it is of utmost importance to maximize cash – but our primary valuation metric is Adjusted EBITDA.
Revenue Excluding Foreign Exchange Effects is calculated by translating current period revenues using prior period exchange rates. The percentage change in Revenue Excluding Foreign Exchange Effects is calculated by determining the change in current period revenues over prior period revenues where current period revenues are translated using prior period exchange rates. We believe the impact of foreign exchange rates on
Non-Cash Expenses That Are Excluded From Our Non-GAAP Measures
Stock-based compensation expense consists principally of expense associated with the grants of RSUs, performance-based RSUs, and market-based awards. These expenses are not paid in cash, and we include the related shares in our fully diluted shares outstanding using the treasury stock method; however, performance-based RSUs and market-based awards are included only to the extent the applicable performance or market condition(s) have been met (assuming the end of the reporting period is the end of the contingency period). To the extent stock-based awards are settled on a net basis, we remit the required tax-withholding amounts from our current funds.
Depreciation is a non-cash expense relating to our property and equipment and is computed using the straight-line method to allocate the cost of depreciable assets to operations over their estimated useful lives, or, in the case of leasehold improvements, the lease term, if shorter.
Amortization of intangible assets and impairments of goodwill and intangible assets are non-cash expenses related primarily to acquisitions. At the time of an acquisition, the identifiable definite-lived intangible assets of the acquired company, such as customer lists, trade names and technology, are valued and amortized over their estimated lives. Value is also assigned to (i) acquired indefinite-lived intangible assets, which consist of trade names and trademarks, and (ii) goodwill, which are not subject to amortization. An impairment is recorded when the carrying value of an intangible asset or goodwill exceeds its fair value. We believe that intangible assets represent costs incurred by the acquired company to build value prior to acquisition and the related amortization and impairment charges of intangible assets or goodwill, if applicable, are not ongoing costs of doing business.
Additional Definitions
Tinder consists of the world-wide activity of the brand Tinder®.
Hinge consists of the world-wide activity of the brand Hinge®.
Evergreen & Emerging ("E&E") consists of the world-wide activity of our Evergreen brands, including Match®,
Match Group Asia ("MG Asia") consists of the world-wide activity of the brands Pairs® and Azar®.
Direct Revenue is revenue that is received directly from end users of our services and includes both subscription and à la carte revenue.
Indirect Revenue is revenue that is not received directly from end users of our services, a majority of which is advertising revenue.
Sparks the number of users engaging in six-way conversations on Tinder.
Sparks Coverage the percentage of our users who experience a Spark in a given period on Tinder.
Payers are unique users at a brand level in a given month from whom we earned Direct Revenue. When presented as a quarter-to-date or year-to-date value, Payers represents the average of the monthly values for the respective period presented. At a consolidated level and a business unit level to the extent a business unit consists of multiple brands, duplicate Payers may exist when we earn revenue from the same individual at multiple brands in a given month, as we are unable to identify unique individuals across brands in
Revenue Per Payer ("RPP") is the average monthly revenue earned from a Payer and is Direct Revenue for a period divided by the Payers in the period, further divided by the number of months in the period.
Monthly Active User ("MAU") is a unique registered user at a brand level who has visited the brand's app or, if applicable, their website in the given month. For measurement periods that span multiple months, the average of each month is used. At a consolidated level and a business unit level to the extent a business unit consists of multiple brands, duplicate users will exist within MAU when the same individual visits multiple brands in a given month.
Leverage on a gross basis is calculated as principal debt balance divided by Adjusted EBITDA for the period referenced.
Leverage on a net basis is calculated as principal debt balance less cash and cash equivalents and short-term investments divided by Adjusted EBITDA for the period referenced.
Other Information
Safe Harbor Statement Under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995
This press release and our conference call, which will be held at
About
|
____________________ |
|
1 As defined on page 10 of this press release. |
|
2 Based on a random weighted sample of in-app profile views. Bad actors include accounts that engage in deceptive or harmful behaviors, including spam, scam attempts, or operating automated fake profiles (bots). |
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3 Leverage is calculated utilizing the non-GAAP measure Adjusted EBITDA as the denominator. For a reconciliation of the non-GAAP measure for each period presented, see page 8. |
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