Key Highlights

● Second-quarter revenue rose 8.0 per cent year over year to $1,124.2 million.

● Adjusted EBITDA rose 21.9 per cent to $261.9 million, a margin up 270 basis points.

● The company recorded a net loss attributable to NIQ of $30.5 million for the quarter.

● Full-year adjusted EBITDA guidance is $1,057 million to $1,076 million.

NIQ Global Intelligence plc (NYSE:NIQ) provides consumer intelligence, measuring what shoppers buy and why, for manufacturers and retailers. Its ordinary shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker NIQ, and 294,955,864 were in issue as of 30 June 2026. Businesses of this type sell data subscriptions and analytics that clients use for pricing, promotion and distribution decisions, which tends to produce recurring revenue but also exposes the company to consolidation among customers and to the cost of acquiring and processing data. Because the group reports in US dollars across many currencies, reported and organic growth can diverge, and investors should read both measures.

Second-quarter 2026 results

NIQ announced second-quarter 2026 results on 10 August 2026, for the quarter ended 30 June 2026. Revenue was $1,124.2 million, up 8.0% from $1,040.8 million, or 5.8% on an organic constant-currency basis. Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, rose 21.9% to $261.9 million, with a margin of 23.3%, up 270 basis points. Despite that, the company recorded a net loss attributable to NIQ of $30.5 million, or $0.10 per share, compared with a loss of $2.7 million a year earlier, and a consolidated net loss of $28.2 million. Adjusted net income was $78.7 million, or $0.27 per share. The gap between adjusted and statutory profit is worth noting: the adjusted figures exclude items that management treats as non-recurring, and readers should consult the reconciliation in the release before relying on them. By region, Americas revenue rose 8.3% to $455.1 million, EMEA rose 4.9% to $507.8 million and Asia-Pacific rose 1.9% to $161.3 million. Intelligence revenue grew 5.7% and Activation 6.1% on an organic constant-currency basis, and management cited 26 seven-figure client wins.

Full-year guidance

For the full year 2026, management guided to reported revenue of $4,496 million to $4,510 million and organic constant-currency growth of 5.2% to 5.6%. Adjusted EBITDA is expected at $1,057 million to $1,076 million, a margin of 23.5% to 23.9%, with adjusted earnings per share of $1.08 to $1.12 and free cash flow of $245 million to $255 million. The company also targets a net leverage ratio below 3.0 times by year end. These are management expectations and not outcomes. The release did not provide a second-quarter actual for net leverage in the material reviewed, so the starting position against that target could not be confirmed here. The guided margin range implies only limited further expansion from the second-quarter level. One summary of the release describes the full-year organic growth and margin ranges as raised, though the guidance itself should be checked against the prior quarter's statement.

A Short Public History Limits the Track Record

NIQ Global Intelligence is growing revenue at a mid-single-digit organic rate while expanding its adjusted margin, describing the quarter as its fifth consecutive quarterly beat since going public, yet it continues to report statutory net losses even as adjusted net income reached $78.7 million. The gap between 8.0 per cent reported and 5.8 per cent organic constant-currency growth shows real currency sensitivity, and with a target of net leverage below 3.0 times by year end not yet benchmarked against a disclosed starting position, the quality of adjusted earnings remains the figure most worth tracking.