BALTIMORE, Md., July 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MarketWise, Inc. (NASDAQ: MKTW) is a leading multi-brand digital subscription services platform that provides premium financial research, software, education, and tools for self-directed investors, today reported preliminary selected unaudited financial and operational updates for second quarter 2026. Consistent with past practice, we are providing investors with selected information in advance of issuing our second quarter 2026 earnings press release, which we expect to release on August 6, 2026.
The selected unaudited results in this press release are preliminary and subject to the Company's normal quarterly accounting procedures and external review by the Company's independent registered public accounting firm. Therefore, these preliminary unaudited results are subject to adjustment. In addition, these preliminary unaudited results are not a comprehensive statement of the Company's financial results and should not be viewed as a substitute for full, audited financial statements prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.
Q2 2026 Preliminary Selected Unaudited Financial and Operational Updates:
Paid Subscribers were 400 thousand at June 30, 2026, compared to 374 thousand at December 31, 2025. Active Free Subscribers were 2.1 million at June 30, 2026.
Billings for second quarter totaled approximately $91 million, representing a 56% year over year increase, and the highest quarterly Billings since 2023.
Raised FY 2026 Guidance for Billings by 10% to $330 million, which represents a 21.7% full year increase compared to FY 2025.
Cash and cash equivalents balances remained strong at $33 million at June 30, 2026, which includes the $12.2 million cash disbursement related to the previously disclosed legal settlement and the associated repurchase of 3% of total shares outstanding in April 2026.
Dividends paid to Class A Shareholders during the quarter were $0.45 per share. No change to full year dividend target of $1.80 per share.
"The operational momentum from the first quarter continued into the second quarter as Billings topped $91 million on the back of higher customer acquisition, improved customer retention, and strong conversion of our higher priced products" said Dr. David Eifrig, Chief Executive Officer. "Our strategy is simple. Acquire new customers with compelling products and ideas, earn trust as we educate and empower, and then deepen our relationship with our customers over time."
Eifrig continued, "As we mentioned previously, for the first quarter, and continuing into the second quarter, we meaningfully increased investment in customer acquisition. This opportunistic marketing investment resulted in a strong increase in Paid Subscribers during the first and second quarters. Consistent with our plans, we now moderate customer acquisition and shift toward disciplined cash generation for the balance of the year. This is the strategic core of our business model, where we toggle between growth and margin, on a near real-time basis, in response to market conditions and opportunity. As such, while margins were lower in the first half of 2026 due to an increase in opportunistic investment in customer acquisition, we expect margins to increase significantly in the second half of the year."