Getty Images (NYSE:GETY) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Getty Images (NYSE:GETY) released its earnings results on Monday, May 11th. The company reported ($0.01) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.01 by ($0.02), Zacks reports. The firm had revenue of $226.57 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $238.90 million. Getty Images had a negative return on equity of 17.01% and a negative net margin of 10.94%.

Here are the key takeaways from Getty Images’ conference call:

• Q1 revenue was $226.6M (+1.1% reported, -2.5% cc) and adjusted EBITDA was $61.6M (down ~12%); management left full‑year guidance unchanged at $948M–$988M revenue and $279M–$295M adjusted EBITDA, expecting margins to normalize to ~30% in H2.
• Editorial strength from the Milan Cortina Olympics and archive demand drove +11% editorial growth, while custom content/video/AI sets grew >250% YoY and Unsplash+ ~20%, with corporate revenue up 6%, highlighting clear growth pockets beyond microstock.
• Agency revenue remains a headwind (down 14%) and microstock faces secular pressure from AI and search changes; Getty discontinued the iStock free trial, shrinking active annual subscribers to 258k (from 318k) and causing near‑term KPI drag expected to linger through Q3 but intended to improve long‑term economics.
• Getty drew $120M on its revolver to pay a ~$110.9M judgment, finished Q1 with $96.6M cash and $1.99B total debt (estimated 2026 cash interest ~ $194M); the Shutterstock merger is cleared everywhere except the U.K., where a CMA decision is expected in mid‑June, creating regulatory and balance‑sheet risks.

Getty Images Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE GETY traded down $0.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $0.72. 3,113,907 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,401,936. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $0.88 and its 200 day simple moving average is $1.06. The stock has a market cap of $302.07 million, a P/E ratio of -2.77 and a beta of 2.03. Getty Images has a 12-month low of $0.67 and a 12-month high of $3.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on GETY shares. Wedbush restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $7.00 price objective on shares of Getty Images in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Getty Images from $1.85 to $0.85 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 23rd. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Getty Images from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Getty Images from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $3.78.

Insider Transactions at Getty Images

In other Getty Images news, insider Michael Teaster sold 38,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $0.79, for a total value of $30,099.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 488,862 shares in the company, valued at approximately $386,200.98. This represents a 7.23% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Also, CEO Craig Warren Peters sold 167,403 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $0.78, for a total value of $130,574.34. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 1,289,548 shares in the company, valued at $1,005,847.44. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 429,663 shares of company stock valued at $335,518 in the last 90 days. 12.50% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Getty Images

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Barclays PLC increased its stake in Getty Images by 10.5% during the fourth quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 171,777 shares of the company’s stock worth $230,000 after purchasing an additional 16,347 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Getty Images by 46.8% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 123,926 shares of the company’s stock valued at $166,000 after purchasing an additional 39,495 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Getty Images by 548.6% in the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 160,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $215,000 after purchasing an additional 135,728 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Getty Images by 12.4% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 80,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $159,000 after purchasing an additional 8,900 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. acquired a new position in shares of Getty Images in the second quarter valued at approximately $141,000. 45.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Getty Images

Getty Images (NYSE: GETY) is a leading global provider of digital visual content, offering an extensive library of stock photography, editorial imagery, video footage and music. The company supplies creative and rights-managed assets to a broad range of industries, including advertising, media, corporate communications and publishing. Through its online platform and licensing services, Getty Images enables customers to search, license and download multimedia content for commercial and editorial use.

Founded in 1995 by Mark Getty and Jonathan Klein, Getty Images pioneered the aggregation of photographic archives into a centralized, digital marketplace.