Quarterly earnings results are a good time to check in on a company’s progress, especially compared to its peers in the same sector. Today we are looking at CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS) and the best and worst performers in the data & business process services industry.

A combination of increasing reliance on data and analytics across various industries and the desire for cost efficiency through outsourcing could mean that companies in this space gain. As functions such as payroll, HR, and credit risk assessment rely on more digitization, key players in the data & business process services industry could be increased demand. On the other hand, the sector faces headwinds from growing regulatory scrutiny on data privacy and security, with laws like GDPR and evolving U.S. regulations potentially limiting data collection and monetization strategies. Additionally, rising cyber threats pose risks to firms handling sensitive personal and financial information, creating outsized headline risk when things go wrong in this area.

The 11 data & business process services stocks we track reported a strong Q3. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.9% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was in line.

Luckily, data & business process services stocks have performed well with share prices up 11.8% on average since the latest earnings results.

CSG (NASDAQ: CSGS)

Powering billions of critical customer interactions annually, CSG Systems (NASDAQ: CSGS) provides cloud-based software platforms that help companies manage customer interactions, process payments, and monetize their services.

CSG reported revenues of $279.3 million, up 2.4% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 0.5%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a narrow beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

CSG delivered the weakest performance against analyst estimates and slowest revenue growth of the whole group. Interestingly, the stock is up 1.9% since reporting and currently trades at $79.78.

Is now the time to buy CSG? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Best Q3: Planet Labs (NYSE: PL)

Pioneering the concept of "agile aerospace" with hundreds of small but powerful satellites, Planet Labs (NYSE: PL) operates the world's largest fleet of Earth observation satellites, capturing daily images of our planet to provide insights on deforestation, agriculture, and climate change.

Planet Labs reported revenues of $81.25 million, up 32.6% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 12.7%. The business had an incredible quarter with a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and a solid beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

Planet Labs achieved the biggest analyst estimates beat, fastest revenue growth, and highest full-year guidance raise among its peers. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 105% since reporting. It currently trades at $26.55.

Is now the time to buy Planet Labs? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Weakest Q3: CoStar (NASDAQ: CSGP)

With a research department that makes over 10,000 property updates daily to its 35-year-old database, CoStar Group (NASDAQ: CSGP) provides comprehensive real estate data, analytics, and online marketplaces for commercial and residential properties in the U.S. and U.K.

CoStar reported revenues of $900 million, up 26.9% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 0.9%. Still, it was a slower quarter as it posted a significant miss of analysts’ full-year EPS guidance estimates and a significant miss of analysts’ EPS guidance for next quarter estimates.

As expected, the stock is down 5% since the results and currently trades at $46.70.

Read our full analysis of CoStar’s results here.

Broadridge (NYSE: BR)

Processing over $10 trillion in equity and fixed income trades daily and managing proxy voting for over 800 million equity positions, Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR) provides technology-driven solutions that power investing, governance, and communications for banks, broker-dealers, asset managers, and public companies.

Broadridge reported revenues of $1.71 billion, up 7.8% year on year. This result topped analysts’ expectations by 6.5%. It was an incredible quarter as it also produced a beat of analysts’ EPS estimates and an impressive beat of analysts’ revenue estimates.

The stock is down 6.1% since reporting and currently trades at $186.24.

Read our full, actionable report on Broadridge here, it’s free.

Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE: FICO)

Creator of the three-digit number that can determine whether you get a mortgage or credit card, Fair Isaac Corporation (NYSE: FICO) develops analytics software and the widely used FICO Score, which is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the United States.

Fair Isaac Corporation reported revenues of $512 million, up 16.4% year on year. This number surpassed analysts’ expectations by 1.8%. Aside from that, it was a slower quarter as it recorded full-year revenue guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Fair Isaac Corporation had the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. The stock is down 8% since reporting and currently trades at $1,403.

Read our full, actionable report on Fair Isaac Corporation here, it’s free.

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