Publicis Groupe: First Quarter 2026 Revenue

• Revenue organic growth of +6.4% leading to net revenue organic growth of +4.5%, in line with expectations
• All key regions performing well: U.S. at +4.7%, Europe at +3.9%, Asia-Pacific at +5.9%
• Expecting sequential acceleration in net revenue organic growth in Q2’26
• Reaffirming FY’26 guidance:
  • Net revenue organic growth of +4% to +5%, with rock solid floor
  • Slight operating margin improvement vs. industry-high rate of 18.2% in FY’25
  • Free cash flow at c. €2.1 billion¹

Arthur Sadoun, Chairman and CEO of Publicis Groupe:

“Publicis had a very strong start to the year, outperforming the industry for almost 20 quarters in a row despite the volatile macro environment. 

Organic revenue growth reached 6.4%, leading to 4.5% in net and further increasing the gap with our peers. 

All of our key regions performed well, with the U.S. at +4.7% , Europe at +4% and APAC at +6%.

In what remains an uncertain global context, we are committed to giving visibility into our performance for the rest of the year. We are confirming our industry-leading organic growth guidance of 4-5%, with the 4% rock solid, and a sequential organic growth acceleration in Q2 despite a higher comparable of 100 basis points.

At a time when our industry has seen more changes in the last 12 months than the last 12 years, we are confident that we will outperform again in 2026 and beyond, for three key reasons.

First, with our transformation well behind us, we are laser focused on our clients’ growth. This has enabled us to be #1 in the new business rankings once again, and for the 7th consecutive year, and means we are still #1 in the U.S. and China in 2026, even after the consolidation of the market.

Second, we are further increasing our addressable market in a shrinking competitive landscape, investing in the channels and capabilities that deliver the most value for our clients. This was the case again in Q1, with the acquisition of the content measurement platform AdgeAI, and 160over90, the global leader in sports marketing.

Last but far from least, AI continues to be a tailwind for Publicis, driving our growth, widening the gap with competition, and enabling us to expand our partnerships with some of the world’s most innovative companies like Microsoft.

I would like to thank all of our clients for their ongoing trust, and our people for their outstanding efforts."

¹Before change in working capital requirements and based on EUR = 1.20 USD.