Match Group reported first-quarter revenue of $864 million, up 4% year over year, topping analyst estimates of $854.8 million, according to Sherwood News. In after-hours trading, Match Group's stock gained approximately 3%.
Adjusted EBITDA came in at $343 million, up 25% from a year earlier and above analyst estimates of $317.3 million, according to Sherwood News. The adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 40% from 33% in the same quarter last year. Net income attributable to shareholders reached $167 million, a 42% increase year over year, the company said.
Hinge delivered 28% year-over-year direct revenue growth, driven by product development and international expansion. On Tinder, new user registrations returned to year-over-year growth in March — the first increase in almost two years — while monthly active user retention also improved. Tinder's MAU decline slowed to 7% year over year in March, the slowest rate of decline in 31 months, the company said.
"Tinder works better today than it did before," CEO Spencer Rascoff said in a statement. "Our product changes are resonating with Gen Z and driving improvements in leading indicators, which is a clear signal that Tinder's ecosystem is strengthening."
Total paying users for the quarter fell 5% year over year to 13.5 million, though revenue per payer rose 10% to $20.90. Hinge paying users grew 15% to 2 million, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, CFO Steven Bailey said Match Group is expanding its internal reliance on AI and anticipates that the pace of new hiring will ease through the rest of the year. "Our goal is to become an AI-native company, and one way we are funding that is by slowing hiring," Bailey told Reuters.
In April, Match Group invested $100 million in Sniffies and said it will wind down its gay male app Archer, a move expected to generate about $10 million in annualized cost savings. The company also folded its MG Asia business unit into its Evergreen and Emerging segment, a restructuring expected to yield about $15 million in annualized cost savings.
For the second quarter, Match Group expects total revenue of $850 million to $860 million and adjusted EBITDA of $325 million to $330 million, representing a year-over-year EBITDA increase of 13% at the midpoints of the ranges. Reuters reported that ongoing Tinder product tests and operational disruption affecting the Azar app in Asia are together projected to create a $30 million drag on results.
Match Group's board declared a cash dividend of $0.20 per share, payable July 21, 2026 to shareholders of record as of July 7, 2026, the company said.