Key Highlights
- Shares of Zeta Global (ZETA) climbed 11.63% during Monday’s trading session, finishing at $19.19, following CEO David Steinberg’s confirmation of an advertising partnership with OpenAI.
- The marketing tech stock continued its momentum with an additional 3.4% gain in Tuesday’s premarket session, reaching $19.85 and marking a third consecutive day of advances.
- First-quarter 2026 revenue reached $396 million, representing a 50% year-over-year increase, prompting management to lift full-year guidance to a midpoint of $1.785 billion.
- On Tuesday, Bank of America resumed coverage of the stock with a Buy recommendation and set a $24 price objective.
- The company has also partnered with Snowflake by joining the Open Semantic Interchange (OSI), an open-source framework designed to standardize data definitions across AI and analytics platforms.
Zeta Global (ZETA) experienced significant momentum across recent trading sessions. Monday saw the stock climb 11.63% to settle at $19.19, followed by another 3.4% uptick in premarket action Tuesday, bringing the price to $19.85. Trading volume exceeded 17 million shares during Monday’s regular session.
Zeta Global Holdings Corp., ZETA
The primary driver behind this rally was the confirmation of a partnership agreement with OpenAI. Speaking at the JPMorgan Annual Global Technology, Media, and Communications Conference, CEO David Steinberg revealed that Zeta had “executed an agreement” with OpenAI and would be responsible for “run[ning] their advertising.”
This announcement represents an expansion of the existing collaboration between the two organizations. Earlier this year in January, Zeta revealed that its AI-powered marketing platform, Athena, would leverage OpenAI technology to deliver conversational and agentic capabilities for enterprise marketing teams.
During the January announcement, OpenAI Chief Commercial Officer Giancarlo “GC” Lionetti praised Zeta for demonstrating how “AI can go beyond insight and into action.” This latest advertising arrangement extends their collaboration into new operational areas.
Currently in early beta testing, Athena’s initial two applications — Insights and Advisor — are accessible to enterprise customers. Steinberg characterized Athena as evidence of AI transitioning “from the edges of marketing to the center.”
Robust Financial Performance Provides Additional Momentum
The OpenAI partnership news came on the heels of impressive financial results. Zeta delivered Q1 2026 revenue of $396 million, marking a 50% increase compared to the prior-year quarter.
The company’s leadership team also elevated its full-year 2026 revenue projection to a midpoint of $1.785 billion while boosting adjusted EBITDA expectations. CFO Chris Greiner highlighted the company’s achievement of 19 straight beat-and-raise quarters.
Multiple analysts published optimistic commentary following the earnings release over the weekend, generating additional interest from growth-oriented investors as Monday’s session began.
Bank of America contributed to the positive sentiment Tuesday morning by reinstating coverage with a Buy rating and establishing a $24 price target, as reported by TheFly. This upgrade provided further support for the stock during premarket hours.
Despite the recent gains, ZETA remains down approximately 15.5% year-to-date, suggesting potential upside remains even after the current rally.
Collaboration With Snowflake on Data Standardization
In a separate development last week, Zeta announced its participation in the Open Semantic Interchange, an open-source initiative spearheaded by Snowflake focused on creating unified standards for how organizations define and exchange business data for AI and analytics applications.
Zeta CTO Christian Monberg emphasized: “AI is only as effective as the data it can trust.” This strategic move underscores Zeta’s focus on data infrastructure as a critical foundation supporting its AI offerings.
The firm competes in a crowded marketplace alongside major players including Salesforce, Adobe, and The Trade Desk, each actively developing their own AI capabilities.
KeyBanc analyst Jackson Ader observed in January that Zeta’s OpenAI partnership could deliver a competitive advantage in an environment “where many companies are offering similar AI capabilities.”
As of Tuesday’s premarket session, ZETA was changing hands at $19.85, representing an increase from Monday’s closing level of $19.19.


