After AppLovin Corp.'s ( NASDAQ: APP) share price tumbled more than 35% early last year due to a pending class action lawsuit and to short seller reports, the software company's better-than-expected quarterly reports helped the stock recover. Shares hit a new high of $745.61 a piece in September and took another run at that high in late December. Though it has retreated over 22% year to date, AppLovin stock easily outperformed the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq over the past year.
AppLovin responded by firmly refuting all allegations in the report. The report is filled with false, misleading, and illogical allegations. In its public disclosure filings, AppLovin has provided full and transparent disclosures regarding the company's material investments, global business operations, and information related to major shareholders. As a publicly traded company, AppLovin's common stock is traded freely on the open market; the company cannot, and is not able to, control any individual's or institution's buying, selling, or holding of its shares.
The CapitalWatch report, titled "The Southeast Asian Money Laundering Syndicate's NASDAQ 'Laundromat'," focuses on AppLovin's capital structure and operations. It accuses primary shareholder Hao Tang and his network of injecting illegal funds into the company while evading anti-money laundering rules. The document links these funds to about 6.67 billion yuan in illegal proceeds from China's Tuandaiwang platform, a collapsed peer-to-peer lending site, and revenues from Southeast Asian scams like "pig-butchering" crypto frauds.
After hitting an all-time high of $525.15 in February, AppLovin Corp.'s ( NASDAQ: APP) share price tumbled more than 35% due to a pending class action lawsuit and to short seller reports. However, the software company's better-than-expected quarterly reports this year have given the stock a boost. The stock hit a new high of $745.61 in September. AppLovin stock is again trading near that high and is 121.8% higher than a year ago, outperforming the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq in that time.
In a quarterly Form 13F filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2025 ( link), Sapient Capital reported selling 8,029 shares of AppLovin during the quarter. The estimated value of the trade was $3,702,494. The fund retained a position of 1,272,462 shares. What Else to Know The sale reduced AppLovin's position to 13.95% of Sapient Capital's 13F AUM, but it remains the fund's 2nd-largest holding after Eli Lilly.
The move marks a turning point for AppLovin, best known for placing ads inside free-to-play mobile games like Wordscapes and Clockmaker. By rebranding its advertising platform around Axon, which is the name of the AI algorithm that powers its ad targeting, the company is positioning itself as a contender in the broader e-commerce advertising market, long dominated by behemoths like Meta and Google.
AppLovin develops ad tech software with a focus on mobile and connected TV campaigns, recently expanding into e-commerce advertising, highlighting growth opportunities.
AppLovin reported a significant revenue jump of 77% to $1.26 billion in its recent quarter, exceeding analyst expectations of $1.22 billion, despite the sale of its Apps business. Adjusted EBITDA nearly doubled to $1.02 billion, indicating strong operational performance and profitability.