The end of an earnings season can be a great time to discover new stocks and assess how companies are handling the current business environment. Let’s take a look at how American Express Global Business Travel (NYSE: GBTG) and the rest of the finance and hr software stocks fared in Q2.

Organizations are constantly looking to improve organizational efficiencies, whether it is financial planning, tax management or payroll. Finance and HR software benefit from the SaaS-ification of businesses, large and small, who much prefer the flexibility of cloud-based, web-browser delivered software paid for on a subscription basis than the hassle and expense of purchasing and managing on-premise enterprise software.

The 12 finance and hr software stocks we track reported a satisfactory Q2. As a group, revenues beat analysts’ consensus estimates by 2.2% while next quarter’s revenue guidance was 0.8% below.

In light of this news, share prices of the companies have held steady as they are up 3.2% on average since the latest earnings results.

Best Q2: American Express Global Business Travel (NYSE: GBTG)

Originally spun off from American Express in 2014 but maintaining the Amex GBT brand, Global Business Travel Group (NYSE: GBTG) provides end-to-end business travel and expense management solutions, connecting corporate clients with travel suppliers and offering specialized software services.

American Express Global Business Travel reported revenues of $870 million, up 37.9% year on year. This print exceeded analysts’ expectations by 7.7%. Overall, it was an exceptional quarter for the company.

American Express Global Business Travel pulled off the biggest analyst estimate beat and fastest revenue growth in the group. The results were likely priced in, however, and the stock is flat since reporting. It currently trades at $9.47.

Is now the time to buy American Express Global Business Travel? Access our full analysis of the earnings results here, it’s free.

Paycom (NYSE: PAYC)

Pioneering the concept of employees doing their own payroll with its "Beti" technology, Paycom (NYSE: PAYC) provides cloud-based human capital management software that helps businesses manage the entire employment lifecycle from recruitment to retirement.

Paycom reported revenues of $531.2 million, up 9.8% year on year, outperforming analysts’ expectations by 3.5%. The business had a very strong quarter with full-year EBITDA guidance exceeding analysts’ expectations and an impressive beat of analysts’ billings estimates.

Paycom scored the highest full-year guidance raise of the whole group. The market seems happy with the results as the stock is up 30% since reporting. It currently trades at $227.32.

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

Weakest Q2: Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU)

Originally named after its founding product "Intuitive for the first-time user," Intuit (NASDAQ: INTU) provides financial management software and services including TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma, and Mailchimp to help consumers and small businesses manage their finances.

Intuit reported revenues of $4.35 billion, up 13.7% year on year, exceeding analysts’ expectations by 2%. Still, it was a softer quarter as it posted full-year guidance of slowing revenue growth and full-year EPS guidance missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Intuit delivered the weakest full-year guidance update among its peers. As expected, the stock is down 10% since the results and currently trades at $321.56.

Read our full analysis of Intuit’s results here.

Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ)

Powering the cards behind innovative fintech services like Block's Cash App, Marqeta (NASDAQ: MQ) provides a cloud-based platform that allows businesses to create customized payment card programs and process card transactions.

Marqeta reported revenues of $176 million, up 17% year on year. This print beat analysts’ expectations by 1.5%. Zooming out, it was a softer quarter as it recorded revenue guidance for next quarter missing analysts’ expectations significantly.

Marqeta had the weakest guidance update in the group. The stock is down 11.5% since reporting and currently trades at $15.88.

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

Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR)

Operating in the often-overlooked smaller metropolitan markets where HR expertise can be scarce, Asure Software (NASDAQ: ASUR) provides cloud-based human capital management software and services that help small and medium-sized businesses manage payroll, taxes, time tracking, and HR compliance.

Asure Software reported revenues of $37.11 million, up 23.2% year on year. This result met analysts’ expectations. Aside from that, it was a slower quarter as it logged a significant miss of analysts’ billings estimates.

Asure Software had the weakest performance against analyst estimates among its peers. The stock is flat since reporting and currently trades at $8.44.

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

Market Update

Over the past year, investors have been forced to repeatedly answer the same question: what is the market’s biggest risk? The answer has changed several times, and each shift has reshaped market leadership.

Late in 2025 and early 2026, artificial intelligence became the market’s primary uncertainty. Investors questioned whether AI would erode software pricing power and weaken competitive moats as AI made it easier to replicate once-differentiated products.

By the spring, technology took a back seat to geopolitics. The U.S. conflict with Iran briefly became the market’s dominant narrative, raising concerns about oil prices, inflation, and global growth. But as energy markets remained orderly and fears of a prolonged supply disruption faded, investors quickly turned their focus back to fundamentals.

Want to invest in winners with rock-solid fundamentals? Check out our Top 5 Growth Stocks and add them to your watchlist. These companies are poised for growth regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate.