The takeaway
Shutterstock shows a moderate seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in September (+0.7%) and softest in March (−3.9%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 50% of years, averaging +8.4%, about +6.3 pts better than the S&P 500.
The full picture
Shutterstock's most dependable month has been September, higher in 7 of 10 years; March has been its least reliable, up just 30% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in July (+6.3 pts); it has trailed the market most in April (−5.0 pts).
“vs S&P” is Shutterstock’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Shutterstock’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, September has closed higher 40% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is weakening.
Figures are the typical (median) September return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: September, up in 7 of 10 Septembers while the other eleven tend to blur together.
Its average (+0.7%) and median (+1.9%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 6.4% spread). Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: September has cleared the S&P 500 by +0.8 points above the index. It bucks the broad tape, besides: September lifts just 39% of stocks across the market.
A few other months pull their weight: January, May, and October have also closed higher more often than not. On the other side of the ledger, March has been the soft spot — the weakest of 5 months that average a loss (−3.9%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in April, March, and May. Its roughest month on record was a −26.8% February in 2025 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
The pattern has softened of late, September's last five years slipping below its longer-run record.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: September aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (September), its worst (March), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a moderate degree. Since 2016 its best month (September, +0.7%) has run well ahead of its worst (March, −3.9%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
September has been the strongest, averaging +0.7% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −3.9% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade