Shares of Oceaneering (OII) tumbled 6.54% in pre-market trading on Thursday, as investors reacted negatively to the company's fourth-quarter revenue guidance despite reporting better-than-expected third-quarter results. The offshore energy services provider's stock movement highlights the market's focus on future prospects rather than past performance.

Oceaneering's third-quarter financials were impressive, with adjusted earnings of $0.55 per diluted share, surpassing analysts' expectations of $0.43 and showing significant improvement from $0.36 a year earlier. Revenue for the quarter reached $742.9 million, exceeding the FactSet consensus estimate of $709 million and up from $679.8 million in the same period last year.

However, the company's forward-looking statements have overshadowed these positive results. Oceaneering expects fourth-quarter revenue to decline year over year, a projection that has sparked concern among investors about the company's near-term growth prospects. This outlook suggests potential challenges ahead for the offshore energy services sector, prompting a sell-off in Oceaneering's stock despite its recent strong performance.