Cboe Global Markets, Inc. (CBOE) experienced a significant intraday decline, with its stock price plummeting 7.09% at the market open on Friday. The sharp drop followed the company's release of its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 financial results earlier in the pre-market session.
Despite reporting quarterly results that exceeded analyst expectations, including adjusted earnings per share of $3.06 versus the $2.94 estimate and net revenue of $671.1 million compared to the anticipated $659.8 million, investor sentiment turned negative. The company's forward guidance for 2026 appears to be a key factor in the sell-off, with Cboe projecting organic net revenue growth in the "mid single-digit" range and providing an adjusted operating expense outlook of $864 million to $879 million.
Market reaction suggests investors may have been anticipating stronger growth projections or found the expense guidance concerning relative to the expected revenue growth. The decline occurred even as broader financial stocks edged higher during the pre-market session, indicating company-specific concerns rather than sector-wide issues driving Cboe's stock performance.