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Cboe Global Markets, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 7 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record fourth-quarter net revenue: Net revenue, meaning revenues less cost of revenues, was $671.1 million, up 28 percent, with increases across all net revenue captions. Source
  • Diluted EPS up 60 percent: Diluted EPS was $2.97 against $1.86 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.06 against $2.10, up 46 percent. Source
  • Options led segment growth: Options net revenue reached a record $433.1 million. Total options ADV rose 24 percent and access and capacity fees rose 13 percent. Source
  • Index and multi-listed volumes grew: Index options ADV rose 35 percent and multi-listed options ADV rose 20 percent, with index options a larger share of total options volume. Source
  • Operating margin rose on revenue growth: Operating margin was 60.2 percent against 56.9 percent. Adjusted operating margin was 67.1 percent against 61.0 percent. Source
  • Cash balance more than doubled: Cash and cash equivalents were $2,216.5 million against $920.3 million a year earlier. Adjusted cash was $2,216.8 million. Source
  • Realignment to focus resources: Management said the strategic realignment lets Cboe allocate more resources to growth and value creation in its core businesses. Source

“Cboe delivered an exceptional fourth quarter, marking the culmination of a year characterized by record growth”

Craig Donohue, Chief Executive Officer of Cboe Global Markets

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Organic total net revenue growth Source2026'mid single-digit' rangeNew
Data Vantage organic net revenue growth Source2026'mid to high single-digit' rangeNew
Adjusted operating expenses Source2026$864 to $879 millionNew
Amortization of acquired intangible assets, excluded from adjusted operating expense guidance Source2026$63 millionNew
Depreciation and amortization expense, excluding acquired intangible amortization Source2026$56 to $60 millionNew
Effective tax rate on adjusted earnings Sourcefull year 202627.5 to 29.5 percentNew
Capital expenditures Source2026$73 to $83 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: 2026 guidance started with an organic total net revenue growth target of 'mid single-digit' and a Data Vantage target of 'mid to high single-digit'. Source
  • New guidance: 2026 adjusted operating expense guidance started at $864 million to $879 million. The prior release gave 2025 guidance only. Source
  • Ended: 2026 guidance reflects the anticipated impacts of discontinuing U.S. and European Corporate Listings, CEDX and the Japanese equities business. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record fourth-quarter net revenue: Net revenue, meaning revenues less cost of revenues, was $671.1 million, up 28 percent, with increases across all net revenue captions. Source
  • Diluted EPS up 60 percent: Diluted EPS was $2.97 against $1.86 a year earlier. Adjusted diluted EPS was $3.06 against $2.10, up 46 percent. Source
  • Full-year diluted EPS hit record: Full-year diluted EPS was $10.42, up 45 percent. Full-year adjusted diluted EPS was $10.67, up 24 percent. Source
  • Derivatives net revenue up 38 percent: The CFO said Derivatives net revenue rose 38 percent on record index and multi-listed options volumes. Source

Segments and regions

  • Options led segment growth: Options net revenue reached a record $433.1 million. Total options ADV rose 24 percent and access and capacity fees rose 13 percent. Source
  • North American Equities record quarter: North American Equities net revenue was a record $110.7 million, up 17 percent, with net transaction fees up 18 percent on industry volumes. Source
  • Europe and APAC revenue grew: Europe and APAC net revenue was $69.9 million, up 24 percent. In constant currency it was $65.8 million, up 17 percent. Source
  • Futures net revenue grew: Futures net revenue was $33.7 million, up 12 percent, with ADV up 16 percent and net transaction and clearing fees up 13 percent. Source
  • Global FX record quarter: Global FX net revenue was a record $23.7 million, up 22 percent, on higher net transaction and clearing fees. Source

“We are pleased with the record results we achieved in 2025, and we remain focused on driving durable shareholder returns in the year ahead.”

Jill Griebenow, Cboe Global Markets Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer

Products, customers and market share

  • Index and multi-listed volumes grew: Index options ADV rose 35 percent and multi-listed options ADV rose 20 percent, with index options a larger share of total options volume. Source
  • Options market share declined: Total options market share was 29.2 percent against 30.4 percent. Multi-listed options share was 22.9 percent against 24.5 percent. Source
  • Equities market shares moved lower: Canadian Equities share was 12.7 percent against 14.3 percent. U.S. Equities exchange share was 9.4 percent against 10.8 percent, while off-exchange share rose to 17.0 percent. Source
  • European share edged up: Cboe European Equities market share was 24.8 percent against 24.6 percent. Cboe Australia share slipped to 20.6 percent from 20.8 percent. Source
  • Clear Europe settlement volume rose: Cboe Clear Europe net settlement volume was 3,603.7 thousand shares, up 22 percent, alongside European Equities ADNV of €12.2 billion. Source
  • Cash and Spot, Data Vantage grew: Cash and Spot Markets net revenue rose 27 percent and Data Vantage net revenue rose 9 percent on a year-over-year basis. Source

Costs, margins and tax

  • Operating expenses rose 18 percent: Total operating expenses were $267.3 million, up $41.3 million, mainly from asset impairment and higher compensation from accrued bonuses. Source
  • Q4 impairments in three businesses: The company recorded $25.1 million of asset impairment tied to Cboe Canada, CEDX and Cboe Japan. These charges are excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • Adjusted expenses rose on bonuses: Adjusted operating expenses were $220.6 million, up 8 percent, from higher compensation and benefits driven by accrued bonuses. Source
  • Full-year adjusted expenses higher: Full-year adjusted operating expenses were $836.5 million, compared with $798.8 million in 2024. Source
  • Operating margin rose on revenue growth: Operating margin was 60.2 percent against 56.9 percent. Adjusted operating margin was 67.1 percent against 61.0 percent. Source
  • Tax rate on adjusted earnings fell: Effective tax rate on adjusted earnings was 28.9 percent, down 0.6 points, mainly from benefits of filing 2024 tax returns. The GAAP rate was 30.6 percent. Source

Pricing and cost of revenues

  • Options revenue per contract rose: Total options revenue per contract rose 13 percent on a mix shift toward index options. Multi-listed options revenue per contract rose 17 percent. Source
  • Liquidity payments rose: Liquidity payments were $443.6 million against $365.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Regulatory fee cost of revenues fell: Regulatory fees cost of revenues were $0.3 million, against $142.1 million a year earlier. Source

Demand and industry volumes

  • Industry options volume climbed: Total industry options ADV was 66,608 thousand, against 51,635 thousand in the fourth quarter of 2024. Source
  • Company options volume grew: Company options ADV was 19,419 thousand, up from 15,673 thousand in the year-earlier quarter. Source
  • Industry equity volumes rose: U.S. Equities industry ADV was 18.6 billion shares against 13.6 billion. European industry market volumes rose 16 percent. Source

Capital, cash and shareholder returns

  • Cash balance more than doubled: Cash and cash equivalents were $2,216.5 million against $920.3 million a year earlier. Adjusted cash was $2,216.8 million. Source
  • Total debt roughly unchanged: Total debt was $1,442.9 million at December 31, 2025, against $1,441.0 million a year earlier. Source
  • Dividends paid, no buybacks: The company paid $75.8 million in cash dividends, or $0.72 per share, and made no share repurchases in the fourth quarter. Source
  • Buyback authorization remaining: About $614.5 million remained under existing share repurchase authorizations at year end. Source

Strategy, realignment and leadership

  • Realignment to focus resources: Management said the strategic realignment lets Cboe allocate more resources to growth and value creation in its core businesses. Source
  • Realignment costs excluded from adjusted: Business realignment costs were $4.0 million in the quarter and $7.0 million for the year, and are excluded from adjusted results. Source
  • CEO sign-on awards excluded: CEO sign-on equity awards tied to Craig Donohue's hiring, with a three-year cliff vesting, are excluded from adjusted results, at $0.6 million this quarter. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 February 2026

  • Guidance to update on new actions: Management said 2026 guidance will be revised as further portfolio actions are announced. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Total Company options ADV (thousands) Source19,419
Total industry options ADV (thousands) Source66,608
Futures ADV (thousands) Source239.2
Global FX ADNV ($ billions) Source$53.3
Total industry U.S. Equities ADV (billions of shares) Source18.6
Cboe Clear Europe net settlement volume (thousand shares) Source3,603.7
European Equities ADNV (euros) Source€12.2 billion

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Management said changes in trading volume, expenses, tax laws or rates, and other items could materially affect the 2026 tax rate expectation. Source
  • Financial: The 2025 effective tax rate rose because of remeasured deferred tax balances from changes in state and local filing positions. Source
  • Demand: Management linked North American Equities fee growth to stronger industry volumes, partly offset by lower on-exchange market share. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: 2026 guidance includes the Canada and Australia business-as-usual contribution, for businesses with divestiture plans announced in October 2025. Source
  • Not stated: 2026 guidance reflects planned cost reductions in U.S. and European ETP Listings and smaller Risk and Market Analytics businesses, announced in 2025 and early 2026. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.