Robinhood Q1 Earnings Top on Trading Surge & Higher NIR, Stock Up

Core Viewpoint - Robinhood Markets Inc. reported better-than-expected quarterly results, with a notable increase in earnings per share and net income, driven by higher trading activity and increased subscription revenues [1][2][3]. Financial Performance - First-quarter 2025 earnings per share reached 37 cents, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 31 cents and up from 18 cents in the prior-year quarter [1]. - Net income (GAAP) was $336 million, significantly higher than $157 million in the same quarter last year [2]. - Total net revenues surged 50% year over year to $927 million, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $922.68 million [3]. - Average revenue per user (ARPU) increased 39% year over year to $145 [3]. - Transaction-based revenues rose 77.2% to $583 million, driven by improvements in options, equities, and cryptocurrencies [3]. Revenue Breakdown - Net interest revenues (NIR) grew 14.2% to $290 million, attributed to a higher balance of interest-earning assets and securities lending activity [4]. - Other revenues increased 54.3% to $54 million, mainly due to a rise in Gold subscription revenues, with Gold subscribers increasing 90% year over year to 3.2 million [4]. Expense Analysis - Total operating expenses were $557 million, up 21.1%, primarily due to increases across all components [5]. - Adjusted operating expenses rose 15.6% to $460 million, while adjusted EBITDA jumped to $470 million from $247 million in the prior year [5]. Business Activities - As of March 31, 2025, total assets under custody (AUC) increased 70% year over year to $221 billion, driven by net deposits and the TradePMR acquisition [6]. - Equity notional trading volumes rose 84% to $413 billion, options contracts traded increased 46% to 500 million, and crypto notional trading volumes grew 28% to $46 billion [6]. - Monthly Active Users (MAU) reached 14.4 million, up 5.1% year over year [6]. Share Repurchase and Outlook - In the reported quarter, the company repurchased nearly 7.2 million shares for $322 million and increased its share repurchase authorization by $500 million to $1.5 billion [7]. - The company anticipates combined adjusted operating expenses and share-based compensation for 2025 to be in the range of $2.085-$2.185 billion, including TradePMR-related costs [8].