Why Robinhood Stock Crashed After Earnings

Group 1: Earnings Performance - Robinhood reported Q4 earnings with a per-share profit of $0.66, exceeding analysts' expectations of $0.64, but sales fell short at just under $1.3 billion compared to forecasts of over $1.3 billion [1][2] - Q4 sales increased by 28% year over year, driven by a 39% growth in interest income, while transaction-based revenues rose only 15% [2] - Despite beating earnings estimates, Robinhood's earnings for the quarter dropped by 35% [3] Group 2: Annual Performance - For the full year of 2025, Robinhood achieved a 52% sales growth, reaching $4.5 billion, with earnings increasing by 31% to $2.05 per share [3] Group 3: Market Reaction and Valuation - The stock price of Robinhood fell by 12.5% following the mixed Q4 results, indicating investor disappointment [1][4] - Robinhood's market capitalization is priced at $77 billion, with a trailing earnings multiple of just under 37 times, which may not seem expensive given the growth, but concerns arise if earnings continue to decline [5] - Free cash flow for Robinhood in 2025 is reported at $1.6 billion, which only covers 84% of reported profits, suggesting a potentially higher valuation when assessed on a price-to-free cash flow basis [6]