Shares in
CMC Markets (LSE: CMCX)
hit a record high today (Wednesday), climbing about 23% to around 570 pence
after the London listed broker raised its annual profit forecast.
The move
carried the stock past its previous peak of 559 pence, set in April 2021 during
the pandemic era trading surge.
CMC now
expects net operating income of at least £550 million for the year ending March
2027, up from the £460 million to £480 million range it gave last month
alongside a 20% rise in annual pre-tax profit.
The figure
also sits well above the £385.5 million analysts had forecast, according to a
company-compiled consensus.
A Record That Tops the
Covid-Era Peak
The last
time CMC traded this high, retail investors were piling into markets through
the 2020 and 2021 lockdown boom that lifted brokers across the board. The stock
spent the years afterward well below that mark before this year’s run.
Momentum
was already building before Wednesday. CMC shares had surged more than 40% over three
sessions after
an earlier income beat, outpacing CFD rivals, and Wednesday’s jump pushed that
rally into record territory.
B2B Growth Behind the
Upgrade
CMC tied
the raise to its business-to-business unit, the arm that supplies trading
technology and liquidity to banks, brokers and other financial firms. The
company described the driver as “exponential and exceptional growth”
in that business, its own wording.
That side
offers larger client pools and higher margins than CMC’s traditional retail CFD
operation. The broker has been building it through white-label and API deals,
including a CFD partnership with neobank Revolut that has since spread across dozens of
countries.
The upgrade
came with a core profit, or EBITDA, forecast of £250 million, while cost
guidance excluding variable pay held at around £280 million. With much of its
cost base fixed, extra income converts to profit at a high rate, a dynamic CMC
calls operating gearing.
Broker Shares Ride a
Sector-Wide Rally
CMC is not
the only broker whose stock has run hard this year. IG Group hit its own record high in May, rising almost 11% in a
single session after it lifted revenue guidance and reported first-quarter
organic growth of 19%.
Plus500 raised its 2026 outlook in April after Q1 revenue
rose 18% to $242 million, while Warsaw listed XTB posted an 88.5% jump in
first-quarter revenue. Volatile markets through 2026 have pushed trading
activity higher across the industry.
Everton Deal Adds a Brand
Push
Separately today,
CMC Markets said it had become the main
club partner and front-of-shirt sponsor of Everton Football Club, covering the
men’s, women’s and under-21 teams in a multi-year deal.
The company
framed it as a way to raise awareness of its investing, trading and wealth
businesses beyond its core trading base.
Founder and
Chief Executive Peter Cruddas said the company was “proud to partner with
a club that shares our core values, identity and passion.” The two sides
also plan financial literacy programs across the Liverpool City Region.
CMC
Markets, founded in 1989 and listed in London under the ticker CMCX, serves
retail and institutional clients across 12 countries.
Its next
scheduled update is its half-year results on November 19, 2026.
This article was written by Damian Chmiel at www.financemagnates.com.
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