Shares of StoneCo Ltd (NASDAQ: STNE) soared 9.44% in pre-market trading on Wednesday following the release of the Brazilian fintech company's impressive fourth-quarter 2024 financial results and optimistic forecast for 2025.

StoneCo reported an adjusted net profit of 665.6 million reais ($133 million) for Q4 2024, significantly surpassing the analyst consensus estimate of 585.1 million reais. The company's quarterly adjusted earnings per share reached R$2.26 ($0.45), beating expectations of R$1.95 by 15.9% and representing a substantial 25.56% increase compared to the same period last year. Total revenue and income for the quarter stood at 3.6 billion reais ($720 million), slightly above the forecasted 3.591 billion reais, marking an 11.10% year-over-year growth.

Adding fuel to investor enthusiasm, StoneCo provided an upbeat outlook for 2025. The company anticipates its 2025 adjusted basic earnings per share to exceed 8.6 reais ($1.72), while projecting adjusted gross profit to surpass 7.05 billion reais ($1.41 billion). These forward-looking statements suggest continued strong performance and growth potential, which likely contributed to the significant pre-market stock price increase.

Analysts reacted positively to the results, with many highlighting the company's ability to outperform expectations in a challenging economic environment. The strong performance in both the core payments business and the banking segment, coupled with the positive guidance, suggests that StoneCo is well-positioned to capitalize on the expanding fintech market in Brazil.