SÃO PAULO, April 24, 2026, 15:03 (BRT)
StoneCo Ltd.’s Nasdaq-listed shares fell 16.3% to $12.18 in afternoon trading on Friday, as the Brazilian payments company traded on the ex-distribution date for a $2.53-per-share extraordinary cash dividend. The stock move was steep, but not a clean read on operating news alone: the dividend right left the stock on Friday, according to an options-industry notice.
That matters now because StoneCo is compressing several investor events into the same week: the dividend date, approval of its 2025 accounts at the annual general meeting, and the filing of its 2025 annual report with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The sequence puts capital returns, governance and audited disclosure in front of investors before first-quarter results next month.
StoneCo’s board approved the extraordinary dividend earlier this month for both Class A and Class B shareholders, with payment set for May 4 to holders of record on April 24. Based on shares outstanding on March 31, the total cash payout is expected to be about R$3.08 billion, the company said.
The payout follows StoneCo’s sale of Linx, the software business it had been moving away from as it refocused on payments, banking and credit. The company said the distribution is a one-time event, not a standing dividend policy; future dividends remain a board decision.
Shareholders on Thursday approved and ratified StoneCo’s financial statements for the year ended Dec. 31, 2025. They also re-elected nine directors and elected Pedro Zinner and Marcelo Kopel to the board, the company said in a Form 6-K filing.
The board vote lands during a management handoff. StoneCo’s investor site now lists Mateus Scherer Schwening as chief executive officer, while a January company statement said Pedro Zinner would step down as CEO in March and was expected to move to the board, subject to shareholder approval.
StoneCo filed its Form 20-F, the annual report foreign private issuers submit to the SEC, on Thursday for fiscal 2025. The company said the report is available on both the SEC website and its own investor-relations site.
The 2025 numbers give some context for the payout. StoneCo reported adjusted gross profit from continuing operations of R$6.3 billion, up 13.5% from a year earlier, and adjusted basic earnings per share from continuing and discontinued operations of R$9.71, up 33.6%.
In a March shareholder letter, Scherer, then described as incoming CEO, said his mandate was to execute StoneCo’s roadmap with “financial discipline” and prioritize “high-quality growth and capital efficiency.” Pedro Zinner framed the Linx sale more bluntly, saying StoneCo sold it because it was “not our business.” SEC
The operating test is still in Brazil’s merchant market. StoneCo said total payment volume, or TPV — the value of payments processed — rose 8.7% in 2025 to R$560.9 billion, while its active payments client base reached 4.8 million. PIX QR Code volume, tied to Brazil’s instant-payment system, rose 42.3%, faster than card volumes.
The selloff also stood out against nearby Brazil fintech names. PagSeguro Digital was up 0.9% and Nu Holdings was up 0.2% in afternoon U.S. trading, making StoneCo’s move look more tied to its own dividend mechanics and investor positioning than to a broad sector decline.
Analysts remain split, though not broadly negative. MarketBeat listed five buy ratings and four hold ratings for StoneCo, with a consensus price target of $20.00; it said JPMorgan cut its target to $20 from $21 while keeping an overweight rating, BTIG kept a buy rating and Goldman Sachs had a buy rating with a $19 target.
But the risk paragraph is not small. A one-time cash return can please shareholders, yet it also moves excess capital out of the company, and StoneCo still has to prove that payments, banking and credit can grow without taking on credit losses or weak-margin volume. The company warned that results could differ from expectations because of tougher competition, fewer new clients, regulatory measures, higher-than-expected investment and execution missteps.
The next scheduled catalyst is close. StoneCo’s first-quarter earnings call is set for May 14 at 6 p.m. BRT, when investors are likely to look past the dividend adjustment and press management on payment volumes, credit quality and how much capital remains available for buybacks or reinvestment.
