Investors dump Match Group’s stock after disappointing sales outlook, CEO breakup
Shares of Match Group are coming unglued, down over 6% in the premarket after suggesting that it will struggle to meet analysts’ sales projections for this year.
Wall Street was penciling in 2025 revenues of a little over $3.5 billion for the owner of Tinder, Hinge, and OK Cupid, but the company said sales would likely range from $3.375 billion to $3.5 billion.
Management also announced that CEO Bernard Kim would be leaving his position and is being replaced by Spencer Rascoff. In his previous role, Rascoff focused on a more advanced phase in customers’ life cycle: getting people into homes as the CEO of Zillow, rather than getting them on dates.
The company said his focus would be to deliver the “advancements in AI-powered features and new product innovations” that they discussed at their Investor Day in December. Based on that presentation, AI still has some work to do on the romance front:
The company is under pressure from activist investors frustrated with its lackluster performance, one of whom (Starboard Value) has suggested that Match should go private if it can’t reverse its sluggish operational trends.
Shares had been on a tear in recent weeks heading into this report, but are still off roughly 80% from their 2021 peak.