By Andre Romani
SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian financial tech company StoneCo plans to multiply net profits eightfold through the end of 2027 by accelerating the integration of its financial services and software operations, CEO Pedro Zinner said in an interview ahead of an investor event in New York on Wednesday.
The firm will continue to focus on the micro, small and medium-sized business (MSMB) client segments, while maintaining a controlled level of investment, Zinner said.
StoneCo is projecting adjusted net profit of at least 1.9 billion reais in 2024 and at least 4.3 billion reais in 2027, an aggressive target after closing last year with an adjusted net profit of 526 million reais. The bullish guidance comes on the heels of a more than 300% increase in adjusted profit for the third quarter year-on-year, which boosted the company's 12.9% on Monday in New York. "In recent years, the company has built a super-profitable, cash-generating business model. What we're doing now is basically taking advantage of and leveraging these opportunities, to use this cash to grow our business and improve profitability," Zinner told Reuters. The desired growth in profits from expansion in the MSMB segment will be driven by more effective use of distribution tools for services and products, whether online or physical, StoneCo said. The volume of payments processed by the company in the MSMB segment is expected to exceed 412 billion reais in 2024 and reach over 600 billion reais in 2027, compared to 290 billion reais last year.
The segment's take rate, which is a fee collected for enabling third-party transactions, is expected to rise from 2.49% next year to 2.70% in 2027, according to the company. In 2022, it stood at 2.15%. StoneCo's core business is payment processing, especially for MSMBs. With the acquisition of Linx, it also has now a significant presence in the business management software space.