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Interactive Brokers is upgraded to Buy, reflecting accelerating operating fundamentals and robust client asset growth. IBKR's scalable, low-cost tech platform drives strong account growth, higher trading volumes, and expanding client balances. Valuation remains reasonable given 25% normalized EPS growth into 2026 and sustained margin strength.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR) experienced a slight decline in stock price following a robust Q2 earnings report. The company posted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.

Key Takeaways Interactive Brokers posted record revenues and pretax income while holding pretax margin at 77%.Accounts rose 34% to 5.19 million, while client equity climbed 40% to $930.3 billion.New offerings in Korea, European crypto and AI account connectivity broadened the platform. Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) used its second-quarter 2026 call to press a familiar point with more force: the company is scaling fast without giving up profitability. Management highlighted record revenues, pretax income, accounts, client equity and DARTs, while keeping pretax margin at 77%.

That combination mattered more than the earnings beat alone. The call centered on how account growth, product expansion and rising client engagement are widening the firm’s reach across retail, institutional and global markets.

IBKR Keeps Pairing Scale With MarginIBKR reported adjusted earnings of $0.69 per share on net revenues of $1.88 billion, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.64 and $1.79 billion, respectively. That translated to surprise rates of 7.81% on earnings and 5.14% on revenues.

Chief financial officer Paul Brody said the quarter produced another set of revenue and pretax income records, with commissions up 30% and net interest income up 23% from a year earlier. He tied that performance to stronger trading activity, higher customer balances and continued growth in margin borrowing.

The profitability message was just as important. Pretax margin held at 77%, extending a multiquarter stretch above 70%, a sign that Interactive Brokers is still converting volume and account growth into earnings efficiently.

Interactive Brokers Pushes New Products AbroadDirector of Investor Relations Nancy Stuebe, delivering chief executive officer Milan Galik’s prepared remarks, emphasized that the company used the quarter to widen product access and deepen international reach. New offerings included trading in Korea, broader crypto availability in Europe and a unified prediction markets destination.

Management also spotlighted IBKR Connector, launched with Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI, which lets clients connect AI chatbots directly to their brokerage accounts for research, portfolio review and trade preparation. That product stood out as one of the clearest strategic priorities on the call.

The company added that it received preliminary conditional approval from the OCC for a national trust bank charter, which would support direct custody for mutual fund and ETF customers. That points to a broader effort to expand the platform beyond core brokerage execution.

IBKR Sees Broad-Based Client MomentumManagement made clear that this quarter’s growth was not coming from a single pocket. Customer accounts rose 34% to 5.19 million, customer equity climbed 40% to $930.3 billion and total customer DARTs increased 36% to 4.82 million.

Brody said investors were taking on more risk through margin loans and derivatives, while uninvested cash balances still reached a record $182.4 billion. That balance between active trading and rising idle cash gave the company support across both commission and interest-related revenue streams.

The quarter also showed strength in overnight trading and introducing broker activity. Galik said growth is coming across regions and client types, while the introducing broker pipeline remained healthy with another double-digit number of integrations going live.

Interactive Brokers Frames Rate Risk CarefullyNet interest remained a major driver, but management spent time explaining the moving pieces. Brody said higher balances in margin loans and segregated cash more than offset pressure from higher interest paid on customer cash and a lower average Fed funds rate.

The release showed customer margin loans up 67% to $108.5 billion and customer credits up 27% to $182.4 billion, helping net interest income reach $1.06 billion in the quarter. At the same time, reported net interest margin slipped to 1.93% from 2.07% a year earlier.

Brody also offered a clear sensitivity framework: a 25-basis-point move in Fed funds would change annual net interest income by about $81 million, while a similar move across relevant non-U.S. benchmark rates would shift annual net interest income by about $38 million.

IBKR Q&A Highlights Confidence and RestraintThe analyst Q&A added useful texture around growth durability. Asked by Wolfe Research about heavier marketing spend and whether that supports sustainably faster account growth, Founder and Chairman Thomas Peterffy said returns on marketing are roughly proportional to the added expense, though he was careful not to promise a higher long-term growth target.

On capital, a Goldman Sachs analyst asked about excess capital and acquisitions. Galik said excess capital was about $10.3 billion, up roughly $1.1 billion from the prior quarter, but added that none of the acquisition ideas being pitched had stood out enough to pursue.

The Q&A also showed management leaning into newer businesses without overreaching. Executives described strong early traction in Korea, growing use of AI account connectivity and continued focus in prediction markets on economic, political and climate contracts rather than sports or entertainment.

Interactive Brokers Leaves a Clear MessageComing out of the call, management’s posture was straightforward. The company is still centered on automation, low costs and global product breadth, but it is increasingly pairing that model with faster rollout of new tools and market access.

Just as important, executives sounded comfortable with current risk levels. Peterffy said the firm is closely monitoring client leverage and remains comfortable with margin exposure, while Galik described account and asset growth as broad and healthy across the platform.

Zacks Signals Point to Solid Near-Term SetupIBKR currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), along with a Value Score of C, Growth Score of B, Momentum Score of A and a VGM Score of B. Under the Zacks framework, Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 2 stocks paired with a Style Score of A or B offer the strongest potential for outperformance over the next one to three months, and IBKR’s Momentum and VGM readings are favorable on that measure. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The mixed Value Score suggests the stock does not screen as strongly on valuation as it does on growth and momentum characteristics. Even so, Zacks signals are not static, and the current rank can change as earnings estimate revisions adjust in the wake of the quarter’s results.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 21, 2026 4:30 PM EDT

Company Participants

Nancy Stuebe - Director of Investor Relations
Paul Brody - CFO, Treasurer, Secretary & Director
Thomas Peterffy - Founder & Chairman
Milan Galik - President, CEO & Director

Conference Call Participants

Steven Chubak - Wolfe Research, LLC
James Yaro - Goldman Sachs Group, Inc., Research Division
Patrick Moley - Piper Sandler & Co., Research Division
Benjamin Budish - Barclays Bank PLC, Research Division
Daniel Fannon - Jefferies LLC, Research Division
Brennan Hawken - BMO Capital Markets Equity Research
Christopher Allen - Keefe, Bruyette, & Woods, Inc., Research Division

Presentation

Operator

Good day, everyone, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Interactive Brokers Group Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Call. [Operator Instructions] Now it's my pleasure to turn the call to Nancy Stuebe, Director of Investor Relations. Please proceed.

Nancy Stuebe
Director of Investor Relations

Thank you. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us for our second quarter 2026 earnings call. Joining us today are Thomas Peterffy, our Founder and Chairman; Milan Galik, our President and CEO; and Paul Brody, our CFO. I will be presenting Milan's comments on the business, and all 3 will be available at our Q&A. As a reminder, today's call may include forward-looking statements, which represent the company's belief regarding future events, which, by their nature, are not certain and are outside of the company's control. Our actual results and financial condition may differ, possibly materially, from what is indicated in these forward-looking statements.

We ask that you refer to the disclaimers in our press release. You should also review a description of risk factors contained in our financial reports filed with the SEC. The S&P 500 was up nearly 15% in the second quarter as markets rose strongly in April and May on the back of strong

The PDT Rule Is On Its Way Out: 5 Stocks That Stand to Benefit the MostInteractive Brokers Group NASDAQ: IBKR reported another record-setting quarter in the second quarter of 2026, with executives citing stronger trading activity, account growth, higher client balances and continued product expansion across global markets.

Nancy Stuebe, Director of Investor Relations at Interactive Brokers, said the company set records in commissions, net interest income and total net revenue, as well as total accounts, account additions, client equity and total client daily average revenue trades, or DARTs. She said the company’s pre-tax profit margin was 77%, marking the seventh consecutive quarter above 70%.

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MarketBeat Week in Review – 03/16 - 03/20Stuebe said the S&P 500 rose nearly 15% during the quarter, supported by strong technology earnings, while semiconductor names became a notable driver of client trading activity on the platform. “Our clients tend to embrace volatility and changing market dynamics as they provide opportunities in the market,” she said.

Revenue, Margins and Balance Sheet Paul Brody, Chief Financial Officer of Interactive Brokers, said the company produced record net revenues and pre-tax income in the quarter. Commissions rose 30% from the prior-year quarter to a new record, supported by higher trading volumes across stocks, options and futures.

Can Interactive Brokers Repeat Another Big Year?Net interest income increased 23% year over year to more than $1 billion, driven primarily by higher balances. Brody said margin borrowing increased as investors took on more risk, while the company’s segregated cash portfolio grew with new account additions. Those gains were partially offset by higher interest paid on customer cash balances.

Other fees and services totaled $87 million, up 40%, which Brody attributed mainly to strong options volumes and higher risk exposure fees. Excluding certain non-core items, other income was $66 million for the quarter.

Expenses also rose. Execution, clearing and distribution costs were $142 million, up 22% from the year-ago quarter. Brody said the increase was primarily due to the reinitiation of SEC regulatory fees, which totaled $34 million in the quarter. He said those fees are largely passed through and increase both commission revenue and execution costs, leaving profits unaffected.

Compensation and benefits expense was $182 million, equal to 10% of adjusted net revenues, down from 11% a year earlier. General and administrative expenses were $68 million, with expanded advertising contributing to the increase. Interactive Brokers had 3,265 employees as of June 30.

Total assets rose 36% year over year to $247 billion, driven by higher margin lending and segregated cash and securities balances. Brody said the company continues to have no long-term debt. Firm equity increased 20% to $22.3 billion.

Client Growth and Trading Activity Interactive Brokers reported client equity of $930 billion, up 40% year over year. Client uninvested cash balances rose 27% to a record $182 billion, while new accounts grew 34%. Stuebe said strong interest continues from both institutional and individual investors globally in opening and funding accounts.

Brody said total customer DARTs were 4.8 million trades per day, up 36% from the prior year. Options contract volumes rose 17%, futures contract volumes increased 2% and stock share volumes were up 14%.

Brody said the average U.S. Fed funds rate was down 70 basis points from a year earlier, but margin loan interest rose 39% and segregated cash interest increased 7%, supported by balance growth. He estimated that a 25-basis-point increase in the Fed funds rate would raise annual net interest income by $81 million, while a 25-basis-point reduction would lower it by the same amount. For non-U.S. benchmark rates, a 25-basis-point move would affect annual net interest income by about $38 million.

Product Expansion Includes Korea, Crypto and AI Stuebe said Interactive Brokers became the first e-broker to offer trading in Korea, providing access to the Korea Exchange and Nextrade, Korea’s 12-hour and overnight alternative trading system. She said Korean memory chip companies were highly sought after by clients.

In Europe, the company directly offered the SpaceX IPO to eligible U.K. and European retail clients, according to Stuebe. It also began offering cryptocurrencies throughout Europe, after previously offering crypto in the U.K. since 2024.

The company also released IBKR Connector in partnership with Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI. Stuebe said the integration allows clients to connect AI chatbots directly to their Interactive Brokers accounts to analyze portfolios, research opportunities and prepare orders for stocks, options and futures. She said the company is also expanding internal AI use in client service, compliance, surveillance and account onboarding.

In the question-and-answer portion of the call, Milan Galik, President and CEO of Interactive Brokers, said clients can use AI chatbots to access account data and prepare trading instructions, but those instructions currently require client approval before becoming executable orders. Galik said the company expects to offer fully autonomous agentic trading in the future, but only with guardrails and some form of client testing.

Prediction Markets, Introducing Brokers and Global Trends Interactive Brokers also launched IBKR Prediction Markets, a platform for trading event contracts across ForecastEx, CME and Kalshi. Stuebe said orders are routed to the venue offering the best net price, with a focus on economic, political and climate contracts. Galik said the company is not offering sports or entertainment contracts and is focused on events that may affect client portfolios.

Asked about ForecastEx, Thomas Peterffy, Founder and Chairman of Interactive Brokers, said the company will continue to focus on weather-related contracts and is adding potential hurricane landfall contracts, which he said could relate to insurance risk.

Stuebe said the introducing broker pipeline remains strong. Galik said the company had a double-digit number of integrations go live for the fourth or fifth consecutive quarter and has more integrations in progress than in the previous quarter. He said recent prospects include firms looking to expand into listed stocks, brokers seeking broader asset-class or regional coverage, and financial institutions moving to Interactive Brokers to reduce costs or access its product offering.

Asked about account growth by region, Galik said the company is “growing everywhere globally” across regions and account types. He said the launch of Korean trading was well timed and generated strong activity from the start.

Capital, Marketing and Risk In response to a question from Goldman Sachs analyst James Yaro, Galik said Interactive Brokers had about $10.3 billion in excess capital after buffers, up approximately $1.1 billion from the prior quarter. He said the company continues to review potential acquisitions, but “nothing so far stood out as worthy” of pursuing.

Peterffy said increased marketing spending has produced a corresponding increase in results, but not a higher yield than before. He declined to promise a sustained account growth rate, noting that the company has previously exceeded 30% growth after earlier expectations centered on 20%.

Asked about rapid growth in margin balances, Peterffy said Interactive Brokers continuously monitors client margin risk and is comfortable with current levels.

Galik also addressed Chinese regulatory actions affecting Tiger Brokers and Futu. He said Interactive Brokers has long complied with mainland Chinese regulations, does not advertise in mainland China and requires accounts to demonstrate residence outside mainland China. Following regulatory actions involving Tiger and Futu, he said Interactive Brokers saw an uptick in broker transfers and assets moving from those platforms.

On cryptocurrency perpetual futures, Galik said roughly one-third of Interactive Brokers’ crypto trading is now coming from those products, which allow clients to short cryptocurrencies and trade with leverage. He said the company will provide access to additional perpetual products where it sees meaningful volume and public interest.

About Interactive Brokers Group (NASDAQ:IBKR)Interactive Brokers Group, Inc NASDAQ: IBKR is a global electronic brokerage holding company that provides trading, clearing and custody services to retail traders, institutional investors, proprietary trading groups and financial advisors. The firm offers direct access to a wide range of asset classes, including equities, options, futures, foreign exchange, bonds and exchange-traded funds across many international markets. Interactive Brokers emphasizes electronic order execution, automated trading and low transaction costs as core differentiators for its clients.

Its product suite centers on advanced trading platforms and infrastructure.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $IBKR #Earnings--Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, announced results for the quarter ended June 30, 2026. Reported and adjusted diluted earnings per share were both $0.69 for the current quarter. For the year-ago quarter, reported and adjusted diluted earnings per share were both $0.51. Reported net revenues were $1.90 billion for the current quarter and $1.88 billion as adjusted. For the year-ago quarter, reported and adjusted net rev.

Interactive Brokers (IBKR 1.82%) is one of a handful of large discount brokerages, competing with the likes of Charles Schwab (SCHW 1.21%) and Robinhood (HOOD 5.72%). Competition in the discount-broker space is typically pretty fierce. However, Interactive Brokers has been doing pretty well, if its June 2026 brokerage metrics are any indication. Here's what you need to know.

Interactive Brokers' June numbers were great In June, Interactive Brokers had 5.185 million client accounts, up 34% from the same month of 2025. Its clients had equity of $930.3 billion in June, 40% higher than the year-ago period. In other words, the company's business has grown materially over the past 12 months. That's very good news, but not the end of the data the company provided.

Image source: Getty Images.

For example, Interactive Brokers handled 5.269 million trades in June, an increase of 53% over the prior year. Although the company only makes a few dollars per trade, the more trades it handles, the more commission revenue it generates. On top of that, the discount broker ended June with margin loan balances of $108.5 billion, a huge 67% increase from June 2015. Margin loans generate interest income for Interactive Brokers, so higher balances are also a very positive outcome.

Interactive Brokers' second-quarter earnings could be very good If that was how the company ended June, it seems highly likely that its second-quarter 2026 earnings update will see a notable improvement over the prior year. That would actually be a follow-up to the financial company's strong first-quarter showing. Some numbers will help.

Interactive Brokers' first-quarter 2026 revenues came in at $1.67 billion, up roughly 17% from $1.43 billion in the prior year. Adjusted earnings increased by roughly 28%, hitting $0.60 per share. The company's commission revenue increased 19%, and its interest income, largely from margin loans, increased 17%.

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The company's June numbers weren't materially higher than May's, suggesting the second quarter won't be materially different from the first. However, given the large year-over-year increase in account size, trading activity, and the total margin loan balance, second-quarter earnings seem likely to be much improved over the second quarter of 2025.

There's one small problem with Interactive Brokers All of that said, investors need to take these numbers with a grain of "valuation salt." The stock's price-to-sales, price-to-earnings, and price-to-book value ratios are all around twice their five-year averages. In other words, Wall Street is well aware of how strongly Interactive Brokers' business is performing. If the company doesn't live up to what are likely to be lofty expectations, even a strong quarter on an absolute basis could still lead to a stock decline.

Charles Schwab is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Reuben Gregg Brewer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool recommends Charles Schwab and recommends the following options: long January 2027 $43.75 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, short January 2027 $46.25 calls on Interactive Brokers Group, and short September 2026 $95 calls on Charles Schwab. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) appears an attractive pick, as it has been recently upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.

A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and following years.

Individual investors often find it hard to make decisions based on rating upgrades by Wall Street analysts, since these are mostly driven by subjective factors that are hard to see and measure in real time. In these situations, the Zacks rating system comes in handy because of the power of a changing earnings picture in determining near-term stock price movements.

Therefore, the Zacks rating upgrade for Interactive Brokers basically reflects positivity about its earnings outlook that could translate into buying pressure and an increase in its stock price.

Most Powerful Force Impacting Stock PricesThe change in a company's future earnings potential, as reflected in earnings estimate revisions, has proven to be strongly correlated with the near-term price movement of its stock. The influence of institutional investors has a partial contribution to this relationship, as these big professionals use earnings and earnings estimates to calculate the fair value of a company's shares. An increase or decrease in earnings estimates in their valuation models simply results in higher or lower fair value for a stock, and institutional investors typically buy or sell it. Their transaction of large amounts of shares then leads to price movement for the stock.

Fundamentally speaking, rising earnings estimates and the consequent rating upgrade for Interactive Brokers imply an improvement in the company's underlying business. Investors should show their appreciation for this improving business trend by pushing the stock higher.

Harnessing the Power of Earnings Estimate RevisionsEmpirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock movements, so it could be truly rewarding if such revisions are tracked for making an investment decision. Here is where the tried-and-tested Zacks Rank stock-rating system plays an important role, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions.

The Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally-audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>> .

Earnings Estimate Revisions for Interactive BrokersFor the fiscal year ending December 2026, this company is expected to earn $2.51 per share, which is unchanged compared with the year-ago reported number.

Analysts have been steadily raising their estimates for Interactive Brokers. Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the company has increased 2.3%.

Bottom LineUnlike the overly optimistic Wall Street analysts whose rating systems tend to be weighted toward favorable recommendations, the Zacks rating system maintains an equal proportion of "buy" and "sell" ratings for its entire universe of more than 4,000 stocks at any point in time. Irrespective of market conditions, only the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks get a "Strong Buy" rating and the next 15% get a "Buy" rating. So, the placement of a stock in the top 20% of the Zacks-covered stocks indicates its superior earnings estimate revision feature, making it a solid candidate for producing market-beating returns in the near term.

You can learn more about the Zacks Rank here >>>

The upgrade of Interactive Brokers to a Zacks Rank #1 positions it in the top 5% of the Zacks-covered stocks in terms of estimate revisions, implying that the stock might move higher in the near term.

Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the "long context," investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades.

While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us.

Below, we take a look at Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) , a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score.

It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of "A or B" outperform the market over the following one-month period.

You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>>

Set to Beat the Market?Let's discuss some of the components of the Momentum Style Score for IBKR that show why this company shows promise as a solid momentum pick.

A good momentum benchmark for a stock is to look at its short-term price activity, as this can reflect both current interest and if buyers or sellers currently have the upper hand. It's also helpful to compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies in a particular area.

For IBKR, shares are up 3.02% over the past week while the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry is up 0.81% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 2.7% compares favorably with the industry's 0.28% performance as well.

While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Over the past quarter, shares of Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. have risen 20.08%, and are up 60.34% in the last year. In comparison, the S&P 500 has only moved 8.52% and 21.6%, respectively.

Investors should also take note of IBKR's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now IBKR is averaging 4,221,026 shares for the last 20 days..

Earnings OutlookThe Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note that earnings estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be promising. We have recently been noticing this with IBKR.

Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. This revision helped boost IBKR's consensus estimate, increasing from $2.46 to $2.51 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period.

Bottom LineTaking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that IBKR is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. on your short list.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $95.61, moving +2.19% from the previous trading session. This change outpaced the S&P 500's 0.38% gain on the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw an upswing of 0.02%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq appreciated by 0.9%.

Shares of the company witnessed a gain of 0.86% over the previous month, trailing the performance of the Finance sector with its gain of 2.89%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.27%.

Investors will be eagerly watching for the performance of Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. in its upcoming earnings disclosure. The company's earnings report is set to be unveiled on July 21, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.59, reflecting a 15.69% increase from the same quarter last year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $1.66 billion, indicating a 12.16% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.

IBKR's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $2.51 per share and revenue of $6.9 billion. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +14.61% and +12.14%, respectively.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, running from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), holds an admirable track record of superior performance, independently audited, with #1 stocks contributing an average annual return of +25% since 1988. The Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 2.17% higher within the past month. Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. presently features a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Looking at valuation, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 37.28. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 14.37, which means Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. is trading at a premium to the group.

We can additionally observe that IBKR currently boasts a PEG ratio of 2.53. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Financial - Investment Bank industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.05 as of yesterday's close.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 70, placing it within the top 29% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.

Shares of Interactive Brokers (IBKR 1.20%) jumped a solid 35.3% in the first half of 2026, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The financial markets brokerage is growing like a weed and benefiting from increased interest from traders in international markets such as South Korea.

More customers trading on Interactive Brokers -- otherwise known as IBKR -- means steadily growing revenue. Here's why the stock was soaring yet again in the first half of 2026, and what the future may hold for this stock market winner.

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Fast customer growth, benefiting from the bull market One of the pitches IBKR makes to customers is the ability to trade most international markets from most countries worldwide. It takes a long time to set up direct market connections outside the United States, meaning competing brokerages do not offer this type of access to customers. Earlier this year, IBKR launched a direct connection to the South Korean market, giving its customers around the world a direct way to invest in the country's booming stocks.

It is these types of customer value propositions that have driven IBKR's market share gains in recent years, and 2026 is no exception. In the first quarter of 2026, total customer accounts grew by 31% to 4.75 million, a strong leading indicator of future trading revenue. Commission revenue grew by 19% year-over-year last quarter, driven by stocks, options, and cryptocurrencies, while net interest income was up 17%.

Importantly, IBKR has one of the highest profit margins of any business in the world, posting a 77% pre-tax margin in the first quarter. With the business firing on all cylinders due to the strong growth in accounts, revenue, and bottom-line profitability, investors keep sending the stock higher. It is now up almost 500% in the last five years alone, generating tremendous gains for long-term shareholders.

Image source: Getty Images.

Should you buy Interactive Brokers stock? Part of IBKR's gains have come from an increase in its earnings multiple. Shares now trade at a price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of 41 compared to closer to 20 in 2022, 2023, and 2024. This elevated earnings multiple is unsurprising because of IBKR's long history of customer account acquisition in global financial asset trading.

This does not neccesarily mean the stock is a screaming buy today, after going up 35% this year and 500% in the last five. Investors who buy today should not expect this same level of stock price appreciation over the next five years, although over the long run, if IBKR keeps up this earnings growth, it will lead to solid stock returns.

Brett Schafer has positions in Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: long January 2027 $43.75 calls on Interactive Brokers Group and short January 2027 $46.25 calls on Interactive Brokers Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Prediction markets just had their coming-out party, and the numbers are staggering. $3,996,191,303 has traded on the “World Cup Winner” market as of July 6, 2026, per Polymarket, a single contract that has quietly surpassed the platform’s 2024 US presidential contract (~$4 billion). With the July 19 final still ahead, Bernstein projects total World Cup wagering could top $10 billion. Combined Polymarket and Kalshi World Cup volume is estimated at $4.8 billion to $6.4 billion as of early July 2026, and all-platform prediction-market volume hit roughly $44.8 billion to $50 billion in June 2026, a 75% jump from May.

Zoom out and the ramp gets wilder. Total 2026 prediction-market volume already crossed $130 billion through June, up from $50 billion in all of 2025. NYSE has invested $600 million in Polymarket; Kalshi raised $1 billion in May 2026 at a $22 billion valuation; Polymarket was valued at $15 billion in a March 2026 round. Polymarket has confirmed annualized revenue crossed $1 billion during the tournament surge.

What Prediction Markets Actually Are A prediction market is a binary contract: yes or no, resolving at a defined event. The price trades between $0 and $1 and functions as an implied probability. France is the World Cup favorite at roughly 33% to 35% implied probability, Argentina at 16% to 17%, and Spain at 12% to 13% as of early July 2026. Regulators care about this framing because event contracts on CFTC-regulated venues are legally distinct from sportsbooks. That distinction is why brokers, exchanges, and now Big Tech are muscling in. Marquee Round of 16 match contracts drew $8 million to $15 million each, one trader staked more than $3 million on the Netherlands to beat Japan, and roughly $1.6 billion traded on teams priced at 1% or less. 60% of active Polymarket users had no prior on-chain trading history.

Trump Wants A Piece President Trump has publicly vowed to protect prediction market companies amid insider-trading controversies, and his administration is actively rewriting federal rules that kept the industry suppressed for decades. Truth Social has announced its own prediction market plans. Donald Trump Jr. received a $300,000 Kalshi equity grant in early 2025 as its valuation soared. The CFTC under Trump has been broadly supportive of prediction markets as a regulated financial product, not illegal gambling. As one analyst called it, the modern industry is “a novel creation that only arrived at the dawn of the second Trump administration.”

Zuckerberg’s Arena Mark Zuckerberg personally directed a small team to build a standalone prediction market app called Arena, first reported by the New York Times on June 23, 2026. He first met Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour about an acquisition; talks fell apart, so Meta is building its own. Arena launches with play money (video-game points), sidestepping CFTC oversight while testing demand. Meta’s Llama AI auto-generates market questions, personalizes recommendations, and resolves markets near real-time.

The distribution edge is the whole thesis: Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META | META Price Prediction) reaches 3.56 billion daily active users across Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger. Insiders say Arena may not launch, but describe it as experimental and a top priority. Senator Richard Blumenthal was blunt: “Meta copied slot machines to addict kids to Instagram. Now Zuckerberg is turning his company into a prediction market. Meta’s business model is profiting from addiction.”

The Competitive Flood Robinhood Markets (NASDAQ:HOOD) is the loudest public beneficiary. Its prediction-markets hub is running at roughly $350 million ARR, about 30% of Kalshi’s volume. Other Transaction Revenue (including Prediction Markets) surged 320% year over year to $147 million in Q1 2026, with a record 8.8 billion event contracts traded.

Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN) acquired The Clearing Company in late 2025, and its prediction markets reached $100M+ annualized revenue in the first two full months (March).

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Meta didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

CME Group (NASDAQ:CME) partnered with FanDuel for FanDuel Predicts while posting record Q1 2026 ADV of 36.2 million contracts, up 22% year over year.

Interactive Brokers (NASDAQ:IBKR) has rolled out event contracts alongside its core broker business, which posted Q1 2026 commission revenue up 19% year over year to $613 million. Gemini holds CFTC DCM and DCO licenses with an AI Command Center built on Grok from SpaceX AI, and ADI Predictstreet is FIFA’s first official prediction market partner for the 2026 World Cup.

The Legal Overhang Is A Concern The regulatory picture is not settled. Eighteen states have blocked or banned Kalshi and Polymarket under gambling laws. Minnesota’s first outright ban makes operating one a state felony effective August 1, 2026. Michigan, Nevada, and Massachusetts have obtained court injunctions against Kalshi, and the CFTC reportedly opened an investigation into Polymarket. Federal courts are questioning whether sports event contracts are “meaningfully different from traditional sports betting.”

Criminal cases are stacking up: the DOJ has two Polymarket insider-trading cases (a special forces soldier who allegedly used classified Venezuela information, and a Google employee who used confidential search-trend data to earn more than $1 million). Israeli Air Force officers were also indicted for betting on the timing of Israeli and American strikes on Iran using insider military knowledge. Lawyers describe “legal limbo” with more than 30 pending lawsuits.

How To Play It From The Public Market There is no pure-play public prediction-market stock. The closest exposure comes through the incumbents. Robinhood carries the highest revenue-mix leverage, with prediction markets already a distinct line item and HOOD shares up 42.54% in the past month. Interactive Brokers is a volume-tailwind story, with IBKR up 49.58% year to date through July 6, 2026. CME provides the regulated-plumbing angle via FanDuel Predicts. Coinbase is the wildcard: crypto revenue is under pressure, with COIN down 25.33% year to date, but its Kalshi-powered prediction stack is scaling fast. Meta is the speculative call option, with Arena still in stealth and META shares down 8.9% year to date at a 22 trailing P/E.

The IPO pipeline is the other watch item. Kalshi ($22B) and Polymarket ($15B) are the two most likely prediction-market IPOs, with Kalshi backed by NYSE’s $600 million. Retail participation is the fuel behind all of it: 32% of Gen Z and 24% of millennials say they participate in or are considering prediction markets or sports betting, per Northwestern Mutual.

What To Watch After The Final Bernstein’s Gautam Chhugani projects volume reaching $240 billion in 2026 and possibly $1 trillion annually by 2030, an ~80% CAGR. The World Cup proved institutional scale. Whether the trajectory holds depends on what happens after July 19, when the momentum meets Minnesota’s felony statute, the CFTC’s Polymarket probe, and a docket of insider-trading prosecutions. That is the real match to watch.

Act now: the analyst who called NVIDIA in 2010 just named his top 10 AI stocks — and Meta didn't make the cut. Grab the names FREE today.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

When deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock, investors often rely on analyst recommendations. Media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts often influence a stock's price, but are they really important?

Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.

Interactive Brokers currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.40, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 10 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.40 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.

Of the 10 recommendations that derive the current ABR, eight are Strong Buy, representing 80% of all recommendations.

Brokerage Recommendation Trends for IBKR

Check price target & stock forecast for Interactive Brokers here>>>

The ABR suggests buying Interactive Brokers, but making an investment decision solely on the basis of this information might not be a good idea. According to several studies, brokerage recommendations have little to no success guiding investors to choose stocks with the most potential for price appreciation.

Do you wonder why? As a result of the vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover, their analysts tend to rate it with a strong positive bias. According to our research, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" recommendation.

This means that the interests of these institutions are not always aligned with those of retail investors, giving little insight into the direction of a stock's future price movement. It would therefore be best to use this information to validate your own analysis or a tool that has proven to be highly effective at predicting stock price movements.

Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.

ABR Should Not Be Confused With Zacks RankIn spite of the fact that Zacks Rank and ABR both appear on a scale from 1 to 5, they are two completely different measures.

Broker recommendations are the sole basis for calculating the ABR, which is typically displayed in decimals (such as 1.28). The Zacks Rank, on the other hand, is a quantitative model designed to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.

Analysts employed by brokerage firms have been and continue to be overly optimistic with their recommendations. Since the ratings issued by these analysts are more favorable than their research would support because of the vested interest of their employers, they mislead investors far more often than they guide.

In contrast, the Zacks Rank is driven by earnings estimate revisions. And near-term stock price movements are strongly correlated with trends in earnings estimate revisions, according to empirical research.

In addition, the different Zacks Rank grades are applied proportionately to all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide current-year earnings estimates. In other words, this tool always maintains a balance among its five ranks.

Another key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank is freshness. The ABR is not necessarily up-to-date when you look at it. But, since brokerage analysts keep revising their earnings estimates to account for a company's changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in indicating future price movements.

Should You Invest in IBKR?In terms of earnings estimate revisions for Interactive Brokers, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained unchanged over the past month at $2.46.

Analysts' steady views regarding the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by an unchanged consensus estimate, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Interactive Brokers. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

It may therefore be prudent to be a little cautious with the Buy-equivalent ABR for Interactive Brokers.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) is one of the stocks most watched by Zacks.com visitors lately. So, it might be a good idea to review some of the factors that might affect the near-term performance of the stock.

Over the past month, shares of this company have returned +7%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's -1.4% change. During this period, the Zacks Financial - Investment Bank industry, which Interactive Brokers falls in, has gained 8.5%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?

Although media reports or rumors about a significant change in a company's business prospects usually cause its stock to trend and lead to an immediate price change, there are always certain fundamental factors that ultimately drive the buy-and-hold decision.

Earnings Estimate RevisionsHere at Zacks, we prioritize appraising the change in the projection of a company's future earnings over anything else. That's because we believe the present value of its future stream of earnings is what determines the fair value for its stock.

Our analysis is essentially based on how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to take the latest business trends into account. When earnings estimates for a company go up, the fair value for its stock goes up as well. And when a stock's fair value is higher than its current market price, investors tend to buy the stock, resulting in its price moving upward. Because of this, empirical studies indicate a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and short-term stock price movements.

For the current quarter, Interactive Brokers is expected to post earnings of $0.59 per share, indicating a change of +15.7% from the year-ago quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate remained unchanged over the last 30 days.

For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.46 points to a change of +12.3% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has remained unchanged.

For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $2.82 indicates a change of +14.6% from what Interactive Brokers is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has remained unchanged.

With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool -- the Zacks Rank -- is a more conclusive indicator of a stock's near-term price performance, as it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Interactive Brokers.

The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:

12 Month EPS

Revenue Growth ForecastEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.

For Interactive Brokers, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $1.66 billion indicates a year-over-year change of +12.2%. For the current and next fiscal years, $6.9 billion and $7.77 billion estimates indicate +12.1% and +12.5% changes, respectively.

Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryInteractive Brokers reported revenues of $1.68 billion in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +20.3%. EPS of $0.6 for the same period compares with $0.47 a year ago.

Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.71 billion, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -1.91%. The EPS surprise was -3.23%.

Over the last four quarters, Interactive Brokers surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times. The company topped consensus revenue estimates three times over this period.

ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.

Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.

As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.

Interactive Brokers is graded C on this front, indicating that it is trading at par with its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.

Bottom LineThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Interactive Brokers. However, its Zacks Rank #3 does suggest that it may perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $IBKR #IBKR--Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IBKR) an automated global electronic broker, today reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for June. Brokerage highlights for the month included: 5.269 million Daily Average Revenue Trades (DARTs)1, 53% higher than prior year and 6% higher than prior month. Ending client equity of $930.3 billion, 40% higher than prior year and 1% lower than prior month. Ending client margin loan balances of $108.5.

GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- #IBKR--Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR) announced the launch of select Korean equities through Nextrade.

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $87.85, demonstrating a -2.19% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a gain of 1.18% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow gained 0.59%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 2.07%.

Shares of the company have appreciated by 3.28% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Finance sector's gain of 1.96%, and the S&P 500's loss of 2.9%.

Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. in its upcoming release. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $0.59, reflecting a 15.69% increase from the same quarter last year. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.66 billion, up 12.16% from the year-ago period.

For the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $2.46 per share and a revenue of $6.9 billion, representing changes of +12.33% and +12.14%, respectively, from the prior year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.

Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained steady. Right now, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).

Looking at valuation, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 36.56. This represents a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 14.06.

We can also see that IBKR currently has a PEG ratio of 2.48. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The Financial - Investment Bank industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.08 as of yesterday's close.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 110, finds itself in the top 46% echelons of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank is ordered from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.

Key Takeaways IBKR added ChatGPT and Grok, extending AI-assisted trading to options and futures.IBKR clients can link accounts to ChatGPT, Grok or Claude without passwords or API keys.IBKR requires review and approval of every AI instruction before orders reach markets. Interactive Brokers (IBKR - Free Report) is further accelerating its push into artificial intelligence (AI) by adding ChatGPT and Grok to its expanding suite of AI-enabled investing solutions. The enhancement will expand AI-assisted trading beyond stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to include options, futures and futures options, enabling investors to interact with a broader range of markets through conversational prompts.

The launch builds on IBKR's earlier integration with Anthropic's Claude and highlights the broker's efforts to simplify market analysis and trading workflows without compromising investor oversight.

Now, existing customers can connect their IBKR accounts to ChatGPT, Grok or Claude within minutes at no additional cost, using their standard IBKR credentials and without sharing passwords or API keys with third-party providers.

As interest in AI-powered investing gains momentum, IBKR is positioning itself at the forefront of this shift. Users can leverage AI assistants to assess portfolio exposures, explore hedging strategies, track technical indicators such as the relative strength index, benchmark performance against major ETFs and create futures order instructions.

However, execution remains firmly in investors’ hands, as every AI-generated instruction must be reviewed and approved through a dedicated AI Instructions tab before reaching the market.

How IBKR Builds on AI & Platform InvestmentsThe latest AI integrations complement an expanding suite of tools already available across Interactive Brokers' platforms. AI Screeners allow investors to search more than 70,000 global stocks using conversational prompts, while Investment Themes help users explore opportunities tied to trends, such as clean energy and cloud computing.

IBKR also introduced Connections, which maps relationships among companies, ETFs, derivatives and thematic datasets from a single interface. Ask IBKR enables clients to query portfolio exposure and concentration in plain language, and AI News Summaries provide concise updates tailored to holdings and watch lists.

Beyond AI, Interactive Brokers recently launched a unified interface for prediction-market contracts offered through Kalshi, CME and ForecastEx. The company has also added stablecoin funding capabilities, expanded access to Coinbase Derivatives products and benefited from growing engagement, with overnight trading volumes climbing to 8.1 million trades in the first quarter of 2026 from 2.8 million a year earlier.

For IBKR, these investments are part of a long-term strategy to simplify investing while broadening access to institutional-grade capabilities. By steadily adding new asset classes, intelligent research tools and innovative trading workflows, the company aims to help investors make better-informed decisions while ensuring that final control over every transaction remains in the hands of clients.

IBKR’s Price Performance & Zacks RankIn the last six months, Interactive Brokers shares have gained 46.7%, outperforming the industry’s 4.1% growth.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Currently, the company carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

IBKR’s Competitive LandscapeInteractive Brokers is not alone in embedding AI into investing workflows. Several brokerages and investment platforms have accelerated their AI initiatives over the past year, though their approaches differ.

Among retail brokers, Robinhood Markets, Inc. (HOOD - Free Report) launched AI-enabled trading accounts that allow users to connect AI agents, including Claude and ChatGPT-based tools, to analyze portfolios and execute stock trades within predefined limits. Robinhood is also extending AI capabilities to credit-card purchases through agent-driven workflows.

Charles Schwab (SCHW - Free Report) incorporated an AI assistant into its platform, with a focus on helping investors navigate research, educational content and trading tools. Rather than emphasizing autonomous trading, Schwab's approach centers on improving investor support and platform usability.

Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?

Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) .

Interactive Brokers currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.40, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 10 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.40 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.

Of the 10 recommendations that derive the current ABR, eight are Strong Buy, representing 80% of all recommendations.

Brokerage Recommendation Trends for IBKR

Check price target & stock forecast for Interactive Brokers here>>>

The ABR suggests buying Interactive Brokers, but making an investment decision solely on the basis of this information might not be a good idea. According to several studies, brokerage recommendations have little to no success guiding investors to choose stocks with the most potential for price appreciation.

Are you wondering why? The vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover often results in a strong positive bias of their analysts in rating it. Our research shows that for every "Strong Sell" recommendation, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations.

In other words, their interests aren't always aligned with retail investors, rarely indicating where the price of a stock could actually be heading. Therefore, the best use of this information could be validating your own research or an indicator that has proven to be highly successful in predicting a stock's price movement.

With an impressive externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, which classifies stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), is a reliable indicator of a stock's near-term price performance. So, validating the Zacks Rank with ABR could go a long way in making a profitable investment decision.

Zacks Rank Should Not Be Confused With ABRAlthough both Zacks Rank and ABR are displayed in a range of 1--5, they are different measures altogether.

Broker recommendations are the sole basis for calculating the ABR, which is typically displayed in decimals (such as 1.28). The Zacks Rank, on the other hand, is a quantitative model designed to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.

Analysts employed by brokerage firms have been and continue to be overly optimistic with their recommendations. Since the ratings issued by these analysts are more favorable than their research would support because of the vested interest of their employers, they mislead investors far more often than they guide.

On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

Furthermore, the different grades of the Zacks Rank are applied proportionately across all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide earnings estimates for the current year. In other words, at all times, this tool maintains a balance among the five ranks it assigns.

There is also a key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank when it comes to freshness. When you look at the ABR, it may not be up-to-date. Nonetheless, since brokerage analysts constantly revise their earnings estimates to reflect changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in predicting future stock prices.

Should You Invest in IBKR?Looking at the earnings estimate revisions for Interactive Brokers, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained unchanged over the past month at $2.46.

Analysts' steady views regarding the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by an unchanged consensus estimate, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Interactive Brokers. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>

It may therefore be prudent to be a little cautious with the Buy-equivalent ABR for Interactive Brokers.

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Additional Asset Classes Available Including Options and Futures

GREENWICH, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced the expansion of its agentic trading capabilities with the addition of ChatGPT and Grok, further broadening a growing ecosystem of AI platform integrations that began with Claude. Available through certified AI connector marketplaces across multiple leading platforms, these integrations allow clients to research, analyze, and generate instructions with speed and efficiency to uncover new trading and investing opportunities instantly. With this release, Interactive Brokers also extends the selection of products available for order instructions to include support for options, futures and futures options in addition to equities and ETFs.

Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR) today announced the expansion of its agentic trading capabilities with the addition of ChatGPT and Grok, further broadening a growing ecosystem of AI platform integrations that began with Claude.

Share “We continue to see growing interest from investors in using artificial intelligence as a more natural way to interact with financial markets,” said Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers. “Adding ChatGPT and Grok, together with support for options and futures, expands the ways clients can securely connect AI tools to Interactive Brokers for research, analysis and execution. We will continue to broaden the capabilities and asset classes available through these integrations over time.”

Clients can now link their existing IBKR account to ChatGPT, Grok, or Claude in minutes using their IBKR login at no extra cost, with no new account required, and no passwords or API keys ever shared with the AI provider. Once connected, clients can use natural language to explore their portfolio, analyze markets, and generate order instructions. Every instruction is reviewed and approved by the client in a dedicated AI Instructions tab before any order is submitted to the market.

What Clients Can Achieve

A few examples of the kinds of questions and functionality that the integration handles:

“Show me the possible Options strategies that can help protect the gains on my five largest stock positions and generate the order instructions for each.”
The AI finds options strategies to protect gains on five positions and generates the order instructions. “Buy 2 contracts of nearby month ICE OIL futures.”
The AI generates order instructions to buy 2 contracts of front-month ICE OIL futures. "Which of my positions currently have an RSI above 70 (overbought) or below 30 (oversold)?"
The AI computes technical indicators across the client's holdings and flags stretched positions. "Compare my portfolio's recent momentum against a broad market index ETF."
The AI benchmarks aggregate portfolio performance against a relevant index. IBKR's Full Suite of AI Tools

The AI Integration complements IBKR's existing AI-powered tools, available directly within IBKR's platforms:

AI Screeners: Use natural language to describe what you are looking for – like "small-cap tech stocks with strong cash flow” – and get a ranked list of matches from more than 70,000 global stocks. Investment Themes: Search for a theme such as "clean energy" or "cloud computing" and view connected companies, industries, and trends. Connections: Enter any stock and discover the related companies, sector ETFs, derivatives, thematic data, and event contracts all in one view. Ask IBKR: Use natural language to ask questions about your portfolio – like “How concentrated am I in tech?” – and get answers grounded in your own account data. AI News Summaries: Get concise recaps of market news filtered to the stocks and sectors in your portfolio and watch lists – so the news most relevant to your investments is always easy to find, with important articles flagged automatically. For more information on IBKR’s AI Integration, visit:

US and countries served by IB LLC: AI Integration
Canada: AI Integration
United Kingdom: AI Integration
Europe: AI Integration
Hong Kong: AI Integration
Singapore: AI Integration
Australia: AI Integration

To provide feedback on IBKR's platforms, tools, and services, use: [email protected]

The best-informed investors choose Interactive Brokers.

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBKR) is a member of the S&P 500. Its affiliates provide automated trade execution and custody of securities, commodities, foreign exchange, and prediction markets around the clock on over 170 markets in numerous countries and currencies from a single unified platform to clients worldwide. We serve individual investors, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors and introducing brokers. Our four decades of focus on technology and automation have enabled us to equip our clients with a uniquely sophisticated platform to manage their investment portfolios. We strive to provide our clients with advantageous execution prices and trading, risk and portfolio management tools, research facilities and investment products, all at low or no cost, positioning them to achieve superior returns on investments. Interactive Brokers has consistently earned recognition as a top broker, garnering multiple awards and accolades from respected industry sources such as Barron's, Investopedia, Stockbrokers.com, and many others.

Follow Interactive Brokers on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube

More News From Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.

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Does Interactive Brokers' global scale, automation and profitability make it the steadier bet, while Robinhood's growth story carries higher risk? Let's find out.

Interactive Brokers (Nasdaq: IBKR), an automated global broker, today announced agentic trading through direct integration with Claude, one of the world's leading AI platforms. Available through the AI platform’s certified connector marketplace, the integration lets clients manage their accounts and access more than 170 global markets.

"Interactive Brokers has used technology for over four decades to help investors make more informed decisions and interact more efficiently with markets," said Milan Galik, Chief Executive Officer of Interactive Brokers. "Investors are increasingly using artificial intelligence to research markets, analyze information and generate ideas. We believe the next logical step is to allow clients to securely connect AI tools directly to their brokerage accounts — whether they want a simple conversational interface, deeper portfolio analysis or the ability to develop and execute sophisticated trading strategies.”

Clients can link their existing IBKR account through the Claude certified connector marketplace in just a few minutes using their IBKR login. Setup is simple: there are no additional costs, and no need to open and fund a separate brokerage account. The integration draws on the same APIs that many active IBKR users have built their own trading processes on. All of the API functionality can now be accessed by AI chatbots and agents, including positions, open orders, trade history, margin information, and market data. IBKR has chosen enterprise-level integration, where no API keys or passwords are shared with the AI provider and no authentication credentials are stored on the client’s computer— an approach designed to be more secure than alternative setups.

Clients can ask the AI questions about their portfolio or about the markets in natural language and receive analysis grounded in their own account data. They can also generate trade instructions tied to that analysis. In accordance with the human-in-the-middle system design, instructions appear in a dedicated AI Instructions tab on the Orders and Trades page across all IBKR platforms, where the client can view the instructions and approve their submissions as orders into the marketplace.

At launch, the integration generates instructions for equities and ETFs and supports market and limit orders, with additional asset classes to follow within a week. The Claude integration is live now. The ChatGPT, Gemini and Grok integrations are currently undergoing the certification process with their respective platforms and are expected to be available to IBKR clients soon.

What Clients Can Ask

A few examples of the kinds of questions the integration handles at launch:

What percentage of my portfolio is in technology stocks?

Which of my positions has the highest unrealized gain, and which has the highest unrealized loss?

My tech exposure is 18% of my portfolio. What would it take to bring it down to a 10% target weight, and what would the dollar amount be to reduce it?

I'm underweight in healthcare. What would it take to bring the sector up to 15% of my portfolio?

IBKR's Full Suite of AI Tools

The Claude integration complements IBKR's existing AI-powered tools, available directly within IBKR's platforms:

AI Screeners: Use natural language to describe what you are looking for – like "small-cap tech stocks with strong cash flow” – and get a ranked list of matches from more than 70,000 global stocks.

Investment Themes: Search for a theme such as "clean energy" or "cloud computing" and view connected companies, industries, and trends.

Connections: Enter any stock and discover the related companies, sector ETFs, derivatives, thematic data, and event contracts all in one view.

Ask IBKR: Use natural language to ask questions about your portfolio – like “How concentrated am I in tech?” – and get answers grounded in your own account data.

AI News Summaries: Get concise recaps of market news filtered to the stocks and sectors in your portfolio and watch lists – so the news most relevant to your investments is always easy to find, with important articles flagged automatically.

For more information on IBKR’s AI Integration, visit:

US and countries served by IB LLC: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
Canada: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
United Kingdom: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
Europe: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
Hong Kong: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
Singapore: [url="]AI Integration [/url]
Australia: AI Integration

To provide feedback on IBKR's platforms, tools, and services, use: [email protected]

The best-informed investors choose Interactive Brokers.

About Interactive Brokers Group, Inc.:

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: IBKR) is a member of the S&P 500. Its affiliates provide automated trade execution and custody of securities, commodities, foreign exchange, and prediction markets around the clock on over 170 markets in numerous countries and currencies from a single unified platform to clients worldwide. We serve individual investors, hedge funds, proprietary trading groups, financial advisors and introducing brokers. Our four decades of focus on technology and automation have enabled us to equip our clients with a uniquely sophisticated platform to manage their investment portfolios. We strive to provide our clients with advantageous execution prices and trading, risk and portfolio management tools, research facilities and investment products, all at low or no cost, positioning them to achieve superior returns on investments. Interactive Brokers has consistently earned recognition as a top broker, garnering multiple awards and accolades from respected industry sources such as Barron's, Investopedia, Stockbrokers.com, and many others.

Follow Interactive Brokers on social media: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Reddit, X (Twitter), TikTok, YouTube

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260601336232/en/

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IBKR) an automated global electronic broker, today reported its Electronic Brokerage monthly performance metrics for M

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Key Takeaways Interactive Brokers added 135,900 net new accounts in May, up 82% YoY and 30% from April.May client DARTs hit 4.969M, up 47% YoY; options contracts rose 19% to 152.7M.Client equity climbed to $937.3B; margin loans were $100.9B, up 65% YoY and 11% MoM. Amid favorable market conditions and higher trading activity, Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR - Free Report) recorded a surge in new account openings. The company’s Electronic Brokerage segment reported net new accounts of 135,900 for May. This marks a jump of 82% year over year and 30% from the last month.

Interactive Brokers’ total customer accounts at the end of May were 4.99 million, up 32% from May 2025 and 3% from April 2026.

Rising volatility across equities, options and global futures has triggered a strong wave of trading activity among both retail and institutional investors, benefiting Interactive Brokers. Uncertainty around the rate-cut path, higher Treasury yields, crude-oil swings tied to U.S.-Iran diplomacy, elevated equity valuations, AI-capex concerns and broader macro-driven positioning have supported heavier trading volumes, keeping IBKR’s active, high-frequency client base highly engaged.

In addition to increased trading activities, factors that have been driving growth in IBKR’s client base are the brokerage firm’s competitive pricing and low-fee structure, attractive margin features, continuous product innovation, streamlined onboarding and an efficient operating model.

Supported by the company’s efforts to diversify its product suite and develop proprietary software to automate broker-dealer functions, along with its solid Daily Average Revenue Trade (DART) numbers, its revenues are expected to increase. Over the last five years (2020-2025), IBKR’s total net revenues witnessed a compound annual growth rate of 22.8%, with momentum continuing in the first quarter of 2026.

Interactive Brokers’ Other Key Metrics for MayTotal client DARTs were 4,969,000, representing a 47% increase from May 2025 and 17% from April 2026. On an annualized basis, cleared average DARTs per customer account were 216. The metric rose 10% on a year-over-year basis and 14% from April 2026.

Interactive Brokers’ total options contracts were 152.7 million, up 19% year over year and 5% sequentially. Future contracts rose 3% year over year but declined 7% from the previous month to 20.4 million.

Client equity was $937.3 billion, which soared 49% year over year and 8% sequentially. IBKR recorded client credit balances of $180.1 billion, up 34% from May 2025 and 3% from April 2026. The company's customer margin loan balance of $100.9 billion surged 65% from the year-ago month and 11% from last month.

Measures by IBKR’s Peers to Expand Product OfferingsInteractive Brokers’ key competitors, Charles Schwab (SCHW - Free Report) and Robinhood Markets (HOOD - Free Report) , have been rolling out products to bolster market share.

Schwab has been broadening its platform with alternative investments, expanded 24-hour trading and planned digital-asset/private-market capabilities to deepen client engagement and attract affluent, active and younger investors. These additions strengthen Schwab’s full-service ecosystem, helping defend assets while expanding market share across brokerage, wealth and advisory channels.

Robinhood is broadening beyond commission-free trading with futures, prediction markets, AI-powered tools, crypto products, Gold subscriptions, credit card and banking offerings. This product velocity deepens engagement with active traders, attracts younger investors and expands wallet share, positioning Robinhood to gain market share across trading, wealth and broader fintech services.

IBKR’s Price Performance & Zacks RankShares of Interactive Brokers have rallied 37.9% so far this year against the industry’s decline of 1.1%.
 

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Currently, Interactive Brokers carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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Published in fin-tech finance

Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. (IBKR - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $87.15, moving -1.77% from the previous trading session. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.74%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 1.21%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.89%.

Shares of the company have appreciated by 5.73% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Finance sector's gain of 1.17%, and the S&P 500's gain of 5.39%.

The upcoming earnings release of Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. will be of great interest to investors. On that day, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. is projected to report earnings of $0.59 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 15.69%. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $1.66 billion, reflecting a 12.16% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.

For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $2.46 per share and a revenue of $6.9 billion, demonstrating changes of +12.33% and +12.14%, respectively, from the preceding year.

It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.

Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed an unchanged state. Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy).

Looking at its valuation, Interactive Brokers Group, Inc. is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 36.11. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 12.93.

Investors should also note that IBKR has a PEG ratio of 2.45 right now. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The Financial - Investment Bank industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 0.93 as of yesterday's close.

The Financial - Investment Bank industry is part of the Finance sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 107, placing it within the top 44% of over 250 industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.