IBKR Enters the S&P 500 Index: A Win for Retail Investors?

Shares of Interactive Brokers Group IBKR gained more than 4% in the after-market hours yesterday, following the S&P Dow Jones’ announcement that the electronic brokerage firm is joining the S&P 500 Index before market open on Aug. 28, replacing Walgreens Boots Alliance.

For being included in the index, companies must have a market value of at least $20.5 billion and be profitable on a GAAP basis for the past four quarters cumulatively and in the most recent quarter. Interactive Brokers has a market cap of $106 billion and has been witnessing solid improvement in profitability, given the continued rise in retail market participation.

So far this year, IBKR shares have rallied 42.1%, outperforming the industry’s 23.2% growth. The robust performance has been driven by the continued expansion of the company’s product suite and its strong technological capabilities. Moreover, IBKR has been benefiting from the current heightened market volatility. Rapidly evolving trends are expected to keep driving the company’s revenues and help expand its market share.

A close IBKR peer, Charles Schwab SCHW, has also been benefiting from the current volatile operating environment. Schwab reported a year-over-year rise in trading revenues in the first half of 2025, driven by growth in client trading volume.

Of late, Schwab’s performance has reflected strong asset gathering, sustained client engagement and equity market appreciation, continued demand for bank lending, and reduction of higher-cost bank supplemental funding. The SCHW stock has gained 30% so far this year.

Inclusion in the S&P 500 is significant, as it often leads to increased demand from index funds and passive investors who aim to replicate the index's performance. This heightened demand can boost a company's stock price and liquidity. For Interactive Brokers, such inclusion would not only validate its growth trajectory but also enhance its visibility and credibility in the financial markets.

This June, during the quarterly S&P 500 rebalancing, IBKR was a strong candidate, ranking near the top among eligible companies, but ultimately was not chosen for inclusion in the benchmark index.

Likewise, Robinhood Markets Inc. HOOD, another close IBKR peer, has continuously been dropped out from inclusion in the index. There are chances that Robinhood, which ranks among the largest eligible companies by market capitalization, can be added to the benchmark index in the upcoming quarterly rebalance, set to be announced in early September. Robinhood has a market cap of more than $95 billion and the stock has skyrocketed 189.7% year to date.

IBKR’s Valuation & Estimate Analysis

From a valuation standpoint, IBKR trades at a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 30.83, well above the industry average of 14.64.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Interactive Brokers’ 2025 and 2026 earnings indicates year-over-year growth of 11.4% and 6.1%, respectively. Over the past 30 days, earnings estimates for both years have been revised upward.

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

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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