Latest news with #MarkKing
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Why Xponential Fitness (XPOF) Stock Is Trading Up Today
What Happened? Shares of boutique fitness studio franchisor Xponential Fitness (NYSE:XPOF) jumped 3.4% in the pre-market session after the company announced it had completed the divestiture of its CycleBar and Rumble brands. The fitness franchisor sold the two brands to Extraordinary Brands, LLC, as part of a strategic realignment. Xponential Fitness stated that the transaction was consistent with its plan to focus resources and capital on its more profitable brands. In a statement, CEO Mark King emphasized that the company would concentrate on brands that drove both current and long-term profitability. This move was presented as a strategic effort to improve the company's financial performance and provide better support for its core, higher-performing franchises. After the initial pop the shares cooled down to $11.01, up 2.3% from previous close. Is now the time to buy Xponential Fitness? Access our full analysis report here, it's free. What Is The Market Telling Us Xponential Fitness's shares are extremely volatile and have had 50 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today's move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business. The previous big move we wrote about was 25 days ago when the stock gained 34.1% on the news that the company announced that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation into the company without recommending any enforcement action. The investigation, which began in December 2023, had been a significant overhang on the company's stock, which has fallen approximately 45% year-to-date. The probe was initiated after the SEC requested documents related to potential securities fraud and accounting issues. In a filing, Xponential stated it was informed on July 1 that the investigation was concluded and that no action would be taken. The company noted it had fully cooperated with the regulator over the past 18 months. This news removed a major cloud of uncertainty for investors, leading to a surge in confidence as reflected in the pre-market rally. Analysts at Jefferies noted that with the probe now cleared and new leadership in place, investor sentiment should improve, potentially allowing the stock's valuation to rise toward peer levels as the company focuses on its growth plans. Xponential Fitness is down 21.1% since the beginning of the year, and at $11.01 per share, it is trading 40.4% below its 52-week high of $18.47 from February 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Xponential Fitness's shares at the IPO in July 2021 would now be looking at an investment worth $898.78. Here at StockStory, we certainly understand the potential of thematic investing. Diverse winners from Microsoft (MSFT) to Alphabet (GOOG), Coca-Cola (KO) to Monster Beverage (MNST) could all have been identified as promising growth stories with a megatrend driving the growth. So, in that spirit, we've identified a relatively under-the-radar profitable growth stock benefiting from the rise of AI, available to you FREE via this link.
The Sun
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Snooker star who was suspended for match-fixing says match-fixers should be banned for life
SUSPENDED snooker star Mark King has insisted that any player found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life. King is currently suspended until March 2028 after being found guilty of fixing a match against Joe Perry in 2023. 2 2 But the 51-year-old told BBC Essex: "I don't think anyone should come back once they've been caught. "If you're guilty, that's it, you should never be allowed to play again." King, who was first suspended by snooker's governing body in March 2023 after suspicious betting patterns were flagged following his 4-0 loss to Joe Perry at the Welsh Open in February that year. Perry was not under suspicion and King has consistently denied the charges. After losing an appeal in May, he was hit with a staggering £113,000 cost order. In November 2024, the former Northern Ireland Open champion was found guilty and banned until March 2028. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) made it clear that there's no more serious violation than match-fixing, adding they had thoroughly investigated the case. The body said in a statement: "There was strong evidence against King, and this led to action under the WPBSA's Conduct Regulations." King admitted the scandal had taken a toll on his personal life, with his wife suffering serious health problems during the investigation. He revealed: "The hardest part of this has been seeing what it's done to my wife. Championship League snooker match awkwardly interrupted by Ice Cream Van "She had a pacemaker fitted not long after it all started, and it's been really tough on her." The Essex player, who once reached No.11 in the world, is also a recovering gambling addict and said the entire ordeal had severely impacted his mental health. While the WPBSA emphasised the support available for players, including counselling and legal advice, King described his struggles. He also admits despite receiving emotional support from close friends like three-time world champion Mark Williams, who called just to check on him, King is still facing financial strain due to his suspension. He said: "I don't have £113,000 lying around. "I'm out of work at 51, and I tried doing a bit of labouring, but it was too much for me." With just under three years remaining on his suspension, King is uncertain about his future in snooker. He concluded: "I don't know what's going to happen. I love playing, love the travel, but I'm still hurt and angry."
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Match-fixers should be banned for life'
Banned snooker player Mark King says players found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life. "I don't think anyone should come back, if you're found guilty you should never ever be able to play again and I stand by that'," he told BBC Essex. The 51-year-old was first suspended by the sport's governing body in March 2023. That was after suspicious betting was reported on his match against Joe Perry in February that year at the Welsh Open, which King lost 4-0. Perry was not accused of any wrongdoing. King has always denied the charge and lost an appeal in May. He was ordered to pay over £113,000 in costs. He was found guilty of match-fixing in November 2024 and suspended until March 2028. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said "there was no more serious breach of the rules than betting related match fixing" and it had "a long track record of thoroughly investigating such allegations". The WPBSA added there was evidence that King had been involved in fixing match results. "In this case there was strong evidence against King that necessitated action under the WPBSA's Conduct Regulations. This was vindicated by the findings of two independent KC Chaired Tribunals," a statement added. Strain on family King, who is a former Northern Ireland Open champion, said the situation had put a strain on his family. "I think the hardest person affected is my wife. She had a pacemaker fitted not long after the investigation started," he added. "It's really took the toll on her." The Essex player, who climbed to 11th in the world in 2003, is a recovering gambling addict. He said he has struggled with bad mental health since first being suspended. The WPBSA said the mental well-being of players was always a priority. "From the start of this case Mark King was offered a full range of support," they said. "This was both continued pastoral support, including the availability of counselling therapy through Sporting Chance, the Mental Health & Wellbeing partner of WPBSA Players, and signposting to pro-bono legal advice to ensure that he had access to informed and independent guidance." After receiving his suspension, King said he received a phone call from three-time world champion Mark Williams and a few other professional players. "One of the first players that rang me straight away was Mark Williams," King said. "He said, 'listen, I don't care what's going on. I'm just ringing up to see how you are.' That's a proper friend, we've known each other a long time." King said he was struggling to pay the costs. "Well, I obviously haven't got £113,000 in my back pocket for a start," he said. "I'm out of work because obviously I'm a 51-year-old man. I did a little bit of a labouring job but that was a bit too much for me." He said he was not sure if he would return to the sport when his suspension was lifted in just under three years. "I honestly don't know at this time," he added. "I love playing and I love the life of it and travelling all around the world and playing but at the same time I still feel hurt and angry." King loses appeal against snooker match-fixing ban Match-fixing scandal to Crucible champion - fall and rise of Zhao
BBC News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Match-fixers should be banned for life'
Banned snooker player Mark King says players found guilty of match-fixing should be banned for life."I don't think anyone should come back, if you're found guilty you should never ever be able to play again and I stand by that'," he told BBC 51-year-old was first suspended by the sport's governing body in March 2023. That was after suspicious betting was reported on his match against Joe Perry in February that year at the Welsh Open, which King lost 4-0. Perry was not accused of any has always denied the charge and lost an appeal in May. He was ordered to pay over £113,000 in was found guilty of match-fixing in November 2024 and suspended until March 2028. The World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association said "there was no more serious breach of the rules than betting related match fixing" and it had "a long track record of thoroughly investigating such allegations".The WPBSA added there was evidence that King had been involved in fixing match results."In this case there was strong evidence against King that necessitated action under the WPBSA's Conduct Regulations. This was vindicated by the findings of two independent KC Chaired Tribunals," a statement added. Strain on family King, who is a former Northern Ireland Open champion, said the situation had put a strain on his family. "I think the hardest person affected is my wife. She had a pacemaker fitted not long after the investigation started," he added."It's really took the toll on her."The Essex player, who climbed to 11th in the world in 2003, is a recovering gambling said he has struggled with bad mental health since first being WPBSA said the mental well-being of players was always a priority. "From the start of this case Mark King was offered a full range of support," they said."This was both continued pastoral support, including the availability of counselling therapy through Sporting Chance, the Mental Health & Wellbeing partner of WPBSA Players, and signposting to pro-bono legal advice to ensure that he had access to informed and independent guidance." After receiving his suspension, King said he received a phone call from three-time world champion Mark Williams and a few other professional players."One of the first players that rang me straight away was Mark Williams," King said."He said, 'listen, I don't care what's going on. I'm just ringing up to see how you are.' That's a proper friend, we've known each other a long time."King said he was struggling to pay the costs. "Well, I obviously haven't got £113,000 in my back pocket for a start," he said."I'm out of work because obviously I'm a 51-year-old man. I did a little bit of a labouring job but that was a bit too much for me."He said he was not sure if he would return to the sport when his suspension was lifted in just under three years."I honestly don't know at this time," he added. "I love playing and I love the life of it and travelling all around the world and playing but at the same time I still feel hurt and angry."
Yahoo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
5 Must-Read Analyst Questions From Xponential Fitness's Q1 Earnings Call
Xponential Fitness's first quarter was marked by a decline in sales and a negative market reaction, as the company reported a 3.5% year-over-year revenue drop and a non-GAAP loss that fell short of Wall Street expectations. Management attributed the subdued performance to a higher-than-anticipated studio closure rate, particularly within the CycleBar and StretchLab brands, and a temporary pause in franchise license terminations as the company reorganized its operations. CEO Mark King described the business as 'in the middle of a transformation,' emphasizing a shift from aggressive sales tactics to a focus on operational efficiency and franchisee support. Is now the time to buy XPOF? Find out in our full research report (it's free). Revenue: $76.88 million vs analyst estimates of $76.09 million (3.5% year-on-year decline, 1% beat) Adjusted EPS: -$0.20 vs analyst estimates of $0.15 (significant miss) Adjusted EBITDA: $27.33 million vs analyst estimates of $28.86 million (35.5% margin, 5.3% miss) The company reconfirmed its revenue guidance for the full year of $320 million at the midpoint EBITDA guidance for the full year is $122.5 million at the midpoint, in line with analyst expectations Operating Margin: 12.6%, up from 10% in the same quarter last year Market Capitalization: $352.8 million While we enjoy listening to the management's commentary, our favorite part of earnings calls are the analyst questions. Those are unscripted and can often highlight topics that management teams would rather avoid or topics where the answer is complicated. Here is what has caught our attention. Randy Konik (Jefferies) pressed for the main theme of the company's transformation, to which CEO Mark King responded that Xponential is shifting from aggressive sales to operational efficiency and franchisor support for long-term growth. Joe Altobello (Raymond James) asked about the spike in closures, with CFO John Meloun attributing most to CycleBar and StretchLab, and confirming the company expects this pattern to persist in the near term. John Heinbockel (Guggenheim) questioned the effectiveness and immediate impact of the new field operations team. King and Meloun replied that hands-on support should help new and struggling franchisees quickly, starting with the weakest performers. Chris O'Cull (Stifel) inquired about underinvestment in StretchLab marketing and potential for new membership models. King confirmed increased marketing spend and the exploration of monthly memberships to improve the brand's outlook. Korinne Wolfmeyer (Piper Sandler) sought clarification on tariff exposure and consumer demand assumptions. King emphasized minimal direct tariff impact and resilience in consumer demand, with no notable change in visitation or member growth. In future quarters, our team will monitor (1) the rollout and impact of the expanded field operations team on studio performance, (2) progress on StretchLab's turnaround plan and results of new membership models, and (3) the pace of international expansion and Club Pilates openings. The effectiveness of franchisee license management and adjustments to cost pressures will also be key markers of execution. Xponential Fitness currently trades at $10.10, up from $8.72 just before the earnings. Is there an opportunity in the stock?Find out in our full research report (it's free). Market indices reached historic highs following Donald Trump's presidential victory in November 2024, but the outlook for 2025 is clouded by new trade policies that could impact business confidence and growth. While this has caused many investors to adopt a "fearful" wait-and-see approach, we're leaning into our best ideas that can grow regardless of the political or macroeconomic climate. Take advantage of Mr. Market by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 183% over the last five years (as of March 31st 2025). Stocks that made our list in 2020 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,545% between March 2020 and March 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-micro-cap company Tecnoglass (+1,754% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
