Why is that weird?

If every calculation they had was pointing to that increase, backed up by historical growth rates, and suddenly this policy not only guts that increase, but reverse it into a decline, it makes sense to count that.

Stock evaluations are forward looking. Businesses operate on expected earnings, and earnings growth.

These aren’t just hopes and wishes that they make this money based on nothing. Are they guaranteed? No. Can they give a good idea of the direction things are headed from the current point barring any changes? Yes