Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA) Releases Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The industrial products company reported $4.33 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $4.34 by ($0.01), FiscalAI reports. Zebra Technologies had a net margin of 9.74% and a return on equity of 18.08%. The firm had revenue of $1.48 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.47 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $4.00 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Zebra Technologies updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 4.050-4.350 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 17.700-18.300 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Zebra Technologies’ conference call:

• Q4 beat expectations with nearly $1.5B in sales (+10.6% / +2.5% organic), a 22.1% Adjusted EBITDA margin and non-GAAP EPS of $4.33, while full-year free cash flow topped $800 million and the company repurchased ~$587M in 2025 with an additional $1B buyback authorization.
• Zebra sharpened its portfolio through the acquisitions of Elo and Photoneo (Elo added ~2 points of sales) and by exiting robotics to reallocate resources to higher-growth areas like RFID, machine vision, and AI, with early integration synergies progressing.
• Management guided to strong 2026 targets: Q1 sales +11–15% (≈10 points from acquisitions/FX), full-year sales +9–13%, ~22% Adjusted EBITDA margin, EPS $17.70–$18.30, and at least $900M of free cash flow (~100% conversion).
• Beginning in Q2, industry memory price increases are expected to create an ~2-point gross margin headwind; Zebra plans price increases, supplier actions, product transitions and cost saves to fully mitigate this within the year, but availability and pricing remain a material risk.
• Zebra is investing in growth drivers—expecting RFID to grow high double-digits, machine vision to return to growth in 2026, and ramping its new Frontline AI Suite (enablers, blueprints, Zebra Companion) with paid pilots and scaled deployments planned.

Zebra Technologies Trading Up 10.3%

Shares of Zebra Technologies stock traded up $26.09 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $278.58. The stock had a trading volume of 1,298,782 shares, compared to its average volume of 736,701. The firm has a market capitalization of $14.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.08 and a beta of 1.69. Zebra Technologies has a 1 year low of $205.73 and a 1 year high of $352.66. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $251.49 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $279.42.

Insider Transactions at Zebra Technologies

In other Zebra Technologies news, Director Satish Dhanasekaran purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $233.12 per share, for a total transaction of $233,120.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 3,356 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $782,350.72. This represents a 42.44% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CYBER HORNET ETFs LLC purchased a new stake in Zebra Technologies during the 2nd quarter worth $39,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Zebra Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $141,000. State of Wyoming raised its position in shares of Zebra Technologies by 96.1% in the 2nd quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 604 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $186,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its stake in shares of Zebra Technologies by 246.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 645 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $192,000 after buying an additional 459 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Prelude Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Zebra Technologies during the third quarter worth approximately $201,000. 91.03% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZBRA has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Zebra Technologies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays set a $351.00 price objective on Zebra Technologies and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 6th. KeyCorp reaffirmed a “sector weight” rating on shares of Zebra Technologies in a research note on Thursday, October 30th. Citigroup cut their price target on Zebra Technologies from $346.00 to $311.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Zebra Technologies from $331.00 to $291.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, December 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $347.88.

Trending Headlines about Zebra Technologies

Here are the key news stories impacting Zebra Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zebra raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $17.70–$18.30 (well above the prior Street view) and set Q1‑2026 EPS at $4.05–$4.35, signaling stronger-than-expected margins and revenue direction for the year; investors are pricing in better forward earnings visibility. Reuters: Upbeat 2026 forecast
• Positive Sentiment: The board approved an additional $1 billion share‑repurchase authorization (on top of prior authorizations), a capital‑return action that typically supports EPS and the stock multiple. BusinessWire: $1B repurchase
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly revenue grew ~10.6% year‑over‑year to ~$1.48B and slightly beat consensus, reflecting continued demand for barcode scanners and mobile devices; topline strength supports the raised full‑year outlook. Zacks: Q4 revenue growth
• Neutral Sentiment: Zebra presented at the Citi Global Industrial Tech & Mobility Conference (investor outreach that can help sustain institutional interest). Yahoo Finance: Citi conference
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 EPS came in $4.33, missing consensus by $0.01; the miss was attributed to higher expenses and a decline in cash levels, which could temper near‑term margin expectations despite revenue growth. Zacks: Q4 EPS miss

Zebra Technologies Company Profile

Zebra Technologies Corporation is a global technology company specializing in marking, tracking and computer printing solutions. The company produces a wide range of hardware and software products designed to enable real-time visibility of assets, inventory and personnel across diverse industries. Its offerings help businesses automate data capture and streamline operations in environments such as retail, healthcare, manufacturing, transportation and logistics.

The company’s product portfolio includes barcode and RFID printers, mobile computing devices, barcode scanners, RFID readers and related supplies such as labels and tags.