Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA) Posts Earnings Results

Zebra Technologies (NASDAQ:ZBRA) posted its quarterly earnings data 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 7.76% and a return on equity of 18.09%. The company had revenue of $1.48 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.00 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. 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 Down 3.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:ZBRA opened at $264.62 on Friday. Zebra Technologies has a 52-week low of $205.73 and a 52-week high of $352.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $13.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.39 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a current ratio of 0.97. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $251.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $278.90.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ZBRA has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Zebra Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Needham & Company LLC reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $345.00 price objective on shares of Zebra Technologies in a research report on Friday. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Zebra Technologies in a research note on Friday. Barclays decreased their price target on Zebra Technologies from $351.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $323.00 price objective on Zebra Technologies in a research report on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $339.25.

Insider Buying and Selling at Zebra Technologies

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in ZBRA. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in Zebra Technologies by 1,310.3% in the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 779,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $240,422,000 after purchasing an additional 724,396 shares in the last quarter. Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in Zebra Technologies by 152.5% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 34,262 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $10,565,000 after buying an additional 20,695 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its position in shares of Zebra Technologies by 1.4% during the second quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 23,743 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,321,000 after buying an additional 338 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Zebra Technologies by 1.2% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,204,370 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $679,740,000 after buying an additional 26,927 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Daiwa Securities Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Zebra Technologies by 2.9% during the second quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 10,200 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $3,145,000 after acquiring an additional 292 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 91.03% of the company’s stock.

Zebra Technologies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY2026 and Q1 guidance well above consensus (sales and EPS) — this upgrade is the main catalyst for the recent rally. Reuters: Upbeat 2026 forecast
• Positive Sentiment: The board authorized an additional $1 billion share‑repurchase, increasing capital return and supporting EPS. BusinessWire: $1B buyback
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported revenue growth and highlighted strategic tailwinds — AI, RFID, machine vision and services that shift mix toward software/analytics (a longer‑term margin/recurring revenue story). Seeking Alpha: AI pivot
• Neutral Sentiment: Q4 results: revenue beat estimates ($1.48B) but EPS missed by $0.01 — revenue up ~10.6% YoY; management provided slide deck and call for more detail. BusinessWire: Q4 results
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst reaction is mixed but includes bullish notes and higher price targets (e.g., Needham reaffirmed Buy with $345 PT), providing some aftermarket support. Benzinga: Needham reaffirmation
• Negative Sentiment: Management flagged a ~2‑point gross‑margin headwind from rising memory/chip costs in 2026; offset plans (price increases, productivity, robotics exit) are in place but execution risk remains. Yahoo: Memory costs and outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Despite guidance upside, the quarter showed higher expenses and a slight EPS miss and cash softness noted by some outlets — these mixed fundamentals help explain intraday volatility and profit‑taking. Zacks: EPS miss and expense note
• Negative Sentiment: Shares swung sharply after the beat/guidance — Furious short‑covering and momentum buying earlier this week created a high‑volatility setup that often leads to near‑term pullbacks. Fool: Volatility after big move

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.