Zebra Technologies Q1 2026 Earnings Beat, Raises Full-Year Outlook
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 12 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Strong Sales Performance: Zebra Technologies reported nearly $1.5 billion in sales for Q1 2026, reflecting a 14.3% year-over-year increase, which underscores the company's robust market performance and sustained customer demand, thereby bolstering confidence in its full-year outlook.
- Improved Profitability: The adjusted EBITDA margin reached 23.2%, while the adjusted gross margin improved to 50.4%, indicating significant progress in cost control and operational efficiency, which helps to enhance investor confidence.
- Capital Return Strategy: As of early May, the company has executed $500 million in share repurchases, demonstrating management's confidence in future growth while providing positive capital returns to shareholders, further enhancing market appeal for its stock.
- Optimistic Outlook: Management expects sales growth between 10% and 14% for 2026, with non-GAAP diluted earnings per share projected between $18.30 and $18.70, and free cash flow anticipated to be at least $900 million, reflecting the company's confidence in future market conditions and proactive growth strategies.
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Analyst Views on ZBRA
Wall Street analysts forecast ZBRA stock price to rise
7 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 247.900
Low
291.00
Averages
363.80
High
415.00
Current: 247.900
Low
291.00
Averages
363.80
High
415.00
About ZBRA
Zebra Technologies Corporation is engaged in the Automatic Identification and Data Capture (AIDC) industry. The Company helps organizations monitor, anticipate, and accelerate workflows by empowering their frontline and ensuring that everyone and everything is visible, connected and fully optimized. Its portfolio includes hardware, software, and services. It operates through two segments: Asset Intelligence & Tracking (AIT) and Enterprise Visibility & Mobility (EVM). The AIT segment is engaged in barcode printing and asset tracking technologies. Its product lines include barcode and card printers, radio frequency identification devices (RFID) and real-time location systems (RTLS) offerings, and supplies, including temperature-monitoring labels, and services. The EVM segment is engaged in automatic information and data capture solutions. Its product lines include mobile computing, data capture, fixed industrial scanning and machine vision, services, and workflow optimization solutions.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Zebra Technologies Exceeds Q1 Revenue Expectations
- Significant Revenue Growth: Zebra Technologies reported Q1 CY2026 revenue of $1.50 billion, reflecting a 14.3% year-on-year increase that surpassed analyst expectations of $1.48 billion, indicating strong market performance and sustained customer demand.
- Enhanced Profitability: The company's adjusted EPS of $4.75 exceeded analyst estimates of $4.25, marking an 11.9% increase, which reflects effective cost management and productivity enhancement measures.
- Optimistic Guidance: Management provided a revenue guidance of $1.49 billion for Q2 CY2026, above analyst expectations, and raised the full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $18.50, demonstrating confidence in future growth prospects.
- Strategic Investment and Innovation: Zebra continues to invest in AI solutions and the expansion of its Elo Touch portfolio, which is expected to drive future growth, particularly in manufacturing and logistics, further solidifying its market position.
See More
Zebra Technologies Announces Investor Conference Schedule
- Conference Schedule: Zebra Technologies will participate in four investor conferences from May 21 to June 4 in New York and Chicago, showcasing its leadership in digitizing and automating workflows, which is expected to attract investor interest and enhance the company's image.
- Event Dates: The specific conferences include the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference on May 21, Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference on May 27, TD Cowen's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on May 28, and the William Blair Growth Stock Conference on June 4, covering a diverse range of investor interests.
- Live Webcast: The company will provide live streaming and archived replays of the presentations on its website, facilitating information access for investors unable to attend in person, thereby enhancing transparency and investor relations.
- Company Overview: Zebra Technologies offers a portfolio of connected frontline, asset visibility, and automation solutions that empower customers across various industries to improve productivity and drive innovation, demonstrating its core competitiveness in the intelligent operations sector.
See More
Zebra Technologies Reports Strong Q1, Raises FY2026 Earnings Guidance
- Strong Performance: Zebra Technologies reported robust financial results for Q1, with specific figures not disclosed, indicating the company's competitive edge and growth potential in the market.
- Guidance Upgrade: The company raised its earnings guidance for FY2026, reflecting management's confidence in future performance, which is likely to attract more investor interest.
- Share Price Increase: Driven by strong results and the upgraded guidance, Zebra Technologies' share price has risen, reflecting market optimism about its future growth prospects.
- Analyst Price Target Increases: Several analysts have raised their price targets for Zebra, further validating market recognition of its long-term value, which may encourage greater participation from institutional investors.
See More
KeyBanc Raises Zebra Technologies Rating to Overweight
- Rating Upgrade: KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) from Sector Weight to Overweight with a $305 price target, reflecting confidence in the company's strong Q1 performance, which is expected to drive stock price appreciation.
- Market Reaction: Following the analysts' positive assessment, Zebra's shares climbed about 1% in premarket trading on Wednesday, indicating market confidence in the company's growth potential, particularly against the backdrop of recovering short-cycle demand.
- Financial Outlook: Zebra forecasts 2026 non-GAAP EPS between $18.30 and $18.70, raising its sales growth outlook to 10%-14%, which suggests an optimistic view on future performance that may attract more investor interest.
- Strategic Execution: Analysts noted that improvements in cost execution and Zebra's conservative guidance track record could support performance exceeding market consensus and drive its valuation closer to peer levels, thereby enhancing the company's competitive position in the market.
See More
Wall Street's Latest Ratings Overview
- Nvidia's Positive Outlook: Oppenheimer reiterates Nvidia as an outperform, projecting CY26 free cash flow to approach $200 billion, and if half is allocated for dividends, the yield could reach nearly 2.5%, which would bolster investor confidence and drive stock price appreciation.
- Apple's Strong Ecosystem: Daiwa raises Apple's price target from $310 to $325, emphasizing its vast ecosystem as a core strength, while acknowledging potential memory management challenges in 2H CY26, the long-term outlook remains favorable for this core holding.
- Positive Outlook for Housing Platform: UBS upgrades KE Holdings to buy from neutral, citing significant upside due to its agency business in tier 1 cities, particularly as the market recovery is led by the secondary market, positioning the company for strong performance.
- Wendy's Potential Privatization: Argus upgrades Wendy's to buy from neutral, driven by news of a potential move to take the restaurant chain private, with Trian Fund Management owning about 40% of the stock, indicating strong market confidence in this strategic shift.
See More
Zebra Technologies Upgraded by KeyBanc Following Strong Earnings
- Earnings Beat: Zebra Technologies reported first-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations, resulting in a more than 11% increase in share price, marking its best performance in a year and indicating strong market demand and execution capabilities.
- Rating Upgrade: KeyBanc upgraded Zebra's rating from sector weight to overweight, setting a price target of $305, which implies a 26% upside from Tuesday's close, reflecting optimistic market expectations for future growth.
- Increased EPS Guidance: Zebra expects its earnings per share to range between $18.30 and $18.70 by year-end, an increase from previous guidance, indicating enhanced confidence in future performance that may attract more investor interest.
- Market Consensus Support: Among the 20 analysts covering Zebra, 13 have assigned a buy or strong buy rating, demonstrating widespread market optimism for the company, despite its flat year-to-date stock performance.
See More
Zebra Technologies Exceeds Q1 Revenue Expectations
- Significant Revenue Growth: Zebra Technologies reported Q1 CY2026 revenue of $1.50 billion, reflecting a 14.3% year-on-year increase that surpassed analyst expectations of $1.48 billion, indicating strong market performance and sustained customer demand.
- Enhanced Profitability: The company's adjusted EPS of $4.75 exceeded analyst estimates of $4.25, marking an 11.9% increase, which reflects effective cost management and productivity enhancement measures.
- Optimistic Guidance: Management provided a revenue guidance of $1.49 billion for Q2 CY2026, above analyst expectations, and raised the full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $18.50, demonstrating confidence in future growth prospects.
- Strategic Investment and Innovation: Zebra continues to invest in AI solutions and the expansion of its Elo Touch portfolio, which is expected to drive future growth, particularly in manufacturing and logistics, further solidifying its market position.
See More
Zebra Technologies Announces Investor Conference Schedule
- Conference Schedule: Zebra Technologies will participate in four investor conferences from May 21 to June 4 in New York and Chicago, showcasing its leadership in digitizing and automating workflows, which is expected to attract investor interest and enhance the company's image.
- Event Dates: The specific conferences include the Wolfe Research Global Transportation & Industrials Conference on May 21, Bernstein's Strategic Decisions Conference on May 27, TD Cowen's Technology, Media & Telecom Conference on May 28, and the William Blair Growth Stock Conference on June 4, covering a diverse range of investor interests.
- Live Webcast: The company will provide live streaming and archived replays of the presentations on its website, facilitating information access for investors unable to attend in person, thereby enhancing transparency and investor relations.
- Company Overview: Zebra Technologies offers a portfolio of connected frontline, asset visibility, and automation solutions that empower customers across various industries to improve productivity and drive innovation, demonstrating its core competitiveness in the intelligent operations sector.
See More
Zebra Technologies Reports Strong Q1, Raises FY2026 Earnings Guidance
- Strong Performance: Zebra Technologies reported robust financial results for Q1, with specific figures not disclosed, indicating the company's competitive edge and growth potential in the market.
- Guidance Upgrade: The company raised its earnings guidance for FY2026, reflecting management's confidence in future performance, which is likely to attract more investor interest.
- Share Price Increase: Driven by strong results and the upgraded guidance, Zebra Technologies' share price has risen, reflecting market optimism about its future growth prospects.
- Analyst Price Target Increases: Several analysts have raised their price targets for Zebra, further validating market recognition of its long-term value, which may encourage greater participation from institutional investors.
See More
KeyBanc Raises Zebra Technologies Rating to Overweight
- Rating Upgrade: KeyBanc Capital Markets upgraded Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) from Sector Weight to Overweight with a $305 price target, reflecting confidence in the company's strong Q1 performance, which is expected to drive stock price appreciation.
- Market Reaction: Following the analysts' positive assessment, Zebra's shares climbed about 1% in premarket trading on Wednesday, indicating market confidence in the company's growth potential, particularly against the backdrop of recovering short-cycle demand.
- Financial Outlook: Zebra forecasts 2026 non-GAAP EPS between $18.30 and $18.70, raising its sales growth outlook to 10%-14%, which suggests an optimistic view on future performance that may attract more investor interest.
- Strategic Execution: Analysts noted that improvements in cost execution and Zebra's conservative guidance track record could support performance exceeding market consensus and drive its valuation closer to peer levels, thereby enhancing the company's competitive position in the market.
See More
Wall Street's Latest Ratings Overview
- Nvidia's Positive Outlook: Oppenheimer reiterates Nvidia as an outperform, projecting CY26 free cash flow to approach $200 billion, and if half is allocated for dividends, the yield could reach nearly 2.5%, which would bolster investor confidence and drive stock price appreciation.
- Apple's Strong Ecosystem: Daiwa raises Apple's price target from $310 to $325, emphasizing its vast ecosystem as a core strength, while acknowledging potential memory management challenges in 2H CY26, the long-term outlook remains favorable for this core holding.
- Positive Outlook for Housing Platform: UBS upgrades KE Holdings to buy from neutral, citing significant upside due to its agency business in tier 1 cities, particularly as the market recovery is led by the secondary market, positioning the company for strong performance.
- Wendy's Potential Privatization: Argus upgrades Wendy's to buy from neutral, driven by news of a potential move to take the restaurant chain private, with Trian Fund Management owning about 40% of the stock, indicating strong market confidence in this strategic shift.
See More
Zebra Technologies Upgraded by KeyBanc Following Strong Earnings
- Earnings Beat: Zebra Technologies reported first-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations, resulting in a more than 11% increase in share price, marking its best performance in a year and indicating strong market demand and execution capabilities.
- Rating Upgrade: KeyBanc upgraded Zebra's rating from sector weight to overweight, setting a price target of $305, which implies a 26% upside from Tuesday's close, reflecting optimistic market expectations for future growth.
- Increased EPS Guidance: Zebra expects its earnings per share to range between $18.30 and $18.70 by year-end, an increase from previous guidance, indicating enhanced confidence in future performance that may attract more investor interest.
- Market Consensus Support: Among the 20 analysts covering Zebra, 13 have assigned a buy or strong buy rating, demonstrating widespread market optimism for the company, despite its flat year-to-date stock performance.
See More
