Extreme Networks recently experienced a significant drop in stock price despite better-than-expected Q1 results. The company’s disappointing guidance has raised concerns about the overall networking industry. CEO Ed Meyercord attributed the slowdown to macro-environmental trends such as a potential recession, rising interest rates, and economic challenges in key regions.
While analysts maintain a “hold” view on Extreme Networks, with a price target of $29.75 indicating growth potential, the stock’s selloff reflects investor uncertainty. The industry as a whole is facing a slowed growth, according to Meyercord. This slowdown is not limited to Extreme Networks but is impacting the networking industry as a whole.
Extreme Networks’ stock experienced a significant drop of 13.39% on November 1, following the release of better-than-expected Q1 results. However, industry peers Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ: CSCO) and Arista Networks Inc. (NASDAQ: ANET) saw their stocks rise after strong earnings reports.
Extreme Networks reported a 19% increase in quarterly revenue, reaching $353.1 million, and a 75% increase in earnings per share, reaching 35 cents. While these results would generally be considered positive, the company’s future revenue and earnings forecasts did not meet Wall Street’s expectations.
Investors were disappointed with the company’s guidance for the current quarter, which projected earnings between 26 cents and 31 cents per share, below the expected 37 cents per share. This led to the selloff of Extreme Networks’ stock.
Meyercord clarified that the reduced guidance was not due to customers reducing spending but rather a slowdown in decision making and demand. He compared the current market cycle to the early stages of the Covid pandemic, where spending and decision making were more cautious. Despite these challenges, Meyercord believes that Extreme Networks can continue to take market share from larger players in the industry.
Following the earnings report, two analysts downgraded the stock. However, the consensus view remains “hold,” with a price target of $29.75, indicating optimism about the company’s future.
Meyercord expects demand to stabilize over the next few quarters and anticipates mid-to-high single-digit revenue growth for fiscal year ’24, surpassing industry analyst expectations. He also mentioned that the company expects a high-teens operating margin in the current fiscal year, enabling over 25% growth in earnings per share.
It is worth mentioning that Extreme Networks’ selloff may be influenced by sentiment-driven factors rather than significant issues with the company. Investors may be using concerns about a slower economy as an excuse to sell off the stock. The future performance of the stock will reveal if this selloff was overdone or not.
Overall, while Extreme Networks’ stock faces short-term challenges, the company remains optimistic about its long-term prospects.
