What happened
Shares of Infinera (INFN -0.90%) are plunging today, down 28% as of 10:24 a.m. EDT, after the telecom equipment provider reported first-quarter results paired with weak guidance.
So what
Here are the key numbers from the first quarter:
- Revenue surged 44% to $295.6 million. This figure was below management's guidance range and fell short of the $311 million that Wall Street was expecting.
- Non-GAAP gross margin declined 840 basis points to 35.3%. This came in above management's guidance range.
- Non-GAAP net loss was $41.2 million, or $0.23 per share. That figure was better than the consensus estimate among the analyst community for a $0.27-per-share loss.
On the call with investors, management stated that Infinera's order flow remains strong but that it is not translating into revenue on the timeline that was anticipated. The delay is expected to hamper near-term growth in the upcoming quarter:
- Non-GAAP revenue is forecast to land between $290 million and $310 million. For context, market watchers were looking for $336 million.
- Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be between 28% and 32%.
- Infinera is projecting a non-GAAP loss between $0.30 and $0.26 per share. That's also far worse than the consensus estimate of $0.18-per-share loss.
If the revenue miss and weak guidance weren't bad enough, CFO Brad Feller also announced that he will be retiring later this year.
Image source: Getty Images.
Add it all up, and it is no surprise to see shares being hammered today.
Now what
The news that Infinera's order book is filling up should provide investors with some comfort. However, if the company fails to translate that order book strength into revenue and profits then it will do investors no good.
Infinera's stock is currently at an all-time low, which speaks volumes about Wall Street's confidence in the future potential of this business. Management has a lot of work ahead of them if they hope to regain investors' trust anytime soon.
