While quarterly earnings beats are usually happy events, they don't always result in immediate share price gains. That was the situation with specialty tech stock Calix (CALX 0.60%) on Tuesday; despite an earnings report that was impressive at first glance, investors were troubled by what the future might bring. As a result, they traded out of the company's shares to the point where the stock lost nearly 26% of its value.
Top and bottom-line beats for the fourth quarter
After market hours Monday, Calix unveiled its fourth-quarter and full-year results. The former period saw the telecom company take in $264.7 million, which was notably higher than the almost $245 million it earned in the same quarter of 2022. On average, analysts were expecting a bit under $264.4 million.
The company notched a more convincing beat on the bottom line, with non-GAAP (adjusted) net income landing at $29.4 million ($0.43 per share).
This was also an improvement on a year-over-year basis, as the fourth-quarter 2022 result was a profit of slightly over $24 million. For this quarter, the consensus prognosticator estimate was $0.36.
First-quarter guidance falls short, however
While management waxed enthusiastic about the distant future, it did sound a cautionary note about the remainder of this year. It expects that, due to customers applying for federal government financial support for broadband service, it will see a pull-back in demand.
In a shareholder letter, CEO Michael Weening and CFO Cory Sindelar wrote, "Therefore, during 2024, we expect our appliance shipments to slow until decisions are made and funds are awarded."
Calix proffered first-quarter guidance of $225 million to $231 million for revenue, with adjusted net income of $0.17 to $0.23 per share. Unfortunately, neither range comes close to the average analyst estimates of $267.5 million and $0.38, respectively.
