Akamai’s Cloud Facing Headwinds and Narrowing Guidance

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By Chris Lange Updated Published
Akamai’s Cloud Facing Headwinds and Narrowing Guidance

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Akamai Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM) shares dipped on Tuesday after the company announced updated guidance for the coming quarter and the full year in connection with its analyst day.

In most cases, if a company is expecting a rough quarter, it is better off to update guidance ahead of the results and get it over with rather than suffer later when the stakes could be higher.

Due to the strengthening of the dollar since the guidance was issued on April 30, revenue and earnings for the second quarter are expected to face a headwind of $3 million and $0.01, respectively. As a result, the company now anticipates its second quarter 2018 revenue range to be $658 million to $663 million and earnings per share (EPS) to be between $0.79 and $0.81.

Thomson Reuters consensus estimates call for $0.80 in EPS and $665.85 million in revenue for the quarter.

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Looking ahead to the full year, Akamai now expects its 2018 revenue range to be $2.675 billion to $2,705 billion and EPS of $3.20 to $3.30. The increase to EPS guidance is due to expected improvement in the company’s operating margins. Previously the company anticipated revenue in the range of $2.69 billion to $2.72 billion and EPS in the range of $3.15 to $3.25.

Consensus estimates are $3.27 in EPS and $2.72 billion in revenue for the full year.

Shares of Akamai were last seen down about 3% at $75.20, with a consensus analyst price target of $79.32 and a 52-week trading range of $44.65 to $83.08.

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Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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