InvestorWaves
ZBRAIndustrial Automation & RoboticsGeneral Industrial Machinery & Equipment

Zebra Technologies Corp

Zebra Technologies is a leader in data-capture hardware and automation software, with accelerating revenue and GAAP diluted EPS that validate its role in industrial automation growth trends.

Stage: Stage 1Rev growth: +20.4% YoYGAAP EPS growth: +121% YoYTrend template: 7/7 checksRS vs S&P (3m): +53.9%Institutional ownership: +106%
1 year · 9 EMA · 21 EMA$350.37+10.9% (1Y)
$200$300OCTJANAPRJUL$350.37

Zebra Technologies sells barcode printers, mobile computers, scanners, RFID systems and enterprise software used to track inventory and automate workflows in warehouses, retail and healthcare. Those products and software tie directly to industrial automation and robotics spending because they digitize physical flows and feed higher-level automation systems.

Financials show a clear recovery and acceleration. Revenue fell into 2023 (CY2023Q3 revenue $956.0M, down 30.6% year-over-year) then stabilized and turned positive across 2024–2026, reaching $1.557B in CY2026Q2, up 20.4% year-over-year. GAAP diluted EPS swung from a loss of $0.28 in CY2023Q3 to $4.85 in CY2026Q2, and both revenue and GAAP EPS are flagged as accelerating in the most recent quarters.

The company’s recent performance sits alongside healthy technical and institutional signals. Leader-selection scoring assigns a 67.5 total with strengths in institutional ownership and accumulation, and filings show 950 reporting institutions and a reported percent held of 1.05834. That mix of improving fundamentals, persistent institutional presence and product exposure to supply-chain automation frames Zebra as a timely operator within the Industrial Automation & Robotics theme.

Why now

Momentum accelerated in the latest pair of quarters: CY2026Q1 revenue rose to $1.495B (up 14.3% YoY) and CY2026Q2 reached $1.557B (up 20.4% YoY) while GAAP diluted EPS jumped to $4.85 in CY2026Q2 (up ~121% YoY); the combination of faster top-line growth and a large GAAP profit rebound makes the current period a logical time to watch execution and durable margin recovery.

The setup

Last close was $350.37 on 2026-09-11. The stock trades above the 50-day SMA ($321.91) and 200-day SMA ($259.55) while sitting essentially at the short EMAs (9-day EMA $351.65, 21-day EMA $350.41; distance to EMA9 -0.36%, to EMA21 -0.01%). Seven of seven trend checks passed and the Weinstein stage is a basing Stage 1, but entry-readiness is flagged as a watch because no verified fresh breakout or EMA add setup has been confirmed.

Revenue trajectory

+27%$5.6B2021+3%$5.8B2022-21%$4.6B2023+9%$5.0B2024+8%$5.4B2025+15%$6.2B2026E+6%$6.6B2027E

Reported (SEC filings)Analyst consensus

Full-year revenue with year-over-year growth. Solid bars are calendar-year actuals from SEC EDGAR filings (XBRL); dashed bars are analyst consensus via Yahoo Finance (16 analysts), which is published two fiscal years out.

Earnings trajectory

-23%$2.23Q1 '24-22%$2.17Q2 '24$2.64Q3 '24+17%$2.62Q1 '25+1%$2.19Q2 '25-25%$1.97Q3 '25+4%$2.72Q1 '26+121%$4.85Q2 '26+26%$4.89Q3 '26E+20%$5.18Q4 '26E

GAAP actual (SEC filings)Analyst consensus (typically adjusted)

Solid bars are quarterly GAAP diluted EPS from SEC EDGAR filings. Dashed bars are analyst consensus, which is typically adjusted (non-GAAP). The two are measured differently, so a step between the last actual and the first estimate usually reflects that change in basis rather than a change in the business.

Analyst full-year EPS consensus (typically adjusted): FY'26E $21.04 (+33%) · FY'27E $22.18 (+5%) — 16 analysts

Risks

1) Cyclical demand for hardware and capital equipment could reverse revenue momentum if customers delay upgrades or inventory refreshes. 2) GAAP diluted EPS has been volatile, moving from a loss to a large profit in recent quarters, so margins and GAAP results could swing with input costs, pricing or mix shifts. 3) Competitive pressure and the need to expand recurring software revenue require execution; any delay in converting customers or integrating solutions could slow the transition that underpins current earnings improvement.

Framework fit

CANSLIM

5/7
  • CCurrent quarterly GAAP EPS growth ≥ 25%+121%
  • AAnnual GAAP EPS growth ≥ 25%-20%
  • NNew highs — within 15% of 52-week high-8.53%
  • SSupply/demand — up-day volume leads0.99x
  • LLeader — outperforming the S&P 500+57% 6m
  • IInstitutional sponsorshipmodel score 8/10
  • MMarket in a confirmed uptrendConfirmed uptrend

Minervini Trend Template

7/7

Stage 2 confirmation checklist: price versus rising long-term moving averages and the 52-week range.

Weinstein Stage

Stage 1Basing

Price remains below repeatedly tested long-term resistance, so the larger Stage 1 base is still intact.

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