Credo Technology Group (Credo (CRDO)) reported fiscal fourth-quarter results that crushed Wall Street estimates, but the stock still took a hit in premarket trading Tuesday. The reason? Sometimes even a blowout quarter isn't enough when expectations are already priced in.
The high-speed connectivity solutions company posted Q4 revenue of $437 million, ahead of the $432.05 million analysts were looking for. Adjusted earnings came in at $1.16 per share, beating the $1.03 consensus estimate. But here's the jaw-dropper: that single quarter's revenue alone exceeded Credo's entire fiscal 2025 revenue. As CEO Bill Brennan put it on the earnings call, "Notably, our revenue in the quarter exceeded our entire fiscal 25 revenue."
Revenue surged 157% year over year and rose 7.4% sequentially, fueled by insatiable demand for AI infrastructure connectivity products. The company's active electrical cables (AECs), optical digital signal processors (DSPs), and retimers are all riding the AI wave. Adjusted gross margin hit 68.3%, above the company's guidance range, while operating income climbed to $216.7 million, yielding a 49.6% operating margin. Credo also generated $182.2 million in operating cash flow and ended fiscal 2026 with about $1.4 billion in cash and short-term investments.
Looking ahead, Credo guided for fiscal first-quarter revenue between $465 million and $475 million, above the $461.61 million analysts expected. The company also forecast adjusted gross margin of 67% to 69%. But the real story is the optical business. Management sees a massive growth opportunity in fiscal 2027 as customer adoption accelerates. The portfolio includes optical DSPs, silicon photonics technology from the Dust Photonics acquisition, and the Zero Flap optics platform. Credo expects its optical business to generate more than $600 million in fiscal 2027 revenue, with optical DSPs, silicon photonics PICs, and Zero Flap optics each contributing over $100 million annually.
Despite all this good news, Credo shares were down 4.02% at $217.00 in premarket trading Tuesday. The stock has had a tremendous run, and investors may have been expecting even more. Sometimes, when you set the bar that high, even a record quarter can feel like a letdown.
