Zoom Crashes 8% -- Investors Stunned by Weak Outlook Despite AI Boom

GuruFocus.com
25 Feb

Zoom (NASDAQ:ZM) took a hit in early trading, sinking nearly 8% at 10.36am, after posting a quarter that was solid on the surface but left investors wanting more. Revenue came in at $1.18 billion, up 3.3% year-over-year, with enterprise sales leading the charge. Operating cash flow jumped 21.7% to nearly $1.95 billion, and margins continued to expand. Sounds good, right? Not quite. The problem? Zoom's fiscal 2026 outlook underwhelmed, with projected revenue growth of just 3.1% in constant currencyfalling short of what Wall Street wanted to see. Investors weren't thrilled, and the stock paid the price.

  • Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with ZM.

Analysts weren't exactly jumping to Zoom's defense either. BofA Securities and J.P. Morgan stuck with neutral ratings, flagging sluggish revenue growth as a sticking point. Stifel went a step further, cutting its price target from $90 to $85, acknowledging Zoom's progress in AI-powered tools like Contact Center and Workvivo but stressing that meaningful growth acceleration still feels out of reach. Sure, AI monetization could eventually move the needle, but without a clear catalyst, investors are hesitant to bet big. Zoom's strong free cash flow is a plus, but heavy stock-based compensation continues to dilute the upside.

And it's not just Zoom feeling the heat. Competitors like Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), and Salesforce (NYSE:CRM) were all down slightly in early trading, reflecting broader market skepticism around enterprise software demand. The real question: Can Zoom break out of this slow-growth narrative? It needs a sparkwhether it's a major AI-driven revenue stream or an acceleration in enterprise adoption. Until then, the stock might be stuck in neutral, waiting for a reason to climb.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

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