Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) Issues FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) updated its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 0.140-0.210 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 0.660. The company issued revenue guidance of $151.0 million-$155.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $164.8 million. Clearfield also updated its Q4 2026 guidance to 0.000-0.070 EPS.

Clearfield Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of CLFD opened at $33.77 on Thursday. Clearfield has a 12-month low of $23.76 and a 12-month high of $52.73. The business’s fifty day moving average is $36.56 and its 200 day moving average is $33.67. The stock has a market cap of $458.93 million, a P/E ratio of -54.47 and a beta of 2.12.

Clearfield (NASDAQ:CLFD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The communications equipment provider reported $0.22 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.19 by $0.03. Clearfield had a negative net margin of 5.41% and a positive return on equity of 1.03%. The business had revenue of $43.86 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $43.92 million. Clearfield has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 0.000-0.070 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 0.140-0.210 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Clearfield will post 0.52 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on CLFD shares. Needham & Company LLC dropped their price target on shares of Clearfield from $52.00 to $40.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Roth Capital restated a “buy” rating and issued a $44.00 target price on shares of Clearfield in a report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Clearfield from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d-)” rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Clearfield presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $42.50.

Insider Transactions at Clearfield

In other news, Director Walter Louis Jones, Jr. sold 2,391 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.05, for a total value of $110,105.55. Following the transaction, the director owned 8,682 shares in the company, valued at $399,806.10. The trade was a 21.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Anis Khemakhem sold 1,684 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.90, for a total value of $67,191.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 25,126 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,002,527.40. This represents a 6.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 17.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Clearfield

Here are the key news stories impacting Clearfield this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q3 earnings beat expectations: Clearfield reported adjusted earnings of $0.22 per share, up from $0.11 a year ago and above analysts’ estimates of approximately $0.19–$0.20. Clearfield Beats Q3 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Revenue was broadly in line: Fiscal Q3 revenue totaled $43.86 million, only slightly below the roughly $43.9 million consensus estimate, indicating that quarterly demand remained close to expectations. Clearfield Reports Third Quarter Fiscal 2026 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Profitability remains weak: Clearfield posted a negative net margin of 5.41%, despite a slightly positive 1.03% return on equity, highlighting continued pressure on bottom-line performance.
• Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter outlook was cut well below expectations: Management guided to EPS of $0.00–$0.07 and revenue of $38 million–$42 million, versus analyst estimates of $0.41 EPS and $52.1 million in revenue. Clearfield Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: Full-year guidance also fell short: Clearfield forecast fiscal 2026 EPS of $0.14–$0.21 and revenue of $151 million–$155 million, compared with consensus estimates of $0.66 EPS and $164.8 million in revenue. The sizable guidance gap raises concerns about near-term demand and earnings visibility.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CLFD. State of Wisconsin Investment Board boosted its stake in Clearfield by 19.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Wisconsin Investment Board now owns 8,502 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,367 shares during the last quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC increased its stake in shares of Clearfield by 29.6% during the 4th quarter. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC now owns 11,940 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $348,000 after purchasing an additional 2,725 shares during the last quarter. Inceptionr LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Clearfield during the 4th quarter worth approximately $294,000. Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of Clearfield by 5.3% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 8,825 shares of the communications equipment provider’s stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 442 shares during the period. Finally, PharVision Advisers LLC purchased a new position in Clearfield in the third quarter valued at approximately $244,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 88.73% of the company’s stock.

Clearfield Company Profile

Clearfield, Inc (NASDAQ: CLFD) is a Minneapolis-based company specializing in fiber management products for broadband network deployments. The company’s core offerings include fiber distribution hubs, enclosures, splice trays, patching panels and connectivity accessories designed to simplify installation and maintenance of fiber-optic networks. Clearfield’s modular FieldSmart™ platform provides a scalable approach for service providers, utilities and enterprise organizations looking to expand or upgrade their fiber infrastructure.

Clearfield serves a diverse customer base that includes cable and internet service providers, telecommunications operators, wireless carriers, utilities and municipalities.