Cisco shares collapsed 14% amid China lockdown

Shares of network equipment maker Cisco fell sharply on Thursday after the release of a forecast for sales in the current quarter. According to the forecast, the indicator fell significantly due to the damage caused to the supply chain by quarantine restrictions in China.

In particular, the company expects a decrease in sales in the fourth quarter of this fiscal year by 1-5% compared to the same period last year. Analysts, on the other hand, had expected growth of 5.9% to $13.9 billion.

As a result, Cisco shares fell 14% to $41.36 (the lowest price since November 2020), and 24 million shares traded on the exchange exceeded the average daily sales volume of 22 million shares during the first hour of trading.

The company said there was solid demand in the third quarter, but sales were hurt by coronavirus restrictions in China, which cut the company's revenue by $300 million, and a Russian special operation in Ukraine, which reduced sales by another $200 million. It’s expected that the quarantine in Shanghai will be lifted on June 1.

Cisco's Q3 adjusted earnings were 87 cents per share on $12.8 billion in revenue. Analysts had expected 86 cents per share on $13.3 billion in revenue.