New York, February 4, 2026, 14:56 EST — Regular session
- CDW shares jumped close to 10% after the company beat quarterly sales and profit forecasts.
- Management highlighted ongoing demand for security and cloud services, despite tighter budget scrutiny from customers.
- Attention has shifted to CDW’s 2026 goals and the rearranged U.S. data schedule following the shutdown.
CDW Corp (CDW.O) shares jumped almost 10% Wednesday, boosted by a better-than-expected fourth-quarter report. The IT solutions heavyweight climbed 9.8% to $138.53, following a previous close at $126.16. During the session, the stock fluctuated between $124.01 and $140.42.
The jump is significant because CDW is right at the heart of everyday IT buying—exactly the area that often feels the pinch when budgets get tight. Investors have been eager for clear proof that “AI” projects are moving beyond pilots and press announcements into actual sales.
The Nasdaq dropped 1.53%, and the S&P 500 was down 0.48%, making CDW a standout in an otherwise soft market. In times of market jitters, a strong earnings surprise often ripples quickly through the tech supply chain. 1
Vernon Hills, Illinois-based CDW reported net sales of $5.51 billion for the quarter ended Dec. 31, surpassing the $5.29 billion average estimate from analysts, per LSEG data. Adjusted earnings—excluding certain items—came in at $2.57 per share, beating the $2.44 consensus. “Our ability to deliver outcomes across the hardware, software, and services continuum drove strong gross profit growth and margin,” said CFO Albert Miralles. 2
CDW reported an 8.6% jump in gross profit, with gross margin expanding to 22.8%, driven by stronger demand for software, notebooks/mobile devices, and services. Small business net sales climbed 18.4% on a daily average, while corporate sales dipped slightly and the public sector grew 7.0%, the company said. CEO Christine A. Leahy highlighted their role as a “trusted advisor” as a key advantage. Meanwhile, Miralles noted plans to return about $982 million to shareholders in 2025, alongside a $0.63 quarterly dividend declared for payment on March 10. The board also reaffirmed its 2026 target to outperform U.S. IT market growth by 200 to 300 basis points (with a basis point equal to 0.01 percentage point). 3
Other IT distributors saw gains as well. Insight Enterprises climbed around 4.5%, while TD SYNNEX added nearly 1.8% during the session.
Budgets continue to be the key variable. CDW has focused heavily on core areas such as security and cloud migration — shifting systems and data to cloud providers. Any widespread delays in refresh cycles or deal sign-offs would rapidly impact both orders and margins.
Next on the radar: macro data. The U.S. government’s brief shutdown has shuffled the calendar, pushing the January employment report to Wednesday, Feb. 11, and the January CPI release to Friday, Feb. 13. Meanwhile, December’s JOLTS report is set for Thursday, Feb. 5. Each of these could influence interest rate expectations and, in turn, tech sector spending. 4
