Dec. 17, 2025 — Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL) became one of the most-watched industrial tech names on Wednesday after the electronics manufacturing services giant posted a fiscal first-quarter 2026 beat, lifted its full-year outlook, and pointed again to accelerating demand tied to AI-driven data center buildouts. [1]
The early reaction was bullish: Reuters reported the shares were up more than 5.8% in premarket trading following the release. [2] But trading turned volatile as the session progressed. Market data shows JBL opened sharply higher, touched a fresh intraday high, then gave back much of the move later in the day.
Below is a detailed breakdown of today’s Jabil stock news, the latest FY2026 forecast and guidance, and the most important analyst and management takeaways shaping near-term sentiment around JBL shares.
Jabil stock price today: strong open, wide intraday range
After the earnings release, Jabil stock showed significant intraday movement. As of 19:01 UTC (2:01 p.m. ET), JBL traded around $214.00, up about 0.68% on the day, after opening at $226.40 and trading between $207.55 and $232.72. Volume at that time was roughly 4.4 million shares.
That kind of swing is typical on earnings day for a stock that’s tightly linked to fast-moving themes like AI infrastructure, cloud capex, and liquid cooling—and it set the stage for a “good news vs. expectations” tug-of-war that investors will likely continue to debate through the holidays.
Jabil earnings: what the company reported for fiscal Q1 2026
Jabil’s fiscal first quarter (ended Nov. 30, 2025) delivered a clear beat on key headline metrics:
- Net revenue:$8.305 billion
- GAAP diluted EPS:$1.35
- Core (non-GAAP) diluted EPS:$2.85 [3]
Management also highlighted profitability on a “core” basis:
- Core operating income:$454 million
- Core operating margin:5.5% [4]
The Reuters tally of consensus expectations (via LSEG) emphasized the magnitude of the beat, citing first-quarter revenue of $8.30 billion vs. $8.09 billion expected and adjusted EPS of $2.85 vs. $2.70 expected. [5]
The biggest JBL catalyst: raised FY2026 guidance (and it’s above Wall Street)
The main reason Jabil stock was in focus on Dec. 17 wasn’t just the quarter—it was the updated outlook.
FY2026 forecast: revenue, margin, EPS, cash flow
In its FY26 financial plan, Jabil now expects:
- Net revenue:$32.4 billion
- Core operating margin:5.7%
- Core EPS:$11.55
- Free cash flow:$1.3B+ [6]
Reuters reported that Jabil’s updated full-year outlook is above Wall Street estimates, citing LSEG expectations of $31.52B in revenue and $11.11 in adjusted EPS. [7]
Q2 guidance: what Jabil expects next quarter
For fiscal Q2 2026, Jabil guided to:
- Revenue:$7.5B to $8.0B
- Core EPS:$2.27 to $2.67
- GAAP EPS:$1.70 to $2.19 [8]
This matters for JBL stock because it suggests the company expects AI/data center strength to persist—not fade—after an already strong Q1.
Segment performance: Intelligent Infrastructure is the growth engine
One of the most important storylines for Jabil investors in 2025 has been the company’s transformation from “contract manufacturer” into a scaled partner for high-value data center infrastructure, including racks, power, and liquid-cooled platforms.
Jabil’s earnings presentation shows Q1 performance by segment (year-over-year):
- Intelligent Infrastructure:+54% (core op margin 5.2%)
- Regulated Industries:+4% (core op margin 5.8%)
- Connected Living & Digital Commerce:-10% (core op margin 5.5%) [9]
The mix is increasingly tilted toward infrastructure: the same presentation indicates revenue share of roughly 46% Intelligent Infrastructure, 37% Regulated, and 17% Connected Living/Digital Commerce. [10]
On the earnings call, management described Intelligent Infrastructure as the primary driver of upside, with outperformance linked to cloud and data center infrastructure, data center power operations, and demand for next-generation liquid-cooled platforms. [11]
Jabil’s AI exposure: management now expects about $12.1B in AI-related revenue in FY2026
For many investors, JBL has effectively become a “picks-and-shovels” play on AI capex. On the call, CEO Michael Dastoor laid out a sharper set of numbers tying Jabil’s business directly to AI infrastructure demand.
Management said it now expects AI-related revenue of approximately $12.1 billion in FY2026, representing about 35% year-over-year growth, up from 25% growth originally expected in September. [12]
The same discussion tied the upgrade to two specific end markets:
- Cloud & Data Center Infrastructure: now expected to reach $9.8B in FY2026
- Networking & Comms: now expected to rise by about $300M to $2.7B [13]
Those figures align with the earnings deck’s FY26E portfolio breakdown, which lists Cloud & Data Center Infrastructure at $9.8B and Networking & Comms at $2.7B within Intelligent Infrastructure. [14]
Why liquid cooling keeps coming up in every JBL stock debate
A recurring phrase in the Jabil story is liquid cooling—and it’s not just hype.
The company says demand for “next-gen liquid-cooled platforms” is supporting networking upside, including growth in India tied to high-speed interconnect capacity (Ethernet and InfiniBand) used to support AI workloads. [15]
But liquid cooling is also where execution risk can show up. Ahead of earnings, BofA warned that Jabil could face capacity limitations in fiscal Q2 while it retrofits factories to support liquid cooling—an effort it expected to take about four months and potentially affect Q2 and part of Q3. [16]
On the call, management discussed factory work related to liquid cooling, pointing to different locations (including Mexico and India) and reiterating that the company’s CapEx outlook remains about 1.5% to 2% of revenue for FY26. [17]
For investors, this is a key nuance: liquid cooling is both a demand tailwind and a capacity/transition challenge that can drive quarter-to-quarter variability—exactly the kind of dynamic that produces an earnings-day stock swing like the one JBL saw today.
Analyst forecasts and price targets: where Wall Street stands on JBL stock
While analyst views shift over time, today’s reporting included several notable updated targets and a clear theme: higher expectations driven by AI infrastructure momentum.
MarketBeat’s Dec. 17 roundup said Wall Street has been raising targets, citing:
- Barclays: $267
- Bank of America: $262
- Raymond James: $260
It also reported a MarketBeat consensus price target of $249.43 and an average rating of “Moderate Buy.” [18]
Separately, BofA (as summarized by Investing.com) reaffirmed a Buy rating and raised its target to $262 ahead of the print, explicitly pointing to expectations that AI-related revenue would remain strong. [19]
Balance sheet and buybacks: capital returns stayed in focus
Beyond AI, another reason investors track Jabil is shareholder returns—especially buybacks.
On the earnings call, management said Jabil generated $323M of operating cash flow in Q1, spent $51M on net capital expenditures, and delivered $272M of adjusted free cash flow—while reiterating a full-year target of $1.3B in adjusted free cash flow. [20]
Management also said it repurchased $300M of shares during the quarter. [21]
On dividends, Jabil’s board previously declared a quarterly dividend of $0.08 per share, and the company noted it has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since May 2006. [22]
Other recent JBL-related developments investors are connecting to the AI thesis
Even though today’s catalyst was earnings and guidance, several 2025 developments continue to shape how analysts model Jabil’s multi-year opportunity—especially around data center power and infrastructure.
Hanley Energy acquisition: data center power and services expansion
Jabil announced in November that it agreed to acquire Hanley Energy Group for about $725 million plus contingent consideration up to $58 million, with the deal expected to close in Q1 calendar 2026 (subject to conditions). [23]
On the earnings call, management said Q2 guidance assumes the acquisition closes sometime in January and includes a modest contribution, and it described Hanley as a way to add power/energy management services (deploy, install, maintain) alongside Jabil’s existing data center power capabilities. [24]
Board transitions scheduled for January 2026
Jabil also announced that Executive Chairman Mark T. Mondello and directors Kathleen A. Walters and Jamie Siminoff will not seek re-election at the annual meeting in January 2026, with lead director Steve Raymund expected to become chairman. [25]
Energy infrastructure and supply chain diversification
In another November announcement, Jabil said it expanded its collaboration with Inno to manufacture battery energy storage system (BESS) enclosures, including a co-investment in a 15,000-square-meter site in Rayong, Thailand, expected to be operational for prototyping by late 2026. [26]
While not the core driver of today’s stock move, this is part of the “diversified portfolio” story Jabil repeatedly emphasizes—balancing high-growth AI infrastructure with regulated and energy-related manufacturing programs.
What to watch next for Jabil stock (JBL)
With the earnings release out, investors typically focus on a short list of catalysts that can either confirm or challenge the new FY2026 forecast:
- Execution in Intelligent Infrastructure
The company’s biggest upside is concentrated in cloud, data center infrastructure, networking, and liquid cooling—so any sign of schedule slips, customer pauses, or margin pressure can move the stock quickly. [27] - Capacity and retrofit timing
BofA’s note highlighted potential near-term capacity constraints tied to liquid cooling retrofits, which investors may watch closely through Q2 and Q3. [28] - Hanley deal closing and integration signals
Management is already assuming a January close in guidance; investors will look for confirmation and early evidence that the acquisition supports the “power + services” thesis in hyperscale data centers. [29] - Broader market risk appetite
Even on a strong company-specific day, JBL can be buffeted by macro sentiment—especially when the market is choppy and investors rotate out of high-momentum AI-linked names.
Bottom line: why today’s Jabil stock move matters
Jabil’s Dec. 17 earnings cycle delivered what bullish investors typically want: a beat, a raise, and a bigger AI-linked revenue narrative—complete with concrete FY2026 targets for revenue ($32.4B), margins (5.7% core op margin), and earnings ($11.55 core EPS). [30]
At the same time, the stock’s wide intraday range underscores the market’s sensitivity to any sign that data center momentum could be “lumpy,” capacity-constrained, or priced in. [31]
References
1. www.reuters.com, 2. www.reuters.com, 3. investors.jabil.com, 4. s27.q4cdn.com, 5. www.reuters.com, 6. s27.q4cdn.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.fool.com, 9. s27.q4cdn.com, 10. s27.q4cdn.com, 11. www.fool.com, 12. www.fool.com, 13. www.fool.com, 14. s27.q4cdn.com, 15. www.fool.com, 16. www.investing.com, 17. www.fool.com, 18. www.marketbeat.com, 19. www.investing.com, 20. www.fool.com, 21. www.fool.com, 22. investors.jabil.com, 23. investors.jabil.com, 24. www.fool.com, 25. investors.jabil.com, 26. investors.jabil.com, 27. www.fool.com, 28. www.investing.com, 29. investors.jabil.com, 30. s27.q4cdn.com, 31. www.investing.com
