New York, Feb 27, 2026, 08:41 EST — Premarket
- WRBY slipped roughly 2.3% premarket, pulling back after surging in the last session.
- Warby Parker announced a $100 million share repurchase and raised its 2026 outlook following a shift to full-year profitability.
- Piper Sandler flagged weather as holding back demand early in the quarter.
Shares of Warby Parker Inc (WRBY) slipped roughly 2.3% to $25.05 ahead of the bell Friday, after the eyewear retailer surged 17.8% on Thursday, finishing the session at $25.65.
Warby Parker’s rally isn’t just about momentum—its comeback puts the company front and center among consumer stocks under pressure to prove they can expand and actually turn a profit. Throw in talk of cash returns, and it’s no surprise investors are paying attention, especially with nerves running high in the market.
Investors are trying to gauge if the rally has legs, with management pushing for an aggressive store expansion and projecting higher margins. For retailers in growth mode, adjusted EBITDA—the metric that removes interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and certain other items—remains the key figure traders watch.
WRBY kicked off Thursday at $22.00 and shot up to $27.33 during the session, with roughly 14.2 million shares changing hands.
Warby Parker notched its first-ever annual net profit, posting $1.6 million in net income for 2025 on $871.9 million in revenue, according to Retail Dive. Co-founder and Co-CEO Dave Gilboa highlighted how the company “leveraged” its value proposition to pick up market share, though gross margin in the fourth quarter eased to 52.4%. Retail Dive
The company is projecting 2026 net revenue between $959 million and $976 million, with adjusted EBITDA targeted at $117 million to $119 million. Plans include opening 50 new stores. Warby Parker also rolled out a share buyback program, authorizing up to $100 million. Co-Founder and Co-CEO Neil Blumenthal pointed to “innovation and AI,” or artificial intelligence, as drivers for the company’s next chapter. Business Wire
Piper Sandler stuck with its Overweight call and $32 target on Warby Parker after the latest numbers. Analysts pointed to weather-driven headwinds as a reason for the muted short-term forecast. Warby Parker’s early-quarter revenue growth guidance, set at 6.5% to 7.5%, fell short of what some on the sell side had penciled in.
But there’s a hitch. Warby Parker pointed to tariff pressures, pricier shipping, and changes in its sales mix—contact lenses carrying more weight—as factors cutting into gross margin. The company also flagged ongoing trade policy uncertainty as a risk. The repurchase plan? No set end date; it can be halted or dropped altogether.
If WRBY holds its ground, expect more noise around comps. Investors are quick to pit Warby Parker’s store metrics and customer numbers against other specialty retail and optical outfits—especially now, as the company leans on insurance-driven visits while working to steady its online base.
Friday, the key question is if the stock keeps much of Thursday’s pop, with traders mulling over the buyback news and margins. Should shares slip, focus snaps back to tariffs, freight, and what piling on more doctors and stores might cost.
TradingView data points to the company’s upcoming quarterly report as the next major event, currently anticipated around May 7.
