Cisco Stock Crashes 13% After Hours Despite Beating Every Q3 Line — The Guidance Miss That Spooked Wall Street

# Cisco Stock Crashes 13% After Hours Despite Beating Every Q3 Line — The Guidance Miss That Spooked Wall Street

> **Quick answer:** Cisco beat Q3 FY2026 EPS ($0.96 vs $0.92 estimate) and revenue on every line, but the stock crashed 13.08% after hours on May 13, 2026 — from roughly $99.29 to approximately $86. The culprit: Q4 EPS guidance of $0.81-$0.83 came in below Wall Street's $0.85+ expectation, and gross margins missed due to elevated memory chip costs. This is a classic "beat and crash" event, and it puts the spotlight directly on NVIDIA's earnings on May 20.

Cisco Systems stock crashed 13% after hours on May 13, 2026 — one of the largest single-session drops in the company's recent history — despite delivering a clean beat on every Q3 line. The market's message was unambiguous: beats don't matter when guidance disappoints. Here is exactly what happened, what it means for chip supply chains, and why every tech investor should be paying attention before NVIDIA reports on May 20.

*This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Consult a qualified financial advisor for personal financial decisions.*

## Q3 FY2026 Results: A Beat Across the Board

The Q3 numbers were genuinely solid. Cisco reported: