Super Micro's quarterly results underwhelm, shares tumble

Aug 5 (Reuters) - Super Micro SMCI.O missed Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter revenue and profit on Tuesday, as the company battles larger server makers for high-performance computers used to train artificial-intelligence models.

Shares of the San Jose, California-based company slumped nearly 15.5% in extended trading, as the results followed multiple cuts to its full-year guidance.

Its forecast also fell short of its earlier lofty expectations. Super Micro projected revenue of at least $33 billion for fiscal year 2026. The company had predicted around $40 billion in annual sales in February.

Analysts on average were expecting $29.94 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG.

Super Micro has been gaining traction in the hyper-competitive server industry, but analysts have said larger rivals such as Dell Technologies DELL.N and HP Enterprise HPE.N have been able to leverage their vast customer base to boost sales.

"Since we know the market for servers is very strong right now, it is safe to assume the disappointing results for Super Micro are due to share losses," said Gil Luria, managing director at D.A. Davidson & Co.

"Their customers are very discerning right now and are choosing servers from Dell, HP and others," Luria added.

Dell raised its annual profit forecast while Hewlett Packard Enterprise beat second-quarter revenue and profit estimates.

Super Micro expects better chip availability for its fiscal year, when compared to the last two quarters, which will help it grow better, CEO Charles Liang said on a post-earnings call.

Delays in the availability of Nvidia NVDA.O processors had weighed on the company in the recent quarters.

Super Micro's shares have climbed about 90% this year as of last close, as investors bet on strong demand for its AI servers and its liquid cooling solutions.

"The expectations for all things related to AI, especially the large language and reasoning models, have captivated investors' attention. Any softness is met with deep disappointment, which means lower stock prices," said Kim Forrest, chief investment officer at Bokeh Capital Partners.

Shares of Advanced Micro Devices AMD.O fell in extended trading on Tuesday, after the chipmaker reported disappointing data center revenue.

Super Micro, which is bouncing back from accounting-related issues, said revenue was $5.76 billion for the three months ended June 30, compared with analysts' average estimate of $5.89 billion.

Its adjusted earnings of 41 cents per share fell short of estimates of 44 cents, primarily due to tariff impact.