Guidance
The company's own outlook for next quarter's or the full year's results — the company's self-forecast that shapes market expectations and moves the share price.
Guidance = the expected range of future revenue, earnings, etc. announced by the company (e.g., "next quarter revenue of $10.0–10.5 billion")
Raised guidance is generally received positively, and lowered guidance negatively.
In plain terms
Guidance is an outlook the company itself puts out, saying "next quarter's (or this year's) revenue and earnings will likely be around this much." It's like a weather forecast the company makes about its own business.
It's usually announced during earnings releases, along with the previous quarter's results. Analysts refer to this guidance to refine the consensus (market expectations).
What it tells you
Guidance often moves the share price more than the past quarter's results do. That's because the market trades on the future rather than the past. It's common for a share price to fall even after good results if the next outlook (guidance) is weak.
Raising guidance is read as a sign that the company is confident about what lies ahead; lowering it is read as a sign that industry conditions or demand are cooling.
Formula
Guidance = the expected range of future revenue, earnings, etc. announced by the company (e.g., "next quarter revenue of $10.0–10.5 billion")
What high or low means
Raised guidance is generally received positively, and lowered guidance negatively. That said, companies sometimes deliberately set guidance conservatively low (so it's easier to beat later), so it's hard to take it purely at face value.
If a company gives no guidance at all or pulls it (withdrawal), that can be a sign that the road ahead is uncertain.
Guidance is an outlook the company issues "on its own," so it isn't an objective fact — management's expectations and intentions are mixed in. Companies also manage it by setting it conservatively low so it can be cleared easily later, and the usual gap between guidance and actual results reveals that habit.
Guidance is often presented on an adjusted (Non-GAAP) basis, so comparing it directly with accounting-standard (GAAP) results can produce a mismatch.
When the macro environment shifts quickly, companies revise guidance often. So guidance isn't a single figure at one point in time — it remains as a history of repeated revisions. (※ Guidance is information companies issue in earnings releases and press releases, while our screens deal with finalized results based on SEC filings — this term is background knowledge for reading earnings news.)
Metrics to read alongside
In Stocklore
Stocklore does not cover Guidance. Instead, it shows reported results, the year-over-year change, and how the stock moved around each earnings date — all on one timeline.
This explanation is for information and reference only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investment decisions and their consequences are your own.