Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI) Announces Earnings Results

Cogent Communications (NASDAQ:CCOI) posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The technology company reported ($0.62) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.77) by $0.15, FiscalAI reports. The business had revenue of $231.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $234.57 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.87) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

Here are the key takeaways from Cogent Communications’ conference call:

• Margins improved despite declining revenue: Revenue fell 1.8% sequentially to $231.2 million, while adjusted EBITDA rose $2.8 million to $73.9 million and adjusted EBITDA margin expanded to 32%. Management attributed the improvement to cost cuts and shifting sales toward higher-margin on-net services.
• Wavelength sales accelerated: Wavelength revenue increased 57% year over year and 7.8% sequentially to $16 million, with 277 net connections added in the quarter. Management said customer demand remains strong, though data-center readiness, power availability, and equipment constraints are delaying some activations.
• Refinancing the 2027 notes remains unresolved: Cogent has $700 million of unsecured notes due June 2027 and is evaluating multiple proposals with financial and legal advisors, without giving a specific timeline or terms. The company suspended its dividend while it determines a path forward.
• Debt reduction and data-center monetization are supporting deleveraging: Cogent reduced gross debt by $197 million in the quarter, and gross leverage adjusted for amounts due from T-Mobile fell to 6.94 times. It also has non-binding letters of intent to sell four additional former Sprint facilities for about $100 million, with closing targeted for early 2027.
• Revenue growth depends on the mix shift and the acquired Sprint base continuing to run off: On-net revenue, including wavelengths, increased 5.8% year over year, while off-net revenue declined 19.5%; management expects future growth to be led by on-net services, NetCentric customers, wavelengths, and IPv4 leasing. It reiterated a long-term 6%–8% growth outlook, while acknowledging that total revenue remained in decline this quarter.

Cogent Communications Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CCOI traded down $0.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $3.98. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 5,169,189 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,716,433. Cogent Communications has a 12 month low of $3.56 and a 12 month high of $28.70. The stock has a market cap of $203.86 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.61 and a beta of 0.80. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.24 and a 200-day simple moving average of $15.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cogent Communications news, CFO Thaddeus Weed sold 4,850 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $9.37, for a total value of $45,444.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 193,050 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,808,878.50. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 4.20% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Cogent Communications

Here are the key news stories impacting Cogent Communications this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Cogent reported a Q3 loss of $0.62 per share, narrower than analysts’ roughly $0.77-per-share estimate and the $0.87 loss a year earlier. On-net revenue, including wavelengths, rose 2.4% sequentially to $153.9 million and was up 5.8% year over year. Cogent Communications Reports Third Quarter 2026 Results
• Negative Sentiment: UBS lowered its price target to $6 from $11 while maintaining a Neutral rating, and KeyBanc also downgraded the shares. The analyst actions are weighing on investor sentiment. UBS Adjusts Price Target Cogent Communications Shares Fall After KeyBanc Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Q3 revenue of $231.2 million fell short of expectations of about $234.6 million, declined 4.4% year over year, and was below the prior quarter’s $235.6 million in service revenue. The sales shortfall and ongoing revenue contraction appear to outweigh the narrower-than-expected loss. Cogent misses Q3 2026 sales expectations

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts recently commented on CCOI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Cogent Communications from $18.00 to $12.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. KeyCorp lowered shares of Cogent Communications from an “overweight” rating to a “sector weight” rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Cogent Communications from $20.00 to $11.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Cogent Communications from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Cogent Communications in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Cogent Communications presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.94.

About Cogent Communications

Cogent Communications Holdings, Inc (NASDAQ: CCOI) is a telecommunications company that provides high-speed Internet connectivity and data transport services to businesses, telecommunications carriers, content providers, government agencies and educational institutions. The company operates a global, facilities-based fiber-optic network and is recognized as a Tier 1 Internet service provider.

Cogent’s offerings include dedicated Internet access, IP transit, Ethernet and other private network connectivity services.