William Burns on share repurchases
From Zebra Technologies Corp ($ZBRA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call · · Castify Earnings Call
“We have executed $500 million of share repurchases year-to-date through early May, following more than $300 million in the fourth quarter. Our business momentum and progress in navigating the current memory supply environment gives us confidence in raising our outlook for the full year with our recently elevated stock repurchase activity underscoring our conviction.”
On , William Burns, Chief Executive Officer & Director at Zebra Technologies, spoke about share repurchases during Zebra Technologies Corp ($ZBRA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call on Castify Earnings Call.
About William Burns
William Burns, CEO of Zebra Technologies, has described the company as "deeply embedded" in customer operations and "increasingly central" to efforts to drive productivity through workflow automation and AI integration. He stated that the company sees a 5 to 7% organic sales growth profile over a cycle for its connected frontline and asset visibility automation markets, citing third-party research that nearly 75% of warehouses globally are in the early stages of automation. Burns noted that the company is using AI tools internally across software development, sales, marketing, and supply chain forecasting, and he said the biggest opportunity is in providing AI solutions to customers, with first revenues from AI agents expected in 2026 and scaling thereafter. Burns discussed the company's response to tariffs, stating that Zebra has implemented approximately $80 million in annualized pricing adjustments and shifted additional North American production out of China. He said the company "prefer not to increase price, but in this case, we have no choice" to offset tariff impacts. Burns also highlighted the acquisition of Elo, describing it as a combination that "strengthens Zebra's portfolio" and is expected to be immediately accretive to earnings. He reported that the company executed $500 million in share repurchases year-to-date through early May 2026 and raised its full-year outlook, while also noting that customers remain "a bit cautious" due to uncertain trade policies and macroeconomic conditions.