> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.financialdatasets.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Guidance

> Get forward guidance from earnings releases.

### Overview

The KPI Guidance API returns structured forward guidance extracted from earnings releases. Guidance is delivered as ranges (low/high), point estimates, or directional signals.

Examples: operating margin guidance of 6-8%, EPS guidance of $1.00-$1.50, capacity growth of flat YoY, fuel price assumptions, FFO per share outlook.

### Coverage

| Tickers | Years of Coverage | Updated           |
| ------- | ----------------- | ----------------- |
| 600+    | 3+ years          | Within 10 seconds |

### Available Tickers

You can fetch a list of available tickers with a `GET` request to:
[https://api.financialdatasets.ai/kpi/guidance/tickers/](https://api.financialdatasets.ai/kpi/guidance/tickers/)

### Getting Started

1. Add your API key to the header of the request as `X-API-KEY`.
2. Add the required query param `ticker`.
3. Execute the API request.

### Filtering the Data

| Parameter           | Required | Description                                                |
| ------------------- | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| `ticker`            | Yes      | Stock ticker symbol (e.g., `DAL`, `PLD`)                   |
| `metric_name`       | No       | Filter to a specific metric                                |
| `period`            | No       | `quarterly` (default) or `annual`                          |
| `report_period_gte` | No       | Only return guidance on or after this date (`YYYY-MM-DD`)  |
| `report_period_lte` | No       | Only return guidance on or before this date (`YYYY-MM-DD`) |
| `limit`             | No       | Number of periods to return (default: 4, max: 50)          |

### Example

```python KPI Guidance theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
import requests

headers = {
    "X-API-KEY": "your_api_key_here"
}

ticker = "DAL"
url = f"https://api.financialdatasets.ai/kpi/guidance?ticker={ticker}"

response = requests.get(url, headers=headers)
data = response.json()
kpi_guidance = data["kpi_guidance"]
```

### Example Response

```json theme={"theme":{"light":"vitesse-light","dark":"vitesse-dark"}}
{
  "kpi_guidance": [
    {
      "ticker": "DAL",
      "metric_name": "Operating Margin",
      "unit": "%",
      "period": "Q2 2026",
      "period_type": "quarterly",
      "low": 6.0,
      "high": 8.0,
      "change_direction": "initiated",
      "source_text": "Operating margin guidance of 6-8%",
      "source_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/..."
    },
    {
      "ticker": "DAL",
      "metric_name": "Earnings Per Share",
      "unit": "dollars",
      "period": "Q2 2026",
      "period_type": "quarterly",
      "low": 1.0,
      "high": 1.5,
      "change_direction": "initiated",
      "source_text": "Earnings per share of $1.00-$1.50",
      "source_url": "https://www.sec.gov/Archives/..."
    }
  ]
}
```

### Response Fields

| Field              | Type   | Description                                                                        |
| ------------------ | ------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `low`              | number | Low end of the guidance range                                                      |
| `high`             | number | High end of the guidance range                                                     |
| `point_estimate`   | number | Single-point guidance (when no range is given)                                     |
| `prior_value`      | number | Prior guidance value (for revisions)                                               |
| `change_direction` | string | Direction of guidance: `raised`, `lowered`, `maintained`, `initiated`, `withdrawn` |
| `raw_text`         | string | Original guidance text from the filing                                             |

### Notes

* Guidance periods are forward-looking (e.g., Q2 2026 guidance reported in a Q1 2026 filing).
* The `source_url` links directly to the source document with text highlighting when available.


## OpenAPI

````yaml GET /kpi/guidance
openapi: 3.0.1
info:
  title: Financial Datasets API
  description: >-
    Stock market API with real-time and historical financial data for 27,000+
    tickers over 30+ years. Financial statements, equity prices, insider trades,
    SEC filings, and more.
  version: 1.0.0
  license:
    name: MIT
    url: https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
  contact:
    name: API Support
    url: mailto:support@financialdatasets.ai
    email: support@financialdatasets.ai
  termsOfService: https://financialdatasets.ai/terms-of-use
servers:
  - url: https://api.financialdatasets.ai/
    description: Production server
security:
  - X-API-KEY: []
tags:
  - name: Financial Statements
    description: Access to income statements, balance sheets, and cash flow statements
  - name: Market Data
    description: Real-time and historical price data
  - name: Company Information
    description: Company facts like ticker, name, and description
  - name: Earnings
    description: Earnings data and related information
  - name: News
    description: Real-time and historical news articles
  - name: SEC Filings
    description: SEC filings and regulatory documents
  - name: Insider Trades
    description: Insider trading activity and transactions
  - name: Institutional Holdings
    description: SEC-direct 13F equity holdings of institutional investment managers
  - name: Index Funds
    description: >-
      ETF and index-fund holdings, weights, and the funds that hold a given
      security
  - name: Financial Metrics
    description: Financial ratios, metrics, and key performance indicators
  - name: Macroeconomics
    description: Real-time and historical macroeconomic data like interest rates
  - name: KPIs
    description: Sector-specific operational KPIs extracted from earnings releases.
paths:
  /kpi/guidance:
    get:
      tags:
        - KPIs
      summary: Get forward guidance
      description: >-
        Get structured forward guidance from earnings releases. Returns ranges,
        point estimates, and directional signals.
      operationId: getKPIGuidance
      parameters:
        - name: ticker
          in: query
          description: The ticker symbol.
          required: true
          schema:
            type: string
        - name: metric_name
          in: query
          description: Filter to a specific metric.
          required: false
          schema:
            type: string
        - name: period
          in: query
          description: 'Filter by period type: quarterly or annual.'
          required: false
          schema:
            type: string
            enum:
              - quarterly
              - annual
            default: quarterly
        - name: report_period_gte
          in: query
          description: Only return guidance on or after this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
          required: false
          schema:
            type: string
            format: date
        - name: report_period_lte
          in: query
          description: Only return guidance on or before this date (YYYY-MM-DD).
          required: false
          schema:
            type: string
            format: date
        - name: limit
          in: query
          description: Number of periods to return.
          required: false
          schema:
            type: integer
            default: 4
            maximum: 50
      responses:
        '200':
          description: Guidance response
          content:
            application/json:
              schema:
                $ref: '#/components/schemas/KPIGuidanceResponse'
        '400':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequestError'
        '401':
          $ref: '#/components/responses/UnauthorizedError'
        '403':
          description: Pro subscription required
components:
  schemas:
    KPIGuidanceResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        kpi_guidance:
          type: array
          items:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/KPIGuidanceItem'
    KPIGuidanceItem:
      type: object
      required:
        - ticker
        - metric_name
        - period
        - period_type
      properties:
        ticker:
          type: string
          example: DAL
        metric_name:
          type: string
          example: Operating Margin
        value:
          type: number
          nullable: true
        unit:
          type: string
          example: '%'
        period:
          type: string
          example: Q2 2026
        period_type:
          type: string
          enum:
            - quarterly
            - annual
        segment:
          type: string
          nullable: true
        low:
          type: number
          nullable: true
          description: Low end of guidance range.
          example: 6
        high:
          type: number
          nullable: true
          description: High end of guidance range.
          example: 8
        point_estimate:
          type: number
          nullable: true
          description: Single-point guidance when no range is given.
        prior_value:
          type: number
          nullable: true
          description: Prior guidance value for revisions.
        raw_text:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: Original guidance text from the filing.
        change_direction:
          type: string
          nullable: true
          description: 'Direction: raised, lowered, maintained, initiated, withdrawn.'
          example: initiated
        source_text:
          type: string
          nullable: true
        source_url:
          type: string
          format: uri
          nullable: true
    ErrorResponse:
      type: object
      properties:
        error:
          type: string
          description: A short error message.
        message:
          type: string
          description: A more detailed error message.
  responses:
    BadRequestError:
      description: Bad request
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            error: Bad Request
            message: Invalid request parameters
    UnauthorizedError:
      description: Unauthorized
      content:
        application/json:
          schema:
            $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorResponse'
          example:
            error: Unauthorized
            message: Invalid API key provided
  securitySchemes:
    X-API-KEY:
      type: apiKey
      name: X-API-KEY
      description: API key for authentication.
      in: header

````