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Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 26 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter revenue reached $134.3 million: Revenue was up from $100.3 million a year earlier and from $118.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP net loss was $2.0 million: Non-GAAP net loss was $0.6 million, or $0.01 per basic share, against $1.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $5.4 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP gross margin 31.2%: GAAP gross margin was 31.2% in the quarter, against 28.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 28.0% in the third quarter of 2025. Gross profit was $41.9 million. Source
  • Full-year gross margin rose to 30.0%: Full-year GAAP gross margin was 30.0% against 24.8% in 2024. Full-year non-GAAP gross margin was 30.9% against 25.1%. Source
  • First-quarter 2026 guidance issued: The release gives first-quarter 2026 expectations for revenue, non-GAAP gross margin, and non-GAAP per-share results, listed in the guidance section. Source
  • Manufacturing capacity expansion progressing: Management said the company made tangible progress on manufacturing capacity during the quarter, a step toward higher-volume production of next-generation datacenter products. Source

“We are pleased to deliver record fourth quarter results that were in line with or better than our expectations, and which capped off the strongest year in our company’s history,”

Dr. Thompson Lin, AOI’s Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcefirst quarter of 2026$150 million to $165 millionNew
Non-GAAP gross margin Sourcefirst quarter of 202629% to 31%New
Non-GAAP net income (loss) Sourcefirst quarter of 2026a loss of $7.0 million to a loss of $0.3 millionNew
Non-GAAP income (loss) per share Sourcefirst quarter of 2026a loss of $0.09 to breakeven, using approximately 76.4 million sharesNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: First-quarter 2026 guidance was given; the prior release gave guidance for fourth-quarter 2025 instead. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Fourth-quarter revenue reached $134.3 million: Revenue was up from $100.3 million a year earlier and from $118.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Full-year revenue rose to $455.7 million: Full-year 2025 revenue was $455.7 million against $249.4 million in 2024. CATV and datacenter accounted for almost all of the increase. Source
  • Fourth-quarter GAAP net loss was $2.0 million: Non-GAAP net loss was $0.6 million, or $0.01 per basic share, against $1.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2024 and $5.4 million in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Full-year GAAP net loss narrowed to $38.2 million: Full-year non-GAAP net loss was $15.7 million, or $0.26 per basic share, against $32.7 million, or $0.79, in 2024. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA reported for each period: Adjusted EBITDA was $0.7 million in the fourth quarter, against $2.4 million a year earlier and $2.0 million in the third quarter of 2025. Full-year Adjusted EBITDA was a $0.3 million loss versus $30.2 million in 2024. Source

Segments and revenue mix

  • Datacenter revenue rose from a year earlier: Datacenter revenue was $74.9 million, up from $44.2 million, and $195.7 million for full-year 2025 versus $148.5 million. Telecom revenue was $5.1 million against $3.5 million. Source
  • CATV revenue fell from third quarter: CATV revenue was $54.0 million, close to $52.2 million a year earlier and below $70.6 million in the third quarter of 2025. Full-year CATV revenue was $245.1 million against $87.7 million. Source
  • Other revenue small in both years: Other revenue was $0.3 million in both fourth quarters, and $1.2 million for full-year 2025 against $2.1 million in 2024. Source

“We generated significant revenue growth while expanding our gross margins this year,”

Dr. Stefan Murry, AOI’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer

Margins and costs

  • Fourth-quarter GAAP gross margin 31.2%: GAAP gross margin was 31.2% in the quarter, against 28.7% in the fourth quarter of 2024 and 28.0% in the third quarter of 2025. Gross profit was $41.9 million. Source
  • Fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin 31.4%: Non-GAAP gross margin was 31.4%, against 28.9% a year earlier and 31.0% in the third quarter of 2025. Source
  • Full-year gross margin rose to 30.0%: Full-year GAAP gross margin was 30.0% against 24.8% in 2024. Full-year non-GAAP gross margin was 30.9% against 25.1%. Source
  • Operating expenses rose across all lines: Fourth-quarter R&D was $25.8 million against $16.7 million, sales and marketing $6.9 million against $3.7 million, and G&A $20.7 million against $14.8 million. Total operating expenses were $53.4 million against $35.2 million. Source
  • Operating loss widened on higher expenses: Operating loss was $11.5 million, against $6.5 million a year earlier. Gross profit of $41.9 million rose from $28.7 million. Source
  • Income tax line in fourth quarter: Pre-tax loss was $10.5 million. The income tax line of $8.5 million brought the reported net loss to $2.0 million. Source

Demand and guidance

  • Broad-based demand in CATV and datacenter: Management attributed the results to broad-based demand across its CATV and datacenter businesses. Source
  • First-quarter 2026 guidance issued: The release gives first-quarter 2026 expectations for revenue, non-GAAP gross margin, and non-GAAP per-share results, listed in the guidance section. Source
  • Receivables and inventories rose versus year-end 2024: Accounts receivable were $244.4 million, up from $116.8 million, and inventories were $183.1 million, up from $88.1 million, at December 31, 2025. Source

“We have considerable momentum entering 2026, and we believe we are well positioned to accelerate our growth this year.”

Dr. Thompson Lin, AOI’s Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer

Capital, cash and shares

  • Cash rose to $216.0 million: Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash were $216.0 million at December 31, 2025, against $79.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Weighted share count rose to 70.3 million: Fourth-quarter weighted-average basic shares were 70.3 million, against 46.1 million a year earlier. Total stockholders' equity was $733.9 million, up from $229.1 million. Source
  • Convertible notes slightly lower year over year: Convertible senior notes were $129.8 million, down from $134.5 million. The current portion of notes payable and long-term debt rose to $34.0 million from $22.4 million. Source

Strategy and factory investment

  • Manufacturing capacity expansion progressing: Management said the company made tangible progress on manufacturing capacity during the quarter, a step toward higher-volume production of next-generation datacenter products. Source
  • Property, plant and equipment rose: Property, plant and equipment, net, was $376.1 million at December 31, 2025, against $219.2 million at December 31, 2024. Source
  • Operating right-of-use asset increased: The operating right-of-use asset was $49.7 million, up from $9.6 million at December 31, 2024. Other assets were $58.5 million against $8.4 million. Source

In management's words

“We believe we are well positioned for sustained growth and the capital investments underway are expected to fundamentally strengthen the company as we execute on the strong demand we see.”

Dr. Stefan Murry, AOI’s Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin, non-GAAP (fourth quarter 2025) Source31.4%
Datacenter revenue (fourth quarter 2025) Source$74.9 million
CATV revenue (fourth quarter 2025) Source$54.0 million
Telecom revenue (fourth quarter 2025) Source$5.1 million
Gross margin, GAAP (full year 2025) Source30.0%

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Reported fourth-quarter revenue of $134.3 million was inside the range given in the prior release. Management said results were in line with or better than its expectations.
  • Not stated: The prior release expected meaningful 800G shipments in the fourth quarter. The current release does not mention 800G shipments.
  • Not stated: The prior release targeted this production capacity for the end of 2025. The current release gives no capacity figure.

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.