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Akamai Technologies Inc.: Q3 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 November 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 3 raised, 6 new, 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 5% year-over-year: Revenue reached $1.055 billion, up from $1.043 billion in the second quarter. Foreign exchange added about one point to the year-over-year growth rate. Source
  • Full-year non-GAAP EPS guidance raised: Full-year 2025 non-GAAP EPS guidance is $6.93 to $7.13, up from $6.60 to $6.80. Fourth-quarter non-GAAP EPS guidance is $1.65 to $1.85. Source
  • Delivery revenue fell 4%: Delivery revenue was $306 million, against $320 million in the second quarter, when the year-over-year decline was 3%. Source
  • Cloud Infrastructure Services up 39%: Cloud Infrastructure Services revenue was $81 million, up from $71 million in the second quarter, when growth was 30%. Cloud computing revenue was $180 million, up 8%. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin reached 31%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 31%, up from 30% in the second quarter and up 2 points from third quarter 2024. Non-GAAP income from operations was $322 million, up 9%. Source
  • No share repurchases in third quarter: The company repurchased no shares in the third quarter, after $300 million of repurchases in the second quarter. Source
  • Akamai Inference Cloud launched: The company launched Akamai Inference Cloud, powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure, to run AI at the edge. Source

“We were particularly pleased by the continued success of our high-growth security products and the momentum in Cloud Infrastructure Services, where revenue growth accelerated to 39% year-over-year,”

Dr. Tom Leighton, Akamai’s Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue SourceFourth quarter 2025 (three months ending December 31, 2025)$1,065 million to $1,085 millionNew
Revenue SourceFull year 2025$4,178 million to $4,198 millionRaised from $4,135 million to $4,205 million
Non-GAAP operating margin SourceFourth quarter 202528% to 30%New
Non-GAAP operating margin SourceFull year 202529% to 30%Raised from 29%
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share SourceFourth quarter 2025$1.65 to $1.85New
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share SourceFull year 2025$6.93 to $7.13Raised from $6.60 to $6.80
Non-GAAP tax rate SourceFourth quarter 202518% to 19%New
Non-GAAP tax rate SourceFull year 202519%Kept
Shares used in non-GAAP per diluted share calculations SourceFourth quarter 2025147 millionNew
Shares used in non-GAAP per diluted share calculations SourceFull year 2025147 millionKept
Capex as a percentage of revenue SourceFourth quarter 202516%New
Capex as a percentage of revenue SourceFull year 202520%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Full-year 2025 non-GAAP EPS and non-GAAP operating margin high end raised; revenue range narrowed with a higher midpoint. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter 2025 guidance provided; the prior release gave third-quarter and full-year guidance. Source
  • Guidance kept: Full-year non-GAAP tax rate of 19%, share count of 147 million and capex of 20% of revenue are unchanged from the prior release. Source
  • New: Akamai Inference Cloud launched, powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure; the prior release did not mention it. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 5% year-over-year: Revenue reached $1.055 billion, up from $1.043 billion in the second quarter. Foreign exchange added about one point to the year-over-year growth rate. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose 17%: Non-GAAP net income per diluted share was $1.86, against $1.73 in the second quarter. Non-GAAP net income was $269 million, up 10% from third quarter 2024. Source
  • GAAP comparison includes 2024 charge: GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.97, against $0.71 in the second quarter. The year-over-year comparison excludes an $82 million restructuring charge in the third quarter of 2024. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA rose 8%: Adjusted EBITDA was $458 million, up from $444 million in the second quarter, at a 43% margin. Source
  • Full-year non-GAAP EPS guidance raised: Full-year 2025 non-GAAP EPS guidance is $6.93 to $7.13, up from $6.60 to $6.80. Fourth-quarter non-GAAP EPS guidance is $1.65 to $1.85. Source

Segments and regions

  • Security revenue grew 10%: Security revenue was $568 million, against $552 million in the second quarter, when growth was 11%. Management cited continued success of high-growth security products. Source
  • Delivery revenue fell 4%: Delivery revenue was $306 million, against $320 million in the second quarter, when the year-over-year decline was 3%. Source
  • International grew faster than U.S.: International revenue was $525 million, up 9%, or 8% adjusted for foreign exchange, after 10% in the second quarter. U.S. revenue was $530 million, up 1%, after 4% in the second quarter. Source

“By moving AI inference from the core to the edge, we are unlocking a new generation of applications that can sense, reason and act in real-time.”

Dr. Tom Leighton, Akamai’s Chief Executive Officer

Products and cloud computing

  • Cloud Infrastructure Services up 39%: Cloud Infrastructure Services revenue was $81 million, up from $71 million in the second quarter, when growth was 30%. Cloud computing revenue was $180 million, up 8%. Source
  • Cloud computing growth slowed to 8%: Cloud computing revenue was $180 million, up 8% reported and 7% adjusted for foreign exchange, against 13% growth in the second quarter, when revenue was $171 million. Source
  • Scope of Cloud Infrastructure Services: Cloud Infrastructure Services covers compute and storage solutions based on Linode, the EdgeWorkers product, and partner solutions running on the cloud platform. Source

Margins and operating costs

  • Non-GAAP operating margin reached 31%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 31%, up from 30% in the second quarter and up 2 points from third quarter 2024. Non-GAAP income from operations was $322 million, up 9%. Source
  • GAAP operating margin rose to 16%: GAAP income from operations was $166 million, against $151 million in the second quarter. GAAP operating margin was 16%, up 9 points from third quarter 2024. Source
  • Stock-based compensation rose to $115M: Stock-based compensation was $115 million, against $113 million in the second quarter; the company excludes it from non-GAAP results. Source
  • Headcount rose to 11,161: The company had 11,161 employees at September 30, 2025, up from 10,944 at June 30, 2025. Source

“We are also excited by the interest in our newly launched Akamai Inference Cloud, which is powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure and engineered to enable secure, low-latency performance for AI at the edge.”

Dr. Tom Leighton, Akamai’s Chief Executive Officer

Cash flow and capital spending

  • Operating cash flow was $442 million: Cash from operations was $442 million, or 42% of revenue, against $459 million, or 44% of revenue, in the second quarter. Source
  • Capex held at 21% of revenue: Total capital expenditures were $224 million, 21% of revenue, against $214 million in the second quarter. Cash purchases of property and equipment and capitalized software were $195 million. Source
  • Cash and securities rose to $1.813B: Cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities totaled $1.813 billion at September 30, 2025, up from $1.558 billion at June 30, 2025. Source

Share repurchases and share count

  • No share repurchases in third quarter: The company repurchased no shares in the third quarter, after $300 million of repurchases in the second quarter. Source
  • Nine-month buybacks reached $800 million: Over the nine months, the company repurchased 10.0 million shares at a weighted average price of $79.77 per share. Source
  • Shares outstanding at 144 million: Shares outstanding were 144 million at September 30, 2025, against 143 million at June 30, 2025. Source

Strategy and AI inference

  • Akamai Inference Cloud launched: The company launched Akamai Inference Cloud, powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure, to run AI at the edge. Source
  • Inference moved from core to edge: Management describes moving AI inference from the core to the edge as enabling applications that sense, reason and act in real time. Source
  • Company describes its cybersecurity and cloud focus: Akamai describes itself as a cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Cloud Infrastructure Services revenue Source$81 million, up 39% year-over-year
Number of employees Source11,161 at September 30, 2025

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Changes to excluded items could significantly affect guidance and GAAP results, since those items are hard to predict. Source
  • External: Weaker foreign currencies reduce U.S.-dollar reported results; international revenue was $525 million, about half of total revenue. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The prior release expected Cloud Infrastructure Services growth to accelerate. The third-quarter release reports growth of 39%, up from 30% in the second quarter.

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.