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Applied Materials Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 13 August 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 25 percent: Revenue was $9,115 million, against $7,302 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $24,037 million, against $21,568 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose 41 percent: Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.50, against $2.48. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.17, against $2.22. Non-GAAP net income was $2,795 million, against $1,989 million. Source
  • Semiconductor Systems revenue rose: Semiconductor Systems revenue was $7,040 million, against $5,564 million, with operating income of $2,657 million, or 37.7 percent of revenue. Source
  • Gross margin reached 50.3 percent: GAAP gross margin was 50.3 percent, against 48.8 percent, and GAAP operating margin was 33.7 percent, against 30.6 percent. Non-GAAP figures were 50.4 and 34.0 percent. Source
  • Customer demand visibility increased: Management said demand visibility from customers has increased, and that AI adoption is driving unprecedented demand for its materials engineering solutions. Source
  • Shareholder returns totaled $860 million: Shareholders received $860 million in the quarter, made up of $440 million in share repurchases and $420 million in dividends. Source

“Applied Materials delivered another record-breaking quarter, including the highest sequential revenue growth in the company’s history,”

Gary Dickerson, President and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Total revenue SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$ 10,250 +/- $ 500 (in millions)New
Non-GAAP diluted EPS SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$ 4.02 +/- $ 0.20New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Calendar 2026 Semiconductor Systems revenue expectations raised. The prior release said growth of more than 30 percent. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue and non-GAAP diluted EPS expectations issued for the next reporting period. Source
  • New: US$500 million Tampines Campus in Singapore, which the company says more than doubles advanced cleanroom capacity there. Source
  • New: Three EPIC Center partners added: Broadcom as innovation partner, UC Berkeley as research collaborator, and SCREEN SPE as innovation partner. Source
  • New: Long-term joint development agreement with EssilorLuxottica covering next-generation intelligent optical systems for augmented reality and smart eyewear. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 25 percent: Revenue was $9,115 million, against $7,302 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $24,037 million, against $21,568 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose 41 percent: Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.50, against $2.48. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.17, against $2.22. Non-GAAP net income was $2,795 million, against $1,989 million. Source
  • Net income rose 43 percent: Net income was $2,538 million, against $1,779 million. Nine-month net income was $7,370 million, against $5,101 million. Source
  • Nine-month earnings per share rose: Nine-month diluted EPS was $9.22, against $6.29. Nine-month non-GAAP diluted EPS was $8.73, against $7.25. Source

Segments and regions

  • Semiconductor Systems revenue rose: Semiconductor Systems revenue was $7,040 million, against $5,564 million, with operating income of $2,657 million, or 37.7 percent of revenue. Source
  • Global Services revenue grew: Applied Global Services revenue was $1,781 million, against $1,463 million, with operating income of $536 million and a 30.1 percent operating margin. Source
  • Other category posted a loss: Other, which includes the display operating segment, had revenue of $294 million and an operating loss of $118 million, against a loss of $4 million. Source
  • China share of revenue eased: China revenue was $2,506 million, against $2,548 million, or 28 percent of total against 35 percent. Taiwan was $2,025 million and Korea $1,521 million. Source

“Applied Materials achieved its 13th consecutive quarter of year-over-year gross margin expansion, demonstrating the increasing value we create by enabling better chips, systems and fab returns,”

Brice Hill, Senior Vice President and CFO

Margins and costs

  • Gross margin reached 50.3 percent: GAAP gross margin was 50.3 percent, against 48.8 percent, and GAAP operating margin was 33.7 percent, against 30.6 percent. Non-GAAP figures were 50.4 and 34.0 percent. Source
  • Research spending rose: Research, development and engineering expense was $1,100 million, against $901 million. Marketing and selling expense was $249 million, against $224 million. Source
  • Effective tax rate was 12.7 percent: GAAP effective income tax rate was 12.7 percent and non-GAAP was 11.0 percent. The GAAP tax provision was $369 million, against $784 million a year earlier. Source
  • Other income turned to expense: Interest and other income (expense), net was $(100) million, against $396 million a year earlier. The nine-month figure was $1,237 million, against $625 million. Source

Demand and balance sheet

  • Customer demand visibility increased: Management said demand visibility from customers has increased, and that AI adoption is driving unprecedented demand for its materials engineering solutions. Source
  • Receivables rose from fiscal year-end: Accounts receivable, net, was $7,691 million, against $5,185 million at October 26, 2025. Source
  • Inventories rose from fiscal year-end: Inventories were $6,564 million, against $5,915 million at October 26, 2025. Source
  • Contract liabilities increased: Contract liabilities were $3,271 million, against $2,566 million at October 26, 2025. Total current liabilities were $10,357 million. Source

“Looking further ahead, we are making additional manufacturing capacity investments to support projected demand through the end of the decade.”

Brice Hill, Senior Vice President and CFO

Products and partnerships

  • Six chipmaking systems introduced: The six systems target DRAM and advanced packaging. Producer Selectra Mo Etch selectively removes molybdenum for wordline separation in 3D NAND. Source
  • Hybrid bonding polish control: Opta Quad CMP monitors wafer conditions during polish and adjusts in real time, which the company describes as critical for hybrid bonding. Source
  • HBM stacking dielectric film: Producer Avila 2 PECVD deposits stress-balanced films around TSVs to improve the mechanical stability of ultra-thin DRAM dies. Source
  • Metrology for packaging substrates: VeritySEM 7AP eBeam metrology measures thick, warped substrates for HBM and chiplets. SEMVision G7AP extends defect analysis to advanced packaging. Source
  • Smart-glasses display platform unveiled: SENZ combines waveguide optics, a light engine, sensing and electronic dimming in one platform for AI-powered smart glasses. Source
  • EPIC Center reaches 11 engagements: EPIC Center R&D partnerships expanded to 11 engagements. The company says the Center is designed to shorten the time from early research to full-scale manufacturing. Source

Capital, cash and people

  • Operating cash flow rose: Cash from operations was $3,037 million, against $2,634 million. Capital expenditures were $707 million, against $584 million. Source
  • Free cash flow rose 14 percent: Non-GAAP free cash flow was $2,330 million, against $2,050 million. The nine-month figure was $3,580 million, against $3,655 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns totaled $860 million: Shareholders received $860 million in the quarter, made up of $440 million in share repurchases and $420 million in dividends. Source
  • Nine-month buybacks and dividends: Nine-month share repurchases were $1,177 million, against $4,044 million. Dividends paid were $1,150 million, against $1,019 million. Source
  • Short-term debt rose: Cash and cash equivalents were $7,037 million. Short-term debt was $1,299 million, against $100 million at fiscal year-end, and long-term debt was $5,245 million, against $6,455 million. Source
  • Regular full-time headcount rose: Regular full-time employees were 38.9 thousand, against 36.1 thousand a year earlier. Source

Coming up, as management said on 13 August 2026

  • Second-half growth expected in three areas: Management expects continued revenue growth in the second half of calendar 2026, particularly in DRAM, leading-edge foundry-logic and advanced packaging. Source
  • Faster-than-market growth expected this year: Management said it is confident Applied will grow faster than the market in calendar 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin, Semiconductor Systems Source55.3 percent, against 53.4 percent
Gross margin, consolidated Source50.3 percent GAAP, 50.4 percent non-GAAP
DRAM share of Semiconductor Systems revenue Source26 percent, against 22 percent
Foundry, logic and other share of Semiconductor Systems revenue Source67 percent, against 69 percent
Flash memory share of Semiconductor Systems revenue Source7 percent, against 9 percent

Risks management discussed

  • Regulatory: Nine-month results include a $253 million settlement with the Bureau of Industry and Security over an export controls compliance matter. No such charge appears in the third quarter. Source
  • Financial: Strategic investment marks moved GAAP results, with an unrealized loss of $220 million in the quarter against a gain of $314 million a year earlier. Source
  • Financial: The fourth-quarter expectation excludes unknown charges and other tax-related items, which management says it cannot predict without unreasonable efforts. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The prior release expected Semiconductor Systems growth of more than 30 percent in calendar 2026. This release says management is raising that expectation.

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.