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Coherent Corp.: Q2 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q2 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 4 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 5 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 17.5% year over year: Quarterly revenue was $1,686 million, up 17.5% from $1,435 million a year earlier and 6.6% from $1,581 million in the first quarter. Source
  • Per-share earnings rose with margin gains: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.76, against $0.44 a year earlier and $1.19 in the first quarter. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.29, against $0.95 a year earlier and $1.16 in the first quarter. Source
  • Datacenter and communications revenue rose: Datacenter and Communications revenue was $1,208.0 million, up from $1,090.0 million in the first quarter and $904.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Industrial revenue fell year over year: Industrial revenue was $477.6 million, down 9.9% from $530.1 million a year earlier and 2.8% from $491.4 million in the first quarter. Source
  • GAAP gross margin rose 145 basis points: GAAP gross margin was 36.9%, up 145 basis points from a year earlier and 35 basis points from 36.6% in the first quarter. Non-GAAP gross margin was 39.0%, up 77 basis points year over year. Source
  • Preferred stock conversion listed: The footnote lists conversion of preferred stock to common stock among financing items. Total mezzanine equity was nil at December 31, against $2,505.3 million at September 30, 2025. Preferred dividends were $1.6 million. Source
  • Munich tools business sale closed: The sale of the Munich-based tools business closed at the end of January 2026. Revenue from before the close is included in the third-quarter guidance at $5 million. Source

“We delivered strong year-over-year revenue growth in the December quarter, driven by another quarter of strong demand in our datacenter and communications segment.”

Jim Anderson, CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcethird quarter of fiscal 2026$1.70 billion to $1.84 billionNew
Gross margin (non-GAAP) Sourcethird quarter of fiscal 202638.5% to 40.5%New
Total operating expenses (non-GAAP) Sourcethird quarter of fiscal 2026$320 million to $340 millionNew
Tax rate (non-GAAP) Sourcethird quarter of fiscal 202618% to 20%New
Diluted EPS (non-GAAP) Sourcethird quarter of fiscal 2026$1.28 to $1.48New
Tax rate (non-GAAP, normalized) Sourcefiscal year 202619%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Third-quarter fiscal 2026 guidance given as ranges; the prior release covered the second quarter only. Source
  • New: Munich tools business sale closed at the end of January 2026, with $5 million of revenue before close in the third-quarter range. Source
  • Ended: Mezzanine equity was nil at December 31, 2025, against $2,505.3 million at September 30. The footnote lists conversion of preferred stock to common stock. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 17.5% year over year: Quarterly revenue was $1,686 million, up 17.5% from $1,435 million a year earlier and 6.6% from $1,581 million in the first quarter. Source
  • Per-share earnings rose with margin gains: GAAP diluted EPS was $0.76, against $0.44 a year earlier and $1.19 in the first quarter. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.29, against $0.95 a year earlier and $1.16 in the first quarter. Source

Segments and demand

  • Datacenter and communications revenue rose: Datacenter and Communications revenue was $1,208.0 million, up from $1,090.0 million in the first quarter and $904.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Industrial revenue fell year over year: Industrial revenue was $477.6 million, down 9.9% from $530.1 million a year earlier and 2.8% from $491.4 million in the first quarter. Source
  • Six-month segment revenue split: For the six months, Datacenter and Communications revenue was $2,298.0 million, against $1,768.2 million. Industrial revenue was $969.0 million, against $1,014.6 million. Source

“Given the strength of demand, we continue to ramp our capital investment to drive capacity increases to support our business outlook.”

Sherri Luther, CFO

Margins and operating costs

  • GAAP gross margin rose 145 basis points: GAAP gross margin was 36.9%, up 145 basis points from a year earlier and 35 basis points from 36.6% in the first quarter. Non-GAAP gross margin was 39.0%, up 77 basis points year over year. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating expenses rose 5.7%: Non-GAAP operating expenses were $321 million, up 5.7% from $304 million in the first quarter and 13.4% from $283 million a year earlier. Non-GAAP SG&A was 9.6% of revenue, down from 9.8%. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin reached 19.9%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 19.9%, up 40 basis points from 19.5% in the first quarter and 147 basis points from 18.5% a year earlier. Source
  • Restructuring charges declined: Restructuring charges were $3.6 million, against $19.3 million in the first quarter and $8.0 million a year earlier. Integration, site consolidation and other costs were $21.4 million. Source

Share count and net earnings

  • Diluted share count rose to 192.8 million: Average diluted shares were 192.8 million, up from 190.7 million in the first quarter and 160.0 million a year earlier. Average basic shares were 167.5 million. Source
  • Preferred stock conversion listed: The footnote lists conversion of preferred stock to common stock among financing items. Total mezzanine equity was nil at December 31, against $2,505.3 million at September 30, 2025. Preferred dividends were $1.6 million. Source
  • GAAP net earnings fell from first quarter: GAAP net earnings attributable to Coherent Corp. were $147 million, against $226 million in the first quarter and $103 million a year earlier. Non-GAAP net earnings were $248 million, against $221 million in the first quarter. Source

“We expect continued strong growth in the second-half of fiscal 2026 and throughout fiscal 2027 based on strong datacenter and communications demand and our continued production capacity expansion along with improving demand in our Industrial segment.”

Jim Anderson, CEO

Capital, cash and balance sheet

  • Cash and debt at December 31: Cash and cash equivalents were $863.7 million, against $909.2 million at June 30, 2025. Long-term debt was $3,245.4 million, down from $3,498.6 million, and current debt was $106.5 million. Source
  • Operating cash flow fell in six months: Net cash from operating activities was $103.9 million for the six months, against $340.4 million a year earlier. The first-quarter figure was $46.0 million. Source
  • Dividend payments unchanged from first quarter: Payment of dividends was $11.4 million in the six months, the same amount reported for the first quarter. Source
  • Inventories rose to $1,847.9 million: Inventories were $1,847.9 million at December 31, against $1,437.6 million at June 30, 2025. Accounts receivable were $1,054.6 million, against $964.1 million. Source

Capacity, portfolio and divestitures

  • Munich tools business sale closed: The sale of the Munich-based tools business closed at the end of January 2026. Revenue from before the close is included in the third-quarter guidance at $5 million. Source
  • Aerospace and defense gain excluded: The first-quarter gain on the aerospace and defense sale was $115.2 million and is excluded from non-GAAP results. The company reported no gain on sale in the second quarter. Source
  • Pro forma revenue growth of 22%: Revenue growth was 22% year over year on a pro forma basis, adjusted for the aerospace and defense sale, against 17% as reported. Source
  • Capital expenditure rose for capacity: Additions to property, plant and equipment were $257.5 million in the six months, against $197.7 million a year earlier. Management said capital investment is being ramped to add capacity. Source

Coming up, as management said on 4 February 2026

  • Investor presentation posted after close: Management said an investor presentation would be posted to the company website after market close on February 4, 2026. Source

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Management said the variability of the excluded items could materially affect future GAAP results, which is why it does not reconcile forward guidance. Source
  • Regulatory: Management noted the non-GAAP normalized tax rate may change with tax legislation, acquisitions or dispositions, entity structures, or operational changes. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The earlier 19% fiscal 2026 tax assumption is carried into this release. The release does not state progress against it. Source
  • Not stated: Management referred to ramping capital investment to add capacity. The release does not state progress against that plan. Source

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.