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Cirrus Logic, Inc.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 6 May 2026: press release, letter to shareholders. Guidance figures: 7 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record fiscal 2026 revenue and EPS: FY26 revenue was $2.0 billion, up five percent. GAAP diluted EPS was $7.85 against $6.00 a year earlier, and non-GAAP EPS was $9.26 against $7.54. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue down sequentially: Fourth-quarter revenue was $448.5 million, down 23 percent from the December quarter and up six percent from a year earlier. Source
  • Gross margin near 53 percent: The year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter gross margin was attributed to higher freight expense. GAAP gross margin was 53.0 percent. Source
  • Smartphone volumes drove sequential decline: Management attributed the sequential revenue decline in the March quarter largely to lower smartphone unit volumes. Source
  • Inventory rose from December quarter: Inventory at the end of the fourth quarter was $240.9 million, up from $189.5 million at the end of the third quarter. Source
  • Cash and investments near $1.2 billion: The company reported about $1.2 billion of cash and investments and no debt at fiscal year end. Source
  • FY26 buybacks totaled $280 million: The company repurchased 2.5 million shares in FY26 at an average price of $113.91, returning $280.0 million to shareholders. Source

“With a consistent track record of execution, and an exceptional range of opportunities ahead of us, we believe the business is well positioned for long-term growth.”

John Forsyth, Cirrus Logic president and chief executive officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027$430 million to $490 millionNew
Revenue growth Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027up three percent sequentially; up 13 percent year over year at the midpointNew
Gross margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 202751 percent to 53 percentNew
Combined R&D and SG&A expense Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027$155 million to $161 millionNew
Stock-based compensation and amortization Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027approximately $21 million stock-based compensation; $2 million amortization of acquired intangiblesNew
Non-GAAP operating expense Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027$132 million to $138 millionNew
Non-GAAP effective tax rate Sourcefiscal 2027approximately 16 percent to 18 percentNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: First-quarter fiscal 2027 guidance was issued for revenue, gross margin and operating expense, with no prior guidance for that period. Source
  • New guidance: A fiscal 2027 non-GAAP effective tax rate estimate was given, which the letter says reflects the reinstated immediate deduction of U.S. R&D expenditures. Source
  • New: Management said it is designing its first smart power IC for 3D sensing, a new application space, following a customer announcement tied to Face ID. Source
  • New: The company joined its largest customer's American Manufacturing Program and is working with that customer and GlobalFoundries on new process technologies. Source
  • New: Management announced a new series of industrial imaging components for high-precision scanning systems. Source

Fourth-quarter and full-year results

  • Record fiscal 2026 revenue and EPS: FY26 revenue was $2.0 billion, up five percent. GAAP diluted EPS was $7.85 against $6.00 a year earlier, and non-GAAP EPS was $9.26 against $7.54. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue down sequentially: Fourth-quarter revenue was $448.5 million, down 23 percent from the December quarter and up six percent from a year earlier. Source
  • Quarterly EPS below December quarter: GAAP EPS was $1.56 against $2.66 in the December quarter. Non-GAAP EPS was $1.95 against $2.97 in the prior quarter. Source

Product lines and smartphone components

  • Custom amplifier and codec demand: Management reported demand for the latest custom boosted amplifier and 22-nanometer smart codec, which were first launched in customer products in FY25. Source
  • Camera controller development started: During FY26 the company began developing next-generation camera controller components and technologies for future smartphones. Source
  • Battery and power technologies validated: In FY26 the company validated new technologies and intellectual property in silicon aimed at battery performance, health and longevity. Source

“We are proud of our accomplishments this past year, especially the meaningful progress we made on our strategy to drive application and market diversification,”

John Forsyth, Cirrus Logic president and chief executive officer

PCs and general market growth

  • PC revenue grew on share gains: PC revenue grew year over year across all PC segments as the company gained share. New amplifiers and codecs address a wider range of platforms. Source
  • Voice codec for AI-enabled PCs: The company started production on a codec with enhanced voice functionality and sampled another smart codec for voice interfaces on AI-enabled PCs. Source
  • New general market product families: Management introduced product families for professional audio, automotive, industrial and imaging, which it says carry long lifecycles and above-average margins. Source
  • Audio converter family sampling: The company began sampling a high-performance audio converter family in the December quarter and continues ramping ADCs, DACs and codecs for professional audio and automotive. Source

Costs, margins and tax

  • Gross margin near 53 percent: The year-over-year decline in fourth-quarter gross margin was attributed to higher freight expense. GAAP gross margin was 53.0 percent. Source
  • Full-year margin up on mix: FY26 GAAP gross margin was 52.8 percent against 52.5 percent in FY25, which management attributed to a more favorable product mix. Source
  • Operating expenses down from Q3: GAAP operating expense was $147.3 million, down $7.9 million sequentially on lower variable compensation and employee-related costs, and up $6.6 million year over year. Source
  • Operating profit on GAAP and non-GAAP: Fourth-quarter operating profit was 20.1 percent on a GAAP basis and 24.9 percent on a non-GAAP basis. Source
  • Lower tax rate on R&D deduction: Fourth-quarter GAAP effective tax rate was 18.4 percent and non-GAAP was 16.0 percent. The letter credits the reinstated immediate deduction of U.S. R&D spending. Source
  • Headcount exiting Q4 at 1,668: The company reported total headcount of 1,668 at the end of the fourth quarter. Source

“As we look ahead to FY27 and beyond, we see the strongest pipeline of opportunities in front of us in recent history, and we are excited at the potential for continued delivery of outstanding results and long-term growth.”

John Forsyth, President & Chief Executive Officer

Demand and inventory

  • Smartphone volumes drove sequential decline: Management attributed the sequential revenue decline in the March quarter largely to lower smartphone unit volumes. Source
  • Inventory rose from December quarter: Inventory at the end of the fourth quarter was $240.9 million, up from $189.5 million at the end of the third quarter. Source
  • Pricing reductions offset revenue growth: Year-over-year revenue growth was partly offset by pricing reductions and, to a lesser extent, lower general market sales. Source

Cash, balance sheet and buybacks

  • Cash and investments near $1.2 billion: The company reported about $1.2 billion of cash and investments and no debt at fiscal year end. Source
  • Fourth-quarter operating cash flow: Operating cash flow for the fourth quarter was $151.4 million. Free cash flow for the year is shown in the press release reconciliation as $635.8 million. Source
  • FY26 buybacks totaled $280 million: The company repurchased 2.5 million shares in FY26 at an average price of $113.91, returning $280.0 million to shareholders. Source
  • Q4 buybacks at $142.54 average: In the fourth quarter the company repurchased 491,104 shares at an average price of $142.54. Source
  • Remaining buyback authorization $274.1 million: At the end of the fourth quarter the company had $274.1 million remaining under its share repurchase authorization. Source

Strategy and application expansion

  • Three strategic priorities unchanged: Management said long-term growth depends on smartphone audio leadership, more HPMS content in smartphones, and expansion into additional applications and markets. Source
  • Two-decade engineering partnership with customer: Management described the Face ID collaboration as representative of an engineering partnership with its largest customer built over about 20 years. Source
  • Supply chain diversification steps: Management described the American Manufacturing Program participation as one of several steps to diversify process and geography across the supply chain. Source
  • Voice as AI interaction enabler: Management said it believes voice will be a critical enabler for agentic interaction across edge devices, including PCs. Source

Coming up, as management said on 6 May 2026

  • PC growth expected to continue in FY27: Management anticipates PC growth to continue in FY27 as the SDCA transition accelerates and content per device rises. Source
  • R&D investment to grow in FY27: Management said it expects R&D investment to grow in FY27, given the range of opportunities across the business. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin Source53.0 percent

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Revenue is concentrated in one customer, which contributed about 91 percent of FY26 revenue and 92 percent of fourth-quarter revenue. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management said it continued to execute on its three-pronged strategy during FY26, including maintaining smartphone audio leadership. Source
  • Not stated: Management said efforts are under way to manufacture products for the first time at the GlobalFoundries facility in Malta, New York. 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.