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F5, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 27 July 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 raised, 2 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 11% year over year: Third quarter revenue was $865.1 million, up 11% from $780.4 million. Nine-month revenue was $2,499.2 million against $2,278.0 million. Source
  • Product revenue grew 19%: Management said 19% product revenue growth drove 11% total revenue growth. Product revenue was $462.8 million, up from $388.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year guidance raised: Management raised the fiscal 2026 revenue growth and non-GAAP EPS ranges. Figures are listed in the guidance section. Source
  • Systems revenue grew 32%: Systems revenue was $240 million, up 32% from the year-ago period, the fastest growth of the three revenue lines in the quarter. Source
  • GAAP gross margin reached 82.2%: GAAP gross margin was 82.2% against 81.0% a year earlier. Non-GAAP gross margin was 84.2% against 83.1%. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose for nine months: Net cash provided by operating activities was $841.4 million for the nine months, against $741.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Share repurchases increased: Repurchases of common stock were $501.1 million for nine months, against $377.1 million. Common shares outstanding fell to 56,826 thousand from 57,684 thousand at September 30, 2025. Source

“Eight consecutive quarters of double-digit product growth reflect the mission-critical role F5 plays at the application delivery and security layer of today’s hybrid multicloud and AI-driven enterprise infrastructure.”

François Locoh-Donou, F5’s Chairman, President, and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue growth Sourcefiscal year 2026approximately 9% to 10%Raised from 7% to 8%
Non-GAAP EPS Sourcefiscal year 2026$17.21 to $17.33Raised from $16.25 to $16.55
Revenue Sourcefourth quarter fiscal year 2026$870 million to $890 millionNew
Non-GAAP EPS Sourcefourth quarter fiscal year 2026$4.14 to $4.26 per diluted shareNew

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Fiscal 2026 revenue growth range raised to approximately 9% to 10% from 7% to 8%. Source
  • Guidance raised: Fiscal 2026 non-GAAP EPS range raised to $17.21 to $17.33 from $16.25 to $16.55. Source
  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 revenue and non-GAAP EPS ranges were given; the previous release gave third-quarter ranges. Source
  • New: Insurance recoveries from the cyber incident are now a non-GAAP adjustment and are named in the guidance exclusions; the previous release did not name them. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 11% year over year: Third quarter revenue was $865.1 million, up 11% from $780.4 million. Nine-month revenue was $2,499.2 million against $2,278.0 million. Source
  • Product revenue grew 19%: Management said 19% product revenue growth drove 11% total revenue growth. Product revenue was $462.8 million, up from $388.8 million a year earlier. Source
  • Full-year guidance raised: Management raised the fiscal 2026 revenue growth and non-GAAP EPS ranges. Figures are listed in the guidance section. Source
  • Operating income rose: GAAP operating income was $213.3 million, a 24.7% margin, against $196.3 million at 25.2%. Non-GAAP operating income was $302.7 million, a 35.0% margin, against $267.3 million at 34.3%. Source
  • Diluted EPS rose on both bases: GAAP diluted EPS was $3.62 against $3.25 a year earlier. Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $4.73 against $4.16. Source

Segments and revenue mix

  • Systems revenue grew 32%: Systems revenue was $240 million, up 32% from the year-ago period, the fastest growth of the three revenue lines in the quarter. Source
  • Software and services growth: Software revenue was $223 million, up 7%. Services revenue was $402 million, up 3% from the year-ago period. Source
  • Systems rose from second quarter: Systems revenue was $226 million in the second quarter, so third-quarter systems revenue was about $14 million higher. Software revenue was $184 million in the second quarter.

“F5’s response is a continuous defense model built for this new reality.”

François Locoh-Donou, F5’s Chairman, President, and CEO

Costs, margins and pricing

  • GAAP gross margin reached 82.2%: GAAP gross margin was 82.2% against 81.0% a year earlier. Non-GAAP gross margin was 84.2% against 83.1%. Source
  • Operating expenses rose across lines: Research and development was $164.7 million against $136.3 million. Sales and marketing was $238.0 million against $220.4 million, and general and administrative was $95.6 million against $78.7 million. Source
  • Income tax provision declined: The provision for income taxes was $18.0 million in the quarter against $23.1 million a year earlier. The nine-month provision was $102.3 million against $91.4 million. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Operating cash flow rose for nine months: Net cash provided by operating activities was $841.4 million for the nine months, against $741.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Share repurchases increased: Repurchases of common stock were $501.1 million for nine months, against $377.1 million. Common shares outstanding fell to 56,826 thousand from 57,684 thousand at September 30, 2025. Source
  • Capital spending and acquisitions rose: Purchases of property and equipment were $63.7 million for nine months, against $27.1 million. Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired, were $47.6 million against $24.2 million. Source

“The world runs on applications and the threats targeting them have never been more sophisticated.”

François Locoh-Donou, F5’s Chairman, President, and CEO

Balance sheet and deferred revenue

  • Cash balance increased: Cash and cash equivalents were $1,605.8 million at June 30, 2026, up from $1,442.8 million at March 31, 2026 and $1,344.3 million at September 30, 2025. Source
  • Deferred revenue grew: Total deferred revenue was $2,192.7 million at June 30, 2026, against $1,999.2 million at September 30, 2025. Long-term deferred revenue was $903.1 million. Source
  • Inventories rose from September: Inventories were $126.9 million at June 30, 2026, up from $90.3 million at March 31, 2026 and $77.2 million at September 30, 2025. Source

Non-GAAP adjustments and one-time costs

  • Cyber incident costs and recoveries: Cyber incident costs were $3.0 million in the quarter and $26.5 million for nine months. Insurance recoveries of $5.3 million were excluded from non-GAAP net income. Source
  • Acquisition-related charges rose: Acquisition-related charges were $10.1 million in the quarter, against $2.0 million a year earlier, and $28.9 million for nine months against $3.9 million. Source

Strategy and AI-driven threats

  • AI used in customer defense: Management said F5 is using AI to help customers identify risk earlier, protect applications at runtime, and deliver hardened software faster. Source
  • AI shortens vulnerability-to-exploit window: Management said AI has empowered attackers and shortened the time between vulnerability discovery and exploitation. Source
  • Platform framing for the business: The company described its F5 Application Delivery and Security Platform (ADSP) as built to deliver and secure every app and API, anywhere. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin (GAAP) Source82.2%
Gross margin (non-GAAP) Source84.2%
Systems revenue Source$240 million, up 32%
Software revenue Source$223 million, up 7%
Services revenue Source$402 million, up 3%

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: The company said it incurred non-recurring expenses investigating and remediating the Cyber Incident, which it excludes from non-GAAP results. Source
  • Financial: The company said non-GAAP guidance cannot be reconciled to GAAP without unreasonable effort because the excluded items are highly variable and have low visibility. Source
  • Financial: Amortization and share-based compensation exclusions are generally incurred each quarter, but their amounts have varied and may continue to vary significantly. 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.