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Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 9 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 4 lowered. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fiscal 2026 guidance lowered: Full-year adjusted pretax income is guided to $575 to $600 million, against at least $725 million before. Adjusted EBITDA margin is guided to about 17.5%, against about 18%. Source
  • Revenue flat in constant currency: Revenue was $3.9 billion, up 3% as reported and unchanged in constant currency. Pretax income was $91 million, against $258 million a year earlier, when a transaction-related benefit was recorded. Source
  • Consult revenue up 24%: Kyndryl Consult revenue grew 24% year over year in the quarter. Over the last twelve months, Consult revenue was $3.6 billion and Consult signings were $4.1 billion. Source
  • Hyperscaler revenue rose 58%: Revenue tied to cloud hyperscaler alliances was $500 million in the quarter, up 58% year over year, under the Alliances initiative. Source
  • Principal Markets grew, United States flat: Principal Markets revenue was $1,428 million, up 10% reported and 4% in constant currency. United States revenue was $958 million, flat year over year. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose to $427 million: Cash flow from operations was $427 million, against $260 million a year earlier. Net capital expenditures were $210 million, against $93 million. Source
  • Form 10-Q filing delayed: The Form 10-Q filing is delayed pending a review described in a Form 12b-25 filed with the SEC. Source

“In the third quarter, we drove growth in Kyndryl Consult and through our alliances with hyperscalers and other leading technology providers.”

Kyndryl Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Martin Schroeter

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Adjusted pretax income Sourcefiscal year 2026$575 to $600 millionLowered from at least $725 million
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefiscal year 2026approximately 17.5%Lowered from approximately 18%
Free cash flow Sourcefiscal year 2026$325 to $375 millionLowered from approximately $550 million
Constant-currency revenue Sourcefiscal year 2026decline of 2% to 3%Lowered from growth of 1%

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance lowered: Fiscal 2026 guidance was cut for adjusted pretax income, adjusted EBITDA margin, free cash flow and constant-currency revenue, which the prior release had reaffirmed. Source
  • New: Harsh Chugh was named Interim Chief Financial Officer; the prior release quoted David Wyshner as Chief Financial Officer. Source
  • New: Kyndryl announced an agreement to acquire Solvinity Group, B.V., a Netherlands provider of secure managed cloud platforms and services. Source
  • New: Kyndryl was designated one of 19 critical third-party providers under the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act. Source
  • New: The Form 10-Q filing was delayed pending a review described in a Form 12b-25 filed with the SEC. Source
  • New: New agentic AI services were announced for workforce readiness, agentic AI digital trust, and mainframe modernization. Source

Fiscal 2026 guidance and results

  • Fiscal 2026 guidance lowered: Full-year adjusted pretax income is guided to $575 to $600 million, against at least $725 million before. Adjusted EBITDA margin is guided to about 17.5%, against about 18%. Source
  • Revenue guidance moved to decline: Constant-currency revenue is guided to a decline of 2% to 3%, against growth of 1% before. Free cash flow is guided to $325 to $375 million, against about $550 million. Source
  • Revenue flat in constant currency: Revenue was $3.9 billion, up 3% as reported and unchanged in constant currency. Pretax income was $91 million, against $258 million a year earlier, when a transaction-related benefit was recorded. Source
  • Net income and EPS fell: Net income was $57 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, against $215 million, or $0.89, in the prior-year quarter. The prior-year quarter included a $145 million pretax divestiture gain. Source
  • Adjusted EPS held near prior year: Adjusted net income was $122 million, or $0.52 per diluted share, against $124 million, or $0.51, a year earlier. Adjusted EBITDA was $696 million, against $704 million. Source

Kyndryl Consult and hyperscaler alliances

  • Consult revenue up 24%: Kyndryl Consult revenue grew 24% year over year in the quarter. Over the last twelve months, Consult revenue was $3.6 billion and Consult signings were $4.1 billion. Source
  • Hyperscaler revenue rose 58%: Revenue tied to cloud hyperscaler alliances was $500 million in the quarter, up 58% year over year, under the Alliances initiative. Source
  • Eleven contracts above $50 million: Kyndryl signed eleven customer contracts exceeding $50 million each during the quarter. Source

“We are operating with a clear strategic mindset. We remain focused on delivering our multi-year objectives, driving profitable growth and most importantly providing innovative and world-class services for our customers.”

Kyndryl Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Martin Schroeter

Segments and regions

  • Principal Markets grew, United States flat: Principal Markets revenue was $1,428 million, up 10% reported and 4% in constant currency. United States revenue was $958 million, flat year over year. Source
  • Japan and Strategic Markets declined: Japan revenue was $568 million, down 2% reported and 1% in constant currency. Strategic Markets revenue was $905 million, flat reported and down 7% in constant currency. Source
  • Segment adjusted EBITDA shifted: Japan adjusted EBITDA rose to $126 million from $111 million. Principal Markets fell to $221 million from $226 million, and Strategic Markets to $169 million from $187 million. Source

Signings and margin on new contracts

  • Trailing signings $15.4 billion: Trailing twelve-month signings were $15.4 billion, against $16.3 billion a year earlier. Quarter signings were $3.9 billion, against $4.1 billion. Source
  • Projected margin on signings unchanged: The projected pretax margin on quarter signings was in the high-single-digit range, in line with recent quarters. Source
  • AI content in a quarter of signings: A quarter of signings now include AI-related content, through Kyndryl Consult, the global AI hubs and the Kyndryl Agentic AI Framework. Source

Costs and three-A initiatives

  • Three-A initiatives lifted earnings: Alliances, Advanced Delivery and Accounts contributed to the year-over-year increase in adjusted pretax income. Advanced Delivery uses AI-enabled automation through the Kyndryl Bridge platform. Source
  • Cost of services rose: Cost of services was $3,016 million, up from $2,981 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses were $672 million, up from $647 million. Source
  • Workforce rebalancing charges eased: Workforce rebalancing charges were $16 million, against $17 million a year earlier. Source

Cash flow and working capital

  • Operating cash flow rose to $427 million: Cash flow from operations was $427 million, against $260 million a year earlier. Net capital expenditures were $210 million, against $93 million. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow $18 million: Free cash flow was $217 million in the quarter, against $167 million, and $18 million for the nine months, against $66 million. Cash and equivalents were $1,348 million, against $1,786 million at March 31. Source
  • Vendor payment timing affects cash: Management actively manages working capital, including deferring vendor payments. The magnitude has varied by quarter and has been positive for cash flows in certain periods. Source

Capital returns and share count

  • Repurchased $100 million of shares: The company repurchased 3.7 million shares for $100 million in the quarter. Since November 2024 it has bought back 11 million shares for $349 million, 5% of shares outstanding. Source
  • Nine-month repurchases $250 million: Common stock repurchases were $250 million in the nine months, against $30 million a year earlier. Repurchases for tax withholdings were $93 million. Source
  • Diluted share count fell: Weighted-average diluted shares were 232.5 million in the quarter, against 240.7 million a year earlier. Source

Strategy, AI and Solvinity acquisition

  • Solvinity acquisition agreed: Kyndryl agreed to acquire Solvinity Group, B.V., a provider of secure managed cloud platforms and services in the Netherlands. Source
  • New agentic AI services launched: New agentic AI services cover workforce readiness, agentic AI digital trust across hybrid and multi-cloud estates, and mainframe modernization. Source
  • Mainframe modernization services added: Agentic AI services for the mainframe are intended to accelerate modernization for customers. Source

Leadership and filing timing

  • Interim CFO named: Harsh Chugh was named Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective immediately. The prior release quoted David Wyshner as Chief Financial Officer. Source
  • Interim general counsel and controller: Mark Ringes was named Interim General Counsel and Bhavna Doegar was named Interim Corporate Controller, both effective immediately. Source
  • Form 10-Q filing delayed: The Form 10-Q filing is delayed pending a review described in a Form 12b-25 filed with the SEC. Source

Coming up, as management said on 9 February 2026

  • Solvinity closing expected in 2026: Closing is subject to customary conditions, including regulatory approval, with completion expected in the first half of calendar-year 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Cloud hyperscaler-related revenue Source$500 million, up 58% year-over-year
Large customer contracts signed SourceEleven contracts exceeding $50 million each

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: An interim arbitration decision on a 2006 pre-spin matter produced a $38 million pretax loss in the quarter, recorded as a transaction-related item. Source
  • External: Currency movements added five points to quarter signings growth, while reported revenue grew 3% against flat constant-currency revenue. Source
  • Regulatory: Kyndryl was designated one of 19 critical third-party providers under the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act, due to its work for large financial institutions. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management said hyperscaler revenue is on track to exceed the initial $1.8 billion target for fiscal 2026. Source
  • Not stated: The prior release expected activity to strengthen in the second half of fiscal 2026, supported by the pipeline and customer discussions. This release does not restate that expectation.
  • Not stated: The prior release referred to fiscal 2028 objectives, which include generating more than $1 billion in free cash flow.

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.