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Marvell Technology, Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 2 December 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 4 raised, 5 lowered, 1 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record revenue, up 37% year-on-year: Net revenue was $2,074.5 million, a new record, up 37% from $1,516.1 million a year earlier and up 3% from $2,006.1 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • GAAP profit lifted by sale gain: GAAP net income was $1,901.3 million, or $2.20 per diluted share, and includes a pre-tax gain of $1.8 billion on the automotive ethernet sale. Non-GAAP net income was $655.0 million, or $0.76 per diluted share. Source
  • Data center revenue up 38%: Data center revenue was $1,517.9 million, up 38% year-on-year and 2% sequentially, and the data center end market definition is unchanged. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue guided higher: Fourth-quarter net revenue is guided to $2.200 billion plus or minus 5%, up from the $2.060 billion guided for the third quarter. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS guided to $0.79: Non-GAAP diluted EPS is guided to $0.79 plus or minus $0.05, against $0.74 previously. GAAP diluted EPS is guided to $0.36 plus or minus $0.05. Source
  • Non-GAAP gross margin guided lower: Non-GAAP gross margin is guided to 58.5% to 59.5%, against 59.5% to 60.0% previously. GAAP gross margin is guided to 51.1% to 52.1%. Source
  • Celestial AI acquisition announced: Management announced the Celestial AI acquisition and described it as accelerating its scale-up roadmap for interconnect. Source

“Looking ahead, we see demand for our products continuing to accelerate, and as a result, our data center revenue growth forecast for next year is now higher than prior expectations”

Matt Murphy, Marvell’s Chairman and CEO

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net revenue Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026$2.200 billion +/- 5%Raised from $2.060 billion +/- 5%
GAAP gross margin Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 202651.1% to 52.1%Lowered from 51.5% to 52.0%
Non-GAAP gross margin Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 202658.5% to 59.5%Lowered from 59.5% to 60.0%
GAAP operating expenses Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026approximately $741 millionRaised from approximately $719 million
Non-GAAP operating expenses Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026approximately $515 millionRaised from approximately $485 million
Basic weighted-average shares Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026850 millionLowered from 863 million
Diluted weighted-average shares Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026857 millionLowered from 870 million
GAAP diluted EPS Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026$0.36 +/- $0.05Lowered from $2.03 +/- $0.05
Non-GAAP diluted EPS Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal 2026$0.79 +/- $0.05Raised from $0.74 +/- $0.05
Full-year revenue growth Sourcefiscal 2026 full yearexceed 40%New

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Fourth-quarter net revenue guidance raised to $2.200 billion from $2.060 billion. Source
  • Guidance raised: Fourth-quarter non-GAAP diluted EPS guidance raised to $0.79 from $0.74. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin guidance lowered to 58.5% to 59.5% from 59.5% to 60.0%. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Fourth-quarter GAAP diluted EPS guidance of $0.36 compares with $2.03 previously, which included a $2.10 per share gain on sale of business. Source
  • New: Management announced the acquisition of Celestial AI. Source
  • New: From the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, enterprise networking, carrier infrastructure, consumer and automotive/industrial revenue will be reported as one communications and other end market. Source
  • Ended: Automotive ethernet business sold to Infineon Technologies AG on August 14, 2025, for $2.5 billion in cash. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record revenue, up 37% year-on-year: Net revenue was $2,074.5 million, a new record, up 37% from $1,516.1 million a year earlier and up 3% from $2,006.1 million in the prior quarter. Source
  • GAAP profit lifted by sale gain: GAAP net income was $1,901.3 million, or $2.20 per diluted share, and includes a pre-tax gain of $1.8 billion on the automotive ethernet sale. Non-GAAP net income was $655.0 million, or $0.76 per diluted share. Source
  • Data center demand drove quarter: Management attributed the revenue to demand for data center products, which made up 73% of net revenue in the quarter. Source

Segments and end markets

  • Data center revenue up 38%: Data center revenue was $1,517.9 million, up 38% year-on-year and 2% sequentially, and the data center end market definition is unchanged. Source
  • Communications and other up 34%: Under the new combined grouping, communications and other revenue was $556.6 million, up 34% year-on-year and 8% sequentially. Source
  • Carrier infrastructure up 98%: Carrier infrastructure revenue was $167.8 million, up 98% year-on-year and 29% sequentially. Enterprise networking was $237.2 million, up 57% year-on-year. Source
  • Automotive and industrial revenue fell: Automotive/industrial revenue was $35.0 million, down 58% year-on-year, because those products were divested with the automotive ethernet business. Source
  • Consumer revenue up 21%: Consumer revenue was $116.6 million, up 21% year-on-year and 1% sequentially. Source

“I am also excited to announce the acquisition of Celestial AI - a transformational milestone that accelerates our scale-up roadmap for interconnect.”

Matt Murphy, Marvell’s Chairman and CEO

Margins and operating costs

  • Non-GAAP gross margin 59.7%: Non-GAAP gross margin was 59.7%, against 59.4% in the prior quarter. GAAP gross margin was 51.6%, against 50.4%. Source
  • Amortization drives GAAP margin gap: Amortization of acquired intangible assets in cost of goods sold was $153.4 million, or 7.4% of revenue, which accounts for most of the difference between GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating expenses declined: Non-GAAP operating expenses were $485.0 million, down from $492.6 million in the prior quarter. GAAP operating expenses were $712.0 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin 36.3%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 36.3%, against 34.8% in the prior quarter. GAAP operating margin was 17.2%. Source

Fourth quarter guidance

  • Fourth-quarter revenue guided higher: Fourth-quarter net revenue is guided to $2.200 billion plus or minus 5%, up from the $2.060 billion guided for the third quarter. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS guided to $0.79: Non-GAAP diluted EPS is guided to $0.79 plus or minus $0.05, against $0.74 previously. GAAP diluted EPS is guided to $0.36 plus or minus $0.05. Source
  • Non-GAAP gross margin guided lower: Non-GAAP gross margin is guided to 58.5% to 59.5%, against 59.5% to 60.0% previously. GAAP gross margin is guided to 51.1% to 52.1%. Source
  • Full-year growth forecast above 40%: Management forecasts full-year fiscal 2026 revenue growth above 40%, which it describes as the full-year figure for the year. Source

“This acquisition further strengthens Marvell’s position at the forefront of one of the fastest-growing opportunities in AI datacenter infrastructure.”

Matt Murphy, Marvell’s Chairman and CEO

Cash flow and balance sheet

  • Operating cash flow $582.3 million: Cash flow from operations was $582.3 million, against $461.6 million in the prior quarter. Nine-month operating cash flow was $1,376.8 million. Source
  • Cash balance up to $2.7 billion: Cash and cash equivalents were $2,714.5 million at November 1, 2025, up from $948.3 million at February 1, 2025. Short-term debt was $499.5 million and long-term debt was $3,969.4 million. Source
  • Capital spending $73.5 million: Purchases of property and equipment were $73.5 million in the quarter, and $239.8 million for the nine months. Source
  • Receivables up, inventories down: Accounts receivable were $1,546.3 million, up from $1,451.7 million at August 2, 2025. Inventories were $1,014.5 million, down from $1,051.6 million. Source
  • Debt proceeds and repayments in nine months: No borrowings or debt principal payments were recorded in the quarter. Nine-month proceeds from borrowings were $1,198.6 million and principal payments of debt were $790.6 million. Source

Capital returns and share count

  • Share repurchases of $1.3 billion: Repurchases of common stock were $1,300.0 million in the quarter and $1,840.0 million for the nine months. Source
  • Dividend payments of $50.8 million: Dividend payments to stockholders were $50.8 million in the quarter and $154.3 million for the nine months. Source
  • Tax withholding on share settlement: Tax withholding paid on behalf of employees for net share settlement was $62.5 million in the quarter. Source

Strategy and acquisitions

  • Celestial AI acquisition announced: Management announced the Celestial AI acquisition and described it as accelerating its scale-up roadmap for interconnect. Source
  • Automotive ethernet sold to Infineon: The automotive ethernet business was sold to Infineon Technologies AG for $2.5 billion in cash, producing a pre-tax gain on sale of $1.8 billion. Source
  • End-market reporting regrouped from Q4: Four end markets are combined into communications and other from the fourth quarter. Management states the data center end market composition is unchanged. Source

Reporting basis and tax

  • Non-GAAP excludes stock comp and amortization: Non-GAAP results exclude stock-based compensation, amortization of acquired intangible assets, the gain on sale of business, and restructuring and other related charges. Source
  • Non-GAAP tax rate held at 10%: A non-GAAP tax rate of 10.0% was applied to third-quarter non-GAAP results, the same rate applied in the second quarter. Source
  • Restructuring charges of $9.6 million: Restructuring related charges, net were $9.6 million in operating expenses, against $8.7 million in the prior quarter. Source

Coming up, as management said on 2 December 2025

  • Celestial AI closing not dated: Management announced the Celestial AI acquisition. The document gives no closing date for it. Source
  • Next-year data center growth forecast raised: Management said its data center revenue growth forecast for next year is higher than prior expectations. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin (non-GAAP) Source59.7%
Gross margin (GAAP) Source51.6%
Data center end-market revenue Source$1,517.9 million
Data center share of net revenue Source73%
Automotive/industrial end-market revenue Source$35.0 million
Consumer end-market revenue Source$116.6 million

Earlier plans management reported on

  • On track: Management says it is on track for a strong finish to the fiscal year, with full-year revenue growth forecast above 40%. Source
  • Ahead: Revenue was $15.0 million above the midpoint of the guidance the company gave on August 28, 2025. Source
  • Not stated: The August release expected operating margin and EPS expansion in the third quarter. This release does not state whether that was reached.

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.