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NetApp, Inc.: Q4 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 8 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Fourth-quarter revenue rose 12%: Net revenues were $1,948 million in the quarter, up 12% from $1,732 million a year earlier. Source
  • Public Cloud revenue rose 11%: Public Cloud segment revenue was $182 million in the fourth quarter, up 11% from $164 million; fiscal 2026 was $688 million, up 3%. Source
  • All-flash array revenue rose 18%: All-flash array revenue reached $1.2 billion in the quarter, up 18% from the prior-year quarter, within Hybrid Cloud segment revenue. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating margin rose to 32%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 32.0% in the fourth quarter against 28.6%, and 30.2% for fiscal 2026 against 28.3%. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 billings rose 6%: Billings were $7,206 million for fiscal 2026, up 6% from $6,780 million; fourth-quarter billings were $2,163 million, up 6%. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 free cash flow was $1.87 billion: Free cash flow was $1,869 million for fiscal 2026 against $1,338 million, and $900 million in the fourth quarter against $640 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns totaled $1.36 billion: Fiscal 2026 returns comprised share repurchases of $950 million and cash dividends of $413 million. Source

“Fiscal year 2026 was a landmark year for NetApp with record results across revenue, gross profit, operating income, cash flow from operations, and free cash flow.”

George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net revenues Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027$1.750 billion - $1.900 billionNew
Consolidated gross margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027GAAP 68.1% - 69.1%; non-GAAP 69.1% - 70.1%New
Operating margin Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027GAAP 19.4% - 20.4%; non-GAAP 28.4% - 29.4%New
Earnings per share Sourcefirst quarter of fiscal 2027GAAP $1.35 - $1.45; non-GAAP $2.05 - $2.15New
Net revenues Sourcefull fiscal year 2027$7.325 billion - $7.575 billionNew
Consolidated gross margin Sourcefull fiscal year 2027GAAP 67.5% - 68.5%; non-GAAP 68.5% - 69.5%New
Operating margin Sourcefull fiscal year 2027GAAP 22.1% - 23.1%; non-GAAP 29.1% - 30.1%New
Earnings per share Sourcefull fiscal year 2027GAAP $6.51 - $6.81; non-GAAP $8.70 - $9.00New

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Guidance was given for the first quarter of fiscal 2027, a period not covered by the prior release. Source
  • New guidance: Guidance was given for full fiscal 2027, following the fiscal 2026 period the prior release covered. Source
  • Ended: Fiscal 2026 closed on April 24, 2026, and its results are reported in this release. Source
  • New: NetApp announced next-generation EF50 and EF80 high-performance storage systems, not mentioned in the prior release. Source
  • New: A partnership with Nutanix to integrate ONTAP-based data infrastructure was announced, not mentioned in the prior release. Source

Fourth quarter and fiscal year results

  • Fourth-quarter revenue rose 12%: Net revenues were $1,948 million in the quarter, up 12% from $1,732 million a year earlier. Source
  • Fiscal 2026 revenue rose 5%: Net revenues for fiscal 2026 were $6,925 million, up 5% from $6,572 million. Source
  • Constant-currency growth trailed reported growth: In constant currency, fourth-quarter net revenues rose 10% and billings rose 4%, against reported growth of 12% and 6%. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EPS rose to $2.03: GAAP diluted EPS was $2.03 in the fourth quarter against $1.65; non-GAAP diluted EPS was $2.43 against $1.93. Source

Segments and storage categories

  • Public Cloud revenue rose 11%: Public Cloud segment revenue was $182 million in the fourth quarter, up 11% from $164 million; fiscal 2026 was $688 million, up 3%. Source
  • All-flash array revenue rose 18%: All-flash array revenue reached $1.2 billion in the quarter, up 18% from the prior-year quarter, within Hybrid Cloud segment revenue. Source
  • Hybrid Cloud revenue rose 13%: Hybrid Cloud segment revenue was $1,766 million in the quarter, up 13%; fiscal 2026 was $6,237 million, up 6%. Source
  • Hybrid-flash revenue fell for the year: Hybrid-flash and other revenue was $550 million in the quarter, up from $534 million, and $2,059 million for fiscal 2026, down from $2,144 million. Source

“We achieved our target operating margin while launching next-generation AI solutions and expanding strategic partnerships.”

George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer

Regions and sales channels

  • Americas share eased to 50%: Americas accounted for 50% of fourth-quarter revenue against 51% a year earlier; U.S. Public Sector was 10% against 9%. Source
  • EMEA share rose to 36%: EMEA accounted for 36% of fourth-quarter revenue against 34%; Asia Pacific was 14% against 15%. Source
  • Direct channel share rose: Direct sales were 25% of fourth-quarter revenue against 22%; indirect sales were 75% against 78%. Source

Margins and costs

  • Non-GAAP operating margin rose to 32%: Non-GAAP operating margin was 32.0% in the fourth quarter against 28.6%, and 30.2% for fiscal 2026 against 28.3%. Source
  • GAAP operating income rose 53%: GAAP income from operations was $532 million in the fourth quarter against $348 million; fiscal 2026 was $1,674 million against $1,337 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP gross margin edged up: Non-GAAP gross margin was 70.5% in the quarter against 69.5%, and 71.3% for fiscal 2026 against 71.1%. Source
  • Product margin fell in fiscal 2026: Product gross margin was 56.1% for fiscal 2026 against 57.8% in the prior year. Source
  • R&D fell, G&A rose in fiscal 2026: Research and development expense was $991 million for fiscal 2026 against $1,012 million; general and administrative rose to $344 million from $311 million. Source
  • Restructuring charges fell: Restructuring charges were $21 million for fiscal 2026 against $83 million in fiscal 2025. Source

“As enterprises scale their AI ambitions, NetApp’s unified data platform and flexible offerings position us for sustained growth.”

George Kurian, Chief Executive Officer

Billings, deferred revenue and receivables

  • Fiscal 2026 billings rose 6%: Billings were $7,206 million for fiscal 2026, up 6% from $6,780 million; fourth-quarter billings were $2,163 million, up 6%. Source
  • Deferred revenue grew: Deferred revenue was $4,845 million at fiscal year end, against $4,536 million a year earlier. Source
  • Receivable days fell to 60: Days sales outstanding were 60 in the fourth quarter against 65; days payables outstanding were 86 in both periods. Source

Cash flow and capital returns

  • Fiscal 2026 free cash flow was $1.87 billion: Free cash flow was $1,869 million for fiscal 2026 against $1,338 million, and $900 million in the fourth quarter against $640 million. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose 37%: Net cash from operating activities was $2,067 million for fiscal 2026 against $1,506 million, and $950 million in the fourth quarter against $675 million. Source
  • Shareholder returns totaled $1.36 billion: Fiscal 2026 returns comprised share repurchases of $950 million and cash dividends of $413 million. Source
  • Cash balance lower at year end: Cash, cash equivalents and investments were $3,584 million at the end of fiscal 2026, against $3,846 million a year earlier. Source

Products and cloud services

  • AI Data Engine launched with NVIDIA: The AI Data Engine, co-engineered with NVIDIA, helps enterprises find, manage and prepare data for production AI through a global metadata catalog. Source
  • Azure NetApp Files elastic tier in preview: A public preview of an Azure NetApp Files Elastic zone-redundant service level targets mission-critical workloads with enterprise resilience. Source
  • Google Cloud block storage generally available: iSCSI block storage for Google Cloud NetApp Volumes is generally available, with previews of unified file/block and ONTAP-mode. Source
  • Data Migrator generally available: NetApp Data Migrator is generally available as a multicloud service that moves data across environments without specialized expertise. Source

Partnerships and recognition

  • Google Distributed Cloud collaboration expanded: An expanded multi-year collaboration with Google Cloud targets AI workloads in air-gapped, sovereign and private cloud environments. Source
  • Commvault alliance on ransomware recovery: A strategic alliance with Commvault delivers a closed-loop recovery architecture combining ransomware detection with automated, validated recovery. Source
  • Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization option: Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization supports Google Cloud NetApp Volumes and NetApp Trident as a generally available option. Source
  • AWS HPC competency achieved for ONTAP: NetApp achieved the AWS High Performance Computing Competency for ONTAP, covering scalable storage for HPC workloads on AWS. Source
  • Google Cloud storage partner award: NetApp won the 2026 Google Cloud Infrastructure Modernization Partner of the Year for Storage award for the seventh time. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 May 2026

  • Dividend payment date set: The next cash dividend is payable July 29, 2026, to holders of record at the close of business on July 10, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Consolidated gross margin, GAAP SourceQ4 70.1%; fiscal 2026 70.7%
Hybrid Cloud segment gross margin SourceQ4 69.0%; fiscal 2026 70.0%
Public Cloud segment gross margin SourceQ4 85.7%; fiscal 2026 83.6%
Product gross margin SourceQ4 56.0%; fiscal 2026 56.1%
Support gross margin SourceQ4 93.0%
Hybrid Cloud segment revenue SourceQ4 $1,766 million; fiscal 2026 $6,237 million
Public Cloud segment revenue SourceQ4 $182 million; fiscal 2026 $688 million
All-flash revenue SourceQ4 $1,216 million; fiscal 2026 $4,178 million
Hybrid-flash and other revenue SourceQ4 $550 million; fiscal 2026 $2,059 million

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the company achieved its target operating margin during the year, while launching AI solutions and partnerships. 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.