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Semtech Corp.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 24 November 2025: press release. Guidance figures: 10 new, 1 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Record net sales rose 13%: Net sales were $267.0 million, up from $236.8 million a year earlier and $257.6 million in the second quarter. The company described the result as a record. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.48: Adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.48, against $0.41 in the second quarter and $0.26 a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $44.1 million. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin reached 20.6%: Adjusted operating margin was 20.6%, against 18.8% in the second quarter and 18.3% a year earlier, with adjusted operating income of $54.9 million. Source
  • Adjusted interest expense down to $2.5M: Adjusted interest expense, net was $2.5 million, against $4.1 million in the second quarter and $18.4 million a year earlier. Source
  • Free cash flow reached $44.6M: Operating cash flow was $47.5 million and net capital expenditures were $2.8 million, giving free cash flow of $44.6 million, against $29.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Interest savings to fund R&D: Management said cash interest costs were substantially reduced through capital structure work, and the company plans to allocate the savings to R&D to accelerate core portfolio growth. Source
  • Fourth-quarter net sales guidance $273.0M: Management guided fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 net sales to $273.0 million, plus or minus $5.0 million. Source

“Our strong results this quarter reflect returns on our disciplined R&D investments and the deep and expanding partnerships we have established with our customers”

Hong Hou, president and chief executive officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Net sales Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$273.0 million +/- $5.0 millionNew
Adjusted gross margin Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 202651.2% +/- 50 bpsNew
Adjusted operating expenses, net Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$91.2 million +/- $1.0 millionNew
Adjusted operating income Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$48.6 million +/- $3.0 millionNew
Adjusted operating margin Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 202617.8% +/- 80 bpsNew
Adjusted interest and other expense, net Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$(0.5) millionNew
Adjusted normalized tax rate Sourcefiscal year 2026, applied to each quarter15%Kept
Adjusted diluted earnings per share Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$0.43 +/- $0.03New
Adjusted EBITDA Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 2026$56.0 million +/- $3.0 millionNew
Adjusted EBITDA margin Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 202620.5% +/- 80 bpsNew
Non-GAAP diluted share count Sourcefourth quarter of fiscal year 202695.7 million sharesNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Fourth-quarter guidance replaced the third-quarter guidance given in the prior release.
  • New: Induced conversion expense of $21.2 million is excluded from adjusted interest expense this quarter. The prior release's list of exclusions did not include this item. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Record net sales rose 13%: Net sales were $267.0 million, up from $236.8 million a year earlier and $257.6 million in the second quarter. The company described the result as a record. Source
  • GAAP operating margin rose to 11.6%: GAAP operating income was $31.1 million, an 11.6% margin, against an operating loss of $16.2 million in the second quarter, which included a $42.0 million goodwill impairment. Source
  • GAAP loss per share narrowed: Net loss was $2.9 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, against a net loss of $7.6 million and $0.10 per share a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose to $0.48: Adjusted diluted earnings per share was $0.48, against $0.41 in the second quarter and $0.26 a year earlier. Adjusted net income was $44.1 million. Source

Segments and segment margins

  • IoT segment margin was 36.6%: IoT Systems and Connectivity segment gross margin was 36.6%, the lowest of the three segment margins reported for the quarter. Source

“We reported marked sequential and year-over-year improvement in operating and adjusted EBITDA margins, demonstrating leverage in our financial model that translated to growth in operating and free cash flows”

Mark Lin, executive vice president and chief financial officer

Products and portfolio

  • Power-efficient products named as focus: Management said power constraints are intensifying for customers and named ultra-power-efficient solutions for data center networking, LoRa IoT connectivity and AI-interface sensing. Source
  • Company describes its portfolio: The company describes itself as a provider of high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service solutions. Source
  • Target markets named in company profile: The company says its teams develop products for the infrastructure, industrial and consumer markets. Source

Costs, margins and interest

  • GAAP gross margin at 51.9%: GAAP gross margin was 51.9%, against 51.1% a year earlier and 52.1% in the second quarter. Non-GAAP adjusted gross margin was 53.0%. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin reached 20.6%: Adjusted operating margin was 20.6%, against 18.8% in the second quarter and 18.3% a year earlier, with adjusted operating income of $54.9 million. Source
  • Adjusted operating expenses rose on year: Adjusted operating expenses were $86.5 million, against $88.4 million in the second quarter and $80.6 million a year earlier. Source
  • Adjusted interest expense down to $2.5M: Adjusted interest expense, net was $2.5 million, against $4.1 million in the second quarter and $18.4 million a year earlier. Source

Capital, cash and debt

  • Free cash flow reached $44.6M: Operating cash flow was $47.5 million and net capital expenditures were $2.8 million, giving free cash flow of $44.6 million, against $29.1 million a year earlier. Source
  • Long-term debt declined to $490.5M: Long-term debt was $490.5 million at October 26, 2025, against $518.9 million at July 27, 2025, as shown in the prior release. Source
  • Cash and equivalents at $164.7M: Cash and cash equivalents were $164.7 million at October 26, 2025, against $151.7 million at January 26, 2025. Source

Strategy and R&D investment

  • Adjusted R&D spend rose to $45.5M: Adjusted product development and engineering expense was $45.5 million, against $44.8 million in the second quarter and $38.7 million a year earlier. Source
  • Interest savings to fund R&D: Management said cash interest costs were substantially reduced through capital structure work, and the company plans to allocate the savings to R&D to accelerate core portfolio growth. Source
  • Integration costs down from $3.2M: Transaction and integration related costs were $1.1 million, against $3.2 million a year earlier. The company excludes these costs from non-GAAP results, including Sierra Wireless integration costs. Source

Fourth-quarter guidance and basis

  • Fourth-quarter net sales guidance $273.0M: Management guided fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 net sales to $273.0 million, plus or minus $5.0 million. Source
  • Forward non-GAAP not reconciled to GAAP: The company said it cannot reconcile forward non-GAAP results to GAAP without unreasonable efforts, because transaction, integration and restructuring items are highly variable. Source
  • Normalized tax rate of 15% applied quarterly: The projected non-GAAP normalized tax rate for fiscal 2026 is 15%, applied to each quarter, and excludes share-based awards and acquisition-related intangible amortization. Source

Coming up, as management said on 24 November 2025

  • Form 10-Q finalization: Reported amounts are preliminary and remain subject to finalizing the Form 10-Q for the three months ended October 26, 2025. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Gross margin (GAAP) Source51.9%
Adjusted gross margin (Non-GAAP) Source53.0%
Segment gross margin, IoT Systems and Connectivity Source36.6%

Risks management discussed

  • Financial: Management said transaction, integration and restructuring charges could have a potentially significant effect on GAAP results. Source
  • Operational: Management said certain restructuring and integration-related expenses may be considered recurring, given ongoing efforts to be more cost effective. 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.