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Seagate Technology Holdings plc: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 28 April 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 2 new, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose to $3.11 billion: Revenue was $3,112 million against $2,160 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $8,566 million against $6,653 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose to $4.10: Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $4.10 against $1.90. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.27 against $1.57. Source
  • Legal settlement charge of $105 million: A $105 million legal settlement was recorded in the quarter and excluded from non-GAAP results. The reconciliation shows $0.46 per diluted share. Source
  • Free cash flow of $953 million: Free cash flow was $953 million against $216 million. Nine-month free cash flow was $1,987 million against $393 million. Source
  • Debt retired and returns to shareholders: The company retired about $641 million of debt in the quarter and returned $191 million through dividends and share repurchases. Source

“Seagate delivered outstanding March quarter results, exceeding the high end of our revenue and EPS guidance, achieving record margin performance, and generating close to $1 billion in free cash flow”

Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chair and chief executive officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue Sourcefiscal fourth quarter 2026$3.45 billion, plus or minus $100 millionNew
Non-GAAP diluted EPS Sourcefiscal fourth quarter 2026$5.00, plus or minus $0.20New
Share-based compensation excluded from non-GAAP EPS guidance Sourcefiscal fourth quarter 2026$0.23 per shareKept
Non-GAAP income tax rate Sourcefiscal year 202615.5%Kept

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: Guidance now covers fiscal fourth quarter 2026. The prior release gave guidance for fiscal third quarter 2026. Source
  • New: The guidance assumption names the Middle East conflict alongside tariff policies; the prior release referred only to tariff policies. Source

Results for the quarter

  • Revenue rose to $3.11 billion: Revenue was $3,112 million against $2,160 million a year earlier. Nine-month revenue was $8,566 million against $6,653 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP EPS rose to $4.10: Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $4.10 against $1.90. GAAP diluted EPS was $3.27 against $1.57. Source
  • Nine-month GAAP EPS reached $8.29: Nine-month GAAP diluted EPS was $8.29 against $4.52. Nine-month non-GAAP diluted EPS was $9.81 against $5.53. Source
  • Nine-month net income climbed: GAAP net income for the nine months was $1,890 million against $981 million a year earlier. Source

Operating margin and profit

  • GAAP operating income reached $998 million: GAAP income from operations was $998 million against $431 million, on revenue of $3,112 million. Source
  • Gross profit rose to $1.45 billion: GAAP gross profit was $1,447 million against $760 million. Non-GAAP gross profit was $1,463 million against $781 million. Source

“We believe Seagate is entering a new era of structural growth as AI applications amplify data creation and support sustained storage demand.”

Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chair and chief executive officer

Operating costs and charges

  • Legal settlement charge of $105 million: A $105 million legal settlement was recorded in the quarter and excluded from non-GAAP results. The reconciliation shows $0.46 per diluted share. Source
  • Cost of revenue rose to $1,665 million: Cost of revenue was $1,665 million against $1,400 million. Total operating expenses were $2,114 million against $1,729 million. Source
  • Product development and admin costs rose: Product development was $194 million against $180 million. Marketing and administrative expense was $143 million against $139 million. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating expenses rose: Non-GAAP operating expenses were $296 million against $274 million in the quarter. Source

Cash flow and capital spending

  • Free cash flow of $953 million: Free cash flow was $953 million against $216 million. Nine-month free cash flow was $1,987 million against $393 million. Source
  • Operating cash flow rose to $1,114 million: Quarterly GAAP operating cash flow was $1,114 million against $259 million. Nine-month operating cash flow was $2,369 million against $575 million. Source
  • Capital spending increased: Spending on property, equipment and leasehold improvements was $161 million against $43 million. Nine-month spending was $382 million against $182 million. Source

“Our areal density-driven product strategy enables us to deliver higher-capacity, energy- and capital-efficient storage at scale.”

Dave Mosley, Seagate’s chair and chief executive officer

Debt, equity and shareholder returns

  • Debt retired and returns to shareholders: The company retired about $641 million of debt in the quarter and returned $191 million through dividends and share repurchases. Source
  • Nine-month debt redemptions reached $1,142 million: Nine-month redemption and repurchase of debt was $1,142 million against $531 million. Nine-month dividends were $468 million against $447 million, and taxes on net share settlement were $111 million against $44 million. Source
  • Long-term debt fell from $4,995 million: Long-term debt, less current portion, was $3,465 million at April 3, 2026, against $4,995 million at June 27, 2025. Current portion of long-term debt was $398 million. Source
  • Quarterly dividend declared at $0.74: Cash dividends declared were $0.74 per share in the quarter against $0.72. Nine-month dividends declared were $2.20 against $2.14. Source
  • Equity turned positive: Total shareholders’ equity was $1,095 million at April 3, 2026, against a deficit of $453 million at June 27, 2025. Source

Customers and portfolio

  • Customers named in company profile: The company describes its customers as hyperscale cloud providers, enterprises and consumers, who protect, create and manage data. Source
  • Prior release described full portfolio: The prior release described a full portfolio of storage devices, systems and services from edge to cloud. The current release describes a portfolio of advanced storage solutions.
  • Prior release cited four billion terabytes: The prior release said Seagate has shipped over four billion terabytes of data capacity. The current release does not repeat that figure.

Working capital and balance sheet

  • Cash and equivalents rose to $1,146 million: Cash and cash equivalents were $1,146 million at April 3, 2026, against $1,046 million at January 2, 2026 and $891 million at June 27, 2025. Source
  • Inventories rose modestly: Inventories, net were $1,530 million against $1,498 million at January 2, 2026 and $1,440 million at June 27, 2025. Source
  • Accounts payable declined from January: Accounts payable were $1,694 million against $1,771 million at January 2, 2026 and $1,604 million at June 27, 2025. Source

Coming up, as management said on 28 April 2026

  • Dividend payment date: The $0.74 dividend is payable July 7, 2026, to holders of record at the close of business on June 24, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
GAAP gross margin Source46.5%
Non-GAAP gross margin Source47.0%

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said third-quarter results exceeded the high end of its revenue and EPS guidance. 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.