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Synaptics Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 5 raised, 4 lowered, 1 new, 2 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 10% year-over-year: Net revenue was $294.2 million, compared with $266.6 million in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year, an increase of 10 percent as stated. Source
  • Results exceeded guidance midpoints: Management said revenue, non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP EPS all exceeded the midpoints of its prior guidance for the quarter. Source
  • Fourth-quarter revenue projection raised: Projected fourth-quarter revenue is $305 million, plus or minus $10 million, against $290 million in the prior projection. Source
  • Full-year Core IoT revenue above $385M: Management expects fiscal 2026 Core IoT revenue to grow more than 40% year-over-year to over $385 million, based on the fourth-quarter midpoint. Source
  • Core IoT product sales up 31%: Core IoT product sales grew 31% year-over-year in the third quarter, the figure featured in the release headline. Source
  • Physical AI and robotics design wins: Management reported multiple additional design wins in Physical AI and robotics and said activity in Physical AI and Edge AI is accelerating, with more customer engagements. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income rose: Non-GAAP operating income was $53.1 million, against $41.5 million a year earlier; the GAAP operating loss narrowed to $12.7 million from $26.3 million. Source
  • Backlog described as healthy: Management said the backlog is healthy and the current view reflects expected sequential and year-over-year revenue growth in the June quarter. Source

“Synaptics delivered a solid third quarter of fiscal 2026, with double-digit year-over-year revenue growth driven by a 31% increase in Core IoT product sales.”

Rahul Patel, Synaptics' President and Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Revenue (non-GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$305M ± $10MRaised from $290M ± $10M
Gross margin (GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 202646.0 percent ± 2.0 percentRaised from 45.0 percent ± 2.0 percent
Gross margin (non-GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 202653.5 percent ± 1.0 percentKept
Operating expense (GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$146M ± $4MLowered from $150M ± $4M
Operating expense (non-GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$105M ± $2MLowered from $106M ± $2M
Earnings (loss) per share (GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026($0.17) ± $0.25Raised from ($0.46) ± $0.25
Earnings per share (non-GAAP) SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$1.20 ± $0.15Raised from $1.00 ± $0.15
Core IoT product revenue SourceFiscal 2026 (full year)over $385 million, growth more than 40% year-over-yearNew
Acquisition and integration costs excluded from gross margin SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$22.0 to $23.0 millionLowered from $24.0 to $25.0 million
Share-based compensation excluded from operating expense SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$35.0 to $36.0 millionLowered from $38.0 to $40.0 million
Acquisition and integration costs excluded from operating expense SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$3.0 to $5.0 millionRaised from $3.0 to $4.0 million
Restructuring costs excluded from operating expense SourceFourth quarter of fiscal 2026$1.0 to $2.0 millionKept

What changed from last quarter

  • Guidance raised: Fourth-quarter revenue projection raised from $290 million to $305 million. Source
  • Guidance raised: Fourth-quarter EPS projections raised: GAAP from ($0.46) to ($0.17), non-GAAP from $1.00 to $1.20. Source
  • Guidance raised: GAAP gross margin projection raised from 45.0 percent to 46.0 percent; non-GAAP projection kept at 53.5 percent. Source
  • Guidance lowered: Operating expense projections lowered: GAAP from $150 million to $146 million, non-GAAP from $106 million to $105 million. Source
  • New guidance: Full-year fiscal 2026 Core IoT revenue projection given for the first time: over $385 million, growth more than 40%. Source
  • New: The February release described sampling solutions in humanoids; this release reports multiple additional design wins in Physical AI and robotics. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 10% year-over-year: Net revenue was $294.2 million, compared with $266.6 million in the same quarter of the prior fiscal year, an increase of 10 percent as stated. Source
  • Revenue below second-quarter level: Revenue was below the $302.5 million reported for the second quarter of fiscal 2026.
  • GAAP net loss narrowed: GAAP net loss was $8.0 million, or $0.21 per basic share, against a $21.8 million loss, or $0.56 per share, a year earlier. Source
  • Non-GAAP net income rose: Non-GAAP net income was $44.1 million, against $35.3 million a year earlier, on 40.3 million non-GAAP diluted shares; non-GAAP diluted EPS was $1.09. Source
  • Results exceeded guidance midpoints: Management said revenue, non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP EPS all exceeded the midpoints of its prior guidance for the quarter. Source

Fourth-quarter and full-year guidance

  • Fourth-quarter revenue projection raised: Projected fourth-quarter revenue is $305 million, plus or minus $10 million, against $290 million in the prior projection. Source
  • Fourth-quarter EPS projections raised: Projected GAAP EPS is ($0.17), plus or minus $0.25, and non-GAAP EPS is $1.20, plus or minus $0.15, against ($0.46) and $1.00 previously. Source
  • Full-year Core IoT revenue above $385M: Management expects fiscal 2026 Core IoT revenue to grow more than 40% year-over-year to over $385 million, based on the fourth-quarter midpoint. Source
  • GAAP gross margin projection raised: Projected GAAP gross margin is 46.0 percent, plus or minus 2.0 points, against 45.0 percent before; the non-GAAP projection stays at 53.5 percent. Source
  • Operating expense projections trimmed: Projected GAAP operating expense is $146 million and non-GAAP is $105 million, against $150 million and $106 million in the prior projection. Source

“We continue to align our portfolio to capitalize on these emerging opportunities and remain confident in our ability to drive long-term growth,”

Rahul Patel, Synaptics' President and Chief Executive Officer

Products, end markets and design wins

  • Core IoT product sales up 31%: Core IoT product sales grew 31% year-over-year in the third quarter, the figure featured in the release headline. Source
  • Physical AI and robotics design wins: Management reported multiple additional design wins in Physical AI and robotics and said activity in Physical AI and Edge AI is accelerating, with more customer engagements. Source
  • Robotics moved from sampling to design wins: The February release described sampling solutions in humanoids; the current release reports multiple additional design wins in Physical AI and robotics.

Costs, margins and operating income

  • Non-GAAP gross margin at 53.6%: Non-GAAP gross margin was 53.6 percent of revenue, against 53.5 percent a year earlier; GAAP gross margin was 45.3 percent, against 43.4 percent. Source
  • Acquisition costs excluded from margins: Acquisition-related costs on the income statement were $24.1 million in the quarter, against $26.5 million a year earlier, and are excluded from non-GAAP measures. Source
  • R&D and SG&A rose year-over-year: GAAP R&D was $94.5 million versus $88.6 million; GAAP SG&A was $49.6 million versus $34.7 million, including $17.1 million of share-based compensation. Source
  • Non-GAAP operating income rose: Non-GAAP operating income was $53.1 million, against $41.5 million a year earlier; the GAAP operating loss narrowed to $12.7 million from $26.3 million. Source
  • Impairment charge absent this year: The quarter recorded no intangible asset impairment charge and no restructuring costs; the same quarter a year earlier included a $13.8 million impairment charge. Source

“Our balance sheet is strong, providing the flexibility to invest in our organic growth initiatives.”

Ken Rizvi, the Company's Chief Financial Officer

Demand, backlog and working capital

  • Backlog described as healthy: Management said the backlog is healthy and the current view reflects expected sequential and year-over-year revenue growth in the June quarter. Source
  • Receivables and inventory rose: Accounts receivable were $162.5 million at March 2026, against $130.3 million at June 2025; inventories were $161.3 million, against $139.5 million. Source
  • Working capital used cash: Changes in working capital used $101.8 million in the nine months, against $33.1 million a year earlier, while non-cash operating items were $227.0 million. Source

Cash, balance sheet and capital returns

  • Cash balance rose to $404.4M: Cash and cash equivalents were $404.4 million at March 2026, against $391.5 million at June 2025, after $61.0 million of short-term investments matured. Source
  • Operating cash flow nearly flat: Net cash provided by operating activities was $81.8 million in the nine months, against $84.8 million a year earlier, after a net loss of $43.4 million. Source
  • Buybacks lower than prior year: Common stock repurchases were $82.6 million in the nine months, against $112.3 million a year earlier, excluding excise taxes. Source
  • Capital spending increased: Purchases of property and equipment and other were $35.7 million in the nine months, against $19.2 million a year earlier. Source
  • Vendor deposit returned in cash: A $14.0 million return of a deposit received from a vendor appears in financing cash flows for the nine months. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Fourth-quarter guidance figures: Management gave fourth-quarter fiscal 2026 projections for revenue, gross margin, operating expense and EPS, listed in the guidance section. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Core IoT product sales growth (year-over-year) Source31%
Gross margin (GAAP) Source45.3%
Gross margin (non-GAAP) Source53.6%
Backlog Sourcehealthy (no figure given)

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Ahead: Management said revenue, non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP EPS exceeded the midpoints of the guidance it had given for the quarter. 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.