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Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.: Q3 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q3 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 21 October 2026: press release. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 9%, organic 6%: Third-quarter revenue rose to $12.14 billion from $11.12 billion. Organic growth was 6%, acquisitions and divestitures added 3 points, and currency added none. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 15%: Adjusted EPS was $6.68 against $5.79, up 15%. GAAP diluted EPS was $4.64, up 9% from $4.27. Source
  • Lab Products and Biopharma revenue up: Laboratory Products and Biopharma Services revenue was $6,863 million against $5,970 million. Segment income was $1,067 million, a 15.5% margin against 14.5%. Source
  • Adjusted operating margin reached 24.5%: Adjusted operating margin was 24.5%, against 23.3%. Adjusted operating income was $2.97 billion, up 15%. Source
  • Nine-month free cash flow rose: Nine-month free cash flow was $4,618 million against $3,319 million, from operating cash flow of $5,867 million less net capital expenditures. Source
  • Acquisition spending reached $8.9 billion: Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, were $8,877 million in the nine months against $4,037 million in the prior year period. Source

“We are very pleased to deliver another excellent quarter, with outstanding financial performance on both the top and bottom line,”

Marc N. Casper, chairman and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific

What changed from last quarter

  • Ended: The microbiology business divestiture, announced earlier in the year, was completed during the third quarter. Source
  • New: Precure, an initiative with Mayo Clinic, was launched. It will combine data from more than one million patient samples with the company's proteomics ecosystem. Source
  • New: The company opened its first AI-Automation Innovation Center in South Korea. Source
  • New: A highly automated distribution center was opened in Kentucky to serve customers across North America in the channel businesses. Source
  • New: New products launched in the quarter include the Orbitrap Isora mass spectrometer, the EMPAD G2 electron detector, the FDA-cleared EliA CTD 13 Screen in the U.S., and the Ion 560 Chip. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 9%, organic 6%: Third-quarter revenue rose to $12.14 billion from $11.12 billion. Organic growth was 6%, acquisitions and divestitures added 3 points, and currency added none. Source
  • Adjusted EPS rose 15%: Adjusted EPS was $6.68 against $5.79, up 15%. GAAP diluted EPS was $4.64, up 9% from $4.27. Source
  • GAAP operating income up 17%: GAAP operating income was $2.26 billion, 17% higher than a year earlier. GAAP operating margin was 18.6%, against 17.4%. Source
  • Nine-month revenue rose, organic 4%: Nine-month revenue was $35,136 million against $32,341 million. Organic growth was 4%, with acquisitions and divestitures adding 4 points and currency 1 point. Source

Segment performance

  • Lab Products and Biopharma revenue up: Laboratory Products and Biopharma Services revenue was $6,863 million against $5,970 million. Segment income was $1,067 million, a 15.5% margin against 14.5%. Source
  • Life Sciences Solutions margin steady: Life Sciences Solutions revenue was $2,719 million against $2,588 million. Segment income was $1,022 million, a 37.6% margin against 37.4%. Source
  • Analytical Instruments margin rose: Analytical Instruments revenue was $2,002 million against $1,893 million. Segment margin was 26.9%, against 22.6% a year earlier. Source
  • Specialty Diagnostics revenue fell: Specialty Diagnostics revenue was $1,098 million against $1,174 million, while segment income rose to $341 million and margin to 31.0% from 27.4%. Source

“we’re well positioned to deliver an excellent 2026 as we continue to drive long-term value creation for all of our stakeholders”

Marc N. Casper, chairman and chief executive officer of Thermo Fisher Scientific

Costs, margins and one-time items

  • Adjusted operating margin reached 24.5%: Adjusted operating margin was 24.5%, against 23.3%. Adjusted operating income was $2.97 billion, up 15%. Source
  • Cost of revenues ratio improved: Cost of revenues was $6,945 million, or 57.2% of revenue, against 58.2% a year earlier. SG&A was 15.3% of revenue against 16.1%. Source
  • Restructuring and held-for-sale items: Restructuring and other costs were $199 million against $135 million. Adjusted results exclude a $72 million gain on a business sale and a $244 million held-for-sale loss. Source
  • Interest expense and amortization rose: Interest expense was $417 million against $347 million. Amortization of acquisition-related intangible assets was $519 million against $435 million. Source
  • Depreciation and tax provision rose: Depreciation expense was $307 million against $227 million. The provision for income taxes was $352 million against $207 million. Source

Demand and customer relationships

  • Organic growth up from second quarter: Organic growth was 6% in the third quarter, against 5% in the second quarter as reported in the prior release.
  • Trusted partner status deepened: Management said it strengthened its commercial engine and deepened its trusted partner status with customers during the quarter. Source
  • Growth strategy resonating with customers: Management said the growth strategy is resonating with customers and that the PPI Business System is enabling execution across the company. Source

Cash flow and shareholder returns

  • Nine-month free cash flow rose: Nine-month free cash flow was $4,618 million against $3,319 million, from operating cash flow of $5,867 million less net capital expenditures. Source
  • Third-quarter free cash flow rose: Third-quarter free cash flow was $2,115 million against $1,840 million, from operating cash flow of $2,551 million. Source
  • Share purchases and dividends in nine months: Purchases of company common stock were $4,000 million in the nine months against $2,963 million. Dividends paid were $511 million against $474 million. Source
  • Diluted share count fell: Diluted weighted average shares were 371 million in the quarter against 378 million a year earlier. Source

Balance sheet and acquisitions

  • Acquisition spending reached $8.9 billion: Acquisitions, net of cash acquired, were $8,877 million in the nine months against $4,037 million in the prior year period. Source
  • Divestiture proceeds received: Proceeds from sale of business, net of cash divested, were $1,021 million in the nine months, against none in the prior year period. Source
  • Debt and cash balances changed: Long-term obligations were $39,108 million at September 26, 2026, against $35,852 million at December 31, 2025. Cash and cash equivalents were $5,461 million against $9,852 million. Source
  • Goodwill and intangibles increased: Goodwill was $54,263 million, against $49,362 million at December 31, 2025. Acquisition-related intangible assets were $18,077 million against $15,838 million. Source

Reporting and call details

  • Non-GAAP measures defined in release: The release names adjusted EPS, adjusted operating income, free cash flow and organic revenue growth as non-GAAP measures, with reconciliations in the tables. Source
  • Call webcast held same morning: The earnings call was held on October 21, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. Eastern and was webcast live in the Investors section of the website. Source
  • Call replay available until next report: A replay of the call will be available under the News, Events & Presentations section until the next quarterly earnings call. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Met: Management said the previously announced microbiology divestiture was completed during 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.