The quarter cleared already-high expectations, but not by a wide margin. Q4 revenue was $2.046 billion versus published consensus of roughly $2.03 billion, while non-GAAP EPS was $1.74 versus approximately $1.64 consensus. The result also exceeded Coherent’s own prior EPS outlook of $1.52–$1.72, making this a genuine beat rather than merely a favorable presentation. (Business Outlook – First Quarter Fiscal 2027; Table 1)
| Metric | Q4 FY26 actual | Comparison | Filing reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $2.046B | $1.806B Q3; $1.529B Q4 FY25 | (Table 1) |
| Non-GAAP EPS | $1.74 | $1.41 Q3; $1.00 Q4 FY25; ~$1.64 consensus | (Table 1; Table 8) |
| Non-GAAP gross margin | 40.2% | 39.6% Q3; 38.1% Q4 FY25 | (Table 1) |
| Datacenter & Communications revenue | $1.615B | $1.362B Q3; $1.018B Q4 FY25 | (Table 5) |
| Industrial revenue | $430.5M | $444.0M Q3; $511.1M Q4 FY25 | (Table 5) |
| Operating cash flow, FY26 | $79.5M | $633.6M FY25 | (Cash Flow statement) |
Datacenter demand is doing almost all of the lifting. Datacenter and Communications revenue rose 18.6% sequentially and 58.6% year over year, while Industrial revenue declined 3.0% sequentially and 15.8% year over year. That mix shift explains why the headline growth is much stronger than the underlying breadth of the business: the AI-networking engine is accelerating, but the legacy industrial franchise is shrinking. (Segment Revenues — Table 5)
Margins delivered a meaningful operating beat, not just revenue growth. Non-GAAP gross margin reached 40.2%, up 215 basis points year over year, and non-GAAP operating margin expanded to 21.8% from 18.0%. The company converted the stronger datacenter mix and operating leverage into non-GAAP EPS growth of 74%, despite diluted shares rising to 202.2 million from 159.2 million in the year-ago comparison. (Table 1; Table 8)
The forward setup is strong, but the cash economics are the main constraint. Q1 FY27 guidance calls for $2.2–$2.4 billion of revenue, 39.5%–41.5% non-GAAP gross margin, and $1.85–$2.05 non-GAAP EPS—another sequential step-up from Q4. But FY26 operating cash flow fell to just $79.5 million from $633.6 million while capital expenditures rose to $1.103 billion, reflecting the cost of expanding capacity for demand that is still heavily concentrated in datacenter products. (Business Outlook – First Quarter Fiscal 2027; Cash Flow statement)
Net read: a narrow earnings beat with credible AI momentum, partly offset by concentration and investment risk. The filing improves the near-term earnings picture versus consensus, but the market already expected a large AI-driven ramp. The new information is mainly the magnitude of the datacenter acceleration, the margin progress, and whether capacity investment can eventually translate into cash generation.
Read the original 8-K on SEC EDGAR ↗