ADT Inc. (ADT) · Nov 3, 2026 · Earnings

ADT earnings beat revenue, but core monitoring keeps shrinking

Beat — Adjusted EPS $0.24 vs ~$0.23 consensus

ADT’s third-quarter earnings beat revenue expectations, but recurring monitoring, EBITDA and margins weakened as the pending acquisition removes guidance.

ADT is trying to evolve from a legacy recurring-monitoring company into a broader smart-home platform built around ADT+, AI, DIY distribution and outright equipment sales; that transition was already visible in its second-quarter outlook and technology investments. The company is also now operating under a signed agreement to be acquired by Thrive Holdings, with closing expected in the first quarter of 2027.

Q3 2026Q3 2025Consensus
Total revenue (Financial Highlights)$1,349M (+4%)$1,298M~$1,320M
Adjusted EPS (Financial Highlights)$0.24 (+4%)$0.23~$0.23
Adjusted EBITDA (Financial Highlights)$665M (-2%)$676M~$663M
Adjusted FCF incl. swaps (Financial Highlights)$217M (+4%)$208M
RMR (Financial Highlights)$360M (-1%)$362M
Gross customer revenue attrition (Financial Highlights)13.1%13.0%

The quarter cleared the published earnings bar, but mostly through the lower-quality part of the business. Revenue of $1.349 billion topped the roughly $1.32 billion consensus, while adjusted EPS of $0.24 was modestly above the roughly $0.23 expectation. The revenue increase came primarily from professionally installed systems sold outright, not from the recurring monitoring base. 〔0〕

The underlying recurring engine is still losing ground. Monitoring and related-services revenue fell 1%, RMR declined to $360 million, and gross customer revenue attrition edged higher to 13.1%. That makes the headline revenue beat less powerful: ADT is growing equipment and installation revenue while its subscription base remains stagnant to shrinking. 〔1〕

Profitability was weaker beneath the EPS headline. Adjusted EBITDA fell 2% and margin declined to 49% from 52%, while adjusted income fell 6%. GAAP EPS benefited from lower interest expense and a much smaller share count after buybacks, so the per-share result overstates the improvement in operating performance.

Cash generation remains the clearest support for the story. Adjusted free cash flow including interest-rate swaps rose to $217 million for the quarter and reached $1.037 billion year to date, despite operating cash flow falling 8% as outright sales required more subscriber-acquisition spending. That supports ADT’s ability to fund investment and capital returns, but it does not remove the concern that the business is trading recurring economics for upfront revenue.

The acquisition makes this earnings release less consequential as a standalone outlook update. ADT withdrew its previously issued guidance because of the pending Thrive transaction, so investors receive no new full-year operating target. The acquisition itself was already announced on October 29, making the deal disclosure partly known; the new information here is that the operating business delivered a modest earnings beat while the recurring base and margins continued to soften.

Bottom line: ADT beat the quarter’s modest expectations, but the quality of that beat was mixed: upfront equipment sales grew while recurring monitoring and operating profitability weakened. The filing modestly improves the near-term execution read, but the pending acquisition—not this quarter’s beat—now determines the company’s next chapter.>

What to watch next

Shareholder vote and antitrust review ahead of Q1 2027 close

Original filing on SEC EDGAR

More ADT Inc. news

ADT earnings beat revenue, but core monitoring keeps shrinking | ADT Stock News
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