Akamai Technologies Inc (AKAM) · Nov 5, 2026 · Earnings

Akamai earnings beat as AI-cloud growth accelerates

Beat — Non-GAAP EPS $1.77 vs ~$1.67 consensus; revenue $1.122B vs ~$1.12B

Akamai’s Q3 earnings beat consensus, led by Cloud Infrastructure Services, but margins fell and full-year guidance narrowed.

Akamai is in the middle of a business transition: its legacy delivery business is shrinking, while security and Cloud Infrastructure Services are being built into an AI-infrastructure platform. The market already knew the direction—Akamai had disclosed more than $2.8 billion of CIS commitments by the second quarter, followed by a much larger Anthropic commitment in September—so this quarter matters mainly for evidence that the pivot is converting into revenue.

The quarter beat the published bar, mainly on earnings. Revenue was roughly in line with the ~$1.12 billion consensus, but non-GAAP EPS of $1.77 exceeded the ~$1.67 expectation. That is a real execution beat, although year-over-year earnings still declined as investment and cost pressure remained elevated. The company reported GAAP diluted EPS of $0.77, down 21% year over year, and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $1.77, down 5%.

MetricQ3 2026Q3 2025Consensus / prior guide
Revenue (Financial Statements)$1.122B (+6%)$1.055B~$1.12B
Non-GAAP diluted EPS (EPS reconciliation)$1.77 (-5%)$1.86~$1.67
Cloud Infrastructure revenue (Solution revenue)$108.8M (+34%)$81.2M
Non-GAAP operating margin (Non-GAAP reconciliation)25% (-6 pts)31%24%-26% Q3 guide
FY2026 revenue guide (Financial guidance)$4.440B-$4.465B$4.445B-$4.530B prior guide

The strategic pivot is showing up clearly in the mix. Cloud Infrastructure Services grew 34% year over year to $108.8 million, while Security grew 9% and Delivery and Other Cloud Applications fell 3%. That is the right direction for Akamai’s stated AI-cloud strategy: the fastest-growing business is now the one being funded for expansion, and management says more than $14 billion of multi-year commitments have been signed this year.

The cost of that transition is visible in margins and cash investment. Non-GAAP operating margin held at 25% sequentially but fell from 31% a year earlier, while capital expenditures reached $464 million in the quarter, or 41% of revenue, versus 21% a year ago. Operating cash flow remained substantial at $433 million, but the infrastructure buildout is absorbing much more capital than the old business required.

The full-year outlook is narrower and slightly less ambitious than before. Akamai’s new FY2026 revenue range of $4.440 billion-$4.465 billion trims the prior high end of $4.530 billion, while the non-GAAP EPS range of $6.47-$6.68 also comes in below the prior $7.05 high end. The company did not cut the near-term business thesis, but it is giving up some execution cushion as investment, dilution and the timing of CIS deployments weigh on reported profitability.

Management is asking the market to underwrite acceleration beyond 2026. The release projects 17%-22% constant-currency revenue growth in 2027 and more than $7 billion of revenue in 2028, but those are forward targets rather than current-period results. The evidence today supports the direction through CIS growth and signed commitments; it does not yet show that the new business has restored company-wide margins.

Bottom line: This was a genuine earnings beat and further proof that Cloud Infrastructure Services is becoming Akamai’s growth engine. The story improves, but the lower-margin, capital-heavy buildout means the transition is advancing faster than the profit profile is recovering.

What to watch next

Q4 earnings and 2027 outlook, early 2027

Original filing on SEC EDGAR

More Akamai Technologies Inc news

Akamai earnings beat as AI-cloud growth accelerates | AKAM Stock News
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