NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) reported third-quarter 2026 revenue of $3.79 billion, up 19% from a year earlier and 8% sequentially, as automotive, industrial and data-center-related demand supported growth across its business. Revenue increased 22% year over year excluding the MEMS sensor business.
President and CEO Rafael Sotomayor said every region posted double-digit year-over-year growth. Automotive and industrial, which together represent roughly one-third of company revenue, were key contributors, alongside continued strength in data-center infrastructure.
Non-GAAP operating margin rose 330 basis points from a year earlier to 37.1%, while non-GAAP earnings per share increased 35% to $4.20. The company generated $1.21 billion in free cash flow during the quarter, equal to approximately 32% of revenue.
Automotive crosses $2 billion
Automotive revenue surpassed $2 billion for the first time in the quarter. Revenue in the segment was up 17% year over year excluding sensors, driven by content gains in software-defined vehicle, or SDV, products despite what Sotomayor described as a “flattish” vehicle-production environment.
NXP said SDV revenue was running at an annualized rate above $1.5 billion in the third quarter and remains on track to reach its $2 billion target in 2027. The company expects the transition from domain-based vehicle architectures to zonal and centralized computing to increase semiconductor content per vehicle by two to three times compared with current architectures.
The company plans to begin shipping its next-generation SDV processors, including the S32K5 zonal and S32N central-compute platforms, in 2027. Sotomayor said RV Tech, the Volkswagen-Rivian joint venture, had standardized its zonal platform on NXP’s S32K5 across both companies. NXP also expects its first S32K5 shipments in China as early as the first quarter of 2027.
During the quarter, NXP secured its first S32K5 design win in humanoid robotics with what Sotomayor described as a leading U.S. global technology company. He said the same components used in software-defined vehicles—including central compute, sensing, networking and secure control—are moving into robotics and other intelligent edge systems.
In response to analyst questions, management said it had not seen broad-based automotive restocking. Sotomayor said customer visibility had improved as lead times extended and automakers became more directly involved in providing demand guidance. CFO Bill Betz added that NXP serves about 40% of automotive distribution directly, giving the company close visibility into that channel.
Industrial and data center momentum
Industrial and IoT revenue was $802 million, up 39% from a year earlier. The industrial portion of the business grew nearly 50%, led by data centers, factory automation and healthcare, and now accounts for about 70% of industrial IoT revenue, according to the company.
NXP said AI-enabled processors are expected to represent approximately 15% of industrial IoT processor revenue in 2026, more than double the prior year’s level. Its Ara discrete neural processing unit is gaining traction in industrial automation and automotive AI applications, with volume production anticipated in 2028.
Communication infrastructure and other revenue rose 54% year over year to $503 million, supported by data-center and secure-card demand. NXP now expects its data-center revenue to exceed the more than $500 million outlook it previously gave for 2026 and to surpass $1 billion in a couple of years.
Sotomayor said NXP is focused on the data-center control plane, including top-of-rack switches, controllers, processors, secure elements and interfaces. The company views networking, security and processing requirements as increasing alongside higher-performance data-center infrastructure.
Mobile revenue was $411 million, down 4% from a year earlier.
Margins, cash returns and fourth-quarter outlook
Third-quarter non-GAAP gross margin was 58.6%, up 160 basis points year over year, reflecting improved factory utilization and revenue growth, Betz said. The company ended the period with $3.94 billion in cash and $10.98 billion in debt, resulting in a net leverage ratio of 1.3 times.
Inventory days declined to 148 from 156 in the second quarter, including about 13 days of pre-built inventory associated with planned front-end factory consolidations. NXP expects to have about 15 days of pre-built inventory at the end of 2026.
The board authorized an additional $5 billion for share repurchases, bringing total authorization to approximately $6.3 billion. NXP returned $1.7 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks over the trailing 12 months and said it plans to accelerate repurchases in the fourth quarter and in 2027.
For the fourth quarter, NXP forecast revenue of $3.85 billion, plus or minus $100 million, representing growth of 15% year over year and 2% sequentially. The outlook implies 18% annual growth excluding the MEMS sensor business.
- Automotive revenue is expected to rise in the low-double-digit percentage range year over year and low-single digits sequentially.
- Industrial and IoT revenue is projected to increase in the high-20% range from a year earlier.
- Mobile revenue is expected to decline in the mid-teens percentage range year over year.
- Communication infrastructure and other revenue is forecast to rise more than 50% year over year.
NXP expects fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin of 59%, plus or minus 50 basis points, and non-GAAP operating margin of 37.5% at the midpoint. It forecast non-GAAP earnings per share of $4.36 at the midpoint, up 30% year over year.
Looking into 2027, Betz said the company expects to continue delivering double-digit revenue growth, expand gross margin to 60%, and increase capital expenditures to about 5% of revenue as it adds back-end capacity and develops a new assembly and test facility in Malaysia for production in 2028. NXP also plans to realign its end-market revenue reporting beginning in 2027 and will host an investor day on March 3 in Boston.
About NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI)
NXP Semiconductors N.V. is a global semiconductor company that develops technologies for automotive, industrial, communications infrastructure, mobile, and Internet of Things applications. The company provides processing, connectivity, security, sensing, and power-management solutions that help enable connected and automated systems.
Its product portfolio includes microcontrollers and application processors, automotive networking and radar solutions, secure identification and authentication technologies, near-field communication products, radio-frequency power amplifiers, analog and mixed-signal devices, and wireless connectivity solutions.
