Avnet, Inc. AVT reported better-than-expected third-quarter fiscal 2026 results. The company’s third-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.48 per share beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 11.28%. The bottom line surged 76.2% on a year-over-year basis.
Net sales increased 34% year over year to $7.12 billion and surpassed the consensus mark by 12.09%. The robust third-quarter performance was mainly driven by strength across served markets and record performance in the Electronic Components segment.
Avnet’s Segment Results Show Strength in Core Distribution
In the Electronic Components segment, sales increased 34.7% year over year to $6.67 billion, while operating income margin expanded 5 basis points (bps) to 3.5%. The quarter included record sales for Electronic Components, aided by growth across regions and demand creation activity.
Farnell revenues increased 24% year over year to $454.7 million, and operating income margin expanded 224 bps to 5.2%, marking continued progress in business recovery. Management stated that the ongoing investments in the e-commerce platform and customer experience will help improve the segment’s profitability.
Avnet, Inc. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Avnet, Inc. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Avnet, Inc. Quote
Avnet Sees Broad-Based Demand Lift Across Regions
AVT’s year-over-year revenue growth reflected strength across geographies, led by Asia, where sales increased 39.3% to $3.46 billion and represented 49% of total company sales during the quarter. EMEA revenues climbed 31.3% to $2.05 billion, while the Americas posted a 26.7% increase to $1.62 billion.
Management linked the quarter’s momentum to improving market conditions across core end markets, including industrial, networking and data center, with demand improving across most verticals served. The company also noted lead times trending higher across many component categories, a backdrop that can influence customer ordering patterns.
Avnet’s Margins Improve Sequentially Despite Mix Pressure
Avnet reported a gross margin of 10.4% in the quarter, down 68 basis points year over year, which management attributed largely to sales mix, including a higher percentage of revenues coming from Asia and mix differences in Western regions.
Even with that pressure, profitability improved sequentially. Operating income margin expanded 19 bps to 2.9%, and adjusted operating income margin improved 23 bps to 3.1%, reflecting better operating leverage as volumes recovered, particularly in the West.
AVT Benefits From Pricing Tailwind Concentrated in Memory
A notable development in the quarter was the impact of higher component pricing, most prominently in memory. Management indicated that pricing increases contributed meaningfully to the sales trajectory, with roughly half of sequential sales growth and about one quarter of year-over-year sales growth tied to higher memory pricing.
Avnet emphasized that price increases generally pass through to customers, which can lift gross profit dollars without materially boosting gross margin percentage. It also flagged the potential for additional, smaller price increases across other technologies in the coming months.
Balance Sheet & Cash Flow of Avnet
As of March 28, 2026, AVT had cash and cash equivalents of $202.4 million compared with $286.5 million reported as of Dec. 27, 2025.
The long-term debt was $2.47 billion as of March 28, 2026, unchanged from the previous quarter. Gross debt leverage was 3.6X at the end of the third quarter, and management reiterated its goal to reduce leverage to roughly 3X by the end of 2026.
In the first three quarters of fiscal 2026, Avnet generated operating cash flow of $9.8 million. During the same period, it repurchased shares worth $138.3 million and paid $85.6 million in dividends.
Avnet’s Outlook Calls for Continued Sequential Growth
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026, Avnet projects revenues in the range of $7.30-$7.60 billion, which implies approximately 5% sequential growth at the midpoint. The company anticipates adjusted earnings between $1.70 and $1.80 per share, assuming similar interest expense to the third quarter and an adjusted effective tax rate between 21% and 25%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fourth-quarter revenues and earnings is pegged at $6.11 billion and $1.46 per share, respectively.
Operationally, management described book-to-bill ratios as well above parity in all regions and noted backlog growth as customers respond to a tightening supply environment. The company said that its guidance assumes current market conditions persist, with Electronic Components sales growth expected across all regions.
Avnet’s Zacks Rank and Other Stocks to Consider
Currently, AVT sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Some other top-ranked stocks worth considering in the broader Zacks Computer and Technology sector are Micron Technology MU, Broadcom AVGO and NVIDIA NVDA. Micron Technology and Broadcom each sport a Zacks Rank #1 at present, while NVIDIA carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Micron Technology’s fiscal 2026 earnings has been revised upward by a penny to $58.36 per share in the past 30 days, suggesting an increase of 604% from fiscal 2025’s reported figure. Micron Technology shares have surged 81.7% year to date (YTD).
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Broadcom’s fiscal 2026 earnings has moved northward by 9 cents to $11.45 per share over the past 30 days and calls for a year-over-year jump of 67.9%. Broadcom shares have soared 17.2% YTD.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for NVIDIA’s fiscal 2027 earnings has moved upward by 3 cents to $8.06 per share in the past 30 days, implying a year-over-year improvement of approximately 69%. NVIDIA shares have risen 12.2% YTD.
Radical New Technology Could Hand Investors Huge Gains
Quantum Computing is the next technological revolution, and it could be even more advanced than AI.
While some believed the technology was years away, it is already present and moving fast. Large hyperscalers, such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, Oracle, and even Meta and Tesla, are scrambling to integrate quantum computing into their infrastructure.
Senior Stock Strategist Kevin Cook reveals 7 carefully selected stocks poised to dominate the quantum computing landscape in his report, Beyond AI: The Quantum Leap in Computing Power.
Kevin was among the early experts who recognized NVIDIA's enormous potential back in 2016. Now, he has keyed in on what could be "the next big thing" in quantum computing supremacy. Today, you have a rare chance to position your portfolio at the forefront of this opportunity.
See Top Quantum Stocks Now >>Avnet, Inc. (AVT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Micron Technology, Inc. (MU) : Free Stock Analysis Report
NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
