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Text: With me on the call today are Seamus Grady, Chief Executive Officer; and Csaba Sverha, Chief Financial Officer.
We had a very strong quarter, representing our third quarter in a row of record revenue and earnings per share, both of which also exceeded our guidance.
With sequential growth in all of the end markets that we track, total revenue was $479.3 million.
Non-GAAP operating margins of 9.5% were at the highest level in two years and helped produce record non-GAAP earnings of $1.21 per share.
We generated these results while positioning ourselves for continued growth, and we are optimistic that we can deliver another record quarter in Q4.
Looking at some of the highlights of the quarter.
Optical communications revenue reached a new record, driven primarily by record telecom revenue.
Our Cisco optical transport system transfer program, which we have been discussing on recent calls, contributed to this strong performance.
This program transfer was completed in the third quarter, reaching its full run rate about one quarter earlier than originally anticipated.
Based on the success of this transfer, we believe that our unique value proposition in manufacturing complete network systems puts us in a strong position to win additional new business from our existing customers, as well as other systems manufacturers who are looking to leverage their supply chain by outsourcing more efficiently.
Notably, these newer systems programs are having a positive impact on operating margins as we were able to generate this revenue with close to zero incremental operating expenses.
We also achieved record non-optical communications revenue in Q3.
Revenue grew sequentially from all non-optical markets, with automotive reaching a new record revenue level and representing the largest non-optical category for the third quarter in a row.
Newer automotive technologies were the biggest factors driving our strong automotive growth in the quarter.
In summary, we are pleased to have delivered record third quarter results that exceeded our guidance.
We are optimistic about all the end markets that we serve and believe that with continued efficient execution, we'll be able to deliver an even stronger fourth quarter, resulting in our best year ever.
We are excited about our performance in the third quarter, which produced record revenue and non-GAAP earnings.
Revenue of $479.3 million was above our guidance range, and non-GAAP earnings of $1.21 also exceeded our guidance.
Looking at revenue in more detail.
Optical communications was $361.7 million or 75% of total revenue, up 4% from Q2.
Non-optical communications revenue was $117.6 million or 25% of total revenue and increased 11% from Q2.
Within optical communications, telecom revenue was $283.5 million, up 4% from last quarter.
Datacom revenue was $78.3 million, up 5% sequentially.
Silicon photonics remains an important revenue driver at 22% of total revenue or $105.4 million, up 4% from Q2.
Revenue from 100G products increased 8% sequentially to $138.6 million but remains below peak levels as growth from faster data rate products continues to accelerate.
Revenue from 400G and faster was $105.1 million, up 1% from last quarter and more than tripled from a year ago.
In Q4, we expect optical communications growth trend to continue.
Looking at our non-optical communications business.
Automotive has grown to become the largest category for the third quarter in a row with record revenue of $52.5 million in the third quarter, up 12% sequentially, driven primarily by growth from new automotive programs.
We remain optimistic about these new automotive programs as we look ahead.
Industrial laser revenue was $36.1 million, up 7% from Q2.
Sensor revenue was $4.1 million and other non-optical communications revenue was up 10% to $24.8 million.
We believe the combination of laser and automotive strength will generate sequential growth for non-optical communications again in the fourth quarter.
Now turning to the details of our P&L.
Gross margin was 12.2%, up from 12.1% in Q2 and in line with our target range of 12% to 12.5%.
Operating expenses in the quarter were $12.7 million or 2.6% of revenue, reflecting our ability to grow revenue without meaningful increases in operating expenses.
This produced record operating income of $45.6 million or 9.5% of revenue, the highest level in two years.
Taxes in the third quarter were $1.6 million and our normalized effective tax rate was 4%.
We continue to anticipate an effective tax rate of about 4% for the year.
Non-GAAP net income was a record at $45.4 million or $1.21 per diluted share.
On a GAAP basis, net income was also a record at $27.5 million or $1 per diluted share.
Turning to the balance sheet and cash flow statement.
At the end of the third quarter, cash, restricted cash and investments were $508.9 million.
Operating cash flow was a strong $23.8 million.
With capex of $6.4 million, free cash flow was $27.5 million in the third quarter.
During the quarter, we repurchased approximately 15,000 shares at an average price of $80.64 for a total cash outlay of $1.2 million.
I would now like to turn to our guidance for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2021.
We continue to be very optimistic about our business and anticipate another record quarter for revenue and profitability in Q4.
We expect total revenue in the fourth quarter to be between $475 million and $495 million and earnings per share to be in the range of $1.18 to $1.25 per diluted share.
In summary, we had our best performance ever in Q3 and are well positioned to continue our track record of success as we look ahead.

user
sees q4 revenue $475 million to $495 million.
sees q4 non-gaap earnings per share $1.18 to $1.25.
q3 non-gaap earnings per share $1.21.
q3 revenue $479.3 million.

assistant