Quantum(US:QMCO)2026-02-17 23:00Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue for Q3 2026 was $74.6 million, an increase from $62.7 million in the prior quarter and $68.7 million in the same quarter last year [14] - GAAP gross margin improved to 38.8% from 37.6% in the prior quarter but decreased from 40.6% in Q3 2025 [16] - GAAP net loss narrowed to $27.8 million, or a loss of $2.03 per share, compared to a net loss of $46.5 million in the previous quarter and $75.3 million in the year-ago quarter [19] - Non-GAAP loss for the quarter was $4.9 million, or a loss of $0.36 per share, an improvement from a loss of $7.1 million in the prior quarter [20] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Tape sales doubled quarter-over-quarter, driven by demand for cost-effective storage solutions [10] - The services business has been in contraction but showed signs of stabilization, with management indicating potential flattening of contraction [30] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported a strong backlog of over $20 million, significantly above the historical run rate of $8 million to $10 million, indicating robust demand [15] - Component availability issues are impacting the entire industry, with prices for critical components doubling or tripling recently [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on strengthening its balance sheet and has successfully reduced term debt by approximately 50% through a debt exchange [5] - Quantum is positioning itself to leverage its Scalar tape libraries and ActiveScale storage solutions to meet the growing demand for data storage amid rising costs of flash and disk [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed caution regarding Q4 forecasts due to supply chain challenges, emphasizing that the uncertainty lies in fulfillment and shipping rather than demand [7][22] - The company is optimistic about long-term margins returning to the 40% range once supply chain issues stabilize [47] Other Important Information - The company has undergone restructuring initiatives that have lowered its cost structure and improved operational efficiencies [21] - The newly appointed CFO, Will White, is expected to contribute to the company's financial strategy and operations [13] Q&A Session Summary Question: Insights on primary storage systems performance - Management noted a slow start to the year but observed strength across all product lines in Q3, indicating confidence in primary storage recovery [28] Question: Backlog composition and drivers - The elevated backlog is driven by strong demand, although there are some component shortages; management expects the backlog to remain healthy [29] Question: Services business contraction - Management indicated that execution issues and discounting practices have affected service performance, but improvements are anticipated [31] Question: Gross margin expectations for Q4 - Management acknowledged the challenges posed by rising component prices and indicated that maintaining Q3 margins would be a good achievement [34] Question: Demand for tape sales - Demand for tape is strong across various sectors, with customers migrating data back from the cloud to on-premise solutions due to storage constraints [38] Question: Multimillion-dollar deals in backlog - The multimillion-dollar deals are primarily with hyperscalers, reflecting increased order sizes and a combination of products [41]