NASDAQ:AVNW Aviat Networks Q4 2026 Earnings Report $20.58 +0.40 (+1.98%) Closing price 09/17/2026 04:00 PM EasternExtended Trading$20.59 +0.01 (+0.05%) As of 09/17/2026 07:30 PM Eastern Extended trading is trading that happens on electronic markets outside of regular trading hours. This is a fair market value extended hours price provided by Massive. Learn more. ProfileEarnings HistoryForecast Aviat Networks EPS ResultsActual EPS$0.64Consensus EPS $0.55Beat/MissBeat by +$0.09One Year Ago EPSN/AAviat Networks Revenue ResultsActual Revenue$120.89 millionExpected Revenue$110.12 millionBeat/MissBeat by +$10.77 millionYoY Revenue GrowthN/AAviat Networks Announcement DetailsQuarterQ4 2026Date8/27/2026TimeAfter Market ClosesConference Call DateThursday, August 27, 2026Conference Call Time8:30AM ETUpcoming EarningsAviat Networks' Q1 2027 earnings is estimated for Tuesday, November 3, 2026, based on past reporting schedules, with a conference call scheduled at 5:00 PM ET. Check back for transcripts, audio, and key financial metrics as they become available.Conference Call ResourcesConference Call AudioConference Call TranscriptSlide DeckPress Release (8-K)Annual Report (10-K)Earnings HistoryCompany ProfileSlide DeckFull Screen Slide DeckPowered by Aviat Networks Q4 2026 Earnings Call TranscriptProvided by QuartrAugust 27, 2026ShareShareShare This ReportLink copied to clipboard.Key Takeaways Positive Sentiment: Fiscal 2026 ended with solid momentum: fourth-quarter revenue rose 4.8% year over year to $120.9 million, full-year revenue increased 1.2% to $439.7 million, and backlog reached a record $367 million, up 14% year over year. Positive Sentiment: Aviat issued fiscal 2027 guidance for revenue of $455 million to $470 million and adjusted EBITDA of $50 million to $55 million, with growth expected to be weighted toward the second half. Management cited MDU deployments, private networks, BEAD funding, and new international Tier 1 opportunities as potential upside drivers. Positive Sentiment: The company expects a previously announced $25 million-$30 million MDU order to generate revenue in fiscal 2027, primarily beginning in the December quarter. Management said the broader MDU market could approach $100 million annually if subscriber growth and Aviat’s competitive share develop favorably. Negative Sentiment: Fourth-quarter non-GAAP gross margin fell to 30.9% from 34.7% a year earlier, pressured primarily by component shortages and inflation involving memory, PCBs, capacitors, and FPGAs. Aviat plans to pursue price increases and expects improvement beginning in the December quarter, but management characterized a return to mid-30% margins as aspirational. Neutral Sentiment: Aviat said LEO satellite connectivity is currently excluded from fiscal 2027 guidance and views it as complementary to its core business, particularly for redundant backhaul and coverage-gap solutions. The company is conducting customer trials, while BEAD is expected to have only a small contribution in the initial outlook. AI Generated. May Contain Errors.Conference Call Audio Live Call not available Earnings Conference CallAviat Networks Q4 202600:00 / 00:00Speed:1x1.25x1.5x2xTranscript SectionsPresentationParticipantsPresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Welcome to Aviat Networks' fourth quarter fiscal 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are on a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. Please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the conference over to your host, Mr. Andrew Fredrickson, Vice President of Corporate Finance. You may begin. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:00:29Thank you, and welcome to Aviat Networks' fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results conference call and webcast. You can find our press release and updated investor presentation in the IR section of our website at www.aviatnetworks.com, along with a replay of today's call. With me today are Pete Smith, Aviat's President and CEO, who will begin with the opening remarks on the company's fiscal quarter, followed by Andy Schmidt, CFO, to review financial results for the quarter. Pete will then provide closing remarks on Aviat's strategy and outlook. As a reminder, during today's call and webcast, management may make forward-looking statements regarding Aviat's business, including but not limited to statements relating to fiscal guidance, financial projections, business drivers, new products and expansions, the economic activity in different regions. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:01:26These and other forward-looking statements reflect the company's opinions only as of the date of this call and webcast, and involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Additional information on factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements expressed or implied on this call can be found in our most recent filings with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or make public any revision of these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. Additionally, during today's call and webcast, management will reference both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to our press release, which is available in the IR section of our website at www.aviatnetworks.com, and financial tables therein, which include a GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation and other supplemental financial information. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:02:26At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Aviat's President and CEO, Pete Smith. Pete? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:02:32Thanks, Andrew. Let's review the highlights from the fourth quarter. Quarterly revenues of $121 million, up 4.8% versus the year ago period. Adjusted EBITDA of $11.9 million. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.64. Year-end backlog of $367 million, up 14% versus the end of fiscal year 2025. This marks a strong end to Aviat's fiscal 2026. Full-year revenue was $440 million, up 1.2% versus the prior fiscal year. This represents our sixth consecutive year of revenue growth. Aviat is the only microwave company to achieve this growth during the last six years. I would also like to note that this was the first time in over a decade that Aviat has had all four quarters in the fiscal year with at least $100 million in revenue. This is a tremendous achievement, and I would like to thank all of our customers, supplier partners, and employees in making this possible. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:03:45Since FY 2023, we have been expanding outside of our core microwave business with a focus on mission-critical access. In FY 2026, sales of non-microwave, i.e., mission-critical access products grew significantly versus FY 2025 and is the result of Aviat's strategic decisions and execution years prior, allowing us to diversify our business and gain access to larger, faster-growing segments. We are glad to see this strategy coming to fruition. Now, I'd like to talk more about recent developments in our end markets. In the U.S., strong quarterly sales and bookings set the stage for an exciting year ahead. We see several growth vectors aligning for Aviat. First, we believe our multi-dwelling unit, MDU opportunity will deliver meaningful revenues to Aviat this year. We announced an order received from an existing customer in the range of $25 million-$30 million. We expect all of this revenue in fiscal 2027. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:04:56The Aviat team continues to work to win additional markets and adjacent opportunities to increase our capture rate in fiscal 2027 and beyond. Secondly, we see private networks continuing to be a core foundation for Aviat's growth. In state and local public safety networks, Aviat remains the leader and continues to pursue opportunities for more share of demand. According to industry research, city and state government budgets are expected to grow 6.4% and 4.2%, respectively. Video-intensive applications like drones and body cameras, as well as other data-intensive tools, drive increased bandwidth demand within private networks, which necessitates more or upgraded microwave links. As highlighted in our last earnings call, utility private networks are poised for growth. Power infrastructure and grid connectivity are emerging as key bottlenecks to AI infrastructure deployment. This build-out requires secure, highly reliable communication networks to connect and manage grid assets. Aviat participates here. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:06:09Thanks to our portfolio of industry-leading solutions geared towards utilities. Our microwave radio portfolio, Aprisa, SCADA radios, and LTE 5G routers, combined with our network management software and our Health Assurance and Frequency Assurance offerings, provides utilities a one-stop shop for its network connectivity build-out and management needs. With the SpaceX IPO and the announcement of a potential fourth cellular network in the U.S., there is a significant amount of investor interest in low Earth orbit, or LEO networks. We believe that there is a valuable niche to fill in the communication space, specifically around nomadic or very remote locations. Therefore, we see the technology as being complementary and not necessarily competitive with Aviat. We see the following for LEO and Aviat. One, Aviat's core business is largely unthreatened. Two, there is an idea of SpaceX building out a terrestrial network. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:07:16While the architecture of that conceptual network is not fully formed, should this materialize, Aviat is well-positioned if and when the architecture requires terrestrial backhaul. Three, most exciting is the new functionality that LEO brings. LEO offers redundant communications. This is most valued by private network customers, and we are seeing opportunities for Aviat through integration with microwave and cellular router solutions. For microwave networks, satellite provides a low-cost, easy-to-deploy backup path for critical remote sites. For cellular routers in public safety and fleet applications, satellite fills LTE and 5G coverage gaps with automatic failover. In both cases, Aviat's opportunity is to deliver an integrated solution that improves resilience while simplifying deployment, management, and operations for our customers. Aviat's customers are engaged in trials to demonstrate the value proposition of this redundancy. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:08:21Please see slide 11 in our investor presentation to get a picture of the ongoing trials and connectivity solution we bring. Moving on to international. Aviat's business has seen particular traction in the EMEA region, where revenues were up 53% in the fourth quarter and up 33% for all of fiscal 2026. This growth has been driven in part by recent international private network wins, including with defense customers, including blackned, as well as energy firms. As we pursue more such private network business, we see this segment as a growing portion of our international business in the future. Moving on to supply chain. Like others in the technology hardware space, Aviat has not been immune from component shortages and cost inflation. Specifically, we are most focused on securing supply for memory, printed circuit boards or PCBs, capacitors, and FPGAs. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:09:25We will be opening the playbook we used during COVID supply chain crisis to secure favorable placement and allocations among our suppliers. Although Aviat has been able to manage through these current allocations and shortages with our inventory and safety stock, we have also had some headwinds to our gross margins from component cost inflation. We plan to pass along these price increases to our customers to help offset these rising costs. With that, I will now turn the call over to Andy to go through the financial results. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:10:01Thanks, Pete. I will review some of the key fiscal year 2026 and fourth quarter results. Please note that our detailed financials can be found in our press release, and all comparisons discussed are between fourth quarter fiscal year 2026 and fourth quarter fiscal year 2025, unless otherwise noted. For the fourth quarter, we reported total revenue of $120.9 million as compared to $115.3 million for the same period last year, an increase of 4.8%. Revenues for the 12-month period were $439.7 million versus $434.6 million the year ago 12-month period. North America, which comprised 56.5% of our total revenues for the quarter, was $68.3 million. This was up $10.3 million or 17.8% versus the year ago period. These results were complemented by a limited set of deployments for a North American-based MDU project in the quarter. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:11:11International revenues, which made up 43.5% of total revenues, were $52.6 million for the quarter. For fiscal 2026, North American revenues were $220 million, up 6% versus fiscal year 2025. International revenues were $219.6 million in fiscal 2026, compared to $227 million in fiscal 2025. EMEA showed solid results for fiscal 2026 while APAC stabilized. We feel our international business overall is poised for growth in fiscal 2027. Gross margins in the fourth quarter were 30.8% on a GAAP basis and 30.9% on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to 34.2% GAAP and 34.7% non-GAAP in the prior year. The year-over-year change in gross margin is typically due to volumes, regional and product mix, and so on. That said, as Pete Smith noted earlier, our current period gross margin was negatively affected by component shortages and associated price inflation. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:12:25For fiscal 2026, gross margins were 31.5% on a GAAP basis and 31.8% on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to 32.1% GAAP and 32.8% non-GAAP in fiscal 2025. Fourth quarter GAAP operating expenses were $31.4 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses, which exclude the impact of restructuring charges, share-based compensation, and other costs, were $27.3 million. For fiscal 2026, GAAP operating expenses were $119.1 million, and non-GAAP operating expenses were $109.2 million. This is versus $128.9 million GAAP and $113.5 million non-GAAP in fiscal 2025, a decrease of $9.8 million and $4.3 million, respectively. This is the result of the entire management team diligently managing costs, continuously reviewing corporate needs, and driving process efficiency efforts. Fourth quarter operating income was $5.8 million on a GAAP basis and $10 million on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to $8.9 million GAAP and $12.9 million non-GAAP in the year-ago period. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:13:51For fiscal 2026, GAAP operating income was $19.2 million, up $8.7 million versus the last fiscal year. Fiscal 2026 non-GAAP operating income was $30.6 million, up $1.5 million or 5.2% versus the last fiscal year. The fourth quarter non-GAAP tax benefit was $0.5 million. As a reminder, as of fiscal 2026 year-end, the company has over $420 million of net operating losses, or NOLs, that will continue to generate shareholder value via minimal cash tax payments for the foreseeable future. Fourth quarter GAAP net loss was $1.3 million, and non-GAAP net income was a positive $8.3 million, which excludes restructuring charges, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, interest and other income, other non-recurring expenses, and the non-cash tax provision. Fourth quarter GAAP loss per share was $0.10 on a fully diluted basis, and non-GAAP earnings per share came in at a positive $0.64 on a fully diluted basis. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:15:16Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was at $11.9 million, or 9.8% of revenues. For the fiscal year, Adjusted EBITDA was $36.7 million. Moving on to the balance sheet. Our cash and marketable securities at the end of the fourth quarter were $72.8 million. Our outstanding debt was $97 million, bringing the net debt position to $24.2 million. Aviat Networks made continued improvements in its balance sheet. Unbilled receivables were lower for the third consecutive quarter. The fourth quarter balance was $3.1 million lower compared to the fiscal 2026 third quarter ending balance. This brings our total unbilled receivables balance to $82.1 million. Inventories were also lower sequentially by $3.6 million, bringing our inventory balance to $69 million. For the full fiscal year, Aviat Networks generated cash from operations of $13.6 million. Combined with the other balance sheet improvements, this is good progress for shareholders. Other points to make. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:16:33Aviat used $2.2 million to repurchase approximately 131,000 shares in the quarter at an average price of $16.55 per share. Finally, we are pleased to share that in the context of our control environment, we have fully remediated our past five material weaknesses. Rest assured, Aviat's core value of continuous improvement is still in play, and we will continue to work to further strengthen our foundation. With that, I'll turn it back to Pete Smith for some final comments. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:17:11Thanks, Andy. Regarding our fiscal 2027 guidance, we are establishing our outlook as follows. Full-year revenues to be in the range of $455 million-$470 million. Full-year Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $50 million-$55 million. Note that our guidance is full fiscal year. Some additional color on seasonality. Based on our backlog and current outlook, the first quarter will be the foundation on which Aviat's revenue builds throughout fiscal 2027. Additionally, we expect the second half of that fiscal 2027 to have higher overall revenues versus the first half of fiscal 2027. See slide 23 in the investor presentation for a view of the seasonality Aviat has typically experienced and for use in your models. With that, operator, let's open up for questions. Operator00:18:10Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question at this time, you will need to press star one one on your touchtone telephone and wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, simply press star one one again. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. Our first question coming from the line of Scott Searle with ROTH Capital. Your line is now open. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:18:38Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking the questions. Nice job on the quarter. Also nice to see the balance sheet improvements and the cleanup of the material weaknesses. Hey, maybe just to dive in, I wonder if you could give us an idea of the breakdown in North America between carrier contribution and private networks. Then specifically looking into the September quarter and how we ramp up from an MDU contribution standpoint. Pete, how is that shaping up just in terms of the context of how we should think about the flow of that into the course of fiscal 2027? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:19:17We ended the year with record backlog up 14%. A lot of that was work throughout the year that landed in the May, June timeframe. There is this pervasive component availability. When we said in the script that the Q1 is going to be a foundation, we think, given the timing of our wins and given the supply chain ramp up, we think if you put a revenue profile together, Q1 will be the lowest. Q2 and Q4 will be peaks, and Q3 should be higher than Q1. Then, with respect to the overall, I do not have the U.S. breakdown in front of me, but we are about 45% private networks, 55% service providers or mobile network operators. I think that I will give a qualitative statement. I would say the U.S. has more private networks than the overall Aviat. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:20:43I think that gives you a vector on that, Scott. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:20:49Okay. Thank you. Pete, just to clarify, though, on the MDU front, do you expect contribution in the September quarter, or is there a lot of pre-deployment activity ongoing, more engineering and otherwise, and we should expect to ramp up into the second half of the year or second quarter? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:21:06Yeah. We think the ramp-up is going to occur in the second quarter. There is a chance that we get some in the September quarter. Let me just give a little more color on this. We completed more proof of concepts in a variety of markets, and we believe that the customer has moved us ahead in the supplier pecking order where we think we are established as the preferred vendor. So, what we really need to do is get that site readiness over the hump in the September quarter, get all of our components on order, and enjoy the win in the December quarter. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:21:58Great. Thank you. Two other quick ones, if I could, just on the satellite LEO opportunity. I am wondering if you are actually starting to see interesting contribution today. It seems like there is a lot of activity, but I am wondering what you are factoring into that fiscal 2027 guidance at this point in time. Second, gross margins, some component headwinds on that front. I am wondering how you are thinking about that in terms of fiscal 2027. Broadly speaking, is there some expansion in gross margin opportunities given some incremental scale and product mix, or are you still seeing some headwinds on the component front? Thanks. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:22:33Sure, Scott. This is Andy. Great to hear from you. Yeah, in terms of gross margins, as Pete commented on revenue, Q1 is going to be our building block, and we go up from there. So it is, let us call it the foundation or lowest part of the year. It is going to be affected by lower volume, of course. Pete did talk to, in his prepared remarks, strategies that we are deploying to offset the component inflation, if you will. Those are going to be more realized in Q2 and going forward, not in Q1. But again, we do have plans, and we expect Q2, 3, and 4 to have more upward pressure on gross margin. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:23:17There is no LEO in the guide. Operator00:23:24Thank you. Our next question in queue coming from the line of Christian Schwab with Craig-Hallum. Your line is now open. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:23:34Great. Congrats on the solid quarter. I am wondering if you could give us an update on your large European competitor who is exiting their microwave business, we believe by the end of this calendar year. Are you seeing any business benefit from that currently? Would you anticipate or see an increased dialogue that you think will benefit you in your next fiscal year? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:24:09Yeah. A competitor of our European competitor has communicated that their pipeline of opportunities is improving. I would suggest that the same thing is transpiring with us. To convert a microwave network, it is a 6-18-month proposition. The good news for us was the announcement was made November of 2025, and immediately after that, I think Aviat and all of our non-for-sale competitors created a pipeline and are pursuing that. I would say we have had normal course of business wins. I would say that our competitors have probably had that as well, where networks get exchanged at a low level. I think the possibility for this to improve is probably in the March and June quarters for Aviat as well as the competitors that have been working over what will be a period of a year and a half, to convert the uncertainty to wins. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:25:39Perfect. Thank you. As it relates to BEAD, there has been a lot of fluctuations of people tied to that. I am just wondering what is your current thoughts. I think before we thought maybe some things would start in FY 2027, but really had more of a multi-year outlook. I am just wondering if there is any update on your current thoughts there. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:26:10Yeah. In front of me, we have got quotes out to our customers. We are working to turn those quotes into business. So it is becoming tactical rather than theoretical. I would also say that we still believe it to be a three-year impact. Our estimate is in the December quarter, it should have the first real impact to our revenue. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:26:50Okay, fantastic. Then lastly, regarding your belief that you are the preferred vendor, and showing proof of concepts of different applications on the MDU ramp. Appreciate the $25 million-$30 million significant order in hand. Should we anticipate that there could be more significant orders as we go through fiscal year 2027, or is that yet too early? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:27:31I do not want you to anticipate, but there could be. How about that? Trying to split the middle there. But it is a fair question, and we are hopeful. Let us not put it in the model, but that is what we are working towards. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:27:48Fantastic. No other questions. Operator00:27:53Thank you. Our next question in queue, coming from the line of Jaeson Schmidt with Lake Street. Your line is now open. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:28:02Thanks, guys. Appreciate you taking my questions. Following up on Christian Schwab's last question on the MDU opportunity and potential for more orders. Can you help us size the potential of follow-on orders or how are you looking at this opportunity in the intermediate term here? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:28:21Yeah. I think what's really critical to driving the size of the opportunity is subscriber growth. We're in the early innings of the subscriber growth. The more subscribers that come online for this tier 1, the bigger the opportunity. The last time we talked, we sized this as an eight-figure opportunity, and we put that in our 8-K during our quiet period. We would say that we think it's going to get bigger. The next question is: does it cross the barrier for nine figures? I don't know. I think the total annual opportunity is in the $100 million neighborhood. That's predicated on, one, the customer achieving their subscriber growth metrics, and two, our share versus the competitive share. If you want to look at this as what could it be? What could it all be? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:29:43I would say we hit the $100 million figure. The market opportunity hits the $100 million level. How that parses out between Aviat and the competition is looking more favorable, but I don't see any situation where we'd be sole source. What's probably more important is how many subscribers come on to those MDU units. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:30:15Okay. That's really helpful. Just as a follow-up, can you update us on the Aprisa router funnel and what you're seeing in expectations for fiscal 2027? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:30:32We're not going to break out guidance specifically for Aprisa. The Aprisa business on the utility front, which is why we bought in, continue to enjoy it, is performing well. We've talked in the past about the LTE router and basically putting this router into public safety or police cars. What I can say is that we have initial orders in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. It's still relatively small, and there's a long lead site, a long kind of runway to get government agencies into the purchasing funnel. I would also say that our performance in the mobile cellular router sector is we're going against Cradlepoint, and the reason we have those initial orders and significant engagements is because we have a compelling value proposition that customers like, and it's just going to take time, but we believe that it will happen. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:31:46Got you. Thanks a lot, guys. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:31:49Thank you. Operator00:31:51Thank you. As a reminder, to ask a question, please press star one one. Our next question coming from the line of Dave Kang with B. Riley. Your line is now open. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:32:03Good morning. Thank you. First question is, just wondering how much regarding that Middle East projects that were delayed last quarter, how much of that was captured in the fourth quarter? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:32:18Yeah, I think most of it, Dave, most of it was recaptured. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:32:26Got it. Did that mix also played into that gross margin? I know you talked about supply chain headwind, but also the mix. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:32:39Primarily, the component inflation has affected this quarter. Mix is pretty much representative. As said in prepared remarks, Americas were about 56.5%, which is fairly typical. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:32:54Yeah. Just to add to that, Dave, the nature of the inflation in the component environment is sometimes there's spot markets, sometimes it's prices go up even after you make the order. In the next few weeks, we're going to go out to our customers for more price. Unfortunately, the nature of the inflation is it's a little more abrupt than typical. We got impacted by that abruptness, and we're going to work to offset that inflation. I think we should get some improvement in the December quarter, and then the back half, it should be better still. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:33:45By second half, can we expect mid-30s in terms of gross margin expectations? Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:33:55That would be aspirational. A lot of the growth, again, is coming out of MDU, as we've talked to in these other markets, and that has pretty much what we call more of a middle of our product strategy profile. Again, we ended the year at about 32%. That's a safe harbor in terms of how we operate, just looking at historical. Again, as Pete Smith talked to these different strategies, we expect some upward pressure, so that's good. But I wouldn't necessarily go as high as what you're suggesting as we speak today. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:34:36Got it. My last question is regarding your fiscal 2027 revenue outlook. Just wondering if any BEAD factored into that outlook. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:34:50A small amount, Dave. Relatively conservative. If BEAD kicks in, we will revisit the guidance. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:35:01Got it. Thank you. Operator00:35:04Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Theodore O'Neill with Litchfield Hills Research. Your line is now open. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:35:13Thank you, and congratulations on the good quarter. I want to also follow up on the MDU opportunity. Can you tell us, I am sure you cannot mention them by name, but can you tell us about the type of customers that are driving the MDU opportunity? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:35:29Well, we've disclosed in a lot of industry folks, we've disclosed that it's a U.S. tier 1 that has access to 39 GHz spectrum, so that narrows it down. The field installers have leaked this, but it's not for us to disclose. Their customers are apartment dwellers that typically the profile is they skew younger, lots of remote work from home that require bandwidth beyond what's economically delivered today. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:36:15Okay. Pete, last quarter, you talked about war-induced pushouts of about $9 million, and you already said that part of that had come into Q4. Did that at all make in, or are you still experiencing some kind of war-induced issues out there? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:36:31Actually, the customer was not Urdu, but that was in the Middle East, war-induced issue. We would say that they're steady state, that that problem has reversed. I would say our demand in that customer base and our supply is at steady state. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:36:58Okay. Finally, on the range of revenue guidance, there's a range of $15 million. Can you talk about what would make it at the high end or the low end of that? Sort of the give and take in that? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:37:15Yeah. I would like to talk about how to make it to get to the higher end, more MDU and how does that, one, there is more subscriber growth to share gain versus the competition. Two is, our de minimis modeling of BEAD. If BEAD kicks in the way we have wished it would have kicked in over the last five years, then we will revisit guidance. Three would be private networks. Christian Schwab asked a question about the competitive dynamics in private networks. We think we are well-positioned if some of those convert or if private networks, the Aprisa LTE router opportunity is in there. If either of those two things happen, that will pop up our private network. Lastly, given the competitive dynamics globally, we have more tier 1 interest than normal, new tier 1. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:38:27That would be the fourth potential lever to move us from, let us say, the midpoint to the high end. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:38:36Okay, thanks. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:38:37We have four possibilities there. Yep. Thank you, Theo. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:38:40Okay. Thanks, Pete. Operator00:38:43Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Rustam Kanga with Citizens Bank. Your line is now open. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:38:52Great. Thank you for taking my question. Hey, Andy and Pete, nice close to the year. Regarding the historical revenue pattern, at 48%-52% for the back half of the year for your guidance for next year, are you looking at something more towards the range of 40/60, or could it be more pronounced than that? Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:39:18Hey, Rus, this is Andrew Fredrickson. We mentioned that the second half of the year would be a little bit more back-half weighted. I would think you could think about it incrementally more than maybe where it's been historically. So maybe it's something closer to 45/55. But we'll certainly continue to keep you updated as we advance through the year. But if you look at the investor slide number 23 in our investor presentation, we have historical numbers over the last couple of fiscal years. I would say at a minimum, that's a good kind of guidance level from a seasonality perspective. But again, maybe you have a couple more percentage points in the back half. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:40:07Yeah. Slide 23 is the model that we are signing up to. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:40:15Sounds good. Regarding the MDU opportunity, I understand that it is hinging on the subscriber growth there. Just curious if the number of markets that you are operating there has grown or sustained from what you have talked about in the previous quarter. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:40:34I think we are slated or are in 25 markets, and if we roll back the clock, we were one, seven, 11-13. So now I think we are approaching the 25 market level. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:40:59That is great. Thanks. Operator00:41:03Thank you. I am showing no further questions in the Q&A queue at this time. I will now turn the call back over to Mr. Pete Smith with any closing remarks. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:41:14It is an exciting time for Aviat. Thanks everyone for joining. We look forward to, again, updating you in November. Thanks. Operator00:41:26This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesAndrew FredricksonVP of Corporate FinancePete SmithPresident and CEOAndy SchmidtCFOAnalystsScott SearleAnalyst at ROTH CapitalChristian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-HallumJaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake StreetDave KangAnalyst at B. RileyTheodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills ResearchRustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens BankPowered by Earnings DocumentsSlide DeckPress Release(8-K)Annual report(10-K) Aviat Networks Earnings HeadlinesAviat Networks Shares Rise on $35 Million to $40 Million in Orders From North American CustomerSeptember 10, 2026 | marketscreener.comMAviat Networks Stock (AVNW) Opinions on Fiscal 2026 Results and Growth StrategySeptember 2, 2026 | quiverquant.comQMusk says UBI is coming. I say it's already here.Elon Musk says AI could make money irrelevant by 2036. One income program already exists today, funded not by robots but by America's oil and gas infrastructure. It's called the Patriot Income Plan, or P.I.P., and it pays 10% a year across 42 separate distribution dates. This year it's on track to pay out a record 53 billion dollars. Think of it as a personal stake in the world's largest energy producer, structured to deliver income on a regular schedule. | Freedom Financial (Ad)Aviat Networks (AVNW) Bets Big On Private Networks As Margins SlipSeptember 1, 2026 | insidermonkey.comAviat Networks (AVNW) Bets Big On Private Networks As Margins SlipSeptember 1, 2026 | finance.yahoo.comAviat Networks Earnings Call Highlights Growth And RisksAugust 29, 2026 | tipranks.comSee More Aviat Networks Headlines Get Earnings Announcements in your inboxWant to stay updated on the latest earnings announcements and upcoming reports for companies like Aviat Networks? Sign up for Earnings360's daily newsletter to receive timely earnings updates on Aviat Networks and other key companies, straight to your email. Email Address About Aviat NetworksAviat Networks (NASDAQ:AVNW) is a provider of wireless networking solutions for communications and critical infrastructure markets. The company designs and supplies microwave and millimeter-wave radio systems, routers, network management software, and related hardware used to transport voice, data, and video traffic. Its products support a range of applications, including mobile network backhaul and access, broadband connectivity, private enterprise networks, public safety communications, utilities, transportation systems, government networks, and other industrial operations. Aviat also provides network design, installation, maintenance, technical support, and other professional services. Aviat serves customers through direct sales channels and partners in markets around the world. The company traces its history to Harris Corporation’s microwave communications business and Harris Stratex Networks, which adopted the Aviat Networks name in 2009. In 2023, Aviat expanded its wireless transport portfolio through the acquisition of NEC Corporation’s wireless transport business.View Aviat Networks ProfileRead more More Earnings Resources from MarketBeat Earnings Tools Today's Earnings Tomorrow's Earnings Next Week's Earnings Upcoming Earnings Calls Earnings Newsletter Earnings Call Transcripts Earnings Beats & Misses Corporate Guidance Earnings Screener Latest Articles Aeluma’s Selloff Could Be Setting Up Its Next Big MoveCoreWeave’s Vera Rubin Lead Comes Down to Speed, Power, and ScaleMicron’s New 512GB Memory Module Deepens Its AI Infrastructure AdvantageHoliday Shopping Is Almost Here—And Target May Be Ready to Win BigCan ServisFirst Keep Delivering?Banc of California Bets on Short-Term Pain3 Luxury Consumer Brands to Watch in a Beaten-Down Sector Upcoming Earnings Cintas (9/23/2026)Costco Wholesale (9/24/2026)Micron Technology (9/30/2026)NIKE (10/1/2026)Accenture (10/1/2026)PepsiCo (10/8/2026)Delta Air Lines (10/8/2026)America Movil (10/13/2026)BlackRock (10/13/2026)Citigroup (10/13/2026) Unlock superior investment research and tools. 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PresentationSkip to Participants Operator00:00:00Welcome to Aviat Networks' fourth quarter fiscal 2026 earnings conference call. At this time, all participants are on a listen-only mode. A question-and-answer session will follow the formal presentation. Please note this conference is being recorded. I will now turn the conference over to your host, Mr. Andrew Fredrickson, Vice President of Corporate Finance. You may begin. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:00:29Thank you, and welcome to Aviat Networks' fourth quarter fiscal 2026 results conference call and webcast. You can find our press release and updated investor presentation in the IR section of our website at www.aviatnetworks.com, along with a replay of today's call. With me today are Pete Smith, Aviat's President and CEO, who will begin with the opening remarks on the company's fiscal quarter, followed by Andy Schmidt, CFO, to review financial results for the quarter. Pete will then provide closing remarks on Aviat's strategy and outlook. As a reminder, during today's call and webcast, management may make forward-looking statements regarding Aviat's business, including but not limited to statements relating to fiscal guidance, financial projections, business drivers, new products and expansions, the economic activity in different regions. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:01:26These and other forward-looking statements reflect the company's opinions only as of the date of this call and webcast, and involve assumptions, risks, and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those statements. Additional information on factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements expressed or implied on this call can be found in our most recent filings with the SEC. The company undertakes no obligation to revise or make public any revision of these forward-looking statements in light of new information or future events. Additionally, during today's call and webcast, management will reference both GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures. Please refer to our press release, which is available in the IR section of our website at www.aviatnetworks.com, and financial tables therein, which include a GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation and other supplemental financial information. Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:02:26At this time, I would like to turn the call over to Aviat's President and CEO, Pete Smith. Pete? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:02:32Thanks, Andrew. Let's review the highlights from the fourth quarter. Quarterly revenues of $121 million, up 4.8% versus the year ago period. Adjusted EBITDA of $11.9 million. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.64. Year-end backlog of $367 million, up 14% versus the end of fiscal year 2025. This marks a strong end to Aviat's fiscal 2026. Full-year revenue was $440 million, up 1.2% versus the prior fiscal year. This represents our sixth consecutive year of revenue growth. Aviat is the only microwave company to achieve this growth during the last six years. I would also like to note that this was the first time in over a decade that Aviat has had all four quarters in the fiscal year with at least $100 million in revenue. This is a tremendous achievement, and I would like to thank all of our customers, supplier partners, and employees in making this possible. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:03:45Since FY 2023, we have been expanding outside of our core microwave business with a focus on mission-critical access. In FY 2026, sales of non-microwave, i.e., mission-critical access products grew significantly versus FY 2025 and is the result of Aviat's strategic decisions and execution years prior, allowing us to diversify our business and gain access to larger, faster-growing segments. We are glad to see this strategy coming to fruition. Now, I'd like to talk more about recent developments in our end markets. In the U.S., strong quarterly sales and bookings set the stage for an exciting year ahead. We see several growth vectors aligning for Aviat. First, we believe our multi-dwelling unit, MDU opportunity will deliver meaningful revenues to Aviat this year. We announced an order received from an existing customer in the range of $25 million-$30 million. We expect all of this revenue in fiscal 2027. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:04:56The Aviat team continues to work to win additional markets and adjacent opportunities to increase our capture rate in fiscal 2027 and beyond. Secondly, we see private networks continuing to be a core foundation for Aviat's growth. In state and local public safety networks, Aviat remains the leader and continues to pursue opportunities for more share of demand. According to industry research, city and state government budgets are expected to grow 6.4% and 4.2%, respectively. Video-intensive applications like drones and body cameras, as well as other data-intensive tools, drive increased bandwidth demand within private networks, which necessitates more or upgraded microwave links. As highlighted in our last earnings call, utility private networks are poised for growth. Power infrastructure and grid connectivity are emerging as key bottlenecks to AI infrastructure deployment. This build-out requires secure, highly reliable communication networks to connect and manage grid assets. Aviat participates here. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:06:09Thanks to our portfolio of industry-leading solutions geared towards utilities. Our microwave radio portfolio, Aprisa, SCADA radios, and LTE 5G routers, combined with our network management software and our Health Assurance and Frequency Assurance offerings, provides utilities a one-stop shop for its network connectivity build-out and management needs. With the SpaceX IPO and the announcement of a potential fourth cellular network in the U.S., there is a significant amount of investor interest in low Earth orbit, or LEO networks. We believe that there is a valuable niche to fill in the communication space, specifically around nomadic or very remote locations. Therefore, we see the technology as being complementary and not necessarily competitive with Aviat. We see the following for LEO and Aviat. One, Aviat's core business is largely unthreatened. Two, there is an idea of SpaceX building out a terrestrial network. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:07:16While the architecture of that conceptual network is not fully formed, should this materialize, Aviat is well-positioned if and when the architecture requires terrestrial backhaul. Three, most exciting is the new functionality that LEO brings. LEO offers redundant communications. This is most valued by private network customers, and we are seeing opportunities for Aviat through integration with microwave and cellular router solutions. For microwave networks, satellite provides a low-cost, easy-to-deploy backup path for critical remote sites. For cellular routers in public safety and fleet applications, satellite fills LTE and 5G coverage gaps with automatic failover. In both cases, Aviat's opportunity is to deliver an integrated solution that improves resilience while simplifying deployment, management, and operations for our customers. Aviat's customers are engaged in trials to demonstrate the value proposition of this redundancy. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:08:21Please see slide 11 in our investor presentation to get a picture of the ongoing trials and connectivity solution we bring. Moving on to international. Aviat's business has seen particular traction in the EMEA region, where revenues were up 53% in the fourth quarter and up 33% for all of fiscal 2026. This growth has been driven in part by recent international private network wins, including with defense customers, including blackned, as well as energy firms. As we pursue more such private network business, we see this segment as a growing portion of our international business in the future. Moving on to supply chain. Like others in the technology hardware space, Aviat has not been immune from component shortages and cost inflation. Specifically, we are most focused on securing supply for memory, printed circuit boards or PCBs, capacitors, and FPGAs. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:09:25We will be opening the playbook we used during COVID supply chain crisis to secure favorable placement and allocations among our suppliers. Although Aviat has been able to manage through these current allocations and shortages with our inventory and safety stock, we have also had some headwinds to our gross margins from component cost inflation. We plan to pass along these price increases to our customers to help offset these rising costs. With that, I will now turn the call over to Andy to go through the financial results. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:10:01Thanks, Pete. I will review some of the key fiscal year 2026 and fourth quarter results. Please note that our detailed financials can be found in our press release, and all comparisons discussed are between fourth quarter fiscal year 2026 and fourth quarter fiscal year 2025, unless otherwise noted. For the fourth quarter, we reported total revenue of $120.9 million as compared to $115.3 million for the same period last year, an increase of 4.8%. Revenues for the 12-month period were $439.7 million versus $434.6 million the year ago 12-month period. North America, which comprised 56.5% of our total revenues for the quarter, was $68.3 million. This was up $10.3 million or 17.8% versus the year ago period. These results were complemented by a limited set of deployments for a North American-based MDU project in the quarter. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:11:11International revenues, which made up 43.5% of total revenues, were $52.6 million for the quarter. For fiscal 2026, North American revenues were $220 million, up 6% versus fiscal year 2025. International revenues were $219.6 million in fiscal 2026, compared to $227 million in fiscal 2025. EMEA showed solid results for fiscal 2026 while APAC stabilized. We feel our international business overall is poised for growth in fiscal 2027. Gross margins in the fourth quarter were 30.8% on a GAAP basis and 30.9% on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to 34.2% GAAP and 34.7% non-GAAP in the prior year. The year-over-year change in gross margin is typically due to volumes, regional and product mix, and so on. That said, as Pete Smith noted earlier, our current period gross margin was negatively affected by component shortages and associated price inflation. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:12:25For fiscal 2026, gross margins were 31.5% on a GAAP basis and 31.8% on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to 32.1% GAAP and 32.8% non-GAAP in fiscal 2025. Fourth quarter GAAP operating expenses were $31.4 million. Non-GAAP operating expenses, which exclude the impact of restructuring charges, share-based compensation, and other costs, were $27.3 million. For fiscal 2026, GAAP operating expenses were $119.1 million, and non-GAAP operating expenses were $109.2 million. This is versus $128.9 million GAAP and $113.5 million non-GAAP in fiscal 2025, a decrease of $9.8 million and $4.3 million, respectively. This is the result of the entire management team diligently managing costs, continuously reviewing corporate needs, and driving process efficiency efforts. Fourth quarter operating income was $5.8 million on a GAAP basis and $10 million on a non-GAAP basis. This compares to $8.9 million GAAP and $12.9 million non-GAAP in the year-ago period. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:13:51For fiscal 2026, GAAP operating income was $19.2 million, up $8.7 million versus the last fiscal year. Fiscal 2026 non-GAAP operating income was $30.6 million, up $1.5 million or 5.2% versus the last fiscal year. The fourth quarter non-GAAP tax benefit was $0.5 million. As a reminder, as of fiscal 2026 year-end, the company has over $420 million of net operating losses, or NOLs, that will continue to generate shareholder value via minimal cash tax payments for the foreseeable future. Fourth quarter GAAP net loss was $1.3 million, and non-GAAP net income was a positive $8.3 million, which excludes restructuring charges, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation, interest and other income, other non-recurring expenses, and the non-cash tax provision. Fourth quarter GAAP loss per share was $0.10 on a fully diluted basis, and non-GAAP earnings per share came in at a positive $0.64 on a fully diluted basis. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:15:16Adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter was at $11.9 million, or 9.8% of revenues. For the fiscal year, Adjusted EBITDA was $36.7 million. Moving on to the balance sheet. Our cash and marketable securities at the end of the fourth quarter were $72.8 million. Our outstanding debt was $97 million, bringing the net debt position to $24.2 million. Aviat Networks made continued improvements in its balance sheet. Unbilled receivables were lower for the third consecutive quarter. The fourth quarter balance was $3.1 million lower compared to the fiscal 2026 third quarter ending balance. This brings our total unbilled receivables balance to $82.1 million. Inventories were also lower sequentially by $3.6 million, bringing our inventory balance to $69 million. For the full fiscal year, Aviat Networks generated cash from operations of $13.6 million. Combined with the other balance sheet improvements, this is good progress for shareholders. Other points to make. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:16:33Aviat used $2.2 million to repurchase approximately 131,000 shares in the quarter at an average price of $16.55 per share. Finally, we are pleased to share that in the context of our control environment, we have fully remediated our past five material weaknesses. Rest assured, Aviat's core value of continuous improvement is still in play, and we will continue to work to further strengthen our foundation. With that, I'll turn it back to Pete Smith for some final comments. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:17:11Thanks, Andy. Regarding our fiscal 2027 guidance, we are establishing our outlook as follows. Full-year revenues to be in the range of $455 million-$470 million. Full-year Adjusted EBITDA to be in the range of $50 million-$55 million. Note that our guidance is full fiscal year. Some additional color on seasonality. Based on our backlog and current outlook, the first quarter will be the foundation on which Aviat's revenue builds throughout fiscal 2027. Additionally, we expect the second half of that fiscal 2027 to have higher overall revenues versus the first half of fiscal 2027. See slide 23 in the investor presentation for a view of the seasonality Aviat has typically experienced and for use in your models. With that, operator, let's open up for questions. Operator00:18:10Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, to ask a question at this time, you will need to press star one one on your touchtone telephone and wait for your name to be announced. To withdraw your question, simply press star one one again. Please stand by while we compile the Q&A roster. Our first question coming from the line of Scott Searle with ROTH Capital. Your line is now open. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:18:38Hey, good morning. Thanks for taking the questions. Nice job on the quarter. Also nice to see the balance sheet improvements and the cleanup of the material weaknesses. Hey, maybe just to dive in, I wonder if you could give us an idea of the breakdown in North America between carrier contribution and private networks. Then specifically looking into the September quarter and how we ramp up from an MDU contribution standpoint. Pete, how is that shaping up just in terms of the context of how we should think about the flow of that into the course of fiscal 2027? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:19:17We ended the year with record backlog up 14%. A lot of that was work throughout the year that landed in the May, June timeframe. There is this pervasive component availability. When we said in the script that the Q1 is going to be a foundation, we think, given the timing of our wins and given the supply chain ramp up, we think if you put a revenue profile together, Q1 will be the lowest. Q2 and Q4 will be peaks, and Q3 should be higher than Q1. Then, with respect to the overall, I do not have the U.S. breakdown in front of me, but we are about 45% private networks, 55% service providers or mobile network operators. I think that I will give a qualitative statement. I would say the U.S. has more private networks than the overall Aviat. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:20:43I think that gives you a vector on that, Scott. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:20:49Okay. Thank you. Pete, just to clarify, though, on the MDU front, do you expect contribution in the September quarter, or is there a lot of pre-deployment activity ongoing, more engineering and otherwise, and we should expect to ramp up into the second half of the year or second quarter? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:21:06Yeah. We think the ramp-up is going to occur in the second quarter. There is a chance that we get some in the September quarter. Let me just give a little more color on this. We completed more proof of concepts in a variety of markets, and we believe that the customer has moved us ahead in the supplier pecking order where we think we are established as the preferred vendor. So, what we really need to do is get that site readiness over the hump in the September quarter, get all of our components on order, and enjoy the win in the December quarter. Scott SearleAnalyst at ROTH Capital00:21:58Great. Thank you. Two other quick ones, if I could, just on the satellite LEO opportunity. I am wondering if you are actually starting to see interesting contribution today. It seems like there is a lot of activity, but I am wondering what you are factoring into that fiscal 2027 guidance at this point in time. Second, gross margins, some component headwinds on that front. I am wondering how you are thinking about that in terms of fiscal 2027. Broadly speaking, is there some expansion in gross margin opportunities given some incremental scale and product mix, or are you still seeing some headwinds on the component front? Thanks. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:22:33Sure, Scott. This is Andy. Great to hear from you. Yeah, in terms of gross margins, as Pete commented on revenue, Q1 is going to be our building block, and we go up from there. So it is, let us call it the foundation or lowest part of the year. It is going to be affected by lower volume, of course. Pete did talk to, in his prepared remarks, strategies that we are deploying to offset the component inflation, if you will. Those are going to be more realized in Q2 and going forward, not in Q1. But again, we do have plans, and we expect Q2, 3, and 4 to have more upward pressure on gross margin. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:23:17There is no LEO in the guide. Operator00:23:24Thank you. Our next question in queue coming from the line of Christian Schwab with Craig-Hallum. Your line is now open. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:23:34Great. Congrats on the solid quarter. I am wondering if you could give us an update on your large European competitor who is exiting their microwave business, we believe by the end of this calendar year. Are you seeing any business benefit from that currently? Would you anticipate or see an increased dialogue that you think will benefit you in your next fiscal year? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:24:09Yeah. A competitor of our European competitor has communicated that their pipeline of opportunities is improving. I would suggest that the same thing is transpiring with us. To convert a microwave network, it is a 6-18-month proposition. The good news for us was the announcement was made November of 2025, and immediately after that, I think Aviat and all of our non-for-sale competitors created a pipeline and are pursuing that. I would say we have had normal course of business wins. I would say that our competitors have probably had that as well, where networks get exchanged at a low level. I think the possibility for this to improve is probably in the March and June quarters for Aviat as well as the competitors that have been working over what will be a period of a year and a half, to convert the uncertainty to wins. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:25:39Perfect. Thank you. As it relates to BEAD, there has been a lot of fluctuations of people tied to that. I am just wondering what is your current thoughts. I think before we thought maybe some things would start in FY 2027, but really had more of a multi-year outlook. I am just wondering if there is any update on your current thoughts there. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:26:10Yeah. In front of me, we have got quotes out to our customers. We are working to turn those quotes into business. So it is becoming tactical rather than theoretical. I would also say that we still believe it to be a three-year impact. Our estimate is in the December quarter, it should have the first real impact to our revenue. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:26:50Okay, fantastic. Then lastly, regarding your belief that you are the preferred vendor, and showing proof of concepts of different applications on the MDU ramp. Appreciate the $25 million-$30 million significant order in hand. Should we anticipate that there could be more significant orders as we go through fiscal year 2027, or is that yet too early? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:27:31I do not want you to anticipate, but there could be. How about that? Trying to split the middle there. But it is a fair question, and we are hopeful. Let us not put it in the model, but that is what we are working towards. Christian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-Hallum00:27:48Fantastic. No other questions. Operator00:27:53Thank you. Our next question in queue, coming from the line of Jaeson Schmidt with Lake Street. Your line is now open. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:28:02Thanks, guys. Appreciate you taking my questions. Following up on Christian Schwab's last question on the MDU opportunity and potential for more orders. Can you help us size the potential of follow-on orders or how are you looking at this opportunity in the intermediate term here? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:28:21Yeah. I think what's really critical to driving the size of the opportunity is subscriber growth. We're in the early innings of the subscriber growth. The more subscribers that come online for this tier 1, the bigger the opportunity. The last time we talked, we sized this as an eight-figure opportunity, and we put that in our 8-K during our quiet period. We would say that we think it's going to get bigger. The next question is: does it cross the barrier for nine figures? I don't know. I think the total annual opportunity is in the $100 million neighborhood. That's predicated on, one, the customer achieving their subscriber growth metrics, and two, our share versus the competitive share. If you want to look at this as what could it be? What could it all be? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:29:43I would say we hit the $100 million figure. The market opportunity hits the $100 million level. How that parses out between Aviat and the competition is looking more favorable, but I don't see any situation where we'd be sole source. What's probably more important is how many subscribers come on to those MDU units. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:30:15Okay. That's really helpful. Just as a follow-up, can you update us on the Aprisa router funnel and what you're seeing in expectations for fiscal 2027? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:30:32We're not going to break out guidance specifically for Aprisa. The Aprisa business on the utility front, which is why we bought in, continue to enjoy it, is performing well. We've talked in the past about the LTE router and basically putting this router into public safety or police cars. What I can say is that we have initial orders in the U.S., Europe, and Latin America. It's still relatively small, and there's a long lead site, a long kind of runway to get government agencies into the purchasing funnel. I would also say that our performance in the mobile cellular router sector is we're going against Cradlepoint, and the reason we have those initial orders and significant engagements is because we have a compelling value proposition that customers like, and it's just going to take time, but we believe that it will happen. Jaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake Street00:31:46Got you. Thanks a lot, guys. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:31:49Thank you. Operator00:31:51Thank you. As a reminder, to ask a question, please press star one one. Our next question coming from the line of Dave Kang with B. Riley. Your line is now open. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:32:03Good morning. Thank you. First question is, just wondering how much regarding that Middle East projects that were delayed last quarter, how much of that was captured in the fourth quarter? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:32:18Yeah, I think most of it, Dave, most of it was recaptured. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:32:26Got it. Did that mix also played into that gross margin? I know you talked about supply chain headwind, but also the mix. Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:32:39Primarily, the component inflation has affected this quarter. Mix is pretty much representative. As said in prepared remarks, Americas were about 56.5%, which is fairly typical. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:32:54Yeah. Just to add to that, Dave, the nature of the inflation in the component environment is sometimes there's spot markets, sometimes it's prices go up even after you make the order. In the next few weeks, we're going to go out to our customers for more price. Unfortunately, the nature of the inflation is it's a little more abrupt than typical. We got impacted by that abruptness, and we're going to work to offset that inflation. I think we should get some improvement in the December quarter, and then the back half, it should be better still. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:33:45By second half, can we expect mid-30s in terms of gross margin expectations? Andy SchmidtCFO at Aviat Networks00:33:55That would be aspirational. A lot of the growth, again, is coming out of MDU, as we've talked to in these other markets, and that has pretty much what we call more of a middle of our product strategy profile. Again, we ended the year at about 32%. That's a safe harbor in terms of how we operate, just looking at historical. Again, as Pete Smith talked to these different strategies, we expect some upward pressure, so that's good. But I wouldn't necessarily go as high as what you're suggesting as we speak today. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:34:36Got it. My last question is regarding your fiscal 2027 revenue outlook. Just wondering if any BEAD factored into that outlook. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:34:50A small amount, Dave. Relatively conservative. If BEAD kicks in, we will revisit the guidance. Dave KangAnalyst at B. Riley00:35:01Got it. Thank you. Operator00:35:04Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Theodore O'Neill with Litchfield Hills Research. Your line is now open. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:35:13Thank you, and congratulations on the good quarter. I want to also follow up on the MDU opportunity. Can you tell us, I am sure you cannot mention them by name, but can you tell us about the type of customers that are driving the MDU opportunity? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:35:29Well, we've disclosed in a lot of industry folks, we've disclosed that it's a U.S. tier 1 that has access to 39 GHz spectrum, so that narrows it down. The field installers have leaked this, but it's not for us to disclose. Their customers are apartment dwellers that typically the profile is they skew younger, lots of remote work from home that require bandwidth beyond what's economically delivered today. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:36:15Okay. Pete, last quarter, you talked about war-induced pushouts of about $9 million, and you already said that part of that had come into Q4. Did that at all make in, or are you still experiencing some kind of war-induced issues out there? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:36:31Actually, the customer was not Urdu, but that was in the Middle East, war-induced issue. We would say that they're steady state, that that problem has reversed. I would say our demand in that customer base and our supply is at steady state. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:36:58Okay. Finally, on the range of revenue guidance, there's a range of $15 million. Can you talk about what would make it at the high end or the low end of that? Sort of the give and take in that? Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:37:15Yeah. I would like to talk about how to make it to get to the higher end, more MDU and how does that, one, there is more subscriber growth to share gain versus the competition. Two is, our de minimis modeling of BEAD. If BEAD kicks in the way we have wished it would have kicked in over the last five years, then we will revisit guidance. Three would be private networks. Christian Schwab asked a question about the competitive dynamics in private networks. We think we are well-positioned if some of those convert or if private networks, the Aprisa LTE router opportunity is in there. If either of those two things happen, that will pop up our private network. Lastly, given the competitive dynamics globally, we have more tier 1 interest than normal, new tier 1. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:38:27That would be the fourth potential lever to move us from, let us say, the midpoint to the high end. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:38:36Okay, thanks. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:38:37We have four possibilities there. Yep. Thank you, Theo. Theodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills Research00:38:40Okay. Thanks, Pete. Operator00:38:43Thank you. Our next question coming from the line of Rustam Kanga with Citizens Bank. Your line is now open. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:38:52Great. Thank you for taking my question. Hey, Andy and Pete, nice close to the year. Regarding the historical revenue pattern, at 48%-52% for the back half of the year for your guidance for next year, are you looking at something more towards the range of 40/60, or could it be more pronounced than that? Andrew FredricksonVP of Corporate Finance at Aviat Networks00:39:18Hey, Rus, this is Andrew Fredrickson. We mentioned that the second half of the year would be a little bit more back-half weighted. I would think you could think about it incrementally more than maybe where it's been historically. So maybe it's something closer to 45/55. But we'll certainly continue to keep you updated as we advance through the year. But if you look at the investor slide number 23 in our investor presentation, we have historical numbers over the last couple of fiscal years. I would say at a minimum, that's a good kind of guidance level from a seasonality perspective. But again, maybe you have a couple more percentage points in the back half. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:40:07Yeah. Slide 23 is the model that we are signing up to. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:40:15Sounds good. Regarding the MDU opportunity, I understand that it is hinging on the subscriber growth there. Just curious if the number of markets that you are operating there has grown or sustained from what you have talked about in the previous quarter. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:40:34I think we are slated or are in 25 markets, and if we roll back the clock, we were one, seven, 11-13. So now I think we are approaching the 25 market level. Rustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens Bank00:40:59That is great. Thanks. Operator00:41:03Thank you. I am showing no further questions in the Q&A queue at this time. I will now turn the call back over to Mr. Pete Smith with any closing remarks. Pete SmithPresident and CEO at Aviat Networks00:41:14It is an exciting time for Aviat. Thanks everyone for joining. We look forward to, again, updating you in November. Thanks. Operator00:41:26This concludes today's conference call. Thank you for your participation, and you may now disconnect.Read moreParticipantsExecutivesAndrew FredricksonVP of Corporate FinancePete SmithPresident and CEOAndy SchmidtCFOAnalystsScott SearleAnalyst at ROTH CapitalChristian SchwabAnalyst at Craig-HallumJaeson SchmidtAnalyst at Lake StreetDave KangAnalyst at B. RileyTheodore O'NeillAnalyst at Litchfield Hills ResearchRustam KangaAnalyst at Citizens BankPowered by