UMC Q3 Revenue Up 25.6% YoY; Board Adds US$3.2B Capex Budget
UMC has more than doubled off its 52-week low of $6.97.
Summary
UMC reported Q3 2026 revenue of NT$74.24 billion (US$2.32 billion), up 25.6% year-over-year, with 92% utilization and EPS of NT$1.32. The board also approved about US$3.2 billion of additional capex to accelerate capacity expansion.
Updates
· Benzinga — UMC's Q3 EPS of 21 cents per ADS missed the 23-cent consensus, and Q3 capital expenditures were $373 million.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · UMC
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Q3 Revenue Jumps 25.6% YoY
Revenue was NT$74.24 billion (US$2.32 billion), up 8.0% from NT$68.73 billion in 2Q26 and 25.6% year-over-year, with net income of NT$16.43 billion (US$514 million) and EPS of NT$1.32.
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Utilization at 92%, 22nm Record
Wafer shipments rose 7.3% to more than 1.2 million 12-inch equivalent wafers, a record high; 22nm reached 18.3% of wafer sales and 22/28nm combined 35% of revenue.
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Board Adds US$3.2B Capex
The board approved an additional capital expenditure budget of approximately US$3.2 billion to accelerate the Singapore and Tainan expansion, alongside a NT$102,781 million capital budget execution for capacity deployment funded from working capital.
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Q4 Guidance Steady, 2026 Capex US$2.0B
Q4 wafer shipments expected up low-single digit, USD ASP firm, gross margin comparable to the prior quarter and utilization in the low-90% range; 2026 CAPEX is US$2.0 billion.
Analysis · UMC · Manufacturing
Volume drove a record quarter: revenue of NT$74.24 billion (US$2.32 billion) rose 8.0% sequentially and 25.6% year-over-year, with utilization at 92% and 22nm at a record 18.3% of wafer sales. Capital allocation is the bigger story. The board approved roughly US$3.2 billion of additional capex on top of the US$2.0 billion 2026 plan, a large commitment that accelerates the Singapore and Tainan expansion but raises depreciation and free-cash-flow risk if demand softens. Q4 guidance is steady rather than accelerating (low-single-digit shipment growth, flat gross margin), so the capex step-up is a bet on 2027 rather than a response to a demand surge.
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In the 30 days to Oct 28, 2026, 36.5% of the 953 measured filings Wiseek scored 8 moved their stock by 5% or more by the next session's close. The median move was -0.66%. These are measured outcomes after filings of this importance, not a forecast for this one.
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At the time of this filing, UMC was trading at $19.38 on NYSE in the Manufacturing sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $47.3B. The 52-week trading range was $6.97 to $28.96. This filing was assessed with positive market sentiment and an importance score of 8 out of 10.