FY26 Group Performance

Record order intake and £4.8bn1 backlog provide strong visibility for FY27 revenue growth and beyond.

Free cash flow of >£550m over FY27-29 driving increased shareholder returns.

Dividend increased 24%; £200m share buyback extension

Steve Wadey, Group Chief Executive Officer, said: “We have delivered a resilient performance in more challenging markets, with organic revenue growth, margin expansion and strong cash generation driven by disciplined execution and restructuring. Our record order intake and £4.8bn1 backlog provide clear visibility of sustainable growth and strong multi-year cash flows. Aligned to structural growth in global defence investment, we are a trusted partner delivering mission‑critical capabilities, well positioned to drive higher‑quality earnings and attractive, sustainable shareholder returns.”

 FY26 results   Underlying*      Statutory  
 £ million   FY26   FY25   Change   FY26   FY25
 Order intake2    3,573   1,955   +83%    
 Funded order backlog   4,421   2,845   +55%    
           
 Revenue   1,923   1,932   0%  1,923    1,932
 Operating profit (loss)3  218   185   +18%   170   (91)
 Operating profit margin3   11.3%   9.6%   +170bps   8.8%   (4.6%)
 Profit (loss) before tax3  230   199   +16%   155   (106)
 Basic earnings per share   31.5p   26.1p   +21%   20.1p   (33.0p)
           
 Free cash flow   159   113   +41%    
 Net debt   159   133   +20%    
           
 Dividend per share   11.00p   8.85p   +24%    
 Share buyback spend   135   103   +31%    
 Return on capital employed   34%   22%   +12ppts    

Resilient financial performance in challenging markets

  • Record order intake of £3,573m2 (book-to-bill 1.14x4) and record year-end backlog of £4.8bn1
  • Revenue increased 1.3% on an organic basis driven by a good UK performance
  • Underlying operating profit* grew 18% to £218m benefiting from focused execution and right-sizing actions
  • Margin 11.3% (+170bps), returned to the target range
  • EPS grew 21% to 31.5p, strong free cash flow of £159m (+41%), leverage 0.5x (net debt/EBITDA) unchanged
  • 24% increase in full year dividend; new payout ratio target of 35-40% of underlying earnings per share
  • £200m share buyback extension of £100m p.a. through FY29

Foundations set for sustainable growth

  • £1.7bn LTPA extension to 2033, transforming the UK’s defence testing capabilities for future warfare
  • £205m five-year contract delivering critical engineering services for Typhoon
  • US business stabilised; driving organic growth and assessing strategic fit; all options under active review

FY27 outlook

  • Revenue growth 3-5% and operating margin 11.0-11.5%
  • EPS growth 8-10% with cash conversion >90%
  • >£550m of free cash flow targeted over FY27-29

To view the preliminary results document in full, please click on, or paste the following link into your web browser https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/QQ./qinetiq-full-year-results-2026/17601937. The preliminary results are also available in full on QinetiQ’s website.

The preliminary results for the year ended 31 March 2026 have been submitted in full unedited text to the Financial Conduct Authority's National Storage Mechanism and will be available shortly for inspection at https://data.fca.org.uk/#/nsm/nationalstoragemechanism.

Analyst presentation

Management will host a presentation at 09:30 hours BST on Thursday 21 May 2026. To register to join the live webcast, please see details on our website here: www.qinetiq.com/en/investors/results-reports-and-presentations/fy26-prelim-results

Dividend declaration

The Board proposes a final FY26 dividend per share of 8.00p (FY25: 6.05p) making the full-year dividend 11.00p (FY25: 8.85p). Subject to approval at the Annual General Meeting, the final FY26 dividend will be paid on 20 August 2026 to shareholders on the register on 24 July 2026. The ex-dividend date is 23 July 2026.

The dividend is conditional upon the Directors not having determined (at their discretion) to cancel the dividend at any point prior to its payment.

This announcement contains regulated information as per Disclosure Guidance and Transparency Rule (DTR) 6.3.

Share buyback programme

We will return further value to shareholders through an additional £200 million extension to our existing share buyback programme, over 2 years commencing in March 2027, when we complete our current buyback commitment. The £200 million extension is in addition to our existing share buyback programme, which commenced in February 2024 and which totals £250 million up to March 2027, comprised of our original £100 million share buyback that we announced in January 2024, the subsequent £50 million extension announced in November 2024, and the further £200 million extension announced in March 2025 which we are in the process of executing. Since the commencement of the buyback programme in February 2024 we have purchased c.61 million shares in total, with an aggregate purchase price of c.£268.1 million, up to 18 May 2026. We will complete the remaining c.£81.9 million of the current buyback commitment by the end of our FY27 financial year and then commence the additional £200 million announced today.

About QinetiQ

QinetiQ is a leading provider of mission-critical defence and security solutions to the UK and its allies, protecting lives by supporting national security priorities. Our innovative research and development, specialist engineering expertise, unique test and training facilities and mission support and operations capabilities deliver sustained warfighting readiness and operational advantage. QinetiQ employs c.7,500 highly skilled people.

For further information please contact:

Andrew Carter, Group Investor Relations Director: +44 7392 289116

Stephanie Mann, Group Head of Media Relations: +44 7770 720268

* Definitions of the Group’s ‘Alternative Performance Measures’ can be found in the glossary
1 Includes funded and unfunded backlog
2 Order intake here includes the LTPA extension award of £1,543m plus £166m relating to current investments. Order intake excluding the LTPA was £1,860m
3 Underlying operating profit, operating profit margin and profit (loss) before tax refer to profit from segments and exclude ‘specific adjusting items’. See note 2
4 Book-to-bill ratio is orders won divided by revenue recognized, excluding LTPA orders of £1,709m (FY25 £0m) and LTPA revenue of £294m (FY25 £270m)

21/05/2026

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