Applied Materials, Inc. reported strong revenue, operating income and earnings per share in its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended Oct. 28, 2018.
 
Compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2017, Applied net sales increased slightly to $4.01 billion. On a GAAP basis, the company recorded a gross margin of 44.3%, operating income of $1.02 billion or 25.3% of net sales, and earnings per share (EPS) of $0.89. The company returned $946 million to shareholders through $751 million in share repurchases and dividends of $195 million.
 
In fiscal 2018, Applied grew net sales by 19% to $17.25 billion. On a GAAP basis, the company recorded gross margin of 45.3%, operating income of $4.80 billion, and EPS of $3.23. The company generated $3.79 billion in cash from operations, paid dividends of $605 million and used $5.28 billion to repurchase 102 million shares of common stock.
 
“In fiscal 2018, each of Applied’s major businesses delivered double-digit growth despite challenging conditions in the second half of the year,” said Gary Dickerson, president and CEO. “While near-term market headwinds remain, overall industry spending remains robust, and we are focused on positioning Applied Materials for the long term, expanding our role in the A.I.-Big Data era and winning the major technology inflections ahead.”