Garmin Smashes All Records: Q4 2025 Results and What It Means for Users

Garmin dropped their Q4 numbers on February 18, and wow — these are some seriously impressive figures. For the first time ever, quarterly revenue crossed the $2 billion mark. Let's break down what happened and, more importantly, what it means for those of us who strap a Garmin to our wrists every day.

The Numbers at a Glance

Q4 2025 was historic for Garmin. Revenue hit $2.12 billion — a 17% jump from the same quarter last year. Earnings per share landed at $2.79, crushing analyst expectations of $2.40. The stock surged roughly 12% the day after the report dropped. For the full year 2025, total revenue came in at $7.25 billion, up 15% from 2024.

Operating income in Q4 was $614 million — up 19% — with an operating margin of 28.9%. Pretty wild for a company making smartwatches, chartplotters and aircraft instruments.

Fitness Segment Exploded

The big winner? Fitness. The segment grew a staggering 42% in Q4 and 33% for the full year, landing at $2.36 billion in annual revenue. It's primarily volume-driven — people are buying more Garmin watches than ever. The Fenix 8 series, Forerunner 970 and Venu X1 clearly hit the mark.

CEO Cliff Pemble stated directly that fitness will be the strongest contributor to growth in 2026 as well. With the broad product lineup and the new Q1 2026 update that just rolled out — featuring gear tracking, Course Planner, Sleep Alignment and more — it's easy to see why.

Outdoor: Major Growth Expected in H2 2026

The Outdoor segment grew more modestly at 5% to $2.05 billion in 2025. But here's where it gets interesting: Pemble strongly hinted that Outdoor growth will accelerate in 2026, driven by "a significant number of new product introductions" — weighted toward the second half of the year. The rumor mill points to Fenix 9, Enduro 4 and possibly Edge 1060. Exciting times ahead.

Aviation, Marine & Auto OEM

Aviation grew 13% to $987 million, driven by both OEM and aftermarket products. Garmin Autoland — which actually landed a plane automatically for the first time in December — shows how serious they are in this space. Marine grew 10% to $1.18 billion, led by the new GPSMAP 9000xsv series with 4K displays. Auto OEM was the weakest link with a slight Q4 decline, though the Mercedes-Benz partnership is expected to ramp up significantly in 2027.

What Does This Mean for Garmin Users?

When Garmin is making money and growing like this, it's great news for those of us using their products daily. It means bigger R&D budgets, more frequent software updates, and new product launches. We're already seeing it with the massive Q1 2026 update that just rolled out featuring gear tracking, Course Planner, Varia voice alerts and much more.

Connect+ remains somewhat controversial, but Garmin is doubling down on AI-powered features with Active Intelligence and nutrition tracking. They also announced a collaboration with Truemed to let US customers use health savings accounts (HSA/FSA) for qualifying Garmin purchases.

Garmin is guiding for $7.9 billion in revenue for 2026, up 9%. They're proposing a 17% dividend increase and have approved a new $500 million share repurchase program. The company is in a fantastic position, and as a user it's hard not to be optimistic about what's coming in the months ahead.

The Bottom Line

Garmin is absolutely crushing it right now. Record revenue, record operating income, and a bullish outlook for 2026 packed with new product launches. Fitness is the star performer, but the Outdoor segment looks ready to take the baton in H2 2026. Stay tuned — 2026 is shaping up to be one hell of a Garmin year.