NTT DATA H1 operating profit falls 46.4% as prior data-center gain drops out
A ¥129.5 billion data-center transfer gain inflated the prior-year comparison. Removing that single item changes the direction of the half-year profit comparison.
For investors following NTT, the sharp drop in NTT DATA's reported operating profit needs a look at last year's base. A large gain from transferring data centers was included then. Its absence now makes the headline decline a poor shortcut for judging the ongoing business.
NTT DATA's November 4 presentation reports ¥144.2 billion of operating profit for April–September 2026, down 46.4% from ¥269.0 billion in the same six months of 2025. The earlier figure included a ¥129.5 billion data-center transfer gain.
Change the base, then keep the limits
TrendyVest's calculation removes that one gain from last year's profit: ¥269.0 billion minus ¥129.5 billion leaves ¥139.5 billion. Against that base, this year's ¥144.2 billion is ¥4.7 billion higher, or approximately 3.4%.
That is a single-item comparison, not a fully adjusted earnings measure. Currency effects and other business changes remain. It does not establish constant-currency growth or a profit margin for the data-center business alone.
The distinction is useful because operating profit can contain a gain that does not recur with the next period's service contracts. A reported decline can therefore coexist with growth against a base that excludes that transaction. Neither number should erase the other: the reported result is real, and the comparison still needs context.
NTT DATA was delisted in September 2025. It is part of NTT Group; listed NTT trades in Tokyo under code 9432. These are NTT DATA figures, not the parent group's consolidated results.
For the next report, follow operating performance and transfer gains separately. The question is how much profit the business produces on a comparable basis, rather than whether one unusually strong prior period makes the latest percentage look good or bad.