TSMC reported third-quarter earnings per share of NT$29.43, the chipmaker said in its headline release. EPS (earnings per share) sums a quarter's profitability down to a single per-unit number — the cleanest line in any quarterly report.

The figure covers the three months ending September 30 and was filed by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited, listed under ticker 2330 in Taipei and traded in New York as an ADR (American Depositary Receipt — a US-listed share representing stock in a foreign company) under ticker TSM.

What the headline number actually is

EPS divides net income by the company's share count. The result gives investors a per-share profitability read for the quarter. It's a standard metric listed companies (firms whose shares trade on a public exchange) put in headline releases because it's a clean, comparable line that fits above the fold.

NT$ is the New Taiwan Dollar, the issuer's reporting currency for home filings. US holders typically work from the ADR ratio; each TSM share corresponds to a set number of ordinary shares and trades in dollars on US venues.

By itself, NT$29.43 is a single data point. The full quarterly disclosure that typically follows the headline carries revenue, gross margin, operating margin, capex (capital spending on fabs, tools, and infrastructure), and forward guidance — what the company says it expects next quarter, usually as a range. TSMC's investor relations channel publishes the supporting package.

What does this change for chip buyers and investors?

Practically, the EPS print is the morning's first read, not the season's verdict. It tells you how the quarter shakes out per share, full stop. Capacity mix, customer concentration, and capital plans — released later, in the same package — usually move the stock more than the EPS line itself.

The Q3 mark lands in the densest quarter for foundry revenue. Mobile, data-center, and AI accelerator demand all pull from leading-edge capacity in this window. Foundries typically book their largest node volumes (the most advanced process geometries, currently 3 nm and 2 nm-class production at TSMC) across July through September, with mix tilting toward the leading edge as customer roadmaps roll forward.

The print also serves as an indirect read on factory utilization. Each wafer (the thin silicon disc on which chips are etched) shipped carries margin, and the EPS line aggregates that margin across volume.

What the headline doesn't tell you

Year-over-year change. Sequential change. Segment splits — revenue broken down by node, platform, or region. Capex plans. Fourth-quarter guidance. None of it sits in the EPS line.

That detail arrives with the full release and the conference call that follows. TSMC's IR calendar lists the call time and webcast link. Analysts parse margin trajectory and capital tone; the EPS print sits beside it, not above it.

The bottom line

NT$29.43 lands as the per-share figure for Q3 at Taiwan's flagship foundry. It's the opening bell on the quarter. The release behind it — with revenue, mix, margin, and next-quarter view — sets the actual tape (the day's price action post-print, in trader shorthand).

Wait for the full filing before sizing up.