Ichor Holdings, Ltd. Announces Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2018 Financial Results

Ichor Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ICHR), a leader in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of critical fluid delivery subsystems for semiconductor capital equipment, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2018.

Highlights for the fourth quarter of 2018:

• Revenues of $141 million;
• Generated $31 million of free cash flow;
• Gross margin of 15.2% on a GAAP basis and 15.3% on a non-GAAP basis;
• Net earnings of $0.15 per diluted share on a GAAP basis and $0.32 on a non-GAAP basis;
• Completed $30 million of share repurchases in the fourth quarter.

Highlights for fiscal year 2018:

• Record revenue of $824 million;
• Gross margin of 16.5% on a GAAP basis and 17.2% on a non-GAAP basis;
• Net earnings of $2.30 per diluted share on a GAAP basis and $2.99 on a non-GAAP basis;
• Completed $90 million of share repurchases against our $100 million total authorization established in February 2018.

“2018 was Ichor’s strongest year on record, with 26% revenue growth year-over-year, along with increasing gross margin, operating margin, and earnings per share, compared to 2017,” commented Chairman and CEO Tom Rohrs. “Along with the rest of the industry, we experienced a significant slowdown in business in the second half of the year, and conditions in the fourth quarter were more challenging than forecast. In spite of the second-half decline in industry spending, we delivered revenue growth for the year that well-outpaced the overall growth in the wafer fabrication equipment industry, primarily due to the contribution from strategic acquisitions, as well as strong execution in our core gas panel business. We demonstrated the strength of our variable manufacturing cost structure by generating record profits and free cash flows for the year. As we continue to navigate through this challenging business environment, we expect to continue delivering solid profitability while we execute on our strategy to expand our market share within our served markets through continued design wins and close collaboration with our customers.”

U.S. GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the fourth quarter of 2018, revenue was $141.4 million, net income from continuing operations was $3.5 million, and net income from continuing operations per diluted share (“diluted EPS”) was $0.15. This compares to revenue of $175.2 million and $182.9 million, net income from continuing operations of $9.6 million and $19.2 million, and diluted EPS of $0.39 and $0.72, for the third quarter of 2018 and fourth quarter of 2017, respectively.

For fiscal year 2018, revenue was $823.6 million, net income from continuing operations was $57.9 million, and diluted EPS was $2.30. This compares to revenue of $655.9 million, net income from continuing operations of $56.9 million, and diluted EPS of $2.17 for fiscal year 2017.

Non-GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the fourth quarter of 2018, non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations was $7.3 million and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS was $0.32. This compares to non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations of $13.6 million and $18.6 million, and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS of $0.55 and $0.70, for the third quarter of 2018 and fourth quarter of 2017, respectively.

For fiscal year 2018, non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations was $75.1 million and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS was $2.99. This compares to non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations of $65.1 million and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS of $2.48 for fiscal year 2017.

First Quarter 2019 Financial Outlook

For the first quarter of 2019, we expect revenue to be in the range of $131 to $141 million. We expect GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.01 to $0.10 and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.23 to $0.31.

This outlook for non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS excludes known charges related to amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, tax adjustments related to these non-GAAP adjustments, and non-recurring charges known at the time of providing this outlook. This outlook for non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS excludes any items that are unknown at this time, such as non-recurring tax-related items or other unusual items which we are not able to predict without unreasonable efforts due to their inherent uncertainty.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Results

We ended the fourth quarter of 2018 with cash of $43.8 million. The quarterly net increase of $10.8 million from the third quarter of 2018 was primarily due to cash from operations of $33.1 million and net borrowing on long-term debt of $9.8 million, partially offset by share repurchases of $29.7 million and capital expenditures of $2.5 million.

The net decrease in cash of $25.5 million during the fiscal year 2018 from December 29, 2017 was primarily due to cash flow from operations of $60.5 million, net borrowings on long-term debt of $15.3 million, and proceeds from the issuance of ordinary shares under our share-based compensation plans of $6.2 million, offset by share repurchases of $90.0 million, capital expenditures of $13.9 million, debt modification costs from the refinancing of our credit facilities in February 2018 of $2.1 million, and net cash paid in connection with acquisitions of $1.4 million.

Our cash from operations during fiscal year 2018 of $60.5 million was due to net income of $57.9 million and net non-cash charges of $24.9 million, partially offset by an increase in our net operating assets and liabilities of $22.3 million, net of acquired assets and liabilities. Non-cash charges primarily consist of depreciation and amortization of $23.1 million and share-based compensation of $7.6 million, partially offset by deferred income taxes of $6.7 million. The increase in our net operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to a decrease in accounts payable and accrued and other liabilities of $62.2 million and $5.0 million, respectively, partially offset by a decrease in inventories and accounts receivable of $35.1 million and $10.4 million, respectively.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Results

In addition to U.S. GAAP results, this press release also contains non-GAAP financial results, including non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations, and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS. These non-GAAP metrics exclude amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, non-recurring expenses including adjustments to the cost of goods sold, tax adjustments related to those non-GAAP adjustments, and non-recurring discrete tax items including tax impacts from releasing a valuation allowance related to foreign tax credits, to the extent they are present in gross profit, operating income, and net income from continuing operations. A table showing these metrics on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, with reconciliation footnotes thereto, is included at the end of this press release. Non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS is defined as non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations divided by weighted average diluted ordinary shares outstanding during the period.

Management uses non-GAAP gross profit, non-GAAP operating income, non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations, and non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS to evaluate our operating and financial results. We believe the presentation of non-GAAP results is useful to investors for analyzing business trends and comparing performance to prior periods, along with enhancing investors’ ability to view our results from management’s perspective. A table presenting the reconciliation of non-GAAP adjusted net income from continuing operations to U.S. GAAP net income from continuing operations is also included at the end of this press release.

Conference Call

We will conduct a conference call to discuss our fourth quarter and fiscal year 2018 results and business outlook on February 6, 2019, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific time.

To listen to the conference call via the Internet, please visit the investor relations section of our web site at ir.ichorsystems.com. To listen to the conference call via telephone, please call 844-395-9251 (domestic) or 478-219-0504 (international), conference ID: 1553906.

A taped replay of the webcast will be available shortly after the call on our website or by calling 855-859-2056 (domestic) or 404-537-3406 (international), conference ID: 1553906.

About Ichor

We are a leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of critical fluid delivery subsystems and components for semiconductor capital equipment. Our product offerings include gas and chemical delivery subsystems, collectively known as fluid delivery subsystems, which are key elements of the process tools used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. Our gas delivery subsystems deliver, monitor and control precise quantities of the specialized gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etch and deposition. Our chemical delivery subsystems precisely blend and dispense the reactive liquid chemistries used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as chemical-mechanical planarization, electroplating, and cleaning. We also manufacture precision machined components, weldments, and proprietary products for use in fluid delivery systems for direct sales to our customers. We also manufacture certain components for internal use in fluid delivery systems and for direct sales to our customers. This vertically integrated portion of our business is primarily focused on metal and plastic parts that are used in gas and chemical systems, respectively. We are headquartered in Fremont, CA. www.ichorsystems.com.

We use a 52 or 53 week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in December. The three months ended December 28, 2018, September 28, 2018, and December 29, 2017 were all 13 weeks. The years ending December 28, 2018 and December 29, 2017 were both 52 weeks. References to the fourth and third quarters of 2018 and the fourth quarter of 2017 relate to the three months ended December 28, 2018, September 28, 2018, and December 29, 2017, respectively. References to fiscal years 2018 and 2017 relate to the years ending December 28, 2018 and December 29, 2017, respectively.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "guidance," "expects," "intends," "projects," "plans," "believes," "estimates," "targets," "anticipates," “look forward,” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements.

Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding expected revenue, growth, earnings, profitability, and industry trends for the first quarter of 2019, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and assumptions regarding Ichor’s business and industry, the economy and other future conditions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements, including: (1) dependence on expenditures by manufacturers and cyclical downturns in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, (2) reliance on a very small number of original equipment manufacturers for a significant portion of sales, (3) negotiating leverage held by our customers, (4) competitiveness and rapid evolution of the industries in which we participate, (5) risks associated with weakness in the global economy and geopolitical instability, (6) keeping pace with developments in the industries we serve and with technological innovation generally, (7) designing, developing and introducing new products that are accepted by original equipment manufacturers in order to retain our existing customers and obtain new customers, (8) managing our manufacturing and procurement process effectively, (9) defects in our products that could damage our reputation, decrease market acceptance and result in potentially costly litigation, (10) dependence on a limited number of suppliers and (11) the integration of recent acquisitions with Ichor, including the ability to retain customers, suppliers and key employees. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in Ichor's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including other risks, relevant factors and uncertainties identified in the "Risk Factors" section of Ichor's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 13, 2018, and subsequent filings with the SEC.

All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof, and qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of actual results, changes in Ichor’s expectations, future events or developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.

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