Semiconductor production equipment company Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) reported results ahead of analysts' expectations in Q4 FY2023, with revenue down 29.3% year on year to $202.3 million. On the other hand, next quarter's revenue guidance of $170 million was less impressive, coming in 11% below analysts' estimates. Turning to EPS, Kulicke and Soffa made a GAAP profit of $0.41 per share, down from its profit of $1.11 per share in the same quarter last year.
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Kulicke and Soffa (KLIC) Q4 FY2023 Highlights:
- Revenue: $202.3 million vs analyst estimates of $200.2 million (1.1% beat)
- EPS (non-GAAP): $0.51 vs analyst estimates of $0.43 (19.2% beat)
- Revenue Guidance for Q1 2024 is $170 million at the midpoint, below analyst estimates of $190.9 million
- Free Cash Flow of $68.48 million is up from -$1.55 million in the previous quarter
- Inventory Days Outstanding: 186, down from 206 in the previous quarter
- Gross Margin (GAAP): 47.4%, up from 46.3% in the same quarter last year
Headquartered in Singapore, Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) is a provider of production equipment and tools used to assemble semiconductor devices
Semiconductor ManufacturingThe semiconductor industry is driven by demand for advanced electronic products like smartphones, PCs, servers, and data storage. The need for technologies like artificial intelligence, 5G networks, and smart cars is also creating the next wave of growth for the industry. Keeping up with this dynamism requires new tools that can design, fabricate, and test chips at ever smaller sizes and more complex architectures, creating a dire need for semiconductor capital manufacturing equipment.
Sales GrowthKulicke and Soffa's revenue growth over the last three years has been very strong, averaging 33.6% annually. But as you can see below, its revenue declined from $286.3 million in the same quarter last year to $202.3 million. Semiconductors are a cyclical industry, and long-term investors should be prepared for periods of high growth followed by periods of revenue contractions (which can sometimes offer opportune times to buy).
Even though Kulicke and Soffa surpassed analysts' revenue estimates, this was a slow quarter for the company as its revenue dropped 29.3% year on year. This could mean that the current downcycle is deepening.
Kulicke and Soffa may be headed for an upturn. Although the company is guiding for a year-on-year revenue decline of 3.5% next quarter, analysts are expecting revenue to grow 14.6% over the next 12 months.
Product Demand & Outstanding InventoryDays Inventory Outstanding (DIO) is an important metric for chipmakers, as it reflects a business' capital intensity and the cyclical nature of semiconductor supply and demand. In a tight supply environment, inventories tend to be stable, allowing chipmakers to exert pricing power. Steadily increasing DIO can be a warning sign that demand is weak, and if inventories continue to rise, the company may have to downsize production.
This quarter, Kulicke and Soffa's DIO came in at 186, which is 61 days above its five-year average. These numbers suggest that despite the recent decrease, the company's inventory levels are higher than what we've seen in the past.
Key Takeaways from Kulicke and Soffa's Q4 Results Sporting a market capitalization of $2.64 billion, Kulicke and Soffa is among smaller companies, but its more than $759.4 million in cash on hand and positive free cash flow over the last 12 months puts it in an attractive position to invest in growth.
We were impressed by how significantly Kulicke and Soffa blew past analysts' adjusted operating income and EPS expectations this quarter. We were also glad its inventory levels shrunk. On the other hand, its revenue and EPS guidance for the next quarter underwhelmed as it's facing macro headwinds in its memory and automotive markets. This commentary is consistent with what we've heard from other semiconductor companies. Overall, this was a mediocre quarter for Kulicke and Soffa. The company is down 6.6% on the results and currently trades at $43.66 per share.
The author has no position in any of the stocks mentioned in this report.
