3rd Quarter & 9 Mths Results

IQE PLC 22 November 2000 IQE plc IQE Quarter Three and Nine Month Results - Record Profits and Earnings, Major Announcements on Acquisition and New Subsidiary IQE plc, the leading outsource supplier of epiwafers to the compound semiconductor industry is pleased to announce its Q3 results for the period ended 30 September 2000 showing record profits, earnings and orders. Highlights : * Sales increased by 39% for Q3 to £6.431 million (1999 : £4.627 million) and by 41% to £19.639 million (1999 : £13.975 million) for the nine month period despite limited production capacity availability. * Net profit before tax and exceptional charges for Q3 increased by 190% to £0.875 million (1999 : £0.302 million ) and increased by 93% to £1.786 million (1999 : £0.925 million) for the nine month period. * EPS for Q3 increased by 265% to 0.372 pence (1999: 0.102p) and by 170% to 0.729p (1999 : 0.27 pence) for the nine month period. (Adjusted for the 10:1 share split which occurred in September.) * Order intake for Q3 increased by 85% to £12.157 million (1999 : £6.573 million) a record for the Group. The order backlog was £15.539 million also a record (1999 : £8.143 million). * First major strategic acquisition of Wafer Technology International Limited completed for £41.3 million in cash and shares. * Announcement of new subsidiary to enter compound silicon epitaxy marketplace; first major contract signed with Bookham Technology plc. * Two additional multiwafer MOCVD reactors and one additional large scale MBE reactor received during Q3 which are expected to boost output from end of Q1 2001. * Four previously delivered reactors now qualified by customers and entering initial production in Q4. * Several senior management appointments completed. Dr Drew Nelson, Chairman & CEO commented : 'The Group continues to make highly significant progress and today announces record profits and earnings despite revenue growth limited to 39% in Q3 because of timing issues on adding capacity. New capacity will contribute strongly to increased revenues in Q4 and onwards as the systems delivered earlier this year enter production. In addition, we have today announced two major corporate events; our first major acquisition of Wafer Technology International Limited, and the setting up of a new subsidiary to address the rapidly growing market for compound epitaxy based on silicon substrates together with a Service and Supply Agreement with Bookham Technologies plc. These announcements are key milestones in the development of the Group's strategy to be the leading outsource epitaxy company worldwide.' For further information please contact: IQE plc Drew Nelson, Tel: +44 (0)292 0 839400 Buchanan Communications Tim Thompson / Nicola Cronk, Tel: +44 (0) 20 7466 5000 Introduction The Group's outsource products and services continue to be in very strong demand, driven by the continuing communications needs to expand the Internet infrastructure via higher capacity and faster optical fibre data links, to provide increasingly sophisticated mobile communications systems and to address higher speed, large volume data storage by optical technologies such as DVD. As a consequence, the Group has recently won several important contracts, the details of which will be announced soon. In addition, many other applications for compound semiconductors continue to grow strongly and outsourcing is becoming a much higher priority for many companies who wish to manage risk more appropriately. Today, in addition to publishing its Q3 and nine month results, the Group has also announced two major developments which are key milestones in cementing IQE's position as the leading outsource provider of epitaxy services and products to the Compound Semiconductor Industry on a global basis. Firstly, the Group has made its first major acquisition that of Wafer Technology Limited, a global supplier of III- V compound semiconductor substrates and materials. The acquisition will allow IQE to offer a unique and secure range of outsource wafer products to the Compound Semiconductor Industry and will introduce new customers to both IQE and Wafer Technology Limited. It will also provide IQE direct access to key Indium Phosphide (InP) wafer products, which are not only critical for most optical fibre light emitting and detecting devices but are also viewed as an essential material for the electronic components required for higher speed communication systems. The acquisition is being financed by a combination of cash, loan notes and shares totalling £41.3 million at yesterday's closing IQE share price and will immediately increase the Group's pre-goodwill earnings. It is worth noting that the earlier raising of funds in September for acquisitions was instrumental in closing this transaction. Secondly, a new subsidiary of IQE has been created to address the rapidly growing market for sophisticated epitaxial wafer services based on silicon substrates, including selective Si epitaxy and compounds such as Silicon Germanium (SiGe). This subsidiary has already signed a Service and Supply contract with Bookham Technologies plc for the provision of epitaxy services and is in active negotiation with several major European manufacturers of Si based ICs. The new company will be called IQE Silicon Compounds Limited and it will be the first epitaxy foundry on Si wafers in Europe, commencing operations in Q1 2001. It will be financed principally by lease finance, assisted by major development grants and customer funding from an early stage of its operation. This new subsidiary will be highly complimentary to the Group's existing epiwafer business, with several customers potentially being supplied by both the existing and new businesses. Overview of Existing Operations Good progress on the Group's core activities was made during Q3 with several important contract wins and successful completion of qualification on a number of the large capacity systems which were delivered earlier this year. In particular, two of the MOCVD systems in Cardiff are now in initial production and a third will commence soon, providing a significant boost to capacity and sales in Q4. A further two MOCVD systems were delivered in Q3 and will contribute to capacity in the first half of 2001. Important contracts have been won for VCSEL production, red lasers for DVD applications and HBT wafers for wireless applications. Further details of these contracts will be released soon. The two new systems delivered to our Bethlehem site at the end of June were successfully commissioned during Q3 and have been undergoing customer qualification. They are now qualified with two major customers and will contribute to increased revenue in Q4, as previously indicated. An additional reactor was delivered in Q3 with two more scheduled for Q4, all of which will contribute strongly in 2001. Important contract wins for wireless communication wafers were also made by the Bethlehem site. The Group made a number of key appointments during Q3, including the appointment of Steve Byars as Managing Director of IQE Europe, Ren Jenkins as Director of Sales & Marketing North America and Sam Rogers as Director of Production in Bethlehem. Steve Byars was previously CEO of ESM (formerly NWL), Europe's leading silicon wafer foundry, Ren Jenkins was a Sales & Marketing Director with Lucent Technologies and Sam Rogers was recruited from Sumitomo Electric in San Jose. In addition, a new CFO to be based in the UK is in the final stages of recruitment and is expected to commence with the Group in early 2001. Capital expenditure, including deposits on new equipment was £9.554 million in line with our accelerated plan discussed at the time of our interim results. A further Long Term Purchase Agreement has been agreed with Aixtron. Results for Q3 2000 Sales for Q3 rose to £6.431 million, up 39% compared with the prior year period (1999 : £4.627 million) despite being strongly limited by the lack of capacity, particularly in Bethlehem, due to delayed delivery of systems as previously indicated in the Q2 interim announcement and the routine maintenance cycle of other larger scale reactors. These capacity constraints will be significantly relieved in Q4 as three of the new systems are now qualified with customers and initial production has commenced. Nonetheless, gross profits improved to £2.300 million (Q3 1999 : £1.480 million) and gross margin improved to 32% from 34%. S G & A costs were abnormally high in Q3 due to high recruitment costs for several executives, but R & D costs were limited due to lack of available capacity. The net result was a pre exceptional operating profit of £0.380 million, up from £0.238 million (Q3 1999 : £0.238 million) an increase of 60%. There was interest income of £0.494 million in Q3 resulting in strongly increased pre tax pre exceptional profits before tax of £0.875 million (1999 : £0.302 million) an increase of 190%. Pre exceptional post tax profits increased 189% to £0.631 million (1999 : £0.219 million). Including exceptionals, post tax profits increased by 316% to £0.574 million (1999 : £0.138 million) resulting in earnings per share adjusted for the 10:1 stock split of 0.372 pence compared with 0.102 pence per share for the same quarter in1999, an increase of 264%. Results for nine months to 30 September 2000 Sales for the first nine months were a record £19.639 million, an increase of 41% over the prior year (1999 : £13.975 million) despite continued capacity constraints. Overall gross margin was 34% compared with 33.7% for 1999, resulting in increased gross profits of £6.680 million (1999 : £4.712 million) an increase of 42%. R & D costs were up by 42% to £1.412 million (1999 : £0.993 million) and S G & A costs rose to £4.101 million (1999 : £2.580 million) due to significant investment in the Group's infrastructure to meet the increasing demands placed on the Group during this rapid growth phase. This limited the operating profit to £1.167 million (1999 : £1.139 million) although net interest income of £0.619 million (1999 : - £0.214 million) helped increase pre tax profits excluding exceptionals to £1.786 million (1999 : £0.925 million) an increase of 93%. Earnings for the nine month period increased by 170% to 0.729 pence per share (1999 : 0.270 pence per share), again after adjustment for the stock split. Trading Prospects As discussed at the interim stage, the markets for our products are continuing to grow rapidly with demand especially strong in the materials for Internet infrastructure projects, such as Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing (DWDM) optical fibre systems for long haul and metro networks, short haul optical fibre links and mobile telephony systems. In the opto electronic marketplace, our telecom products have penetrated some of the largest volume customers in the industry and there is growing demand for our VCSEL products, with a number of important contracts to be announced. We have won an important contract for DVD wafers which is currently being finalised, and in the electronics sector there is a continued trend towards six inch manufacture, strongly supporting the strategy identified by the Group last year and the installation of six inch epiwafer capacity through 2000. Our order intake for Q3 was £12.157 million, its highest ever level and we continue to negotiate on longer term contracts with major industry players. The backlog was at a record £15 million. The announcement today of our first major acquisition will strengthen the Group's position as the leading provider of the key materials epiwafer product to the Compound Semiconductor Industry and the establishment of our new subsidiary to provide sophisticated epitaxial services based on silicon substrates will provide additional strength from the first half of 2001. These events are key milestones in establishing the Group as the pre-eminent supplier of the most comprehensive and secure epitaxial wafer service to the Global Semiconductor Industry. Overall, the rapidly growing demand and ever increasing range and size of applications for compound semiconductor wafers and sophisticated epitaxial services represents a unique opportunity for the Group to establish itself as the first choice supplier globally for outsource epi-wafer supply, particularly as we have the financial strength to execute our plans. Outsourcing continues to grow strongly in importance for our customers and consequently we continue to look forward to the future with a high level of confidence. Drew Nelson Chairman, IQE plc 22 November 2000 IQE PLC PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT 3 3 9 9 12 months months months months months 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 31 Dec 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 (All figures unaudited unaudited unaudited unaudited audited GBP000s except Earnings/Share) Sales 6,431 4,627 19,639 13,975 19,043 Cost of Sales (4,130) (3,147) (12,959) (9,263) (12,558) Gross Profit 2,300 1,480 6,680 4,712 6,485 Gross Profit % 35.8 32.0 34.0 33.7 34.1 Research/ Development (289) (372) (1,412) (993) (1,302) Selling/General /Admin (1,631) (870) (4,101) (2,580) (3,729) Selling/General /Admin Exceptional 0 0 0 0 0 Operating Profit/(Loss) 380 238 1,167 1,139 1,454 Operating Profit/(Loss) % 5.9 5.1 5.9 8.1 7.6 Interest 494 64 619 (214) (261) Receivable/ (Payable) Interest (Payable) Exceptional 0 0 0 0 0 Net Profit/(Loss) before Taxes/ Exceptionals 875 302 1,786 925 1,193 Net Profit/ (Loss)% 13.6 6.5 9.1 6.6 6.3 Exceptional Items (57) (80) (180) (497) (499) Current Taxes (243) (83) (480) (201) 47 Deferred Taxes (0) (0) (0) 140 102 Dividend (0) (0) (0) (0) 0 Net Profit/(Loss) after 574 138 1,126 367 843 Taxes/Exceptionals Earnings 0.37 0.10 0.73 0.27 0.60 Pence/Share based on 1p shares Earnings Cents/Share based on 1p shares 0.55 0.16 1.13 0.44 1.00 BALANCE SHEET As At As At As At As At As At 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 31 Dec 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 (All figures unaudited unaudited unaudited unaudited audited GBP000s) Fixed Assets Tangible Fixed Assets 29,408 12,092 29,408 12,092 11,483 Current Assets Stocks 4,954 2,071 4,954 2,071 2,573 Debtors 9,634 2,665 9,634 2,665 7,742 Cash and Bank 62,502 11,741 62,502 11,741 8,117 Total Current Assets 77,089 16,477 77,089 16,477 18,432 Creditors Falling (12,010) (3,957) (12,010) (3,957) (4,517) Due within One Year Net Current 65,080 12,520 65,080 12,520 13,915 Assets Total Assets less Current Liabilities 94,488 24,611 94,488 24,611 25,398 Creditors Falling Due after One Year Deferred Income (75) (93) (75) (93) (93) Long Term Borrowings (3,734) (3,883) (3,734) (3,883) (4,024) Deferred Tax Liability (331) (300) (331) (300) (331) Net Assets 90,348 20,335 90,348 20,335 20,950 Capital and Reserves Called Up 1,545 1,357 1,545 1,357 1,360 Share Capital Merger Reserve (605) (609) (605) (609) (605) Share Premium Account 86,102 18,928 86,102 18,928 18,907 Retained Earnings 2,407 805 2,407 805 1,281 Other Reserves 900 (145) 900 (145) 7 Total Equity Shareholders' Funds 90,348 20,335 90,348 20,335 20,950 CASH FLOW STATEMENT 3 3 9 9 12 months months months months months 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 31 Dec 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 (All figures unaudited unaudited unaudited unaudited audited GBP000s Net Inflow/ (Outflow) from Operations 2,054 786 6,457 1,159 (2,877) Returns on Investment and Servicing Finance Interest Receivable /(Payable) 494 58 619 (543) (589) Capital (10,824) (3,280) (19,746) (7,600) (7,413) Expenditures Equity Dividends Paid 0 0 (0) (0) 0 Taxes Paid (6) (229) (34) (227) (282) Net Inflow/ (Outflow) before Financing (8,282) (2,664) (12,704) (7,210) (11,161) Financing Issues of Ordinary Share Capital 47 33 185 317 319 Proceeds of Flotations 23,570 76 67,195 19,077 19,061 Loans (191) (1,560) (290) (785) (443) Net Inflow/ (Outflow) from Financing 23,425 (1,451) 67,089 18,609 18,937 Increase/ (Decrease) in Cash and Bank Overdrafts 15,143 (4,114) 54,385 11,400 7,776 UK GAAP RECONCILIATIONS TO IAS 3 3 9 9 12 months months months months months 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 30 Sep 31 Dec 2000 1999 2000 1999 1999 (All figures unaudited unaudited unaudited unaudited audited GBP000s) (1) Statement of Cash Flows The following shows the statement of cash flows as if they had been presented under IAS Cash Inflow/ (Outflow) from Operations 2,594 696 7,191 885 (3,525) Cash Inflow/(Outflow) from Investing (10,823) (3,280) (19,746) (7,600) (7,136) Cash Inflow/(Outflow) from Financing 23,367 (1,532) 66,909 18,112 18,438 Net Increase/ (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents 15,138 (4,115) 54,354 11,398 7,777 Cash and Cash Equivalents at the Start of the Period per IAS 47,360 15,854 8,118 341 341 Exchange Difference 5 2 31 2 0 Cash and Cash Equivalents at the End of the Period per IAS 62,503 11,741 62,503 11,741 8,118 (2) Goodwill Goodwill of £284,000 arose on acquisition of Epitaxial Products by EPIH on 27 March 1996. Under UK GAAP, this has been written off directly to reserves. Under IAS, however, goodwill arising on acquisition should be recognized as an asset and amortized over its useful life. The following shows the retained profit and total net assets as if they had been prepared under IAS with goodwill amortized over 5 years. Profit/(Loss) after Taxes and Exceptional Items 574 138 1,126 367 1,342 Dividends 0 0 (0) (0) 0 Retained Profit/(Loss) per UK GAAP 574 138 1,126 367 1,342 Goodwill Amortization (15) (15) (43) (43) (57) Retained Profit/(Loss) per IAS 560 123 1,084 324 1,285 Equity Shareholders' Funds per UK GAAP 24,106 188 90,348 20,335 20,950 Goodwill Capitalization at Cost 0 0 284 284 284 Accumulated Goodwill Amortization (15) (14) (256) (199) (213) Equity Shareholders' Funds per IAS 24,092 174 90,376 20,420 21,021

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