Cohu Reports Fourth Quarter 2012 Operating Results

Cohu Reports Fourth Quarter 2012Operating Results

POWAY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Cohu, Inc. (NAS: COHU) today reported fiscal 2012 fourth quarter net sales of $50.7 million and GAAP net loss of $5.2 million or $0.21 per share. Net sales for the twelve months ended 2012 were $221.2 million and GAAP net loss was $12.2 million or $0.50 per share.

The Company also reported non-GAAP results, with fourth quarter 2012 net loss of $1.7 million or $0.07 per share and net loss of $3.1 million or $0.13 per share for the twelve months ended 2012.

Sales of semiconductor equipment accounted for 79% of fiscal 2012 fourth quarter sales. Microwave communications equipment and video cameras and related equipment contributed 14% and 7%, respectively, for the same period.

Orders were $42.1 million for the fourth quarter of 2012 and $50.1 million for the third quarter of 2012. Orders for semiconductor equipment were $33.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2012 compared to $38.5 million in the third quarter of 2012. Total consolidated backlog was $44.7 million at December 29, 2012 compared to $54.4 million at September 29, 2012. As previously announced, Cohu completed its acquisition of Ismeca on December 31, 2012. Ismeca will be included in Cohu's operating results beginning in the first quarter of 2013. Cohu expects first quarter 2013 sales to be between $52 million and $57 million.

James A. Donahue, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Fourth quarter results were higher than our guidance and benefited from recurring business in our semiconductor equipment group. Equipment utilization on customer test floors was generally flat during the quarter, limiting the need for new capacity. With the exception of technology-related buys, customers remain cautious and weak macroeconomic conditions are likely to continue to affect business over the near term."

Donahue concluded, "With the acquisition of Ismeca we increased our market share, significantly expanded our served market with complementary products and now have the broadest portfolio of test handling solutions in the industry. Ismeca also provides us with an entry into the LED equipment market, which is forecasted to experience high growth as LED technology is adopted for general lighting. We expect this acquisition to be accretive when business conditions improve."

Cohu's Board of Directors approved a quarterly cash dividend of $0.06 per share payable on April 19, 2013 to shareholders of record on March 5, 2013. Cohu has paid consecutive quarterly cash dividends since 1977.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information:

Included within this press release are non-GAAP financial measures that supplement the Company's Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations prepared under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These non-GAAP financial measures adjust the Company's actual results prepared under GAAP to exclude charges and the related income tax effect for share-based compensation, the amortization of acquired intangible assets, other acquisition costs and the gain on the sale of a facility. Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP amounts for the periods presented herein are provided in schedules accompanying this release and should be considered together with the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

These non-GAAP measures are not meant as a substitute for GAAP, but are included solely for informational and comparative purposes. The Company's management believes that this information can assist investors in evaluating the Company's operational trends, financial performance, and cash generating capacity. Management believes these non-GAAP measures allow investors to evaluate Cohu's financial performance using some of the same measures as management. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for (or superior to) corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain matters discussed in this release, including statements concerning Cohu's new products, expectations of business conditions, orders, sales, revenues, expected accretion from the Ismeca acquisition, growth in the LED market and operating results are forward-looking statements that are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or forecasted. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, risks associated with acquisitions including the acquisition of Ismeca Semiconductor on December 31, 2012, inventory, goodwill and other intangible asset write-downs; our ability to convert new products under development into production on a timely basis, support product development and meet customer delivery and acceptance requirements for next generation equipment; our reliance on third-party contract manufacturers; failure to obtain customer acceptance resulting in the inability to recognize revenue and accounts receivable collection problems; customer orders may be canceled or delayed; the concentration of our revenues from a limited number of customers; intense competition in the semiconductor test handler industry; our reliance on patents and intellectual property; compliance with U.S. export regulations; and the cyclical and unpredictable nature of capital expenditures by semiconductor manufacturers. These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully in Cohu's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recently filed Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. Cohu assumes no obligation to update the information in this release.

About Cohu:

Cohu is a supplier of test handling, burn-in, thermal subsystems and MEMS test solutions used by the global semiconductor industry, microwave communications and video equipment.

Cohu will be conducting their conference call on Wednesday, January 30, 2013 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time/4:30 p.m. Eastern Time. The call will be webcast at www.cohu.com. Replays of the call can be accessed at www.cohu.com.

For press releases and other information of interest to investors, please visit Cohu's website at www.cohu.com.