RDA Microelectronics Announces First Quarter 2012 Financial Results

Revenue Grew 30.5% Year-Over-Year; Gross Margin Expanded to 35.9%, Operating Margin 20.0%


SHANGHAI, China, May 3, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- RDA Microelectronics (Nasdaq:RDA) ("RDA Microelectronics" or the "Company"), a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets Radio Frequency (RF) and mixed-signal wireless SoC semiconductors for cellular, connectivity and broadcast applications, today announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2012.

First Quarter Financial Highlights (in US dollars):

  • Revenue was $72.0 million, exceeding the Company's guidance of $69 million to $71 million, and representing an increase of 30.5% from the $55.2 million in the first quarter 2011 and a decrease of 12.6% from the $82.4 million in the fourth quarter of 2011.
  • Gross margin of 35.9% was at the high end of the Company's guidance, compared to 35.3% in the previous quarter and 33.3% in the first quarter of 2011.
  • Operating margin was 20.0%, an increase from 15.0% in the first quarter of 2011 and comparable to the previous quarter.
  • GAAP net income was $13.9 million, or $0.30 per diluted ADS, compared to $7.6 million, or $0.16 per diluted ADS, in the first quarter of 2011 and $16.6 million, or $0.37 per diluted ADS, in the previous quarter.
  • Non-GAAP net income was $15.1 million, or $0.33 per diluted ADS, compared to $8.5 million, or $0.18 per diluted ADS, in the first quarter of 2011 and $17.4 million, or $0.39 per diluted ADS, in the previous quarter.

For a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to the tables included in this press release.

First Quarter Business Highlights:

  • Achieved a key milestone in Company history with 2 billion total ICs shipped.
  • Acquired the baseband intellectual property of Coolsand, significantly expanding the Company's total addressable market and silicon content per handset.
  • Began sampling the RDALN16 Low Noise Amplifier for GPS applications on smartphones.

Commenting on the results, Vincent Tai, chairman and CEO of RDA Microelectronics, said, "During the first quarter, we continued to achieve strong results as revenue and profit increased significantly over the prior year comparable period. Our efficient operating model continued to produce solid margin performance and strong cash flow generation. First quarter revenue exceeded our guidance as demand strengthened after the Chinese New Year holiday. Increased shipment volumes of our Bluetooth and Power Amplifier products offset price declines experienced during the quarter. Additionally, our aggressive cost-down efforts for these products allowed us to meet our operating performance targets and maintain our market share leadership position. We were also pleased to reach a significant milestone for the Company in which cumulative IC shipments exceeded 2 billion units.

"Also notable in the quarter, we announced our acquisition of Coolsand's baseband IP, which significantly expands our total addressable market. We have completed the integration and hired the necessary personnel to support our future development work and ramping volume shipments. Initial customer demand for our 55nm integrated baseband product is very strong, and we are tracking well to our roadmap for future product introductions. RDA is solidly positioned for further market share gains in the global 2G marketplace with both our RF and baseband products, especially in the emerging markets outside of China. We have also taken steps to increase our presence in 3G with the introduction of new high performance products for the WCDMA and TD-SCDMA markets. Our second quarter growth will be driven by expanding volumes of our baseband product. Additionally, our products targeted at the smartphone market, such as the WiFi, Bluetooth and FM three-in-one combo chip, are on track with design-ins with our customers, and we expect to generate revenue from our WiFi combo chip in the second quarter, ahead of our original schedule. We remain focused on gaining meaningful share of the low cost smartphone market in China as the transition from feature phone to smart phone accelerates."

First Quarter Operating Summary:

  • Revenue was $72.0 million, compared to $82.4 million in the previous quarter and $55.2 million in the first quarter of 2011. Revenue in the quarter exceeded the Company's guidance mainly due to stronger than expected shipments of Power Amplifier ("PA") and Bluetooth products. The year-over-year increase in revenue was driven by share gains in PA and increased demand for TD-SCDMA transceiver products.
  • Gross margin was 35.9%, compared to 35.3% in the previous quarter and 33.3% in the first quarter of 2011. The improvement in gross margin reflects the Company's cost reductions for Bluetooth products.
  • R&D expenses were $8.3 million, compared to $8.7 million in the previous quarter and $7.3 million in the first quarter of 2011. The sequential decrease was mainly due to recognition of a government R&D grant for TD-SCDMA product development.
  • SG&A expenses were $3.2 million, down from $3.9 million in the previous quarter and up from $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2011. The sequential decrease was due to lower variable costs related to employee compensation expenses.
  • Net income increased to $13.9 million from $7.6 million in the first quarter of 2011 and decreased from $16.6 million in the previous quarter.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Summary as of March 31, 2012:

  • Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $142.9 million, compared to $142.2 million as of December 31, 2011. In the first quarter of 2012, the Company generated $18.8 million in cash from operations, compared to $10.6 million in the prior quarter and $4.1 million in the first quarter of 2011.  In addition, the company invested $17.7 million in cash, primarily for the acquisition of intellectual property ("IP") from Coolsand and Trident.
  • Accounts receivable decreased to $24.1 million, compared to $43.4 million as of December 31, 2011. The $19.3 million sequential decrease includes an $12.0 million offset of the receivable from Coolsand against a portion of the consideration payable by the Company in the IP transaction.
  • Inventory decreased $6.8 million to $29.3 million from the $36.1 million as of December 31, 2011. The sequential decrease was primarily due to strong product sell-through of PA and Bluetooth products during the period.
  • Recorded $55.3 million intangible assets and $8.9 million goodwill, primarily as a result of the Coolsand and Trident IP acquisition.
  • Accounts payable was $34.5 million, compared to $32.5 million as of December 31, 2011.

Second Quarter 2012 Business Outlook:

For the second quarter of 2012, the Company expects revenue to be in the range of $94 million to $100 million, an increase of 40% to 48% year-over-year and 31% to 39% sequentially, reflecting the addition of baseband revenue. The Company expects gross margins to be in the range of 30.5% to 30.9% as a result of the consolidation of the lower margin baseband revenue from the Coolsand acquisition. The Company expects to expand gross margin toward the 35% corporate target in the coming quarters through cost-down efforts for its baseband products as well as increased shipments of higher margin products.

Conference Call:

RDA Microelectronics will host a conference call and live webcast for analysts and investors at 8:00 a.m. EDT on May 3, 2012 (8:00 p.m. in China).

  • For parties in the United States and Canada, please call 1-877-280-7280, conference code 70694110
  • For parties in Hong Kong, please call 800933597, conference code 30114540
  • Other International parties please call 1-678-825-8232, conference code 70694110

RDA Microelectronics will provide a live webcast of the conference call that will be accessible from the "Investors" section of the Company's website at www.rdamicro.com. The webcast will be archived on the website for a period of 30 days. An audio replay of the conference call will also be available two hours after the call and will be available for seven days. To hear the replay, parties in the United States and Canada should call 1-855-859-2056 and enter pass code 70694110, International parties should call 1-404-537-3406 and enter the same pass code.

About RDA Microelectronics

RDA Microelectronics is a fabless semiconductor company that designs, develops and markets radio-frequency and mixed-signal wireless SoC semiconductors for cellular, connectivity and broadcast applications. The Company's product portfolio currently includes power amplifiers, transceivers and front-end modules, baseband, Bluetooth system-on-chip, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and FM combo chips, FM radio receivers, set-top box tuners, analog mobile television receivers, CMMB mobile television receivers, walkie-talkie transceivers and LNB satellite down converters. For additional information, please see the Company's website at http://www.rdamicro.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Any statements in this press release that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve factors, risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks include the Company's anticipated growth strategies; its future results of operations and financial condition; economic conditions in China; the regulatory environment in China; the Company's ability to attract customers and leverage its brand; trends and competition in the semiconductor industry; migration to new technology; the entry into baseband, new TV and display market and other factors and risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This press release also contains statements or projections that are based upon information available to the public, as well as other information from sources which the Company believes to be reliable but whose accuracy or completeness the Company cannot guarantee. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

To supplement the Company's unaudited consolidated financial results presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP, the Company uses adjusted (non-GAAP) net income and net income per diluted ADS, adjusted (non-GAAP) R&D expense and adjusted (non-GAAP) SG&A expense, which are defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the SEC. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see below and the tables captioned "Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results" set forth at the end of this press release.

The Company believes that adjusted (non-GAAP) net income and net income per diluted ADS, adjusted (non-GAAP) R&D expense and adjusted (non-GAAP) SG&A expense, viewed in conjunction with the GAAP financial measures, provide meaningful supplemental information regarding the Company's performance and that both management and investors benefit from referring to these non-GAAP financial measures in assessing the Company's historical performance and when planning and forecasting the Company's performance in future periods. The Company believes that excluding share-based compensation expenses and amortization of acquired and licensed intangibles helps both management and investors to get a better understanding of its ongoing business. Adjusted (non-GAAP) net income and net income per diluted ADS, adjusted (non-GAAP) R&D expense and adjusted (non-GAAP) SG&A expense do not include share-based compensation expenses and amortization of acquired and licensed intangibles that impact the Company's operating expenses and net income for the period. In addition, the Company's adjusted (non-GAAP) net income and net income per diluted ADS, adjusted (non-GAAP) R&D expense and adjusted (non-GAAP) SG&A expense may not be comparable to measures with the same or similar titles utilized by other companies, since other companies may not calculate such measures in the same manner as the Company does. The Company compensates for this and other limitations by providing specific information regarding the GAAP amounts excluded from these non-GAAP financial measures. Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results are included at the end of this press release.

RDA MICROELECTRONICS, INC.      
Consolidated Balance Sheet Information      
  Mar 31, 2011 Dec 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2012
  (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited)
  (amounts in thousands of USD, except number of shares and
per share data)
ASSETS      
Current assets       
Cash and cash equivalents  54,845  66,178  66,856
Short-term investments-time deposit  34,917  76,009  76,036
Investment in fixed income mutual fund  20,000  --  --
Accounts receivable  20,504  43,415  24,114
Inventories   45,316  36,095  29,298
Prepaid expenses and other current assets  831  7,122  5,895
Deferred tax assets  80  14  8
Total current assets  176,493  228,833  202,207
       
Non-current assets       
Property, plant and equipment, Net  2,445  5,451  5,547
Intangible Assets  --  --  55,327
Goodwill  --  --  8,900
Other long-term assets  64  8,050  1,266
Investment   --  48  48
Deferred tax assets  9  --  --
Total assets  179,011  242,382  273,295
       
LIABILITIES      
Current liabilities       
Accounts payable  21,107  32,543  34,546
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities  11,543  28,253  18,197
Deferred revenue  9,720  10,651  9,590
Total current liabilities  42,370  71,447  62,333
       
Deferred tax Liability  --  --  69
   
Total liabilities  42,370  71,447  62,402
       
Commitments and contingencies      
       
SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY      
Ordinary shares  2,615  2,639  2,819
Additional paid-in capital  114,279  117,478  144,112
Recourse loans  --  (509)  (1,174)
Accumulated other comprehensive income  776  1,136  1,148
Treasury stock  --  (12,835)  (12,887)
Retained earnings  18,971  63,026  76,875
Total shareholders' equity  136,641  170,935  210,893
       
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity  179,011  242,382  273,295
       
RDA MICROELECTRONICS, INC.      
Consolidated Statement of Operations Information      
  Quarter Ended
  Mar 31, 2011 Dec 31, 2011 Mar 31, 2012
  (unaudited) (unaudited) (unaudited)
  (amounts in thousands of USD, except number of shares and per share data)
Revenue  55,151  82,355  71,995
Cost of revenue  (36,786)  (53,258)  (46,129)
Gross profit  18,365  29,097  25,866
       
Operating expenses:      
Research and development  (7,263)  (8,713)  (8,264)
Selling, general and administrative  (2,816)  (3,897)  (3,192)
Total operating expenses  (10,079)  (12,610)  (11,456)
Operating income  8,286  16,487  14,410
Other income:      
 Interest income  110  718  770
 Other income, net  (14)  486  --
Income before income taxes  8,382  17,691  15,180
Income tax expense  (806)  (1,129)  (1,330)
Net income  7,576  16,562  13,850
       
Earnings per ordinary share      
- Basic  0.03  0.06  0.05
- Diluted  0.03  0.06  0.05
       
Earnings per ADS      
- Basic  0.17  0.39  0.32
- Diluted  0.16  0.37  0.30
       
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding      
- Basic  262,703,789  256,687,892  258,965,506
- Diluted  280,662,471  271,996,406  274,114,101
       
Share-based compensation was allocated in operating expenses as follows:      
Research and development  568  408  371
Selling, general and administrative  352  432  372
           
RDA MICROELECTRONICS, INC.          
Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results          
(amounts in thousands of USD, except number of shares and per share data)
               
  Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2012
  (unaudited)
  GAAP Result  % of Net Revenue Share-based Compensation Amortization of Intangible Assets Non-GAAP % of Net Revenue Non-GAAP Results % of Net Revenue
Research and development  8,264 11%  371  480 1%  7,413 10%
Selling, general and administrative  3,192 4%  372  --  1%  2,820 3%
Total operating expenses  11,456 15%  743  480 2%  10,233 13%
Operating income  14,410 20%  743  480 1%  15,633 21%
Net income   13,850 19%  743  480 1%  15,073 20%
               
Diluted earnings per ordinary share  0.05    0.00  0.00    0.05  
Diluted earnings per ADS  0.30    0.02  0.01    0.33  
               
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding-Diluted  274,114,101    274,114,101  274,114,101    274,114,101  
               
  Quarter Ended Dec 31, 2011
  (unaudited)
  GAAP Result  % of Net Revenue Share-based Compensation Amortization of Intangible Assets Non-GAAP % of Net Revenue Non-GAAP Results % of Net Revenue
Research and development  8,713 10%  408  --  0%  8,305 10%
Selling, general and administrative  3,897 5%  432  --  1%  3,465 4%
Total operating expenses  12,610 15%  840  --  1%  11,770 14%
Operating income  16,487 20%  840  --  1%  17,327 21%
Net income   16,562 20%  840  --  1%  17,402 21%
               
Diluted earnings per ordinary share  0.06    0.00  --     0.06  
Diluted earnings per ADS  0.37    0.02  --     0.39  
               
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding-Diluted  271,996,406    271,996,406  --     271,996,406  
               
  Quarter Ended Mar 31, 2011
  (unaudited)
  GAAP Result  % of Net Revenue Share-based Compensation Amortization of Intangible Assets Non-GAAP % of Net Revenue Non-GAAP Results % of Net Revenue
Research and development  7,263 13%  568  --  1%  6,695 12%
Selling, general and administrative  2,816 5%  352  --  1%  2,464 4%
Total operating expenses  10,079 18%  920  --  2%  9,159 16%
Operating income  8,286 15%  920  --  2%  9,206 17%
Net income   7,576 14%  920  --  2%  8,496 16%
               
Diluted earnings per ordinary share  0.03    0.00  --     0.03  
Diluted earnings per ADS  0.16    0.02  --     0.18  
               
Weighted average ordinary shares outstanding-Diluted  280,662,471    280,662,471  --     280,662,471  


            

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