Cohu, Inc.

Cohu, Inc.

COHU·NASDAQ

$56.12

+3.0%
TechnologySemiconductors

Cohu, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides semiconductor test equipment and services in China, the United States, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and internationally. The company supplies semiconductor test and inspection handlers, micro-electromechanical system (MEMS) test modules, test contactors, thermal sub-systems, and semiconductor automated test equipment for semiconductor and electronics manufacturers, and test subcontractors. It also provides semiconductor automated test equipment for wafer level and device package testing; various test handlers, including pick-and-place, turret, gravity, strip, and MEMS and thermal sub-systems; interface products comprising test contactors, and probe heads and pins; spares and kits; various parts and labor warranties on test and handling systems, and instruments; and training on the maintenance and operation of its systems, as well as application, data management software, and consulting services on its products. In addition, the company offers data analytics product that includes DI-Core, a software suite used to optimize Cohu equipment performance, which provides real-time online performance monitoring and process control. It markets its products through direct sales force and independent sales representatives. The company was formerly known as Cohu Electronics, Inc. and changed its name to Cohu, Inc. in 1972. Cohu, Inc. was incorporated in 1947 and is headquartered in Poway, California.

At a Glance

Live Snapshot
Market Cap$2.65B
EPS-1.5900
P/E Ratio-35.30
Earnings Date07/30/2026

Earnings Call Transcript

COHU • 2023 • Q4

Operator
Hello and welcome to Cohu Inc. Fourth Quarter 2023 Financial Results Conference Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speakers' presentation, there will be a question-and-answer session. [Operator Instructions] Please be advised that today’s conference is being recorded. It is now my pleasure to introduce Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Jones.
Diamondx
There is a clear trend to higher power dissipation during test, which lends itself well to Cohu's T-Core thermal subsystems. Similarly, our Diamondx is a cost effective, versatile mixed signal tester that is being considered by several customers for the intelligent Edge. Diamondx is an excellent solution for microcontrollers and digital devices at the Edge node, offering low-to-midrange digital device test capabilities at a very affordable cost. As AI grows in mobile devices, so will RF with the continuation of 5G deployment. We're very excited about the proliferation of new AI capable products like next generation smartphones, VR goggles, and other types of devices. These are an excellent fit for testing of Diamondx and for customers pursuing a broad portfolio of devices for Edge applications.
Inspection
We're pretty excited about what lays ahead with market forecasts indicating secular growth in semiconductors for automotive, industrial and mobile applications and the new opportunities being created for AI at the edge node. Let me now turn it over to Jeff to provide further details on fourth quarter results and first quarter '24 guidance. Jeff?
Metrology
We're pretty excited about what lays ahead with market forecasts indicating secular growth in semiconductors for automotive, industrial and mobile applications and the new opportunities being created for AI at the edge node. Let me now turn it over to Jeff to provide further details on fourth quarter results and first quarter '24 guidance. Jeff?
Jeffrey Jones
Thanks Luis. Before I walk through the Q4 results and Q1 guidance, please note that my comments that follow all refer to Non-GAAP figures. Information about the non-GAAP financial measures, including the GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliations and other disclosures, are included in the accompanying earnings release and investor presentation, which are located on the investor page of our website. Now turning to the Q4 financial results. Cohu delivered strong profitability on revenue of $137.2 million, which is above the midpoint of our guidance. Full year 2023 revenue was $636.3 million. Recurring revenue, which is largely consumable-driven and more stable than systems revenue, represented 54% of total revenue in Q4 and 49% of full year 2023 revenue. During the fourth quarter, one customer in the automotive market accounted for more than 10% of sales and for full year 2023, one customer in the automotive market accounted for more than 10% of sales. Q4 gross margin was strong at 48.5%, about 250 basis points higher than guidance, driven by lower than forecasted manufacturing costs and Cohu's resilient recurring business and differentiated products. Full year 2023 gross margin was 47.9%, which is 70 basis points higher year-over-year and sets a new annual record for Cohu. Operating expenses for Q4 were in line with guidance at $50 million. Fourth quarter non-GAAP operating income was 12.2% of revenue and adjusted EBITDA was 13%. Full year operating income was 16.2% and adjusted EBITDA for 2023 was 17.9%. FX loss in Q4 was $2.9 million, driven mainly by the U.S. dollar weakening against the euro and Swiss Franc and a one-time currency exposure that will not repeat in future quarters. The non-GAAP effective tax rate for Q4 was approximately 30% and higher than guidance due to discrete tax items and true-ups flowing through the Q4 tax provision. The non-GAAP effective tax rate for the full year 2023 was approximately 26%. Non-GAAP EPS for the fourth quarter was $0.23 and full year 2023 EPS was $1.62. In summary, Q4 and full year 2023 gross margin and adjusted EBITDA were strong, exceeding the mid-term financial targets at this level of revenue. Moving to the balance sheet, cash and investments decreased by $52 million during Q4 to $336 million because we used cash of approximately $43 million to acquire EQT and approximately $13 million to repurchase 390,000 shares of Cohu common stock. Debt repayment in the fourth quarter totaled $1 million and we ended Q4 with net cash of $6.17 per share. CapEx in Q4 was $3.9 million, with approximately $2 million related to construction of the new Philippines facility to support long-term growth prospects in our interface business. Total CapEx for 2023, including the new building, was approximately $16 million. Overall, Cohu continues to maintain a strong balance sheet to support debt reduction, the share repurchase program and investment opportunities like EQT to expand our served markets and technology portfolio in-line with our growth strategy. Last week we repaid the Term Loan B outstanding balance of $29.3. The Term Loan B was scheduled to mature in October of 2025, and the accelerated payment will increase net interest income by approximately $200,000 per quarter at current interest rates. Now moving to our Q1 outlook. Regarding Q1 revenue, to be in the range of $107 million, plus or minus $6 million, reflecting continued weakness across end markets and low test cell utilization at customers' production facilities. Q1 gross margin is forecasted to be approximately 45% better than the financial target model at this level of revenue, due in part to Cohu's differentiated products and our stable, high margin recurring business, which adds resilience to profitability and provides consistent cash flow through the industry cycles. Operating expenses for Q1 are projected to increase $1 million quarter-over-quarter to approximately $51 million due to the annual reset of payroll taxes and other labor benefits. We continued to exercise tight control over operating expenses and in light of subdued customer demand for the first half of 2024, we've taken action to reduce operating expenses without sacrificing critical new product investments, while navigating through the trough of this cycle. As a result, we're modeling operating expenses to average approximately $48.5 million per quarter in Q2 through Q4. We're projecting Q1 interest expense to be approximately $700,000 and offset by interest income of approximately $2 million at current interest rates. We expect Q1 adjusted EBITDA to be approximately 2%. The Q1 and full year 2024 forecasted non-GAAP tax rate is approximately 23%. The diluted share count for Q1 is expected to be approximately 47.9 million shares. And that concludes our prepared remarks. And now we'll open the call to questions.
Operator
Thank you. [Operator Instructions] And our first question comes from the line of Craig Ellis with B. Riley Securities.
Jeffrey Jones
Yes. So based on that trajectory, systems revenue would come in somewhere around probably 45% with recurring revenue being 55%, somewhere in that ratio.
Ethan Widell
Okay, got you.
Operator
Thank you. One moment, please, for our next question. And our next question comes from the line of Brian Chin with Stifel.
Brian Chin
Okay, great. Thank you.
Robert Mertens
Great, thank you. That's helpful.
Operator
Thank you. And I'm showing no further questions at this time. So with that, I'll hand the call back over to Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Jones for any closing remarks.
Jeffrey Jones
Yes, I just want to say thank you to everybody for joining today's call and we look forward to speaking with you soon. Take care.
Transcript from February 15, 2024

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