Hugh Regan
Analyst · Sidoti & Company
Thanks, Jim. First quarter 2018 end-user net revenues were $16.3 million or 87% of net revenues compared to $17.3 million or 89% of net revenues in the fourth quarter. Q1 OEM net revenues were $2.5 million or 13% of net revenues, up from $2.0 million or 11% in the fourth quarter. Net revenues from markets outside of semiconductor market were $8.3 million or 44% of net revenues compared with $11.4 million or 59% of net revenues in the fourth quarter. The significant reduction in nonsemi revenues was due to Ambrell having a large order from a customer in the semiconductor industry front-end versus our usual business in the back end. As noted earlier in the call, Ambrell’s net revenues for the fourth quarter were $6.2 million. Excluding Ambrell, our net revenues from markets outside of the semiconductor market were $3.1 million or 24% of net revenues for Q1. So clearly, Ambrell is further diversifying our served markets. Our first quarter gross margin was $9.4 million or 50% as compared with $9.7 million or 50% in the fourth quarter. The slight reduction in the gross margin, which declined 0.5%, was primarily the result of an increase in our fixed manufacturing cost, both in absolute dollar terms and as a percentage of net revenues. This increase was partially offset by a reduction in our component material costs. Our fixed manufacturing costs increased by $141,000 or 6% sequentially, and they were less favorably absorbed in the first quarter due to lower revenue levels. As a result, these costs represented 14% of our net revenues in the first quarter as compared to 13% in the fourth quarter. The increase in the first quarter of manufacturing – fixed manufacturing cost was primarily the result of increased salary and benefit expense resulting from new staff added in Thermal as well as higher facility occupancy cost due to severe winter weather. These increases were partially offset by reduced spending on materials used by Ambrell to provide service to customers. Our consolidated component material cost decreased from 34.3% in Q4 to 33.5% in Q1, reflecting reduced component material costs in both Thermal and EMS segments. The decrease in our component material costs was primarily driven by a reduction in the component material costs of our Thermal segment, which declined from 34.5% in the fourth quarter to 33.5% in the first quarter. This decrease was in our iTS operation, where actions taken by sales staff during the fourth quarter of 2017 to win business that could have gone to a competitor caused an increase in the normal level of this operation’s component material costs. This decrease was partially offset by an increase in the component material costs for Ambrell, which grew from 31.9% in the fourth quarter to 35.2% in the first quarter, reflecting a less favorable product mix. EMS also experienced a decrease in its component material costs, which decreased from 34.0% in the fourth quarter to 33.5% in the first quarter due to a more favorable product mix. Excluding the impact of the acquisition of Ambrell, our first quarter gross margin would’ve been $6.6 million or 52%. Ambrell’s first quarter 2018 gross margin was $2.8 million or 45%. While Ambrell’s first quarter margin decline was primarily the result of the aforementioned increase in their component material costs, there were also increases in their fixed manufacturing costs and direct labor. Selling expense was $2.5 million for the first quarter compared to $2.2 million in the fourth quarter, an increase of $229,000 or 10%. The increase was primarily related to higher levels of salary and benefit expense as well as the increased warranty claims and commission costs in our Thermal segment. Engineering and product development expense was $1.3 million for the first quarter compared to $1.2 million for the fourth quarter, an increase of $51,000 or 4% sequentially. The increase was related to higher levels of salary and benefit expense, partially offset by reduced spending on product development materials in the first quarter. General and administrative expense declined from $3.3 million in the fourth quarter to $3 million in the first quarter, a reduction of $281,000 or 9%. Fourth quarter G&A expense included $55,000 of transaction costs related to Ambrell compared to no transaction costs in the first quarter. The reduction in G&A expense was primarily the result of a reduction in employee bonus expense as the fourth quarter results included an accrual related to a company-wide bonus given to all employees in light of the strong results in 2017 as well as decreases in professional fees and in our Thermal segment, bad debt expense. These reductions were partially offset by an increase in salary and benefit expense in our Thermal segment. During the first quarter, we recorded a $1.7 million increase in our contingent consideration liability related to the earnout for Ambrell compared to a $7.5 million increase in this liability during the fourth quarter. At March 31, 2018, we’d accrued a total of $12.8 million, which was split between current liabilities with $5.8 million in the earnout payable and the long term – and long-term liabilities with $7 million in the contingent consideration liability. Our earnout for Ambrell is based upon 8x adjusted EBITDA for both 2017 and 2018 capped at $18 million. We paid the 2017 earnout of $5.8 million to Ambrell’s former owners in early April 2018. We expect to have further variability in our financial results related to this item during the balance of 2018. Other income was $75,000 in the first quarter compared to $32,000 in the fourth quarter, an increase of $43,000 or 134%. Included in other income for the first quarter was $74,000 of foreign exchange transaction gains compared to only $15,000 in the fourth quarter. The increase in foreign exchange transaction gains and interest income was partially offset by a decrease in other income. We accrued income tax expense of $601,000 in the first quarter compared to $55,000 in the fourth quarter. Our effective tax rate increased from negative 1% in the fourth quarter to 61% in the first quarter. The significant increase in our effective tax rate was the result of the contingent consideration liability adjustment not being deductible for tax purposes, and when adjusted to remove this item, our effective tax rate would reduce to 22% for the first quarter. Our fourth quarter effective tax rate – or excuse me, our fourth quarter tax accrual included a tax benefit of $1.7 million related to the revaluing of our deferred tax assets and liabilities from the previous corporate tax rate of 35% to the new corporate tax rate of 21%. This benefit was partially offset by an accrual of $476,000 related to the mandatory onetime repatriation tax. Adjusted to eliminate these unusual items as well as the $7.5 million increase in our contingent consideration liability during the fourth quarter and nondeductible acquisition-related costs, our effective tax rate would’ve been 30%. At March 31, 2018, we had a deferred tax liability of $2.5 million, and we currently expect that our effective tax rate for the balance of 2018 will be in the range of 22% to 24%, excluding the impact of changes in the fair value of our contingent consideration liability, which are not deductible as noted for tax purposes. Our first quarter net earnings were $381,000 or $0.04 per diluted share compared to fourth quarter net loss of $4.6 million or $0.44 per diluted share. Adjusted net earnings for the first quarter were $2.3 million or $0.22 per diluted share compared with fourth quarter adjusted net earnings of $3.2 million or $0.31 per diluted share. The adjusted net earnings of $0.31 per diluted share for the fourth quarter included the aforementioned effects of both the tax benefits booked related to the tax rate changes, which was $0.17 per diluted share, as well as the tax accrual for the repatriation tax, which amounted to $0.05 per diluted share, and nondeductible acquisition-related costs of $0.04 per diluted share. When adjusted to eliminate these items, fourth quarter adjusted earnings per diluted share would’ve been $0.22 per share. Adjusted net earnings is a non-GAAP measure, which is derived by adding acquired intangible amortization adjusted for related income tax expense to net earnings and removing any change in the fair value of our contingent consideration liability from net earnings. Adjusted net earnings per diluted share is derived by dividing adjusted net earnings by diluted weighted average shares outstanding. Diluted weighted average shares outstanding were 10,365,306 at March 31. During the first quarter, we issued 79,200 shares of restricted stock and options to purchase 140,700 shares at $8.45 per share. We did not repurchase any shares during the first quarter. Depreciation and amortization expense was $405,000 for the first quarter, down from $462,000 in the fourth quarter. Acquired intangible amortization of $216,000 in the first quarter was down from $245,000 for the fourth quarter. EBITDA was $1.4 million for the first quarter compared to $4 million loss reported for the fourth quarter. When adjusted for the contingent consideration adjustments recorded during both periods, EBITDA would have been $3.1 million for Q1 compared to $3.5 million for Q4. Consolidated headcount at the end of March, which includes temporary staff, was 225, an increase of 7 staff from the level we had at December 31. Included in the March total were 95 Ambrell staff, up from 91 at the end of December. Our iTS operation added 2 individuals during the first quarter, while corporate headcount increased by 1. I’ll now turn to our balance sheet. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the first quarter were $14.4 million, up $1.1 million from December 31. Cash today is currently $8.7 million and reflects the payment of $5.8 million for the 2017 earnout for Ambrell. We currently expect cash and cash equivalents to decrease in the second quarter of 2018 due to the costs of tenant improvements for the new Ambrell facility, which we expect will total $2.1 million before reimbursement from city and state grants which we have been provided. At March 31, 2018, we had already expended approximately $1.2 million of the total expected to be spent. Ambrell moved into the new facility in Rochester, New York this past Thursday. We expect to ultimately receive $550,000 in grant funding to offset the costs of these tenant improvements. And we do not currently expect the cash and cash equivalents – or excuse me, we do currently expect the cash and cash equivalents will increase in the second half of 2018 prior to the impacts of any acquisition-related activities. Accounts receivable decreased to $11.5 million at March 31, a reduction of $642,000 sequentially. Included in quarter-end receivables was $3.2 million for Ambrell. Inventory increased $1.7 million sequentially to $6.7 million at the end of the first quarter. Included in this amount was $2 million for Ambrell. And capital expenditures during the first quarter were $1.2 million, up from $310,000 in the fourth quarter. And included in the first quarter capital expenditures was $1.1 million for the aforementioned Ambrell tenant improvements. Jim provided consolidated and segment revenue booking data earlier on the call, and the backlog at the end of March was $15.4 million, up from $13.7 million at the end of December. Included in the March 31 backlog was $6.3 million for Ambrell. In terms of our financial outlook, as noted in our earnings release, we expect that net revenue for the quarter ended June 30, 2018, will be in the range of $19 million to $20 million, and net earnings will range from $0.20 to 40 – pardon me, to $0.24 per diluted share. We expect that adjusted net earnings will range from $0.22 to $0.26 per diluted share. And we currently expect that our Q2 2018 product mix will be more favorable as compared with the first quarter of 2018 and that the second quarter gross margin will range from 51% to 52%. Operator, that concludes our formal remarks. We can now take questions.