YJ Kim
Analyst · ROTH Capital. Your line is open
Thanks, Bruce, and welcome to everyone on the Q4 2019 conference call. First, we'd like to extend our deepest thoughts and prayers to those coping with the impact of the coronavirus health crisis in China and elsewhere. I will come back to discuss this issue a little later. Let's begin now with a recap of Q4 results and the business outlook. We ended 2019 on a high note in Q4. If you recall our October 23rd earnings call, we said we expected normal seasonal softness in Q4 and guided revenue to be between $181 million to $191 million and gross profit margin to be between 24% to 26%. Due to an improving business environment, we updated guidance on January 13th and projected Q4 revenue between $198 million to $200 million and gross profit margin between 26% to 27%. Today, we reported actual Q4 revenue of $200 million, which was at the high-end of the updated guidance range and represented the highest level achieved in any fourth quarter since 2012. While seasonal selfness was effective for all three businesses as expected, total revenue in Q4 increased 11.5% from a year ago, OLED revenue was significantly better than expected, Foundry was better than expected and Power was seasonally softer than expected. Corporate gross margin profit margin of 26.6% was slightly above the mid point of the updated range due to better than expected fab utilization on improved OLED product mix and better manufacturing yields at an external foundry on latest-generation OLED display drivers. Our cash position improved by 15.5% sequentially, which Jonathan will discuss shortly. Now, let's review the performance of each business unit in Q4 beginning with OLED. OLED revenue of $67.3 million was the highest level achieved in any fourth quarter in the company’s history. Revenue increased twofold from $33.2 million a year ago and declined by only 14% sequentially from Q3. The sequential decline was significantly less than we anticipated heading into Q4 and compared very favorably to the 43.1% decline we experienced from Q3 to Q4 in 2018. Two smartphones with our OLED drivers launched in Asia in Q4 and we expect up to another nine OLED smart phones with our display drivers will launch in the first half of 2020. While all our OLED driver IC contributed to revenue in Q4 our 28-nanometer drivers had a very good production ramp following their initial launch of mass production in Q3. I’d like to now discuss a new technology initiative that will extend our reach into multiple addressable sectors. We are excited to announce that we've developed and introduced the industry's first single chip active metric micro-LED driver IC’s for large panel televisions. At CES, a major TV maker showcased 75, 93 and 150-inch TV models that include our micro-LED DDIC. Depending on the resolution of the TV, up to 256 units of our micro-LED DDIC can be used for TV. We currently expect to begin initial pilot production towards the end of this year. Looking ahead, we believe some micro-LED driver ICs will be used for ultra-high end TV and for large data signage applications in commercial and industrial markets. Speaking of extending the reach of OLED technology, we are encouraged to see that new markets aside from smartphones, tablets, and TVs have begun to adapt OLED as a replacement for LCD. The auto market is a prime example. Some car makers already use OLED for brake lights, but the technology is beginning to move from the trunk to the driver's seat. Just a few weeks ago, Cadillac announced it's 2021 Escalade SUV will contain three screens that form a 38-inch flexible curved OLED dashboard display. Mercedes also has reported plans to replace it’s LCD cockpit display with OLED display in E-Class and S-Class models. We have a number of attractive LCD design wins in the auto segment, but we can see the day when LCDs will convert to OLED for auto application just as they have done in smartphones. As a result, we believe the auto market represents a promising long-term OLED opportunity. To sum-up on OLED, we now have a total of 11 OLED display drivers in our portfolio including five of the latest generation 28-nanometers drivers, one of which we added in Q4. One year ago, at this time our OLED portfolio had a grand total of six drivers and we had only one 28-nanometer driver. We will continue to launch new display drivers in 2020 with differentiated features aligned to changing market requirements for next generation 5G and foldable smartphones. Our OLED drivers already support enhanced capabilities enabling functions like AR and VR with refresh rates of 220 Hertz, interfaces to optical sensing and fingerprint on display and features like QHD plus resolution and OLED correction IP to compensate for pixel aging. Our drivers also are available in different package types including the latest and most cost effective technology called Chip On Plastic. Lastly, our 28-nanometer drivers which are 20% smaller in chip size than the previous generation have the lowest power of any captive or independent OLED supplier in the display industry. If we put aside the demand risk from the coronavirus, we are highly confident about our ability increase OLED revenue, gain market share and extend our technology lead as the number one independent supplier of OLED display drivers. As part of recent internal organization, I have now assumed the role of General Manager of the Display Business, in addition to my role as a CEO of MagnaChip. We believe this change will allow us to provide laser like focus on the Display Business to best capitalize upon the attractive growth opportunity in the OLED and other relevant emerging markets. Over the past two years, display has grown dramatically and now we have the opportunity to help take the display business to the next level of product development and market growth. To increase our focus in Power, we've named a dedicated Power GM to run that business. For now, I continue as the acting General Manager of Foundry business. Let's turn now to our Power Standard Product business. Power revenue grew for the year 2019 but revenue in Q4 was down 18.1% from Q4 2018 and down 22.4% sequentially from Q3 of 2019. We said on the Q3 earnings call in October that power revenue was expected declining Q4 due to seasonal softness but the business actually declined more than we anticipated due primarily to weakness in consumer and communication markets. We also saw pricing pressure stemming from an inventory correction. We don't break that profit margin in the power business, but I can share with you that power profit margin improves significantly year-over-year in Q4 due to improved product mix. While we now estimate the Power revenue may go sideways in the near term. We view this as a temporary pause in our long term growth outlook. As you may recall, we are involved in 10,000 hour qualification stages with auto suppliers and we expect the auto segment would represent a meaningful growth opportunity for our Power business in 2021 and beyond. Now turning to the Foundry business. Foundry revenue of $86.6 million in Q4 increased 4.2% from Q4 of 2018 and was at the highest level for Q4 in six years. Revenue was down 4.1% sequentially from Q3 of 2019, but the decline was less than we anticipated. 8" Foundry revenue in the second half of 2019 was at its highest level since the company went public in 2011. Revenue from B3 EEPROM increased 21% year-over-year and nearly 15% sequentially from Q3 2019, offsetting the decline in high voltage processes. Foundry revenue from new products held steady at 27% in Q4 as compared to Q3 2019, which we attribute to high touch customer service, excellent product and 8" process like BCD EEPROM that are aligned to critical market needs. New products are those in production for one year or less. As for the strategic evaluation process of the Foundry business and Fab 4, there's nothing further we can disclose publicly at this time, but as stated previously, we continue to make substantial progress in discussion with multiple interested parties toward a possible sale of the business as well as consideration of accretive business conversions and other options. We reiterate that our decision regarding the outcome of the various options of the strategic evaluation process will be guided by what the board and management consider to be the best available path to improve MagnaChip’s profitability and to maximize shareholder value. We appreciate your continued patience. Now let me make a few points about our business outlook. Coronavirus aside, I can recall a time when I felt more upbeat about the long-term outlook for MagnaChip. We are poised to expand our position as the leading independent provider of OLED DDIC in a range large market space growing by double-digits. We are extending our market reach with our first ever single chip active metrics micro-LED display driver. We are also well positioned down the road with OLED drivers for auto displays and high voltage power products for automotive. When I look back on 2019, trade tensions were headwind for many semiconductor firms, but a tailwind for MagnaChip. And we are well positioned in the future since we occupy a unique place in the Asian supply chain with our – 100% our IP and our own fab locate in Korea. That's final note. I am proud that the Global Semiconductor Alliance has name MagnaChip as one of the three finalists for the 2019 award, the most respected emerging public semiconductor company. Now let me make a few comments about the coronavirus. From a business perspective, we are still assessing the potential impact since the coronavirus situation is fluid. MagnaChip historically has experienced typical seasonal softness and a decline in revenue in its first quarter as compared to the prior first quarter, but we entered 2020 with a more optimistic view. Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, our primarily internal forecast had anticipated Q1 revenue would be slightly higher than $200 million in revenue reported in Q4 2019. MagnaChip manufacturing supply chain resides largely outside China, so there is negligible impact on our results. However, based on our preliminary assessments, public health measures taken to protect the population China likely will affect customer demand in Q1. As a result, we've lowered our internal expectation and widened the typical guidance range we normally would provide for Q1 2020 to help account for lingering uncertainty around this public health crisis. Now, I’ll turn the call over to Jonathan and come back for Q&A. Jonathan?