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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, DC 20549

 


 

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

x Quarterly report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the quarterly period ended March 31, 2004.

 

or

 

¨ Transition report pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 for the transition period from              to             

 

Commission File Number 0-23441

 


 

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

DELAWARE   94-3065014

(State or other jurisdiction of

Incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

5245 Hellyer Avenue, San Jose, California   95138
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip code)

 

(408) 414-9200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 


 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES x NO ¨

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). YES x NO ¨

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

Class


   Outstanding at April 30, 2004

Common Stock, $.001 par value    30,762,012 shares

 



Table of Contents

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page

PART I.

  

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

    

Item 1.

  

Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (unaudited)

    
    

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of March 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003

   3
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003

   4
    

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003

   5
    

Notes To Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

   6

Item 2.

  

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   12

Item 3.

  

Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risks

   23

Item 4.

  

Controls and Procedures

   24

PART II.

  

OTHER INFORMATION

    

Item 1.

  

Legal Proceedings

   25

Item 2.

  

Changes in Securities and Use of Proceeds

   25

Item 3.

  

Defaults upon Senior Securities

   25

Item 4.

  

Submission of Matters to Vote of Security Holders

   25

Item 5.

  

Other Information

   25

Item 6.

  

Exhibits and Reports on Form 8-K

   25

SIGNATURES

   26

 

TOPSwitch, TinySwitch, LinkSwitch, DPA-Switch, EcoSmart and P I Expert are trademarks of Power Integrations, Inc.

 

2


Table of Contents

PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.   CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(unaudited)

(In thousands)

 

     March 31,
2004


    December 31,
2003


 

ASSETS

                

CURRENT ASSETS:

                

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 111,048     $ 110,271  

Short-term investments

     7,594       5,049  

Accounts receivable

     13,290       10,326  

Inventories

     21,320       23,113  

Deferred tax assets

     4,275       4,275  

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     3,017       3,086  
    


 


Total current assets

     160,544       156,120  

PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, net

     51,600       51,977  

INVESTMENTS

     4,810       —    

DEFERRED TAX ASSETS

     1,598       1,598  

OTHER ASSETS

     1,735       1,467  
    


 


     $ 220,287     $ 211,162  
    


 


LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

                

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

                

Accounts payable

   $ 6,687     $ 7,918  

Accrued payroll and related expenses

     3,518       5,310  

Income taxes payable

     4,190       3,717  

Deferred income on sales to distributors

     3,473       2,565  

Other accrued liabilities

     805       893  

Current portion of capitalized lease obligations

     —         41  
    


 


Total current liabilities

     18,673       20,444  
    


 


STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

                

Common stock

     30       30  

Additional paid-in capital

     127,252       121,474  

Cumulative translation adjustment

     (120 )     (120 )

Retained earnings

     74,452       69,334  
    


 


Total stockholders’ equity

     201,614       190,718  
    


 


     $ 220,287     $ 211,162  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

3


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POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

 

    

Three Months Ended

March 31,


     2004

   2003

NET REVENUES:

             

Product sales

   $ 33,601    $ 28,729

License fees and royalties

     564      361
    

  

Total net revenues

     34,165      29,090

COST OF REVENUES

     17,473      14,016
    

  

GROSS PROFIT

     16,692      15,074
    

  

OPERATING EXPENSES:

             

Research and development

     4,152      4,084

Sales and marketing

     4,112      4,046

General and administrative

     1,579      1,627
    

  

Total operating expenses

     9,843      9,757
    

  

INCOME FROM OPERATIONS

     6,849      5,317

OTHER INCOME, net

     259      269
    

  

INCOME BEFORE PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

     7,108      5,586

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES

     1,990      1,676
    

  

NET INCOME

   $ 5,118    $ 3,910
    

  

EARNINGS PER SHARE:

             

Basic

   $ 0.17    $ 0.14
    

  

Diluted

   $ 0.16    $ 0.13
    

  

SHARES USED IN PER SHARE CALCULATION:

             

Basic

     30,622      28,824
    

  

Diluted

     32,757      30,438
    

  

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

4


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POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(unaudited)

(In thousands)

 

     Three Months Ended
March 31,


 
     2004

    2003

 

CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:

                

Net income

   $ 5,118     $ 3,910  

Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:

                

Depreciation and amortization

     1,783       1,721  

Deferred rent

     —         58  

Provision for (reduction in) accounts receivable and other allowances

     160       (25 )

Income tax benefit associated with employee stock plans

     1,372       1,121  

Stock compensation to non-employees

     13       24  

Change in operating assets and liabilities:

                

Accounts receivable

     (3,124 )     (1,057 )

Inventories

     1,793       (5,538 )

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

     (252 )     128  

Accounts payable

     (1,231 )     416  

Income taxes payable and accrued liabilities

     (1,407 )     (189 )

Deferred income on sales to distributors

     908       520  
    


 


Net cash provided by operating activities

     5,133       1,089  
    


 


CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:

                

Purchases of property and equipment

     (1,353 )     (1,381 )

Purchases of held-to-maturity investments

     (14,620 )     (3,000 )

Proceeds from maturities of held-to-maturity investments

     7,265       9,787  
    


 


Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (8,708 )     5,406  
    


 


CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:

                

Net proceeds from issuance of common stock

     4,393       4,042  

Principal payments under capitalized lease obligations

     (41 )     (60 )
    


 


Net cash provided by financing activities

     4,352       3,982  
    


 


NET INCREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS

     777       10,477  

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT BEGINNING OF PERIOD

     110,271       77,524  
    


 


CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS AT END OF PERIOD

   $ 111,048     $ 88,001  
    


 


SUPPLEMENTAL DISCLOSURE OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:

                

Cash paid for interest

   $ —       $ 3  
    


 


Cash paid for income taxes, net

   $ 84     $ 600  
    


 


 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

5


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POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

(Unaudited)

 

1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION:

 

The condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Power Integrations, Inc. (the “Company”), a Delaware corporation, and its wholly owned subsidiaries. Significant inter-company accounts and transactions have been eliminated.

 

While the financial information furnished is unaudited, the condensed consolidated financial statements included in this report reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) which the Company considers necessary for the fair presentation of the results of operations for the interim periods covered and the financial condition of the Company at the date of the interim balance sheet. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results for the entire year. Certain reclassifications were made to the prior year financial information to conform to the current period presentation. The condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the Power Integrations, Inc. consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2003 included in its Form 10-K filed on March 10, 2004 with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES:

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents and Short-Term and Long-Term Investments

 

The Company considers cash invested in highly liquid financial instruments with an original maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents. Investments in highly liquid financial instruments with maturities greater than three months but not longer than twelve months from the balance sheet date are classified as short-term investments. Investments in highly liquid financial instruments with maturities greater than twelve months from the balance sheet date are classified as long-term investments. As of March 31, 2004, the Company’s short-term and long-term investments consisted of U.S. government backed securities, municipal bonds, corporate commercial paper and other high quality commercial securities, which were classified as held-to-maturity and were valued using the amortized cost method, which approximates fair market value.

 

Revenue Recognition

 

Product revenues consist of sales to original equipment manufacturers, or OEMs, merchant power supply manufacturers and distributors. Shipping terms to OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers are delivered at frontier, which is commonly referred to as DAF. Title to the product passes to the customer when the shipment reaches the destination country and revenue is recognized upon the arrival of our product in that country. Sales to distributors are made under terms allowing certain rights of return and protection against subsequent price declines on the Company’s products held by the distributors. As a result of the Company’s distributor agreements, the Company defers the recognition of revenue and the proportionate costs of revenues derived from sales to distributors until such distributors resell the Company’s products to their customers. The Company evaluates the amounts to defer based on the level of actual distributors’ inventory on hand as well as inventory that is in transit to the distributors. The gross profit that is deferred as a result of this policy is reflected as “deferred income on sales to distributors” in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

 

The Company has a wafer supply and technology license agreement with an unaffiliated wafer foundry. The wafer supply agreement, which expires in June 2005, is renewable. In connection with the technology license agreement, the Company is entitled to receive a royalty on the foundry’s sales of its own products that incorporate the Company’s technology. The Company recognizes royalty revenue upon receipt of payment from the foundry.

 

6


Table of Contents

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

 

Expense related to employee ownership programs through stock options

 

The Company has elected to follow Accounting Principles Board Opinion (“APB”) No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” and related interpretations, in accounting for employee stock options rather than the alternative fair value accounting allowed by SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation.” APB No. 25 provides that expense relative to the Company’s employee ownership programs through stock options is measured based on the intrinsic value of stock options granted on the date of the grant and the Company recognizes expense in its statement of income using the straight-line method over the vesting period for fixed awards. Under SFAS No. 123, the fair value of stock options at the date of grant is recognized in earnings over the vesting period of the options. Had expense related to employee ownership programs through the Company’s stock option plans been determined under a fair value method consistent with SFAS No. 123, “Accounting for Stock Based Compensation,” and related interpretations, the Company’s net income would have been reduced to the following pro forma amounts (in thousands, except per share information):

 

    

Three Months
Ended

March 31,


 
     2004

    2003

 

Net income as reported

   $ 5,118     $ 3,910  

Deduct: Total stock-based employee stock ownership expense determined under fair-value-based method for all awards, net of tax

     (4,291 )     (4,173 )
    


 


Pro forma net income (loss)

   $ 827     $ (263 )
    


 


Basic earnings (loss) per share:

                

As reported

   $ 0.17     $ 0.14  
    


 


Pro forma

   $ 0.03     $ (0.01 )
    


 


Diluted earnings (loss) per share:

                

As reported

   $ 0.16     $ 0.13  
    


 


Pro forma

   $ 0.03     $ (0.01 )
    


 


 

The fair value of stock options granted is established on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:

 

    

Three Months
Ended

March 31,


 
     2004

    2003

 

Risk-free interest rates

   2.99 %   3.85 %

Expected volatility rates

   90.00 %   92.00 %

Expected dividend yield As reported

   —       —    

Expected life of stock options (years)

   5.32     4.00  

Weighted-average grant date fair value of options granted

   27.34     13.99  

 

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Table of Contents

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

On an on-going basis, the Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to revenue recognition and allowances for sales returns, distributor price protection allowances (ship and debit reserve), doubtful accounts receivables, inventories and income taxes. These estimates are based on historical facts and various other assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable at the time the estimates are made.

 

Comprehensive Income

 

Comprehensive income for the Company consists of net income, plus the effect of foreign currency translation adjustments, which was not material for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003. Accordingly, comprehensive income closely approximates actual net income.

 

Segment Reporting

 

The Company is organized and operates as one business segment—the design, development, manufacture and marketing of proprietary, high-voltage, analog integrated circuits for use primarily in the AC to DC and DC to DC power conversion markets.

 

3. INVENTORIES:

 

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or market and consist of the following (in thousands):

 

    

March 31,

2004


  

December 31,

2003


Raw materials

   $ 513    $ 1,522

Work-in-process

     10,345      9,650

Finished goods

     10,462      11,941
    

  

     $ 21,320    $ 23,113
    

  

 

4. SIGNIFICANT CUSTOMERS AND EXPORT SALES:

 

Customer Concentration

 

The Company’s end user base is highly concentrated and a relatively small number of OEMs, power supply merchants and distributors accounted for a significant portion of the Company’s net revenues. Ten customers accounted for approximately 72.3% and 78.7% of total net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

 

The following customers accounted for more than 10% of total net revenues:

 

    

Three Months

Ended

March 31,


 

Customer


   2004

    2003

 

A

   22.4 %   30.0 %

B

   15.4 %   12.9 %

C

   13.4 %   *  

* less than 10%

 

Customers A and B are distributors of the Company’s products and customer C is an OEM.

 

8


Table of Contents

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist principally of cash investments and trade receivables. The Company has cash investment policies that limit cash investments to low risk investments. With respect to trade receivables, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and requires letters of credit whenever deemed necessary. Additionally, the Company establishes an allowance for doubtful accounts based upon factors surrounding the credit risk of specific customers, historical trends related to past losses and other relevant information. Account balances are charged off against the allowance after all means of collection have been exhausted and the potential for recovery is considered remote. The Company does not have any off-balance sheet credit exposure related to its customers. As of March 31, 2004 and December 31, 2003, approximately 75% and 71% of accounts receivable, respectively, were concentrated with ten customers.

 

The following customers accounted for more than 10% of accounts receivable:

 

Customer


   March 31,
2004


    December 31,
2003


 

A

   28 %   25 %

B

   16 %   20 %

C

   10 %   *  

 

Customers A and B are distributors of the Company’s products. Customer C is an OEM

 

Export Sales

 

The Company markets its products in North America and in foreign countries through its sales personnel and a worldwide network of independent sales representatives and distributors. As a percentage of total net revenues, export sales, which consist of domestic sales to customers in foreign countries, are comprised of the following:

 

    

Three Months

Ended

March 31,


 
     2004

    2003

 

Hong Kong/China

   28.4 %   33.4 %

Korea

   22.9 %   22.5 %

Taiwan

   20.2 %   20.6 %

Western Europe (excluding Germany)

   7.8 %   6.7 %

Germany

   5.5 %   5.7 %

Japan

   2.2 %   1.5 %

Singapore

   2.0 %   1.6 %

Other

   2.8 %   2.2 %
    

 

Total foreign

   91.8 %   94.2 %
    

 

 

Product Sales

 

Sales of the Company’s TOPSwitch and TinySwitch products accounted for 97.3% and 99.7% of net revenues from product sales for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. TOPSwitch products include TOPSwitch, TOPSwitch II, TOPSwitch FX and TOPSwitch GX. TinySwitch products include TinySwitch and TinySwitch II.

 

9


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POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

 

5. EARNINGS PER SHARE:

 

Earnings per share are calculated in accordance with SFAS No. 128, “Earnings per Share.” SFAS No. 128 requires companies to compute earnings per share under two different methods (basic and diluted). Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average shares of common stock outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share are calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average shares of outstanding common stock during the period, increased to include the number of additional shares of common stock that would have been outstanding if the dilutive potential shares of common stock had been issued. Dilutive potential shares of common stock consist of dilutive shares issuable upon the exercise of outstanding common stock options and shares issuable under the employee stock purchase plan using the treasury stock method.

 

The following table sets forth the calculation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):

 

    

Three Months

Ended

March 31,


     2004

   2003

Basic earnings per share:

             

Net income

   $ 5,118    $ 3,910
    

  

Weighted average common shares

     30,622      28,824
    

  

Basic earnings per share

   $ 0.17    $ 0.14
    

  

Diluted earnings per share:

             

Net income

   $ 5,118    $ 3,910
    

  

Weighted average common shares

     30,622      28,824

Effect of dilutive securities:

             

Stock options

     2,113      1,600

Employee stock purchase plan

     22      14
    

  

Diluted weighted average common shares

     32,757      30,438
    

  

Diluted earnings per share

   $ 0.16    $ 0.13
    

  

 

Options to purchase 389,594 and 672,679 shares of common stock that were outstanding at March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively, were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share for the periods then ended because the options’ exercise price was greater than the average market price of the Company’s common stock during those periods, and therefore, their effect would have been antidilutive.

 

6. PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES:

 

Income tax expense for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 includes a provision for Federal, state and foreign taxes based on the annual estimated effective tax rate applicable to the Company and its subsidiaries. The difference between the Federal statutory rate of 35% and the Company’s effective tax rate used for the three-month period ended March 31, 2004 is primarily due to the beneficial impact of international earnings subject to lower tax rates and research and development credits. The difference between the Federal statutory rate of 35% and the Company’s effective tax rate used for the three-month period ended March 31, 2003 is primarily due to the beneficial impact of research and development credits, extraterritorial income exclusion and Federal tax-exempt investments. The Company’s estimated effective tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 was 28% and 30%, respectively.

 

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Table of Contents

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

 

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS—(Continued)

 

7. INDEMNIFICATIONS:

 

The Company sells products to its distributors under contracts, which the Company refers to as Standard Distributor Sales Agreements (each an “SDSA”). Each SDSA contains the relevant terms of the contractual arrangement with the customer, and generally includes certain provisions for indemnifying the customer against losses, expenses, and liabilities from damages that may be awarded against the customer in the event the Company’s hardware is found to infringe upon a patent, copyright, trademark, or other proprietary right of a third party. The SDSA generally limits the scope of and remedies for such indemnification obligations in a variety of industry-standard respects, including but not limited to certain time and geography based scope limitations and a right to replace an infringing product.

 

The Company believes its internal development processes and other policies and practices limit its exposure related to the indemnification provisions of the SDSA. In addition, the Company requires its employees to sign a proprietary information and inventions agreement, which assigns the rights to its employees’ development work to the Company. To date, the Company has not had to reimburse any of its customers for any losses related to these indemnification provisions and no material claims were outstanding as of March 31, 2004. For several reasons, including the lack of prior indemnification claims and the lack of a monetary liability limit for certain infringement cases under the SDSA, the Company cannot determine the maximum amount of potential future payments, if any, related to such indemnification provisions.

 

8. RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS:

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003 by FIN 46R), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” which addresses how a business enterprise should evaluate whether it has a controlling financial interest in an entity through means other than voting rights and accordingly should consolidate the entity. FIN 46R replaces FASB Interpretation No. 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” which was issued in January 2003. The Company will be required to apply FIN 46R to variable interests in variable interest entities, or VIEs, created after December 31, 2003. For variable interests in VIEs created before January 1, 2004, the Interpretation will be applied beginning on January 1, 2005. For any VIEs that must be consolidated under FIN 46R that were created before January 1, 2004, the assets, liabilities and non controlling interests of the VIE initially would be measured at their carrying amounts with any difference between the net amount added to the balance sheet and any previously recognized interest being recognized as the cumulative effect of an accounting change. If determining the carrying amounts is not practicable, fair value at the date FIN 46R first applies may be used to measure the assets, liabilities and non controlling interest of the VIE. Management believes the adoption of FIN 46R will not have a material impact to the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows as the Company does not have any VIEs.

 

In December 2003, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (“SAB104”), “Revenue Recognition.” SAB 104 supercedes SAB 101, “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements.” The primary purpose of SAB 104 is to rescind accounting guidance contained in SAB 101 related to multiple element revenue arrangements, superceded as a result of the issuance of Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 00-21 “Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” Additionally, SAB 104 rescinds the SEC’s Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (“the FAQ”) issued with SAB 101 that had been codified in SEC Topic 13, Revenue Recognition. Selected portions of the FAQ have been incorporated into SAB104. While the wording of SAB 104 has changed to reflect the issuance of EITF 00-21, the revenue recognition principles of SAB 101 remain largely unchanged by the issuance of SAB 104. The adoption of SAB 104 did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

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Table of Contents
ITEM 2.   MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.

 

This Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations includes a number of forward-looking statements, which reflect our current views with respect to future events and financial performance. In this report, the words “will”, “expects”, “believe”, “should”, “anticipate”, “if”, “future” and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, including our development efforts, the success of our product strategies, the maintenance of significant business relationships, as well as those discussed in the “Factors That May Affect Future Results of Operations” and elsewhere in this report. As a result of these risks, our actual results may differ materially from our historical or anticipated results. We caution you not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report.

 

The following management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with management’s discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003.

 

Overview

 

We design, develop, manufacture and market proprietary, high-voltage, analog integrated circuits, or ICs, for use primarily in AC to DC and DC to DC power conversion markets. These ICs are used in a wide variety of electronics products primarily for the communications, consumer, computer and industrial electronics markets. Our strategy is to continue to diversify into new markets and to expand our existing customer base. We believe we can achieve our goals by continuing to develop products, which are more energy efficient and have increased functionality, and by continuing to focus on cost reduction strategies to remain price competitive. Our business is characterized by short-term orders and short customer lead times. Customers typically can cancel or reschedule orders without significant penalty. We plan our production and inventory levels based on internal forecasts of customer demand, which is highly unpredictable and can fluctuate substantially.

 

We have developed several families of high-voltage power conversion ICs, which we believe are the first highly integrated power conversion ICs to achieve widespread market acceptance. These patented ICs achieve a high level of system integration by combining a number of electronic components into a single IC. Our TOPSwitch, TinySwitch, DPA-Switch and LinkSwitch products enable many power supplies to have a total cost equal to or lower than discrete switchers. Our products offer the following key benefits to power supplies:

 

  Fewer Components, Reduced Size and Enhanced Functionality;

 

  Improved Efficiency;

 

  Reduced Time-to-Market; and

 

  Wide Power Range and Scalability.

 

Our quarterly operating results are volatile and difficult to predict. Our net revenues and operating results have varied significantly in the past, are difficult to forecast and are subject to numerous factors both within and outside of our control. As a result, our quarterly and annual operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future. For a discussion of the factors that may affect our quarterly and annual operating results, please see “Factors that May Affect Future Results of Operations.”

 

We license certain technologies and grant limited product manufacturing and marketing rights to strategic parties in return for foundry relationships, license fees and product royalty arrangements. License fees and royalties consist primarily of royalties on products shipped by licensees incorporating licensed technology, and have accounted for a small percentage of our net revenues.

 

A portion of our cost of revenues consists of the cost of wafers. We currently purchase wafers from Matsushita Electric Industrial Co, Ltd. (“Matsushita”), and from OKI Electric Industry (“OKI”). The contract prices to purchase wafers from Matsushita and OKI are denominated in Japanese yen. The agreements with both vendors allow for mutual sharing of the impact of the exchange rate fluctuation between Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. Nevertheless, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen subject our gross profit and operating results to the potential for material fluctuations. We have a wafer supply agreement with a third foundry, ZMD Analog Mixed Signal Services GmbH & CoKG (“ZMD”). Our agreement to purchase wafers from ZMD is denominated in U.S. dollars. We expect to begin purchasing wafers from ZMD by the end of 2004.

 

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

 

We believe our critical accounting policies and estimates are as follows:

 

  revenue recognition;

 

  estimating sales returns and allowances;

 

  estimating ship and debit reserve;

 

  estimating allowance for doubtful accounts;

 

  estimating reserve for excess and obsolete inventory, and

 

  income taxes.

 

We believe that these policies and estimates are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and require us to make judgments and estimates about matters that are inherently uncertain. A brief description of these critical accounting policies is set forth below.

 

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. On an on-going basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, sales returns, allowance for ship and debit, doubtful accounts receivables and inventories. We base our estimates on historical facts and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable at the time the estimates are made. Actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Revenue recognition

 

Product revenues consist of sales to OEMs, merchant power supply manufacturers and distributors. Shipping terms to OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers are DAF. Title to our product passes to the customer when the shipment reaches the destination country and revenue is recognized upon the arrival of our product in that country. At that time, we provide for estimated sales returns and other allowances related to those sales. Between 50% and 65% of our sales are made to distributors under terms allowing certain rights of return and price protection for our products held in the distributors’ inventories. Therefore, we defer the recognition of revenue and the proportionate cost of revenues derived from sales to distributors until the distributors sell our products to their customers. We evaluate the amounts to defer based on the level of actual distributors’ inventory on hand as well as inventory that is in transit to the distributors. The gross profit that we defer as a result of this policy is reflected as “deferred income on sales to distributors” in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.

 

We have a wafer supply and technology license agreement with an unaffiliated wafer foundry. The wafer supply agreement, which expires in June 2005, is renewable. In connection with the technology license agreement, we are entitled to receive a royalty on the foundry’s sales of its own products that incorporate our technology. We recognize royalty revenue upon receipt of payment from the foundry.

 

Estimating sales returns and allowances

 

Net revenue consists of product revenue reduced by estimated sales returns and allowances. To estimate sales returns and allowances, we analyze, both when we initially establish the reserve, and then each quarter when we review the adequacy of the reserve, the following factors: historical returns, current economic trends, levels of inventories of our products held by our customers, and changes in customer demand and acceptance of our products. This reserve is reflected as a reduction to accounts receivable in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Increases to the reserve are recorded as a reduction to net revenue. Because the reserve for sales returns and allowances is based on our judgments and estimates, particularly as to future customer demand and acceptance of our products, our reserves may not be adequate to cover actual sales returns and other allowances. If our reserves are not adequate, our net revenues could be adversely affected.

 

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Estimating ship and debit reserve

 

A large portion of our sales is made to distributors. Under certain circumstances, some of those sales are subject to credits that distributors claim on certain transactions and as protection against subsequent price declines on products they hold. The credits are referred to as “ship and debits.” The credits are available to the distributors after they have sold our products through to their end customer. We maintain a reserve for these credits that appears as a reduction to accounts receivable in our accompanying consolidated balance sheets. Any increase in the reserve results in a corresponding reduction in our net revenues. To establish the reserve and when we evaluate the adequacy of the reserve each quarter, we analyze historical ship and debit payments and levels of inventory in the distributor channels. If our reserves are not adequate, our net revenues could be adversely affected.

 

Estimating allowance for doubtful accounts

 

We maintain an allowance for losses we may incur as a result of our customers’ inability to make required payments. Any increase in the allowance results in a corresponding increase in our general and administrative expenses. In establishing this allowance, and then evaluating the adequacy of the allowance for doubtful accounts each quarter, we analyze historical bad debt, customer concentrations, customer credit-worthiness, current economic trends and changes in our customer payment terms. If the financial condition of one or more of our customers unexpectedly deteriorated, resulting in their inability to make payments, or if we otherwise underestimate the losses we incur as a result of our customers’ inability to pay us, we could be required to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts which could adversely affect our operating results.

 

Estimating reserve for excess and obsolete inventory

 

We identify excess and obsolete products and analyze historical usage, forecasted production based on demand forecasts, current economic trends, and historical write-offs when evaluating the adequacy of the reserve for excess and obsolete inventory. This reserve is reflected as a reduction to inventory in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets, and an increase in cost of revenues. If actual market conditions are less favorable than our assumptions, we may be required to take additional reserves, which could adversely impact our cost of revenues and operating results.

 

Income taxes

 

We recognize Federal, state and foreign current tax liabilities or assets based on our estimate of taxes payable or refundable in the current fiscal year by tax authorities. We also recognize Federal, state and foreign deferred tax liabilities or assets for our estimate of future tax effects attributable to temporary differences and carry forwards and record a valuation allowance to reduce any deferred tax assets by the amount of any tax benefits that, based on available evidence and judgment, are not expected to be realized. As of March 31, 2004, no valuation allowance had been recorded to reduce our deferred tax assets. We believe it is more likely than not that forecasted income, including income that may be generated as a result of certain tax planning strategies, will be sufficient to fully recover our deferred tax assets. In the event that all or part of the net deferred tax assets are determined not to be realizable in the future, an adjustment to the valuation allowance would be charged to earnings in the period such determination is made. In addition, the calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws. Resolution of these uncertainties in a manner inconsistent with our expectations could have a material impact on our result of operations and financial position. We account for income tax contingencies in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 5, “Accounting for Contingencies.”

 

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Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth certain operating data as a percentage of total net revenues for the periods indicated.

 

     Percentage of
Total Net Revenues for
Three Months Ended
March 31,


 
     2004

    2003

 

Net revenues:

            

Product sales

   98.3 %   98.8 %

License fees and royalties

   1.7     1.2  
    

 

Total net revenues

   100.0     100.0  

Cost of revenues

   51.1     48.2  
    

 

Gross profit

   48.9     51.8  
    

 

Operating expenses:

            

Research and development

   12.2     14.0  

Sales and marketing

   12.0     13.9  

General and administrative

   4.6     5.6  
    

 

Total operating expenses

   28.8     33.5  
    

 

Income from operations

   20.1     18.3  

Other income, net

   0.7     0.9  
    

 

Income before provision for income taxes

   20.8     19.2  

Provision for income taxes

   5.8     5.8  
    

 

Net income

   15.0 %   13.4 %
    

 

 

Comparison of the Three Months Ended March 31, 2004 and 2003

 

Net revenues. Net revenues consist of revenues from product sales, which are calculated net of returns and allowances, plus license fees and royalties paid by licensees of our technology. Net revenues for the three months ended March 31, 2004 were $34.2 million compared to $29.1 million for the three months ended March 31, 2003, an increase of $5.1 million, or 17.4%.

 

Net revenues from product sales were $33.6 million and $28.7 million in the first quarter of 2004 and 2003, respectively. The increase in net revenues from product sales for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was driven primarily by increased sales of our products in the consumer end market with smaller increases in the computer and industrial end markets. We continued to gain market share across these end markets resulting in strong revenue growth for the quarter. Net revenues from our consumer market were up 47 percent over the first quarter of 2003, driven primarily by set-top boxes, DVD players and home appliances.

 

We expect our full year 2004 net revenue mix by product family and by the end markets that we serve to be as follows:

 

Approximate revenue mix by product family expected for the full year 2004 compared to 2003:

 

     Twelve Months
Ended
December 31,


 

Product Family


   2004

    2003

 

TinySwitch I and II

   50 %   51 %

TopSwitch FX and GX

   30 %   27 %

TopSwitch I and II

   12 %   20 %

LinkSwitch and DPA-Switch

   8 %   2 %

 

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Appropriate revenue mix by end markets served expected for the full year 2004 compared to 2003:

 

     Twelve Months
Ended
December 31,


 

End Market


   2004

    2003

 

Communications

   34 %   36 %

Consumer

   30 %   28 %

Computer

   24 %   22 %

Industrial

   8 %   8 %

Other

   4 %   6 %

 

Customer demand for our products can change quickly and unexpectedly. Our customers perceive that our products are readily available and typically order only for their short-term needs. Our revenue levels are highly dependent on the amount of new orders that are received for which product can be delivered by us within the same period. Orders that are booked and shipped within the same period are called “turns business”. Because of the uncertainty of customer demand, and the short lead-time environment and high turns business, it is difficult to predict future levels of revenues and profitability.

 

International sales, which are based on “ship to” customer locations, were $31.4 million in the first quarter of 2004 compared to $27.4 million for the same period in 2003, an increase of $4.0 million, or 14.4%, which represented 91.8% of net revenues compared to 94.2% in the comparable period of 2003. In absolute dollars, the increase in our international sales for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was primarily from increased sales of our products in the consumer end market with smaller increases in the computer and industrial end markets. Although the power supplies using our products are designed and distributed to end markets worldwide, most of these power supplies are manufactured in Asia. As a result, sales to this region were 78.5% and 81.8% of our product sales for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. We expect international sales to continue to account for a large portion of our net revenues.

 

Net product sales for the first quarter of 2004 were divided 56.0% to distributors and 44.0% to OEMs and power supply merchants, compared to 58.9% to distributors and 41.1% to OEMs and power supply merchants for the first quarter of 2003. In the three months ended March 31, 2004, two separate customers, both of whom are distributors, accounted for approximately 22% and 15% of net revenues, and one other customer, an OEM, accounted for approximately 13% of net revenues. In the three months ended March 31, 2003, the same two distributors accounted for approximately 30% and 13% of net revenues.

 

Cost of revenues; Gross profit. Gross profit is equal to net revenues less cost of revenues. Our cost of revenues consists primarily of costs associated with the purchase of wafers from Matsushita and OKI, the assembly and packaging of our products by sub-contractors, internal labor and overhead associated with the testing of both wafers and packaged components and testing of packaged components by sub-contractors. Gross profit was $16.7 million, or 48.9% of net revenues, for the three months ended March 31, 2004, compared to $15.1 million, or 51.8% of net revenues, for the three months ended March 31, 2003. The decrease in gross profit percentage for the three months ended March 31, 2004 was due primarily to the stronger Yen and a slight decline in the average selling price of our products, related to product mix.

 

Research and development expenses. Research and development expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, expensed engineering material and facility costs associated with the development of new processes and new products. We also expense prototype wafers and mask sets related to new products as research and development costs until new products are released to production. Research and development expenses for the first quarter of 2004 were $4.2 million compared to $4.1 million for the same period in 2003, which represented 12.2% and 14.0% of our net revenues in each period, respectively. In absolute dollars, research and development expenses for the first quarter in 2004 increased slightly from the same period in 2003, primarily from increases in personnel costs due to increased staff. We expect research and development expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars, but those expenses may fluctuate as a percentage of our net revenues.

 

Sales and marketing expenses. Sales and marketing expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses, commissions to sales representatives and facilities expenses, including expenses associated with our regional sales offices and support offices. Sales and marketing expenses, which includes field application engineering costs, were $4.1 million, or 12.0% of net revenues, for the first quarter of 2004, compared to $4.0 million, or 13.9% of net revenues for the same

 

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period in 2003. In absolute dollars, sales and marketing expenses for the first quarter in 2004 increased slightly from the same period in 2003, primarily as a result of expanding our worldwide sales and applications engineering staffs. We expect sales and marketing expenses to continue to increase in absolute dollars as we continue to expand our sales and marketing presence worldwide, but may fluctuate as a percentage of our net revenues.

 

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative expenses consist primarily of employee-related expenses for administration, finance, human resources and general management, as well as consulting fees, outside services, legal fees and audit and tax services. For the quarters ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, general and administrative expenses were $1.6 million in both periods, which represented 4.6% and 5.6% of our net revenues, respectively. We expect general and administrative expenses to increase in absolute dollars but those expenses may fluctuate as a percentage of our net revenues.

 

Other income, net. Other income, net, for the first quarter of 2004 was $259,000 compared to $269,000 for the same period in 2003. Other income is primarily interest income earned on short-term and long-term investments.

 

Provision for income taxes. Provision for income taxes represents Federal, state and foreign taxes. The provision for income taxes was $2.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2004 compared to $1.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2003. Our estimated effective tax rate used for the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003 was 28% and 30%, respectively. The difference between the statutory rate of 35% and our effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2004 is due primarily to the favorable effects of research and development tax credits and international earnings subject to lower tax rates. The difference between the statutory rate of 35% and our effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2003 is due primarily to the favorable effects of research and development credits, extraterritorial income inclusion, and federal tax-exempt investments. We expect our effective tax rate to remain at 28% for 2004.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

As of March 31, 2004, we had approximately $123.5 million in cash, cash equivalents and short-term and long-term investments, an increase of approximately $8.1 million from December 31, 2003. In addition, under a revolving line of credit with Union Bank of California, we can borrow up to $10.0 million. A portion of the credit line is used to cover advances for commercial letters of credit and standby letters of credit, which we provide to Matsushita and OKI, prior to the shipment of wafers by those foundries to us, and also to our workers compensation insurance carrier as part of our insurance program. As of March 31, 2004, there were outstanding letters of credit totaling approximately $5.2 million. The balance of this credit line was unused and available as of March 31. 2004. The line of credit agreement, which expires on July 1, 2004, contains financial covenants requiring that we maintain profitability on a quarterly basis and not pay or declare dividends without the bank’s prior consent. As of March 31, 2004, we were in compliance with these financial covenants.

 

As of March 31, 2004, we had working capital, defined as current assets less current liabilities, of approximately $141.9 million, an increase of approximately $6.2 million from December 31, 2003. Our operating activities generated cash of $5.1 million and $1.1 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. Cash generated in the first three months of 2004 was principally the result of net income in the amount of $5.1 million, depreciation and amortization of $1.8 million, the tax benefit associated with employee stock plans of $1.4 million and a decrease in inventory of $1.8 million, partially offset by an increase in accounts receivable of $3.1 million and decreases in accounts payable of $1.2 million and taxes payable and other accrued liabilities of $1.4 million. Cash generated in the first three months of 2003 was principally the result of net income in the amount of $3.9 million, depreciation and amortization of $1.7 million and the tax benefit associated with employee stock plans of $1.1 million, partially offset by increases in inventory of $5.5 million and accounts receivable of $1.1 million.

 

Our investing activities were net purchases of $7.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004 of short-term and long-term investments, and net proceeds from the maturities of short-term investments of $6.8 million in the three months ended March 31.2003. Purchases of property and equipment were $1.4 million and $1.4 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. Our financing activities were primarily receipts from the issuance of common stock through the exercise of stock options and purchases through our employee stock purchase plan of $4.4 million and $4.0 million in the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively.

 

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During the first three months of 2004, a significant portion of our cash flow was generated by our operations. If our operating results deteriorate during the remainder of 2004, as a result of decrease in customer demand, or severe pricing pressures from our customers or our competitors, or for other reasons, our ability to generate positive cash flow from operations may be jeopardized. In that case, we may be forced to use our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, or seek financing from third parties to fund our operations. We believe that cash generated from operations, together with existing sources of liquidity, will satisfy our projected working capital and other cash requirements for at least the next 12 months.

 

We did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements as of March 31, 2004.

 

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

 

In January 2003, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation No. 46 (revised December 2003 by FIN 46R), “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” which addresses how a business enterprise should evaluate whether it has a controlling financial interest in an entity through means other than voting rights and accordingly should consolidate the entity. FIN 46R replaces FASB Interpretation No. 46, “Consolidation of Variable Interest Entities,” which was issued in January 2003. We will be required to apply FIN 46R to variable interests in VIEs created after December 31, 2003. For variable interests in VIEs created before January 1, 2004, the Interpretation will be applied beginning on January 1, 2005. For any VIEs that must be consolidated under FIN 46R that were created before January 1, 2004, the assets, liabilities and non controlling interests of the VIE initially would be measured at their carrying amounts with any difference between the net amount added to the balance sheet and any previously recognized interest being recognized as the cumulative effect of an accounting change. If determining the carrying amounts is not practicable, fair value at the date FIN 46R first applies may be used to measure the assets, liabilities and non controlling interest of the VIE. We believe the adoption of FIN 46R will not have a material impact to our financial position, results of operations or cash flows as we do not have any VIEs.

 

In December 2003, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104 (“SAB 104”), “Revenue Recognition.” SAB 104 supercedes SAB 101, “Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements.” The primary purpose of SAB 104 is to rescind accounting guidance contained in SAB 101 related to multiple element revenue arrangements, superceded as a result of the issuance of Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue No. 00-21 “Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables.” Additionally, SAB 104 rescinds the SEC’s Revenue Recognition in Financial Statements Frequently Asked Questions and Answers (“the FAQ”) issued with SAB 101 that had been codified in SEC Topic 13, Revenue Recognition. Selected portions of the FAQ have been incorporated into SAB104. While the wording of SAB 104 has changed to reflect the issuance of EITF 00-21, the revenue recognition principles of SAB 101 remain largely unchanged by the issuance of SAB 104. The adoption of SAB 104 did not have a material impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Factors That May Affect Future Results of Operations

 

In addition to the other information in this report, the following factors should be considered carefully in evaluating our business before purchasing shares of our stock.

 

Our quarterly operating results are volatile and difficult to predict. If we fail to meet the expectations of public market analysts or investors, the market price of our common stock may decrease significantly. Our net revenues and operating results have varied significantly in the past, are difficult to forecast, are subject to numerous factors both within and outside of our control, and may fluctuate significantly in the future. As a result, our quarterly operating results could fall below the expectations of public market analysts or investors. If that occurs, the price of our stock may decline.

 

Some of the factors that could affect our operating results include the following:

 

  the volume and timing of orders received from customers;

 

  the volume and timing of orders placed by us with our foundries;

 

  changes in product mix including the impact of new product introduction on existing products;

 

  our ability to develop and bring to market new products and technologies on a timely basis;

 

  the timing of investments in research and development and sales and marketing;

 

  cyclical semiconductor industry conditions;

 

  fluctuations in exchange rates, particularly the exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen; and

 

  proposed changes to GAAP which may require recording compensation expense for employee stock options.

 

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We do not have long-term contracts with any of our customers and if they fail to place, or if they cancel or reschedule orders for our products, our operating results and business may suffer. Our business is characterized by short-term customer orders and shipment schedules. Our customer base is highly concentrated, and a relatively small number of distributors, OEMs and merchant power supply manufacturers account for a significant portion of our revenues. The ordering patterns of some of our existing large customers have been unpredictable in the past and we expect that customer-ordering patterns will continue to be unpredictable in the future. Not only does the volume of units ordered by particular customers vary substantially from period to period, but also purchase orders received from particular customers often vary substantially from early oral estimates provided by those customers for planning purposes. In addition, customer orders can be canceled or rescheduled without significant penalty to the customer. In the past we have experienced customer cancellations of substantial orders for reasons beyond our control, and significant cancellations could occur again at any time.

 

Intense competition in the high-voltage power supply industry may lead to a decrease in the average selling price and reduced sales volume of our products, which may harm our business. The high-voltage power supply industry is intensely competitive and characterized by significant price erosion. Our products face competition from alternative technologies, including traditional linear transformers and discrete switcher power supplies. If the price of competing solutions decreases significantly, the cost effectiveness of our products will be adversely affected. If power requirements for applications in which our products are currently utilized go outside the cost effective range of our products, these older alternative technologies can be used more cost effectively. We cannot assure that our products will continue to compete favorably or that we will be successful in the face of increasing competition from new products and enhancements introduced by existing competitors or new companies entering this market. We believe our failure to compete successfully in the high-voltage power supply business, including our ability to introduce new products with higher average selling prices, would materially harm our operating results.

 

If demand for our products declines in the major end markets that we serve, our net revenues will decrease. Applications of our products in the consumer, communications and computer end markets, such as cellular phone chargers, stand-by power supplies for PCs, power supplies for TV set top boxes and power supplies for home appliances have and will continue to account for a large percentage of our net revenues. We expect that a significant level of our net revenues and operating results will continue to be dependent upon these applications in the near term. The demand for these products has been highly cyclical and has been subject to significant economic downturns at various times. Announcements of economic slowdown by major companies in any of the end markets we serve, could indirectly through our customers, cause a slowdown in demand for some of our ICs. When our customers are not successful in maintaining high levels of demand for their products, their demand for our ICs decreases, which adversely affects our operating results. Any significant downturn in demand in these markets would cause our net revenues to decline and could cause the price of our stock to fall.

 

Because the sales cycle for our products can be lengthy, we may incur substantial expenses before we generate significant revenues, if any. Our products are generally incorporated into a customer’s products at the design stage. However, customer decisions to use our products, commonly referred to as design wins, which can often require us to expend significant research and development and sales and marketing resources without any assurance of success, often precede volume sales, if any, by a year or more. The value of any design win will largely depend upon the commercial success of the customer’s product. We cannot assure that we will continue to achieve design wins or that any design win will result in future revenues. If a customer decides at the design stage not to incorporate our products into its product, we may not have another opportunity for a design win with respect to that product for many months or years.

 

Our products must meet exacting specifications, and undetected defects and failures may occur which may cause customers to return or stop buying our products. Our customers generally establish demanding specifications for quality, performance and reliability that our products must meet. ICs as complex as those we sell often encounter development delays and may contain undetected defects or failures when first introduced or after commencement of commercial shipments. We have from time to time in the past experienced product quality, performance or reliability problems. If defects and failures occur in our products, we could experience lost revenue, increased costs, including warranty expense and costs associated with customer support, delays in or cancellations or rescheduling of orders or shipments and product returns or discounts, any of which would harm our operating results.

 

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Our international sales activities account for a substantial portion of our net revenues and subject us to substantial risks. Sales to customers outside of the United States account for a large portion of our net revenues, including approximately 92% and 94% of our net revenues in the three months ended March 31, 2004 and 2003, respectively. If our international sales declined and we were unable to increase domestic sales, our revenues would decline and our operating results would be harmed. International sales involve a number of risks to us, including:

 

  potential insolvency of international distributors and representatives;

 

  reduced protection for intellectual property rights in some countries;

 

  the impact of recessionary environments in economies outside the United States;

 

  tariffs and other trade barriers and restrictions;

 

  the burdens of complying with a variety of foreign and applicable U.S. federal and state laws; and

 

  foreign currency exchange risk.

 

Our failure to adequately address these risks could reduce our international sales, which would materially adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, because substantially all of our foreign sales are denominated in U.S. dollars, increases in the value of the dollar increase the price in local currencies of our products in foreign markets and make our products relatively more expensive and less price competitive than competitors’ products that are priced in local currencies.

 

We depend on third-party suppliers to provide us with wafers for our products and if they fail to provide us sufficient wafers, our business will suffer. We have supply arrangements for the production of wafers with Matsushita, which expires in June 2005, and with OKI, which expires in April 2008. Although certain aspects of our relationships with Matsushita and OKI are contractual, many important aspects of these relationships depend on their continued cooperation. We cannot assure that we will continue to work successfully with Matsushita or OKI in the future, that they will continue to provide us with sufficient capacity at their foundries to meet our needs, or that either of them will not seek an early termination of its wafer supply agreement with us. Any serious disruption in the supply of wafers from either OKI or Matsushita would harm our business. We estimate that it would take 9 to 18 months from the time we identified an alternate manufacturing source before that source could produce wafers with acceptable manufacturing yields in sufficient quantities to meet our needs. In May 2003, we signed a wafer supply agreement with a third foundry, ZMD Analog Mixed Signal Services GmbH & CoKG. ZMD is located in Germany and is expected to be able to produce wafers for us by the end of 2004. Our agreement with ZMD expires on December 31, 2009.

 

Although we provide Matsushita and OKI with rolling forecasts of our production requirements, their ability to provide wafers to us is limited by the available capacity of the foundry in which they manufacture wafers for us. An increased need for capacity to meet internal demands or demands of other customers could cause Matsushita and OKI to reduce capacity available to us. Matsushita and OKI may also require us to pay amounts in excess of contracted or anticipated amounts for wafer deliveries or require us to make other concessions in order to acquire the wafer supply necessary to meet our customers’ requirements. Any of these concessions could harm our business.

 

If our third-party suppliers and independent subcontractors do not produce our wafers and assemble our finished products at acceptable yields, our net revenues may decline. We depend on Matsushita and OKI to produce wafers, and independent subcontractors to assemble and test finished products, at acceptable yields and to deliver them to us in a timely manner. The failure of Matsushita or OKI to supply us wafers at acceptable yields could prevent us from selling our products to our customers and would likely cause a decline in our net revenues. In addition, our IC assembly process requires our manufacturers to use a high-voltage molding compound available from only one vendor, which is difficult to process. This compound and its required processes, together with the other non-standard materials and processes needed to assemble our products, require a more exacting level of process control than normally required for standard packages. Unavailability of the sole source compound or problems with the assembly process can materially adversely affect yields and cost to manufacture. We cannot assure that acceptable yields will be maintainable in the future.

 

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Matsushita has licenses to our technology, which it may use to our detriment. Our ability to take advantage of the potentially large Japanese market for our products is largely dependent on Matsushita and its ability to promote and deliver our products. Pursuant to our agreement with Matsushita, Matsushita has the right to manufacture and sell products using our technology to Japanese companies worldwide and to subsidiaries of Japanese companies located in Asia. Although we receive royalties on Matsushita’s sales, these royalties are substantially lower than the gross profit we receive on direct sales. We cannot assure that Matsushita will not use the technology rights we have granted it to develop or market competing products following any termination of its relationship with us or after termination of Matsushita’s royalty obligation to us.

 

If our efforts to enhance existing products and introduce new products are not successful, we may not be able to generate demand for our products. Our success depends in significant part upon our ability to develop new ICs for high-voltage power conversion for existing and new markets, to introduce these products in a timely manner and to have these products selected for design into products of leading manufacturers. New product introduction schedules are subject to the risks and uncertainties that typically accompany development and delivery of complex technologies to the market place, including product development delays and defects. If we fail to develop and sell new products in a timely manner, our net revenues could decline.

 

We cannot be sure that we will be able to adjust to changing market demands as quickly and cost-effectively as necessary to compete successfully. Furthermore, we cannot assure that we will be able to introduce new products in a timely and cost-effective manner or in sufficient quantities to meet customer demand or that these products will achieve market acceptance. Our failure, or our customers’ failure to develop and introduce new products successfully and in a timely manner would harm our business and may cause the price of our common stock to fall. In addition, customers may defer or return orders for existing products in response to the introduction of new products. Although we maintain reserves for potential customer returns, we cannot assure that these reserves will be adequate.

 

If our products do not penetrate additional markets, our business will not grow as we expect. We believe that our future success depends in part upon our ability to penetrate additional markets for our products. We cannot assure that we will be able to overcome the marketing or technological challenges necessary to do so. To the extent that a competitor penetrates additional markets before we do, or takes market share from us in our existing markets, our net revenues and financial condition could be materially adversely affected.

 

In the event of an earthquake, terrorist act or other disaster, our operations may be interrupted and our business would be harmed. Our principal executive offices and operating facilities situated near San Francisco, California, and most of our major suppliers (foundries and assembly houses), are located in areas that have been subject to severe earthquakes. In the event of an earthquake, we and/or most of our major suppliers may be temporarily unable to continue operations and may suffer significant property damage. Any such interruption in our ability or that of our major suppliers to continue operations at our facilities could delay the development and shipment of our products.

 

Like other U.S. companies, our business and operating results are subject to uncertainties arising out of the recent terrorist attacks on the United States, including the potential worsening or extension of the current global economic slowdown, the economic consequences of current and potential military actions or additional terrorist activities and associated political instability, and the impact of heightened security concerns on domestic and international travel and commerce. Such uncertainties could also lead to delays or cancellations of customer orders, a general decrease in corporate spending or our inability to effectively market and sell our products. Any of these results could substantially harm our business and results of operations, causing a decrease in our revenues.

 

An outbreak of a contagious disease may adversely impact the operations of our major suppliers and our global operations. If there is an outbreak of a contagious disease such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), it could have an adverse impact on our major customers and suppliers. It could also have an impact on the end market demand for consumer products that incorporate our chips. These factors could harm our global sales and operations.

 

If we are unable to adequately protect or enforce our intellectual property rights, we could lose market share, incur costly litigation expenses, suffer incremental price erosion or lose valuable assets, any of which could harm our operations and negatively impact our profitability. Our success depends upon our ability to protect our intellectual property, including patents, trade secrets, and know-how, and to continue our technological innovation. We cannot assure that the steps we have taken to protect our intellectual property will be adequate to prevent misappropriation or that others

 

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will not develop competitive technologies or products. From time to time we have received, and we may receive in the future, communications alleging possible infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights of others. Litigation, which could result in substantial cost to us, may be necessary to enforce our patents or other intellectual property rights or to defend us against claimed infringement of the rights of others. The failure to obtain necessary licenses or other rights or litigation arising out of infringement claims could cause us to lose market share and harm our business.

 

Moreover, the laws of some foreign countries in which our technology is or may in the future be licensed may not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, thus increasing the possibility of infringement of our intellectual property.

 

We must attract and retain qualified personnel to be successful and competition for qualified personnel is intense in our market. Our success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service of our executive officers and other key management and technical personnel, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, such as experienced analog design engineers and systems applications engineers. The competition for these employees is intense, particularly in Silicon Valley. The loss of the services of one or more of our engineers, executive officers or other key personnel could harm our business. In addition, if one or more of these individuals leaves our employ, and we are unable to quickly and efficiently replace those individuals with qualified personnel who can smoothly transition into their new roles, our business may suffer. We do not have long-term employment contracts with, and we do not have in place key person life insurance policies on, any of our employees.

 

We have adopted anti-takeover measures, which may make it more difficult for a third party to acquire us. Our board of directors has the authority to issue up to 3,000,000 shares of preferred stock and to determine the price, rights, preferences and privileges of those shares without any further vote or action by the stockholders. The rights of the holders of common stock will be subject to, and may be adversely affected by, the rights of the holders of any preferred stock that may be issued in the future. The issuance of shares of preferred stock, while potentially providing flexibility in connection with possible acquisitions and for other corporate purposes, could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock. We have no present intention to issue shares of preferred stock.

 

In addition, our board of directors adopted a Preferred Stock Purchase Rights Plan intended to guard against hostile takeover tactics. The existence of this plan could have the effect of making it more difficult for a third party to acquire a majority of our outstanding voting stock.

 

The future trading price of our common stock could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors. The price of our common stock has been, and is likely to be, volatile. Factors including future announcements concerning us, our customers or our competitors, quarterly variations in operating results, announcements of technological innovations, the introduction of new products or changes in our product pricing policies or those of our competitors, proprietary rights or other litigation, changes in earnings estimates by analysts and other factors could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially. In addition, stock prices for many technology companies fluctuate widely for reasons, which may be unrelated to operating results. These fluctuations, as well as general economic, market and political conditions may harm the market price of our common stock.

 

Recently enacted changes in securities laws and regulations are likely to increase our costs. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that became law in July 2002 requires changes in some of our corporate governance practices. The Act also requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to promulgate new rules on a variety of subjects. In addition to final rules made by the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nasdaq has revised its requirements for companies that are Nasdaq-listed. These new rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs, and make some activities more difficult, time consuming and/or costly. These new rules and regulations also make it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance, and we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain coverage. These new rules and regulations could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified members of our board of directors, particularly to serve on our audit committee, and qualified executive officers.

 

Proposed changes to GAAP that may require recording compensation expense for employee stock options. The FASB and various federal legislative proposals have proposed changes to GAAP that may require us to adopt a different method of determining the compensation expense for our employee stock options. We currently use the intrinsic value method to measure compensation expense for stock-based awards to our employees. Under this standard, we generally do not consider stock option grants issued under our employee stock option plans to be compensation when the exercise price of the stock option is equal to the fair market value on the date of grant. If any change to GAAP is adopted that requires us to adopt a different method of determining the compensation expense for our employee stock options, our reported results of operations may be adversely affected.

 

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ITEM 3.   QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISKS.

 

There has not been a material change in our exposure to interest rate and foreign currency risks from that described in our 2003 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

 

Interest Rate Risk. Our exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates primarily to our investment portfolio. We do not use derivative financial instruments in our investment portfolio to manage our interest rate risk, foreign currency risk, or for any other purpose. We invest in high-credit quality issuers and, by policy, limit the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer. As stated in our policy, we ensure the safety and preservation of our invested principal funds by limiting default risk, market risk and reinvestment risk. We mitigate default risk by investing in safe and high-credit quality securities and by constantly positioning our portfolio to respond appropriately to a significant reduction in a credit rating of any investment issuer, guarantor or depository. The portfolio includes only marketable securities with active secondary or resale markets to ensure portfolio liquidity.

 

The table below presents carrying value and related weighted average interest rates for our investment portfolio at March 31, 2004.

 

(in thousands, except average interest rates)

 

     Carrying
Value


   Average
Interest Rate


 

Investment Securities Classified as Cash Equivalents:

             

Taxable securities

   $ 70,160    1.17 %

Tax exempt securities

     17,315    1.03 %
    

  

Total

     87,475    1.10 %
    

  

Investment Securities Classified as Short-term Investments:

             

U.S. government securities

     7,594    1.33 %
    

  

Total

     7,594    1.33 %
    

  

Investment Securities Classified as Long-term Investments:

             

U.S. corporate securities

     2,410    2.03 %

U.S. government securities

     2,400    1.55 %
    

  

Total

     4,810    1.79 %
    

  

Total investment securities

   $ 99,879    1.41 %
    

  

 

Foreign Currency Exchange Risk. We transact business in various foreign countries. Our primary foreign currency cash flows are in Asia and Western Europe. Currently, we do not employ a foreign currency hedge program utilizing foreign currency forward exchange contracts; however, the contract prices to purchase wafers from Matsushita and OKI are denominated in Japanese yen and both agreements allow for mutual sharing of the impact of the exchange rate fluctuation between Japanese yen and the U.S. dollar. Nevertheless, changes in the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen subject our gross profit and operating results to the potential for material fluctuations. We maintain a Japanese yen account with a U. S. bank for payments to our wafer suppliers in Japan.

 

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ITEM 4.   CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

 

(a) Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, we evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-14(c) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of that date.

 

(b) There have been no significant changes (including corrective actions with regard to significant deficiencies or material weaknesses) in our internal controls or in other factors that could significantly affect these controls subsequent to the date of the evaluation referenced in paragraph (a) above.

 

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PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

 

ITEM 1.   LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

From time to time, the Company could become involved in litigation relating to claims arising out of the ordinary course of business. The Company is not presently involved in any legal proceedings.

 

ITEM 2.   CHANGES IN SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS

 

None.

 

ITEM 3.   DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES

 

None.

 

ITEM 4.   SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS

 

None.

 

ITEM 5.   OTHER INFORMATION

 

None.

 

ITEM 6.   EXHIBITS AND REPORTS ON FORM 8-K

 

  a. Exhibits.

 

Exhibit Number

  

Description


10.18    Executive Officer Benefits Agreement between us and Andrew John Morrish dated as of August 19, 2002
31.1      Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
31.2      Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.1      Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
32.2      Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

 

  b. Reports on Form 8-K.

 

The Company filed a report on Form 8-K with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 23, 2004, pursuant to Item 12 (“Results of Operations and Financial Condition”). The Form 8-K included a press release announcing the Company’s financial results for the year ended December 31, 2003 and forward-looking statements relating to fiscal 2004.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

       

POWER INTEGRATIONS, INC.

Dated: May 5, 2004

      By:   /S/ JOHN M. COBB
             
               

John M. Cobb

               

Chief Financial Officer

 

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