Attached files

file filename
8-K - ABAXIS 8-K 10-25-2011 - ABAXIS INCform8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1
 
Contact:
Abaxis, Inc.
Lytham Partners, LLC
 
Clint Severson
Joe Dorame, Robert Blum and Joe Diaz
 
Chief Executive Officer
602-889-9700
 
510-675-6500
 
 
ABAXIS REPORTS FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE WITH RECORD REVENUES FOR
THE SECOND QUARTER OF FISCAL 2012

Union City, California – October 25, 2011 - ABAXIS, Inc. (NasdaqGS: ABAX), a medical products company manufacturing point-of-care blood analysis systems, today reported financial results for the second fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011.

Record quarterly highlights include:
·
Revenues of $40.0 million, up 13% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
North America revenues of $32.0 million, up 8% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
Veterinary market sales of $31.5 million, up 18% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
Total medical and veterinary reagent disc sales of $22.8 million, up 18% over last year’s comparable quarter.
Other quarterly highlights include:
·
Medical market sales of $7.3 million, up 7% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
Total medical and veterinary instrument sales of $8.8 million, up 15% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
Total medical and veterinary instrument sales of 1,227 units, up 24% over last year’s comparable quarter.
·
Total medical and veterinary reagent disc sales of 1.8 million units, up 16% over last year’s comparable quarter.

Quarterly Results:  For the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011, Abaxis reported revenues of $40.0 million, as compared with revenues of $35.3 million for the comparable period last year, an increase of 13 percent.  Revenues from instruments, which include chemistry analyzers, hematology instruments, VSpro coagulation and specialty analyzers and i-STAT analyzers, increased by an aggregate of $1.1 million, or 15 percent, over the same period last year.  Revenues from consumables, which include reagent discs, hematology reagent kits, VSpro coagulation and specialty cartridges, i-STAT cartridges and rapid tests, increased by an aggregate of $4.2 million, or 17 percent, over the same period last year.  Abaxis reported net income of $3.3 million for the fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2011, compared to $3.7 million for the same period last year.  Abaxis’ effective tax rate in the quarter ended September 30, 2011 was 37 percent, compared to 39 percent for the same period last year.  Abaxis reported diluted net income per share of $0.15 (calculated based on 22,564,000 shares) for the three-month period ended September 30, 2011, compared to $0.17 per share (calculated based on 22,691,000 shares) for the same period last year.

Six-Month Results:  For the six-month period ended September 30, 2011, Abaxis reported revenues of $76.0 million, as compared with revenues of $70.2 million for the comparable period last year, an increase of 8 percent.  Revenues from instrument sales increased by an aggregate of $1.3 million, or 9 percent, over the same period last year.  Revenues from consumables increased by an aggregate of $5.6 million, or 11 percent, over the same period last year.  The company reported net income of $5.5 million, compared to $7.3 million for the same period last year.  The company’s effective tax rate in the six-month period ended September 30, 2011, was 37 percent, compared to 39 percent for the same period last year.  The company reported diluted net income per share of $0.24 (calculated based on 22,850,000 shares) for the six-month period ended September 30, 2011, compared to $0.32 per share (calculated based on 22,736,000 shares) for the same period last year.

 
1

 
 
Other Reported Information:  Total sales in the medical market for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 were $7.3 million, an increase of 7 percent, compared to the same period last year.  Medical sales worldwide, excluding sales to the U.S. government, during the second quarter of fiscal 2012 were $6.3 million, an increase of 6 percent, compared to the same period last year.  Total sales in the veterinary market for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 were $31.5 million, an increase of 18 percent, compared to the same period last year.  Veterinary reagent disc sales for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 were $17.6 million, an increase of 18 percent compared to the same period last year.  Non-cash compensation expense recognized for share-based awards during the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was $1.6 million, compared to $1.1 million for the same period last year.  Cash, cash equivalents and investments decreased during the second quarter of fiscal 2012 by $24.2 million due to our stock repurchase program.  Costs related to development of our full service commercial laboratory for veterinarians, Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories (AVRL), during the three and six months ended September 30, 2011, were $1.1 million and $1.6 million, respectively.

“This was a very solid quarter for Abaxis,” commented Clint Severson, chairman and chief executive officer of Abaxis.  “We achieved record revenues for the quarter exceeding $40.0 million, total instrument sales in units grew 24%, total reagent disc sales increased 18%, and we experienced solid international sales growth, approaching 40%.  We were particularly pleased with the growth in sales in Europe and Asia; which we believe bodes well for the future.  Our markets, by and large, appear to be very strong at the moment.  While we still have work to do in accelerating medical instrument sales, we are confident in the accuracy and reliability of our Piccolo medical instrument and of our ability to gain market share going forward.  We are very pleased with the results of the second quarter.”

Mr. Severson continued, “On another front, in our second quarter of fiscal 2012, AVRL went live with our partners at Kansas State University.  We have completed the bulk of the initial investment to get this venture operational and we look forward to serving the veterinary community nationwide with our leading-edge technology and customer service.  Over the past 16 years we have built a high level of credibility with the segment of the veterinary community that relies on our point-of-care instruments to compassionately care for their patients on a timely basis.  We believe that this community will give AVRL the opportunity to earn their reference laboratory business.  Our expectation is to leverage that credibility and develop a consistently growing business in the years to come.”

“We are also devoted to enhancing the market capitalization of the company for the benefit of our loyal shareholders.  The Board has authorized us to acquire up to $40.0 million of Abaxis common stock in the open market.  In our second quarter of fiscal 2012, we acquired approximately 1.2 million shares in the open market for approximately $27.3 million.  We believe this is a sound investment and we will take the opportunity to support our shareholders in the future when we believe the price is appropriate.  We are very upbeat about the prospects of the company in the coming years.”

Conference Call
Abaxis has scheduled a conference call to discuss its results at 4:15 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.  Participants can dial (877) 317-6789 or (412) 317-6789 to access the conference call, or can listen via a live Internet web cast, which is available in the Investor Relations section of the company’s website at http://www.abaxis.com.  A replay of the call will be available by visiting http://www.abaxis.com for the next 30 days or by calling (877) 344-7529 or (412) 317-0088, confirmation code 10005496, through November 1, 2011.  This press release is also available prior to and after the call via Abaxis’ website or the Securities and Exchange Commission’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

About Abaxis
Abaxis develops, manufactures, markets and sells portable blood analysis systems for use in any veterinary or human patient-care setting to provide clinicians with rapid blood constituent measurements.  The system consists of a compact, 5.1 kilogram (11.2 pounds), portable analyzer and a series of single-use plastic discs, called reagent discs that contain all the chemicals required to perform a panel of up to 13 tests on veterinary patients and 14 tests on human patients.  The system can be operated with minimal training and performs multiple routine tests on whole blood, serum or plasma samples.  The system provides test results in less than 12 minutes with the precision and accuracy equivalent to a clinical laboratory analyzer.  The veterinary business also provides to the animal health and research market a line of hematology instruments for point-of-care complete blood counts (CBC), a specialty instrument to screen for and detect clotting disorders and to measure equine fibrinogen levels, a handheld instrument for the rapid assessment of certain critical care tests and rapid point-of-care tests for Heartworm infections in dogs, Parvovirus and Giardia.  Abaxis, through its AVRL Division, provides routine laboratory testing as well as specialty testing for veterinarians nationwide.  This state-of-the-art commercial laboratory will be the hub of the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories (AVRL).

 
2

 
 
Use of Financial Measures
To supplement the financial statements presented in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Abaxis uses operating income per share, a non-GAAP financial measure.  The presentation of this financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for, or superior to, the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP.  For more information on this non-GAAP financial measure, refer to the table captioned “Operating Income Per Share” included at the end of this release.  Abaxis defines operating income per share as operating income divided by the weighted average outstanding shares.  Management uses this measure in comparing Abaxis’ operating results with historical performance and believes it provides meaningful and comparable information to management and investors to assist in their review of Abaxis’ performance relative to prior periods and its competitors.

This press release includes, and our conference call will include, statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (the “Reform Act”), including but not limited to statements related to Abaxis’ cash position, financial resources and potential for future growth, market acceptance and penetration of new or planned product offerings, and future recurring revenues and results of operations.  Abaxis claims the protection of the safe-harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Reform Act.  These forward-looking statements are often characterized by the terms “may,” “believes,” “projects,” “expects,” “anticipates,” or words of similar import, and do not reflect historical facts.  Specific forward-looking statements contained in this press release or in Abaxis’ conference call may be affected by risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, those related to losses or system failures with respect to Abaxis’ facilities or manufacturing operations, fluctuations in quarterly operating results, dependence on sole suppliers, the market acceptance of Abaxis’ products, the continuing development of its products and the Abaxis Veterinary Reference Laboratories, required United States Food and Drug Administration clearance and other government approvals, risks associated with manufacturing and distributing its products on a commercial scale free of defects, risks related to the introduction of new instruments manufactured by third parties, risks associated with competing in the human diagnostic market, risks related to the protection of Abaxis’ intellectual property or claims of infringement of intellectual property asserted by third parties, risks related to condition of the United States economy and other risks detailed under “Risk Factors” in Abaxis’ Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended June 30, 2011 and Abaxis’ other periodic reports filed from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.  Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date the statements were made.  Abaxis does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements.

Financial Tables on Following Pages

 
3

 
 
ABAXIS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income
(In thousands, except per share data)
(Unaudited)

   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
Revenues
  $ 40,025     $ 35,277     $ 76,028     $ 70,230  
Cost of revenues
    18,004       15,527       34,784       30,696  
Gross profit
    22,021       19,750       41,244       39,534  
Operating expenses:
                               
Research and development
    3,008       3,296       6,462       6,374  
Sales and marketing
    9,335       8,408       18,487       17,041  
General and administrative
    4,495       2,652       7,914       4,776  
Total operating expenses
    16,838       14,356       32,863       28,191  
Income from operations
    5,183       5,394       8,381       11,343  
Interest and other income (expense), net
    56       757       350       652  
Income before income tax provision
    5,239       6,151       8,731       11,995  
Income tax provision
    1,918       2,402       3,196       4,666  
Net income
  $ 3,321     $ 3,749     $ 5,535     $ 7,329  
Net income per share:
                               
Basic net income per share
  $ 0.15     $ 0.17     $ 0.25     $ 0.33  
Diluted net income per share
  $ 0.15     $ 0.17     $ 0.24     $ 0.32  
                                 
Shares used in the calculation of net income per share:
                               
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic
    22,290       22,317       22,484       22,264  
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted
    22,564       22,691       22,850       22,736  

 
4

 
 
ABAXIS, INC.
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets
(Unaudited and in thousands)

   
September 30,
   
March 31,
 
   
2011
   
2011
 
Current assets:
           
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 37,994     $ 43,471  
Short-term investments
    17,649       25,981  
Receivables, net
    27,490       27,880  
Inventories
    19,109       19,814  
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
    5,068       3,496  
Net deferred tax assets, current
    3,048       3,422  
Total current assets
    110,358       124,064  
Long-term investments
    29,099       36,237  
Investment in unconsolidated affiliate
    2,697       2,769  
Property and equipment, net
    22,913       19,637  
Intangible assets, net
    3,919       4,216  
Net deferred tax assets, non-current
    1,203       1,203  
Other assets
    111       134  
Total assets
  $ 170,300     $ 188,260  
                 
Current liabilities:
               
Accounts payable
  $ 6,996     $ 6,173  
Accrued payroll and related expenses
    6,873       6,129  
Accrued taxes
    232       559  
Other accrued liabilities
    1,788       1,677  
Deferred revenue
    1,103       953  
Warranty reserve
    1,123       1,031  
Total current liabilities
    18,115       16,522  
Non-current liabilities:
               
Deferred rent
    530       416  
Deferred revenue
    2,105       1,737  
Warranty reserve
    313       191  
Notes payable, less current portion
    834       746  
Total non-current liabilities
    3,782       3,090  
Total liabilities
    21,897       19,612  
Shareholders' equity:
               
Common stock
    106,262       132,042  
Retained earnings
    42,141       36,606  
Total shareholders' equity
    148,403       168,648  
Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
  $ 170,300     $ 188,260  

 
5

 
 
Operating Income Per Share
(In thousands, except per share data)
   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
Shares used in the calculation of operating income per share:
                       
Weighted average common shares outstanding - basic
    22,290       22,317       22,484       22,264  
Weighted average common shares outstanding - diluted
    22,564       22,691       22,850       22,736  
                                 
Operating income per share - basic
  $ 0.23     $ 0.24     $ 0.37     $ 0.51  
Operating income per share - diluted
  $ 0.23     $ 0.24     $ 0.37     $ 0.50  

Revenues by Geographic Region
(In thousands)
   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
North America
  $ 31,985     $ 29,528     $ 61,693     $ 57,317  
International
    8,040       5,749       14,335       12,913  
Total revenues
  $ 40,025     $ 35,277     $ 76,028     $ 70,230  

Revenues by Customer Group
(In thousands)
   
Three Months Ended
   
Six Months Ended
 
   
September 30,
   
September 30,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
Medical Market
  $ 7,333     $ 6,857     $ 14,489     $ 13,295  
Veterinary Market
    31,548       26,649       59,217       53,467  
Other
    1,144       1,771       2,322       3,468  
Total revenues
  $ 40,025     $ 35,277     $ 76,028     $ 70,230  
 
 
6