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8-K - FORM 8-K - Rubicon Technology, Inc.d578866d8k.htm

Exhibit 99.1

RUBICON TECHNOLOGY, INC. REPORTS SECOND QUARTER

2013 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

Bensenville, Ill.—August 7, 2013—Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN), a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, semiconductor, and optical industries, today reported financial results for its second quarter ended June 30, 2013.

The Company reported second quarter revenue of $10.6 million as compared with $8.3 million in the prior quarter. Revenue was higher sequentially due to the stronger demand for two- and four-inch core products driven by the strengthening LED market. Raja Parvez, President and CEO of Rubicon Technology, commented, “We saw stronger demand for two- and four-inch core from the LED market in the second quarter. Orders were up significantly and pricing for these products increased by approximately 10 percent. This is the first time in two years that sapphire pricing has increased.” Changes in market pricing are usually reflected in the Company’s financial results in the following quarter due to the lead time on customer orders, therefore, changes in market pricing in the second quarter will be reflected in third quarter financial performance. The Company reported that demand for two- and four-inch core remains robust and that pricing has continued to rise in the third quarter.

Overall demand from the LED market has been improving, driven by increasing adoption of LEDs for general lighting applications. The Company expects LED demand to continue to strengthen given the momentum in the LED general lighting segment. Also, non-LED applications for mobile devices such as camera lens covers, portions of the face plate to allow for biometrics like fingerprint recognition and smart watches have the potential to add considerable demand for sapphire next year.

Much of the pressure on the Company’s earnings is coming from a lull in six-inch wafer orders and idle plant costs due to low utilization of the Company’s manufacturing facilities. Mr. Parvez commented, “We expect improvement in six-inch wafer orders later this year, and we are on schedule to begin offering four-inch and six-inch pattered


sapphire substrates (“PSS”) by the end of the year. The PSS product will allow us to capture more revenue and margin on the same surface area of sapphire. It could also help facilitate six-inch adoption among chip manufacturers as there will be one less process to scale up before migrating to a larger platform.”

William Weissman, CFO of Rubicon Technology, said, “Idle plant costs in the second quarter totaled $3.7 million, which is a significant portion of our gross loss. Based on the large core volumes we are currently shipping, we expect our boule inventory levels to decrease quickly and anticipate re-engaging idle crystal growth capacity early next year. Utilization of our polishing operations will improve with the strengthening of six-inch wafer orders and the start of patterned substrate production.”

The company reported that cash and investments increased by $5 million in the second quarter to $41 million due to the decrease of inventory and strong accounts receivable collections.

The Company reported a net loss of $(0.26) per share in the second quarter as compared with a net loss of $(0.15) in the prior quarter. Disposal of equipment and a slightly lower tax benefit rate also contributed to the larger loss per share.

Third Quarter 2013 Guidance

Commenting on the outlook for the third quarter of 2013, Mr. Weissman said, “We believe the LED market will continue to strengthen and we expect pricing for two- and four-inch cores to be higher in the third quarter. We believe it will take another quarter or two to see a meaningful improvement in six-inch wafer orders and there will likely be additional price pressure on that product in the near-term. As a result, we expect the third quarter revenue to be similar to the second quarter. Idle plant costs will remain high in the third quarter but we should see some improvement in profitability with pricing increases for two- and four-inch cores and product cost reductions, offset partially by lower six-inch wafer volumes and pricing. As a result, we expect a loss per share between $(0.20) and $(0.24) based on 22.5 million shares outstanding and a 45 percent tax benefit.”


Conference Call Details

Rubicon will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 7, 2013 to review the second quarter 2013 results and the third quarter 2013 outlook. The conference call will be available to the public through a live audio web broadcast via the Internet. Log on through the Investor Relations section of Rubicon's website at http://ir.rubicontechnology.com/index.html. An audio replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available until 9:00 a.m. Eastern time on August 15, 2013, and can be accessed by dialing (877) 344-7529 or (412) 317-0088 (international). Callers should reference conference ID 10031763. The webcast will be archived on the Company's website.

About Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Rubicon Technology, Inc. is an advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Rubicon is a vertically integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes, which the Company employs to convert the bulk crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is the world leader in larger diameter sapphire products to support next-generation LED, RFIC and optical window applications.

Further information is available at http://www.rubicontechnology.com.


Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements in this release, particularly those preceded by, followed by or including the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “should,” “estimates,” or similar expressions, or those relating to or anticipating financial results for periods beyond the end of the second quarter of 2013, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. For those statements, the company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by us. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks and uncertainties include market acceptance of LED lighting, our ability to adapt to future changes in the LED industry, our successful development and market acceptance of new products, changes in the average selling prices of sapphire products, dependence on key customers, potential disruptions in our supply of electricity, changes in our product mix, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, the competitive environment, the availability and cost of raw materials, the cost of compliance with environmental standards, the ability to make effective acquisitions and successfully integrate newly acquired businesses into existing operations and other risks and uncertainties described in the company's most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the company's forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement that the company makes speaks only as of the date of such statement, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

CONTACT:

Dee Johnson

Vice President, Investor Relations

847-457-3426


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

 

     June 30,
2013
(unaudited)
     June 30,
2012
(unaudited)
 

Assets

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 22,779       $ 21,774   

Restricted cash

     166         166   

Short-term investments

     17,940         29,928   

Accounts receivable

     3,103         9,316   

Inventories

     43,755         38,813   

Other current assets

     14,124         17,574   

Deferred tax assets

     4,752         3,078   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current assets

     106,619         120,649   

Property and equipment, net

     116,340         121,404   

Investments

     —           2,000   

Other assets

     891         1,550   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total assets

   $ 223,850       $ 245,603   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity

     

Accounts payable

   $ 2,807       $ 7,041   

Accrued and other current liabilities

     1,638         3,762   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total current liabilities

     4,445         10,803   

Deferred tax liability

     2,998         10,218   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities

     7,443         21,021   

Stockholders' equity

     216,407         224,582   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 223,850       $ 245,603   
  

 

 

    

 

 

 


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share amounts)

 

     Three months ended June 30,     Six months ended June 30,  
     2013     2012     2013     2012  

Revenue

   $ 10,555      $ 17,003      $ 18,862      $ 27,210   

Cost of goods sold

     16,972        16,992        28,654        30,607   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Gross (loss) profit

     (6,417     11        (9,792     (3,397

General and administrative expenses

     2,215        2,044        4,405        4,350   

Sales and marketing expenses

     414        473        763        929   

Research and development expenses

     495        597        877        1,073   

Loss (gain) on disposal of assets

     427        (5     427        (5
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Total operating expenses

     3,551        3,109        6,472        6,347   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss from operations

     (9,968     (3,098     (16,264     (9,744

Other income (expense):

        

Interest income and other, net

     (205     (288     (327     87   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Loss before income taxes

     (10,173     (3,386     (16,591     (9,657

Income tax benefit

     4,279        2,074        7,321        4,978   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss

   $ (5,894   $ (1,312   $ (9,270   $ (4,679
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net loss per common share:

        

Basic

   $ (0.26   $ (0.06   $ (0.41   $ (0.21

Diluted

   $ (0.26   $ (0.06   $ (0.41   $ (0.21

Weighted average common shares outstanding used in computing net income per common share:

        

Basic

     22,560,603        22,518,364        22,555,490        22,516,451   

Diluted

     22,560,603        22,518,364        22,555,490        22,516,451   


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

     Three months ended
June 30,
    Six months ended
June 30,
 
     2013     2012     2013     2012  

Cash flows from operating activities

        

Net loss

   $ (5,894   $ (1,312   $ (9,270   $ (4,679

Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

        

Depreciation and amortization

     3,112        2,952        6,222        5,893   

Other

     769        489        1,175        983   

Deferred taxes

     (4,280     (2,109     (7,328     (4,903

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

        

Accounts receivable

     6,427        2,976        9,566        23,328   

Inventories

     5,609        (6,547     3,356        (15,978

Other assets

     1,970        (273     4,511        4,357   

Accounts payable

     524        896        (6,085     (5,835

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     (902     1,185        (1,778     (15
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     7,335        (1,743     369        3,151   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from investing activities

        

Purchases of property and equipment, net of loss (proceeds) from disposal of assets

     (2,947     (1,791     (3,139     (6,361

Proceeds from sales of investments, net purchases of investments

     (3,401     10,470        5,613        20,642   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities

     (6,348     8,679        2,474        14,281   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash flows from financing activities

        

Other financing activities

     30        (20     32        27   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     30        (20     32        27   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Net effect of currency translation

     256        287        331        25   

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

     1,273        7,203        3,206        17,484   

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     21,506        14,571        19,573        4,290   
  

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

   

 

 

 

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 22,779      $ 21,774      $ 22,779      $ 21,774