Cohu Reports Second Quarter 2023 Results

Cohu, Inc. (NASDAQ: COHU), a global supplier of equipment and services optimizing semiconductor manufacturing yield and productivity, today reported fiscal 2023 second quarter net sales of $168.9 million and GAAP income of $10.6 million or $0.22 per share. Net sales for the first six months of 2023 were $348.3 million and GAAP income was $26.3 million or $0.55 per share.

Cohu also reported non-GAAP results, with second quarter 2023 income of $22.8 million or $0.48 per share and income of $49.8 million or $1.04 per share for the first six months of 2023.

Total cash and investments at the end of second quarter 2023 were $372.3 million and our Term Loan B principal amount was $31.1 million. Cohu repurchased 77,203 shares of its common stock in the second quarter for an aggregate amount of approximately $2.7 million.

“Second quarter gross margin and profitability were strong driven by a resilient recurring business model which has achieved a 3-year compound revenue growth rate of 7%,” said Cohu President and CEO Luis Müller. “We are focused on expanding our product portfolio and winning new customer applications, positioning the company to deliver revenue growth when market conditions improve.”

Cohu expects third quarter 2023 sales to be approximately $150 million.

Conference Call Information:

The Company will host a live conference call and webcast with slides to discuss second quarter 2023 results at 5:30 a.m. Pacific Time/8:30 a.m. Eastern Time on August 3, 2023. Interested parties may listen live via webcast on Cohu’s investor relations website at https://edge.media-server.com/mmc/p/6n5z34zd.

To participate via telephone and join the call live, please register in advance at https://register.vevent.com/register/BIb169876ee747489baab528b612fd969e to receive the dial-in number along with a unique PIN number that can be used to access the call.

About Cohu:

Cohu (NASDAQ: COHU) is a global technology leader supplying test, automation, inspection and metrology products and services to the semiconductor industry. Cohu’s differentiated and broad product portfolio enables optimized yield and productivity, accelerating customers’ manufacturing time-to-market. Additional information can be found at www.cohu.com.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information:

Included within this press release and accompanying materials are non-GAAP financial measures, including non-GAAP Gross Margin/Profit, Income and Income (adjusted earnings) per share, Operating Income, Operating Expense, effective tax rate, free cash flow and Adjusted EBITDA that supplement the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations prepared under generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). These non-GAAP financial measures adjust the Company’s actual results prepared under GAAP to exclude charges and the related income tax effect for: share-based compensation, the amortization of purchased intangible assets, manufacturing transition and severance costs, acquisition-related costs and associated professional fees, restructuring costs, inventory step-up, depreciation of purchase accounting adjustments to property, plant and equipment, employer payroll taxes related to accelerated vesting share-based awards, amortization of cloud-based software implementation costs (Adjusted EBITDA only) and loss on extinguishment of debt (Adjusted EBITDA only). Reconciliations of GAAP to non-GAAP amounts for the periods presented herein are provided in schedules accompanying this release and should be considered together with the Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. With respect to any forward-looking non-GAAP figures, we are unable to provide without unreasonable efforts, at this time, a GAAP to non-GAAP reconciliation of any forward-looking figures due to their inherent uncertainty.

These non-GAAP measures are not meant as a substitute for GAAP, but are included solely for informational and comparative purposes. The Company’s management believes that this information can assist investors in evaluating the Company’s operational trends, financial performance, and cash generating capacity. Management uses non-GAAP measures for a variety of reasons, including to make operational decisions, to determine executive compensation in part, to forecast future operational results, and for comparison to our annual operating plan. However, the non-GAAP financial measures should not be regarded as a replacement for (or superior to) corresponding, similarly captioned, GAAP measures.

Forward Looking Statements:

Certain statements contained in this release and accompanying materials may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding continuing improvements in operational performance; aligning investments with major trends in industrial automation, autonomous vehicles, mobility, increased processing and sensing power; expanding our factory footprint in the Philippines; future growth in recurring; test interface design wins with expanded manufacturing in Asia; other design wins within the handler group; expansion of the Diamondx platform for analog testing; strategy to expand served addressable markets and deliver long-term growth; growth into adjacent areas, including service; resiliency of recurring business; expanding our software business including DI-Core; expanding Cohu’s differentiated product portfolio; new customer application gains; estimated test cell utilization; thermal handler demand for hyperscaling; Cohu’s FY2023 and FY2024 outlook; revenue growth with expected market condition improvements; % of incremental revenue expected to fall to operating income; expense controls; Cohu’s third quarter 2023 sales forecast, orders, guidance, sales mix, non-GAAP operating expenses, gross margin, operating income, adjusted EBITDA, effective tax rate, free cash flow, cap ex, cash and/or shares outstanding; estimated minimum cash needed; estimated EBITDA breakeven point; Cohu’s Mid-Term Financial Targets; any future Term Loan B principal reduction; the amount, timing or manner of any share repurchases; and any other statements that are predictive in nature and depend upon or refer to future events or conditions; and/or include words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “would,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “likely,” “believe,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend;” and/or other similar expressions among others. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on current beliefs and assumptions that are subject to risks and uncertainties and are not guarantees of future performance. Any third-party industry analyst forecasts quoted are for reference only and Cohu does not adopt or affirm any such forecasts.

Actual results and future business conditions could differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement as a result of various factors, including, without limitation: cyclical COVID-19 pandemic impacts; new product investments and product enhancements which may not be commercially successful; inability to effectively manage multiple manufacturing sites in Asia and secure reliable and cost-effective raw materials; failure of sole source contract manufacturer; ongoing inflationary pressures on material and operational costs coupled with rising interest rates; economic recession; instability of financial institutions where we maintain cash deposits and potential loss of uninsured cash deposits; the semiconductor industry is seasonal, cyclical, volatile and unpredictable; the semiconductor equipment industry is intensely competitive; rapid technological changes and product introductions and transitions; a limited number of customers account for a substantial percentage of net sales; significant exports to foreign countries with economic and political instability and competition from a number of Asia-based manufacturers; loss of key personnel; reliance on foreign locations and geopolitical instability in such locations critical to Cohu and its customers; natural disasters, war and climate-related changes; increasingly restrictive trade and export regulations impacting our ability to sell products, specifically within China; significant goodwill and other intangibles as percentage of our total assets; risks associated with the MCT acquisition, such as integration and synergies, and other risks associated with additional potential acquisitions, investments and divestitures; levels of debt; financial or operating results that are below forecast or credit rating changes impacting our stock price or financing ability; law/regulatory and including tax law changes; significant volatility in our stock price; and the risk of cybersecurity breaches.

These and other risks and uncertainties are discussed more fully in Cohu’s filings with the SEC, including our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q, and the other filings made by Cohu with the SEC from time to time, which are available via the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. Except as required by applicable law, Cohu does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statement, or to make any other forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For press releases and other information of interest to investors, please visit Cohu’s website at www.cohu.com.