- Record net revenue of $247.9 million, up 8% sequentially and up 27% year-over-year
- GAAP gross margin 57.2% and non-GAAP gross margin 61.7%, up 70 bps and 40 bps from previous quarter, respectively
CARLSBAD, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 2, 2022 — MaxLinear, Inc. (NASDAQ: MXL), a leading provider of RF, analog, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2021.
Fourth Quarter Financial Highlights
GAAP basis:
- Net revenue was $247.9 million, up 8% sequentially and up 27% year-over-year.
- GAAP gross margin was 57.2%, compared to 56.5% in the prior quarter, and 42.7% in the year-ago quarter.
- GAAP operating expenses were $112.4 million in the fourth quarter 2021, or 45% of net revenue, compared to $106.0 million in the prior quarter, or 46% of net revenue, and $106.7 million in the year-ago quarter, or 55% of net revenue.
- GAAP income from operations was 12% of revenue, compared to income from operations of 10% in the prior quarter, and loss from operations of 12% in the year-ago quarter.
- Net cash flow provided by operating activities was $16.0 million, compared to net cash flow provided by operating activities of $84.1 million in the prior quarter, and net cash flow provided by operating activities of $74.3 million in the year-ago quarter.
- GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.35, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.12 in the prior quarter, and diluted loss per share of $0.33 in the year-ago quarter.
Non-GAAP basis:
- Non-GAAP gross margin was 61.7%. This compares to 61.3% in the prior quarter, and 57.8% in the year-ago quarter.
- Non-GAAP operating expenses were $75.9 million, or 31% of revenue, compared to $74.4 million or 32% of revenue in the prior quarter, and $75.8 million or 39% of revenue in the year-ago quarter.
- Non-GAAP income from operations was 31% of revenue, compared to 29% in the prior quarter, and 19% in the year-ago quarter.
- Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share was $0.86, compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.75 in the prior quarter, and diluted earnings per share of $0.39 in the year-ago quarter.
Management Commentary
“In the fourth quarter, revenue was up 8% sequentially and up 27% year-over-year, driven by strong growth across our connectivity, broadband and infrastructure markets. Wi-Fi grew 40% sequentially and we exited Q4 on a $100 million annualized revenue run rate which we expect to build upon through 2022. Non-GAAP gross margin for Q4 improved to 61.7% driven by product mix shift towards higher value products. We are excited about our prospects for continued future growth driven by our comprehensive product portfolio, and the accelerating pace of new product launches particularly in connectivity, fiber-to-the home broadband, optical, and wireless infrastructure markets,” commented Kishore Seendripu, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO.
First Quarter 2022 Business Outlook
The company expects revenue in the first quarter 2022 to be approximately $255 million to $265 million. The Company also estimates the following:
- GAAP gross margin of approximately 57% to 59%;
- Non-GAAP gross margin of approximately 61% to 63%;
- GAAP operating expenses of approximately $108 million to $114 million;
- Non-GAAP operating expenses of approximately $76 million to $82 million;
- GAAP and non-GAAP interest and other expense of approximately $2.7 million.
Webcast and Conference Call
MaxLinear will host its fourth quarter financial results conference call today, February 2, 2022 at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time (4:30 p.m. Eastern Time). To access this call, dial US toll free: 1-877-407-3109 / International: 1-201-493-6798. A live webcast of the conference call will be accessible from the investor relations section of the MaxLinear website at https://investors.maxlinear.com, and will be archived and available after the call at https://investors.maxlinear.com until February 16, 2022. A replay of the conference call will also be available until February 16, 2022 by dialing US toll free: 1-877-660-6853 / International: 1-201-612-7415 and Conference ID#: 13726224.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains 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. Forward-looking statements include, among others, statements concerning our future financial performance (including specifically our current guidance for first quarter 2022 revenue, gross margins, and operating expenses as well as statements with respect to confidence in the Company’s outlook for first quarter 2022) and statements concerning expectations of potential developments in our target markets, including (without limitation) management’s views with respect to the prospects for and trends in our broadband, connectivity and infrastructure markets, and in particular, expectations concerning the development of our Wi-Fi market. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current, preliminary expectations and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. In particular, our future operating results are substantially dependent on our assumptions about market trends and conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties affecting our business and future operating results include, without limitation, increasing supply chain risks within our industry, including increases in shipping and material costs and substantial shipping delays resulting in extended lead-times; inflation trends in our supply chain and in the global economy generally; the on-going impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on our business, including the extent to which our broadband businesses will continue to benefit from work-from-home and similar initiatives as the pandemic abates; the impact of our indebtedness and limitations on our operating flexibility based on financial and operating covenants in the applicable term loan agreements, including (without limitation) debt covenant restrictions that may limit our ability to obtain additional financing, granting liens, undergoing certain fundamental changes, or making investments or certain restricted payments, and selling assets; risks associated with our ability to realize improved profitability from our Wi-Fi and Broadband assets business; intense competition in our industry; our dependence on a limited number of customers for a substantial portion of our revenues; potential uncertainties arising from continued consolidation among cable television and satellite operators in our target markets and continued consolidation among competitors within the semiconductor industry generally; our ability to develop and introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis and achieve market acceptance of those products, particularly as we seek to expand outside of our historic markets; potential decreases in average selling prices for our products; risks relating to intellectual property protection and the prevalence of intellectual property litigation in our industry; our reliance on a limited number of third party manufacturers; our lack of long-term supply contracts and dependence on limited sources of supply, which may be adversely affected by the pandemic; uncertainties concerning how end user markets for our products will develop, including in particular markets we have entered more recently such as broadband and Wi-Fi and 5G wireless and fiber-optic data center high-speed interconnect infrastructure markets but also existing markets which we previously referred to as connected home; and uncertainties concerning the outcome of global trade negotiations, export control limitations, and heightened geopolitical risks generally.
In addition to these risks and uncertainties, investors should review the risks and uncertainties contained in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2021, and our Current Reports on Form 8-K, as well as the information to be set forth under the caption “Risk Factors” in MaxLinear’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which we expect to file soon. All forward-looking statements are based on the estimates, projections and assumptions of management as of February 2, 2022, and MaxLinear is under no obligation (and expressly disclaims any such obligation) to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.