CHANDLER, Ariz.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—May 1, 2007—
Amkor Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:
AMKR) reported first quarter 2007
sales of $651 million, up 1% from the first quarter of 2006 and down
5% sequentially from the fourth quarter of 2006. Amkor's first quarter
2007 net income was $35 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, compared
with net income of $34 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, in the
first quarter of 2006.
"Our first quarter performance reflected a seasonal slowdown in
demand together with an inventory correction at the customer level,"
said James Kim, Amkor's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "We
remain committed to maintaining our technology and product leadership
in key growth markets and to exercising capital and pricing discipline
so that we can achieve consistent profitability and free cash flow. We
are investing capital in strategic growth areas of flip chip, wafer
level processing, 3D and other advanced packaging, and we continue to
prudently expand our capabilities in test development, wafer probe and
final test."
"While our first quarter volumes were seasonally lower in most
product categories, we saw continued growth in flip chip and modules,"
said Kim. "Our flip chip solutions encompass turnkey wafer bump, wafer
probe, assembly and final test, and Amkor is well positioned to
support a broad range of high-performance applications, including
gaming, networking, wireless and advanced servers. Our module
solutions currently support customers in the wireless market."
"Commencing with the second quarter of 2005 and through the third
quarter of 2006, we enjoyed six consecutive quarters of above-average
growth in our business. Within this context, and mindful of the fact
that our business is increasingly influenced by growth in the world
economy and levels of consumer spending, we expect the softness we
experienced in the first quarter will be followed by modest growth for
the rest of 2007," said Kim.
"Our first quarter financial performance was in line with guidance
and is further evidence of our success in achieving consistent levels
of profitability and generating free cash flow," said Ken Joyce,
Amkor's Chief Financial Officer.
"First quarter 2007 net sales increased $6 million or 1% over the
first quarter of 2006. A nearly 10% decline in unit shipments in 2007
was more than offset by a stable pricing environment and mix shift to
packages with higher average selling prices," said Joyce. "Compared
with the fourth quarter of 2006, sales were down 5% on lower unit
volumes across most of our product lines, with notable exceptions for
flip chip and modules. The lower unit volumes in the first quarter
were due to anticipated seasonal declines and to a lesser extent
customer inventory corrections during the quarter."
Gross margin in the first quarter of 2007 was 22.6% down from
24.0% in the first quarter of 2006 and 25.3% in the fourth quarter of
2006. On a year-over-year basis, factory wage increases and increased
factory overhead costs more than offset the benefit of factory
workforce reductions. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2006, the
decline in gross margin principally reflected the impact of our
operating leverage on lower sales volume, coupled with growth in
packages with a higher material content.
Selling, general & administrative expenses in the first quarter of
2007 were $2.5 million higher than the first quarter of 2006,
reflecting higher spending for professional fees, indirect factory
costs, and incentive compensation partially offset by a $3 million
gain recognized on disposition of real property used for
administrative purposes. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2006, and
including the above $3 million gain, first quarter of 2007 SG&A
expenses were essentially flat. Our current expectation is that SG&A
costs in the second quarter of 2007 will be up slightly from the first
quarter reflecting increased indirect factory administrative expenses
and litigation activity.
"Capital additions totaled $55 million in the first quarter of
2007. Our continued focus on improving overall asset productivity
allowed us to moderate our capital additions," said Joyce. "Our
capacity expansion continues to focus on strategic growth areas,
including wafer bump, wafer level packaging and flip chip. We are
currently targeting second quarter 2007 capital additions of $70
million and full year capital additions in the range of $250 - $300
million. We are prepared to adjust these figures depending on business
conditions."
"We have achieved positive free cash flow for the past six
quarters, and given our current view of business conditions, we
anticipate this trend will continue throughout 2007," said Joyce. "We
continue to address our capital structure and reduce ongoing interest
expense. In March we used available cash to retire the remaining $142
million of 5% convertible debt at maturity. In April we refinanced a
$300 million term loan due 2010 (accruing interest at LIBOR + 450 bp)
with a seven-year amortizing loan due 2014 (accruing interest at
approximately LIBOR + 125 bp). Taken together, these actions will
result in approximately $13 million of interest savings for the
remainder of 2007." In connection with the April 2007 refinancing,
Amkor will record a charge in the second quarter, with no tax effect,
of $16 million, reflecting $9 million in prepayment fees and $7
million to write off unamortized deferred debt issuance costs.
The income tax rate was 10.5% for the first quarter of 2007 and we
anticipate an effective tax rate of 6.7% for the year. This reflects
the utilization of foreign net operating loss carryforwards and tax
holidays in certain of our foreign jurisdictions. At March 31, 2007,
Amkor had U.S. net operating losses available for carryforward
totaling $400 million expiring through 2027 and $60 million of
non-U.S. operating losses available for carryforward, expiring through
2012.
Selected operating data for the first quarter 2007 is included in
a section before the financial tables.
Business Outlook
On the basis of our customers' forecasts, we have the following
expectations for the second quarter of 2007:
-- Sales up 3% to 4% from the first quarter of 2007
-- Gross margin of around 23%
-- Net income in the range of $0.13 to $0.16 per diluted share,
which includes charges of $0.08 per share associated with the
April 2007 refinancing
Amkor will conduct a conference call on May 1, 2007 at 5:00 p.m.
Eastern time. The call can be accessed by dialing 303-262-2175 or by
visiting the investor relations page of our web site: www.amkor.com or
CCBN's website, www.companyboardroom.com. An archive of the webcast
can be accessed through the same links and will be available until our
next quarterly earnings conference call. An audio replay of the call
will be available for 48 hours following the conference call by
dialing 303-590-3000 passcode: 11087561#.
About Amkor
Amkor is a leading provider of advanced semiconductor assembly and
test services. The company offers semiconductor companies and
electronics OEMs a complete set of microelectronic design and
manufacturing services. More information on Amkor is available from
the company's SEC filings and on Amkor's web site: www.amkor.com.
Forward Looking Statement Disclaimer
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the
meaning of federal securities laws, including, without limitation,
statements regarding the following: plans to exercise discipline in
our capital investments, build capabilities in technology and key
growth areas; expectations of modest industry growth; expectations
regarding SG&A costs in the second quarter of 2007; expectations
regarding 2007 capital expenditures; expectations to achieve positive
free cash flow throughout 2007; expectations regarding interest
savings for the remainder of 2007; expectations regarding the
effective tax rate for full year 2007 and the level of operating loss
carryforwards; and the statements regarding sales, gross margin and
net income per diluted share contained under Business Outlook. These
forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and
uncertainties that could affect future results and cause actual
results and events to differ materially from historical and expected
results, including, but not limited to, the following: the highly
unpredictable nature of the semiconductor industry; inability to
achieve high capacity utilization rates; volatility of consumer demand
for products incorporating our semiconductor packages; weakness in the
forecasts of Amkor's customers; customer modification of and follow
through with respect to forecasts provided to Amkor; curtailment of
outsourcing by our customers; our substantial indebtedness and
restrictive covenants; failure to realize sufficient cash flow to fund
capital expenditures; deterioration of the U.S. or other economies;
the highly unpredictable nature and costs of litigation and other
legal activities and the risk of adverse results of such matters; the
outcome of the pending SEC investigation; worldwide economic effects
of terrorist attacks, natural disasters and military conflict;
competitive pricing and declines in average selling prices; timing and
volume of orders relative to the production capacity; fluctuations in
manufacturing yields; competition; dependence on international
operations and sales; dependence on raw material and equipment
suppliers; exchange rate fluctuations; dependence on key personnel;
difficulties in managing growth; enforcement of intellectual property
rights; environmental regulations; and technological challenges.
Further information on risk factors that could affect the outcome
of the events set forth in these statements and that could affect the
company's operating results and financial condition is detailed in the
company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006. Amkor
undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to
reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this
document.