- Record Fourth Quarter Net Sales of $475.3 Million, Up 5.6 Percent from Prior Year and Up 3.7 Percent Sequentially

(PRNewswire) —  Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today reported unaudited results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2017 ended Oct. 1, 2017.

Net sales for Microsemi's fourth quarter of fiscal year 2017 were a record $475.3 million, up 5.6 percent from the $450.1 million in the prior year fourth quarter and up 3.7 percent from $458.1 million in the third quarter of 2017. Net sales for fiscal year 2017 were a record $1.81 billion, up 9.5 percent from the $1.65 billion reported in 2016.

GAAP gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 was 64.0 percent, up 140 basis points from the 62.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, and is inclusive of the effect of non-cash purchase accounting charges. GAAP operating income and net income for the fourth quarter of 2017 were $75.4 million and $102.0 million, respectively, and included restructuring, severance and other charges of $4.0 million. Also included in operating income were non-cash charges of $78.5 million, including amortization of intangible assets and stock based compensation. GAAP operating margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 was a record 15.9 percent, up 170 basis points compared to 14.2 percent for the fourth quarter of 2016 and up 60 basis points compared to 15.3 percent for the third quarter of 2017. GAAP net income per diluted share was $0.87 for the fourth quarter of 2017 compared to $0.35 per diluted share for the fourth quarter of 2016 and $0.12 per diluted share for the third quarter of 2017.

Non-GAAP gross margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 was a record 64.4 percent, up 180 basis points from the 62.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 and up 50 basis points from the 63.9 percent in the third quarter of 2017. Non-GAAP operating income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was $160.0 million, up 14.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2016 and up 8.2 percent from the third quarter of 2017. Non-GAAP operating margin for the fourth quarter of 2017 was a record 33.7 percent, up 270 basis points from 31.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016 and up 140 basis points from 32.3 percent in the third quarter of 2017. Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of 2017 was a record $128.2 million and a record $1.09 per diluted share.

Operating and free cash flows for the fourth quarter of 2017 were at $156.9 million and $139.3 million, respectively. Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fourth quarter of 2017 were $144.9 million.

"I am pleased to report record net sales and non-GAAP gross and operating margins for our fourth fiscal quarter of 2017," said James J. Peterson, Microsemi's chairman and CEO. "We surpassed our stated goal of a 3.0 leverage ratio through a combination of strong operating results, record cash flow and debt repayment."

Business Outlook

Microsemi currently expects net sales in the first quarter of fiscal year 2018 of between $448 million and $472 million, and expects non-GAAP diluted earnings per share of between $0.95 and $1.07.

Guidance on diluted earnings per share is provided only on a non-GAAP basis due to the inherent difficulty of forecasting the timing or amount of certain items that have been excluded from the forward-looking non-GAAP measures, and a reconciliation to the comparable GAAP guidance has not been provided because certain factors that are materially significant to Microsemi's ability to estimate the excluded items are not accessible or estimable on a forward-looking basis without unreasonable effort.

Microsemi regularly announces a quarterly outlook in the form of issuing a news release and does not undertake to update any of this information between such public announcements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Please refer to the "SAFE HARBOR" STATEMENT below for risks that may affect future actual results.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

For further information regarding Microsemi's non-GAAP financial measures, please refer to "Notes on Non-GAAP Financial Measures" below. Non-GAAP financial measures are reconciled to comparable GAAP financial measures in the accompanying financial tables and notes.

Information for Fourth Quarter 2017 Earnings Conference Call and Webcast

To access the webcast, log on to www.microsemi.com, go to the Investors section, and then to IR Events and Presentations. To listen to the live webcast, visit this website approximately 15 minutes prior to the start of the call to register, download and install any necessary audio software. For those unable to participate during the live webcast, a replay will be available shortly after the call on the Microsemi website for 90 days.

To participate in the conference call by telephone, call 877-264-1110 at approximately 4:30 p.m. EST (1:30 p.m. PST). International callers can call 706-634-1357. Please provide the following ID number: 7379608.

About Microsemi

Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world's standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions; security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California, and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING FACTORS THAT CAN MATERIALLY AFFECT MICROSEMI'S FUTURE RESULTS.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Any statements set forth in the news release that are not entirely historical and factual in nature are forward-looking statements, including without limitation statements concerning Microsemi's net sales and earnings guidance, market share gains, revenue growth, margin improvements, increasing cash flow and any other statements or beliefs regarding Microsemi's plans or expectations. These forward-looking statements are based on Microsemi's current expectations and are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, such factors as continued negative or worsening worldwide economic conditions or market instability; risks related to Microsemi's international operations and sales, including divergent laws and regulations, unanticipated changes in Microsemi's tax obligations and liabilities resulting from factors such as changes in tax laws and, tax examinations; political instability, trade restrictions and sanctions, restrictions in the transfer or repatriation of funds, currency fluctuations and availability of transportation services; downturns in the highly cyclical semiconductor industry that may cause us to trigger financial covenants in our debt agreements, increase the cost of borrowing, and decrease the amount available under our credit facilities; our ability to successfully implement our acquisitions and divestitures strategy or integrate acquired companies; uncertainty as to the future profitability of acquired businesses, and delays in the realization of, or the failure to realize, any accretion from acquisition transactions; acquiring, managing and integrating new operations, businesses or assets, and the associated diversion of management attention or other related costs or difficulties; difficulties and costs of protecting patents and other proprietary rights; Microsemi's reliance on government contracts for a significant portion of its sales, including impacts of any termination or renegotiation of such contracts, uncertainties of governmental appropriations and national defense policies and priorities and effects of any past or future government shutdowns; potential non-realization of expected orders or non-realization of backlog; failure to make sales indicated by the Microsemi's book-to-bill ratio; intense competition in the semiconductor industry and resultant downward price pressure; the effect of events such as natural disasters and related disruptions on our operations; the concentration of the facilities that service the semiconductor industry; delays in beginning production, implementing production techniques, resolving problems associated with technical equipment malfunctions, or issues related to government or customer qualification of facilities; our dependence on third parties for key functions; utilization of channel partners over which we have limited control for product distribution; increases in the costs of credit and the availability of credit or additional capital only under more restrictive conditions or not at all; changes to laws or regulations; changes in generally accepted accounting principles; principal, liquidity and counterparty risks related to Microsemi's holdings in securities; inability to develop new technologies and products to satisfy changes in customer demand or the development by our competitors of products that decrease the demand for Microsemi's products; unfavorable or declining conditions in end markets; inability of Microsemi's compound semiconductor products to compete successfully with silicon-based products; production delays related to new compound semiconductors; variability of our manufacturing yields; potential effects of system outages or data security breaches; inability by Microsemi to fulfill customer demand and resulting loss of customers; variations in customer order preferences; difficulties foreseeing future demand; rises in inventory levels and inventory obsolescence; environmental or other regulatory matters or litigation, or any matters involving contingent liabilities or other claims; the uncertainty of litigation, the costs and expenses of litigation, the potential material adverse effect litigation could have on Microsemi's business and results of operations if an adverse determination in litigation is made, and the time and attention required of management to attend to litigation; difficulties in determining the scope of, and procuring and maintaining, adequate insurance coverage; difficulties in the hiring and retention of qualified personnel in a competitive labor market; any circumstances that adversely impact the end markets of acquired businesses; and difficulties in closing or disposing of operations or assets or transferring work, assets or inventory from one plant to another. In addition to these factors and any other factors mentioned elsewhere in this news release, the reader should refer as well to the factors, uncertainties or risks identified in Microsemi's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and any subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q reports filed by Microsemi with the SEC. Additional risk factors may be identified from time to time in Microsemi's future filings. The forward-looking statements included in this release speak only as of the date hereof, and Microsemi does not undertake any obligation to update these forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent events or circumstances. Amounts reported in this release are preliminary and subject to finalization prior to the filing of our Annual Report on Form 10-K.