Synopsys continues to provide all information required in accordance with GAAP but acknowledges evaluating its ongoing operating results may not be as useful if an investor is limited to reviewing only GAAP financial measures. Accordingly, Synopsys presents non-GAAP financial measures in reporting its financial results to provide investors with an additional tool to evaluate Synopsys' operating results in a manner that focuses on what Synopsys believes to be its core business operations and what Synopsys uses to evaluate its business operations and for internal budgeting and resource allocation purposes. This press release includes non-GAAP earnings per diluted share, non-GAAP net income and non-GAAP tax rate for the periods presented. It also includes future estimates for non-GAAP expenses, non-GAAP interest and other income (expense), non-GAAP tax rate, non-GAAP earnings per diluted share and free cash flow. These non-GAAP financial measures may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies.
When possible, Synopsys provides a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures to their most closely applicable GAAP financial measures. Synopsys is unable to provide a full reconciliation of certain first quarter and full fiscal year 2025 non-GAAP financial targets to the corresponding GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because Synopsys believes that it would not be possible for it to have the required information necessary to quantitatively reconcile such measures with sufficient precision without unreasonable efforts due to, among other things, the potential variability and limited predictability of the excluded adjustment items necessary for a full reconciliation such as certain acquisition/divestiture related items, restructuring charges, tax deduction variability, changes in the fair value of non-qualified deferred compensation plan, and gains (losses) on the sale of strategic investments. For the same reasons, Synopsys is unable to address the probable significance of the unavailable information.
Synopsys' management does not itself, nor does it suggest that investors should, consider such non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, as superior to, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures are meant to supplement, and be viewed in conjunction with, the corresponding GAAP financial measures. Synopsys' management believes presentation of non-GAAP financial measures, when shown in conjunction with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provides useful information to investors allowing them to view financial and business trends relating to our financial condition and results of operations through the eyes of management. Synopsys' management evaluates and makes decisions about our business operations using both GAAP financial measures and non-GAAP financial measures to help facilitate internal comparisons to Synopsys' historical operating results and forecasted targets, planning and forecasting in subsequent periods and comparisons to competitors' operating results.
The following are descriptions of the adjustments made to reconcile non-GAAP financial measures (other than free cash flow, which is defined in the footnote to the Financial Targets table above) to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures:
(i) Amortization of acquired intangible assets. We incur expenses from amortization of acquired intangible assets, which may include impairment charges from write-downs of acquired intangible assets. Acquired intangible assets include, among other things, core/developed technology, customer relationships, contract rights, trademarks and trade names, and other intangibles related to acquisitions. We amortize the intangible assets over their estimated useful lives. We do not enter into acquisitions on a predictable cycle. The amount of an acquisition's purchase price allocated to intangible assets and their estimated useful lives can vary significantly and are unique to each acquisition. From time to time, we incur impairment charges due to write-downs of acquired intangible assets. We believe that the presentation of non-GAAP financial measures that adjust for the amortization of intangible assets, including impairment charges, provides investors and others with a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods. We also exclude this item because such expenses are non-cash in nature and we believe the non-GAAP financial measures excluding this item provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our core operational performance and liquidity, and ability to invest in research and development and fund future acquisitions and capital expenditures.
(ii) Stock-based compensation. Stock-based compensation expenses consist primarily of expenses related to restricted stock units, stock options, employee stock purchase rights and other stock awards, including such expenses associated with acquisitions. We exclude stock-based compensation expense from our non-GAAP financial measures primarily because it is not an expense that typically requires or will require cash settlement by us. Further, the expense for the fair value of the stock-based instruments we utilize may bear little resemblance to the actual value realized upon the vesting or future exercise of the related stock-based awards and, therefore, is not used by management to assess the core profitability of our business operations.
(iii) Acquisition/divestiture related items. In connection with certain of our business combinations and/or divestitures, we incur significant expenses that we would not have otherwise incurred as part of our business operations. These expenses include, among other things, compensation expenses, professional fees and other direct expenses, concurrent restructuring activities and divestiture activities, including employee severance and other exit costs, bridge financing costs, costs related to integration activities, changes to the fair value of contingent consideration related to the acquired company, and amortization of the fair value difference of below-market value assets arising from arrangements entered into or acquired in conjunction with an acquisition. We also recognize the gains and losses from the mark-up of equity or cost method investments to fair value upon obtaining control through acquisition. We exclude these items because they are related to acquisitions and have no direct correlation to the core operation of our business. Further, because we do not acquire businesses on a predictable cycle and the terms of each transaction can vary significantly and are unique to each transaction, we believe it is useful to exclude such expenses when looking for a consistent basis for comparison across accounting periods.
(iv) Restructuring charges. We initiate restructuring activities to align our costs to our operating plans and business strategies based on then-current economic conditions, and such activities have a specific and defined term. Restructuring costs generally include severance and other termination benefits related to voluntary retirement programs, involuntary headcount reductions and facilities closures. Such restructuring costs include elimination of operational redundancy, permanent reductions in workforce and facilities closures and, therefore, are not considered by us to be a part of the core operation of our business and are not used by management when assessing the core profitability and performance of our business operations.
(v) Gains (losses) on the sale of strategic investments. We exclude gains and losses on the sale of equity investments in privately held companies because we do not believe they are reflective of our core business and operating results.
(vi) Deferred compensation. We exclude changes in the fair value of our non-qualified deferred compensation plan because we do not use these to assess the core profitability of our business operations.
(vii) Income tax effect of non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments. Excluding the income tax effect of non-GAAP pre-tax adjustments from the provision for income taxes assists investors in understanding the tax provision associated with those adjustments and the effect on net income. We utilize an annual non-GAAP tax rate in calculating non-GAAP financial measures to provide better consistency across interim reporting periods by eliminating the effects of certain non-recurring and other period-specific items, which can vary in size and frequency and do not necessarily reflect our normal operations, and to more closely align our tax rate with our expected geographic earnings mix. This annual non-GAAP tax rate is based on an evaluation of our historical and projected mix of U.S. and international profit before tax, taking into account the impact of non-GAAP adjustments, U.S. tax law changes, as well as other factors such as our current tax structure, existing tax positions and expected recurring tax incentives. Based on these considerations, we have elected to adopt a non-GAAP tax rate of 16% for fiscal year 2025.
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Trey Campbell
Synopsys, Inc.
650-584-4289
Email Contact
EDITORIAL CONTACT:
Cara Walker
Synopsys, Inc.
650-584-5000
Email Contact
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