News Article
Veeco Results Best Ever with $300 Million Net Sales
Revenues were up 152% from the fourth quarter of last year, much of it attributed to systems sold to LED & Solar manufacturers.
Veeco Instruments has announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full-year ended December 31, 2010.
.jpg)
John R. Peeler, Veeco's CEO commented, "The fourth quarter of 2010 was the best in our history, and we are extremely proud of our performance. Revenues were $300 million, gross margin was 51% and net income was $97 million. Veeco's revenues grew 8% sequentially and 152% from the fourth quarter of last year.”
“Both Veeco segments delivered excellent performance: LED & Solar revenues were up 6% sequentially to a record $258 million, and Data Storage revenues were up 21% to $42 million, our best quarter since 2008. Full year 2010 results were also at record levels, with revenue of $933 million and net income of $261 million. These results were achieved through a combination of world-class products, a focus on high-growth market opportunities, operational excellence, our flexible manufacturing strategy, and a deep commitment to satisfying our global customers."
"Veeco's fourth quarter bookings totaled $295 million," continued Peeler, "with another very strong quarter in LED & Solar of $253 million, which was up about 4% sequentially. Orders for MOCVD systems were placed by twenty customers across all regions, with strength continuing in China. Data Storage orders were $42 million, up 20% sequentially as technology buys for new Veeco deposition systems continue."
The Company's Q4 2010 book-to-bill ratio was .98 to 1, and quarter end backlog was $555 million.
On August 24th, Veeco announced that its Board of Directors had authorised the repurchase of up to $200 million of the Company's common stock through August 2011. During the fourth quarter, Veeco purchased 189,218 shares of its common stock at an average price of $34.33 per share, for a total of approximately $6.5 million bringing the total purchased under the Company's share repurchase program during 2010 to $38 million, or about 1.1 million shares.
Peeler continued, "We currently estimate that the total available market for MOCVD from 2011 through 2015 is greater than 5,000 reactors. In order to capitalise on this opportunity, drive our business, and continue to gain market share, today we launched the TurboDisc MaxBright Multi-reactor ("cluster") MOCVD system. By dramatically accelerating our new product roadmap to create MaxBright, the most productive MOCVD system on the market, Veeco will help enable the industry's transition to LED lighting."
First Quarter and Full-Year 2011 Guidance
Veeco's first quarter 2011 revenue is currently forecasted to be between $215 and $265 million. Earnings per share are currently forecasted to be between $0.94 to $1.31 on a GAAP basis.
Commenting on Q1 2011 guidance, Peeler stated, "Q1 2011 revenues will be lower than Q4 2010 because we are planning to ship 12-20 MOCVD reactors in the new MaxBright "cluster" format, and will not be recording any revenue on these systems in the first quarter. Timing of revenue is also being impacted by the longer order-to-revenue cycle times associated with the high percentage of business currently coming from China, primarily due to customer facility readiness. The average time to convert orders to revenue is currently several months longer in China than in other regions."
"With starting backlog of $555 million, and anticipating strong first half 2011 bookings, we currently forecast that Veeco's 2011 revenues will be greater than $1 billion, resulting in non-GAAP earnings per share of greater than $5.00," continued Peeler. "We are optimistic about the future and confident that we are well positioned from a technology, product, and operational standpoint to grow our LED & Solar and Data Storage businesses in 2011 and beyond."
A conference call reviewing these results may be replayed until February 21, 2011 by calling
888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820
using passcode 4065533.
The call may also be accessed from Veeco’s website.
