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8-K - FORM 8-K - HUTCHINSON TECHNOLOGY INCf8k_110111.htm
HUTCHINSON TECHNOLOGY REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER RESULTS

Flooding in Thailand Expected to Temporarily Suppress
 Hard Disk Drive Production and Suspension Assembly Demand

Company Leveraging U.S. Operations to Offset its Suspended Operations in Thailand


HUTCHINSON, Minn., Nov. 1, 2011 – Hutchinson Technology Incorporated (NASDAQ: HTCH) today reported a net loss of $7.2 million, or $0.31 per share, on net sales of $74.4 million for its fiscal fourth quarter ended September 25, 2011.  The results for the quarter included:
 
§  
A gain on debt extinguishment of $2.9 million related to the previously announced exchange offer that was completed in July 2011 for $46.0 million of its 3.25% Convertible Subordinated Notes;
§  
Non-cash interest expense of $1.7 million resulting from the accounting for convertible debt instruments; and
§  
Consolidation expenses of $0.4 million and accelerated depreciation of $0.2 million related to the company’s previously announced manufacturing consolidation and restructuring plan.
 
Excluding these items, the company’s net loss for its fiscal 2011 fourth quarter totaled $7.9 million, or $0.34 per share.

In the preceding quarter, the company reported a net loss of $10.9 million, or $0.47 per share, on net sales of $72.2 million.  Results for the quarter included accelerated depreciation of $2.4 million, non-cash interest expense of $1.7 million, a $0.6 million reduction of previously estimated severance costs and $0.3 million of consolidation expenses.  Excluding these items, the company’s net loss in its fiscal 2011 third quarter totaled $7.2 million, or $0.31 per share.

Thailand Operations Update

As previously announced, severe flooding in Thailand required the company to suspend assembly operations at its Thailand facility in early October.  “Our sympathies are with our employees in Thailand, whose lives have been deeply impacted by this disaster,” said Wayne M. Fortun, Hutchinson Technology’s president and chief executive officer.  “Although we believe it will take multiple quarters, we fully intend to resume operations in Thailand.  Our operation in Thailand was meeting or exceeding our expectations for volume, quality and costs and remains integral to enabling us to become the industry’s lowest cost producer of suspension assemblies.”

Fortun said that the company is leveraging its U.S. assembly operations to offset the temporary loss of capacity in Thailand.  “Our available assembly capacity and vertically integrated components operations in the U.S. are enabling us to meet current levels of customer demand and should provide us with the flexibility to respond to increases in demand as the supply chain recovers,” said Fortun.  “We are very grateful to our employees in Thailand and the U.S. for their extraordinary efforts to help us respond to the unprecedented flooding.”

The company stated that it needs the floodwaters to recede before it can fully evaluate the damage to its assembly operations in Thailand and the financial impact of its recovery effort and insurance proceeds.  In addition to the impact on the company’s operations, the flooding in Thailand is constraining the overall capacity of the hard disk drive supply chain.  The resulting reduction in disk drive production is expected to result in a material decrease in demand for suspension assemblies in the company’s fiscal 2012 first quarter, and the company estimates that its first quarter shipments will be 80 million to 100 million.

Fiscal 2011 Fourth Quarter Review

In the company’s fiscal 2011 fourth quarter, its shipments of suspension assemblies increased 8% sequentially to 127.4 million.  “The increase was primarily due to an increase in shipments of suspension assemblies for mobile applications,” said Rick Penn, president of the Disk Drive Components Division.

Average selling price in the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter was $0.58, compared with $0.59 in the preceding quarter.  Gross profit in the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter totaled $5.1 million, or 7% of sales, compared to $4.2 million, or 6% of sales in the preceding quarter.

Penn said the consolidation of the company’s TSA+ equipment into its Eau Claire site was successfully completed in the fourth quarter and is already helping reduce its cost per part.  “We expect to realize significant cost savings as more of our volume shifts to TSA+ suspensions and as we further improve our TSA+ output and efficiency,” said Penn.  Shipments of TSA+ suspensions accounted for 60% of fourth quarter shipments, up from 51% in the preceding quarter.

Cash and investments at the end of the 2011 fourth quarter totaled $61.8 million, an increase of $6.9 million compared with the preceding quarter.  Borrowings totaled $10.4 million at the end of the quarter on a new revolving line of credit of up to $35 million.  The company used $3.1 million in cash during the quarter as part of the previously announced debt exchange and paid $1.8 million in debt issuance costs for the newly issued 8.50% Convertible Senior Notes and the new revolving line of credit.  Cash generated by operations in the fiscal 2011 fourth quarter was $5.4 million, and capital expenditures totaled $4.0 million.

Hutchinson Technology to Host Conference Call
The company will conduct a conference call and webcast for investors beginning at 4:00 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday, November 1.  Individual investors and news media may participate in the conference call live via the webcast, which will be available through the Investor Relations page on Hutchinson Technology’s web site at www.htch.com.  Webcast participants will need to complete a brief registration form and should allow extra time before the webcast begins to register and, if necessary, download and install audio software.

About Hutchinson Technology
Hutchinson Technology is a global technology leader committed to creating value by developing solutions to critical customer problems.  The company’s Disk Drive Components Division is a leading worldwide supplier of suspension assemblies for disk drives.  The company’s BioMeasurement Division is focused on bringing new technologies and products to the market that provide information clinicians can use to improve the quality of health care and reduce costs.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding demand for and shipments of disk drives, disk drive components and the company’s products, production capability and costs, assembly operations in Thailand, impact of flooding in Thailand, product commercialization and adoption, cost reductions, operating performance and financial results.  The company does not undertake to update its forward-looking statements.  These statements involve risks and uncertainties.  The company’s actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of changes in market demand and market consumption of disk drives or suspension assemblies, changes in demand for our products, market acceptance of new products, the company’s ability to produce suspension assemblies at levels of precision, quality, volume and cost its customers require, changes in product mix, changes in customers yields, changes in storage capacity requirements, changes in expected data density, changes in the company’s ability to operate its assembly operation in Thailand, changes in the company’s ability to reduce costs and other factors described from time to time in the company's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
INVESTOR CONTACT:
Chuck Ives
Hutchinson Technology Inc.
320-587-1605
MEDIA CONTACT:
Connie Pautz
Hutchinson Technology Inc.
320-587-1823
 
[Financial Statements Follow]
 
 
 

 
Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations - Unaudited
(In thousands, except per share data)
                         
   
Thirteen Weeks Ended
   
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
 
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
                         
                         
Net sales
  $ 74,385     $ 74,026     $ 278,090     $ 347,189  
                                 
Cost of sales
    69,249       74,060       267,739       314,224  
                                 
Gross profit (loss)
    5,136       (34 )     10,351       32,965  
                                 
Research and development expenses
    3,107       5,293       14,592       21,429  
                                 
Selling, general and
                               
administrative expenses
    7,931       15,462       40,844       55,848  
                                 
Severance and other expenses
    352       3,674       6,745       3,674  
                                 
Loss from operations
    (6,254 )     (24,463 )     (51,830 )     (47,986 )
                                 
Interest expense
    (4,054 )     (3,652 )     (15,065 )     (15,876 )
                                 
Interest Income
    74       70       188       1,311  
                                 
Gain on extinguishment of debt
    2,915       -       8,382       6  
                                 
Gain (loss) on short- and long-term
                               
investments
    -       -       978       (319 )
                                 
Other income, net
    211       1,100       1,868       2,357  
                                 
Loss before income taxes
    (7,108 )     (26,945 )     (55,479 )     (60,507 )
                                 
Provision (benefit) for income taxes
    85       107       86       (1,585 )
                                 
Net loss
  $ (7,193 )   $ (27,052 )   $ (55,565 )   $ (58,922 )
                                 
Basic loss per share
  $ (0.31 )   $ (1.16 )   $ (2.38 )   $ (2.52 )
                                 
Diluted loss per share
  $ (0.31 )   $ (1.16 )   $ (2.38 )   $ (2.52 )
                                 
Weighted-average common
                               
shares outstanding
    23,383       23,366       23,377       23,362  
                                 
Weighted-average common
                               
and diluted shares outstanding
    23,383       23,366       23,377       23,362  
 
 
 

 
Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
 
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - Unaudited
 
(In thousands, except shares data)
 
             
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
 
   
2011
   
2010
 
ASSETS
           
Current assets:
           
Cash and cash equivalents
  $ 60,174     $ 55,639  
Short-term investments
    1,612       48,899  
Trade receivables, net
    44,998       47,629  
Other receivables
    7,064       7,849  
Inventories
    55,018       53,568  
Other current assets
    1,692       2,353  
Total current assets
    170,558       215,937  
Property, plant and equipment, net
    223,134       258,233  
Other assets
    7,313       5,542  
Total assets
  $ 401,005     $ 479,712  
                 
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' INVESTMENT
               
Current liabilities:
               
Current maturities of long-term debt
  $ 10,681     $ 1,280  
Accounts payable
    18,373       15,788  
Accrued expenses
    7,759       8,593  
Accrued compensation
    12,431       12,911  
Total current liabilities
    49,244       38,572  
Long-term debt, less current maturities
    -       271  
Convertible subordinated notes
    144,159       174,920  
Other long-term liabilities
    1,280       1,271  
Total liabilities
    194,683       215,034  
Shareholders' investment:
               
Common stock $.01 par value, 100,000,000 shares
               
    authorized, 23,387,000 and 23,371,000
               
    issued and outstanding
    234       234  
Additional paid-in capital
    419,984       422,089  
Accumulated other comprehensive income
    190       876  
Accumulated loss
    (214,086 )     (158,521 )
Total shareholders' investment
    206,322       264,678  
Total liabilities and shareholders' investment
  $ 401,005     $ 479,712  
 
 
 

 
Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
 
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Unaudited
 
(Dollars in thousands)
 
             
   
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
 
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
 
   
2011
   
2010
 
Operating activities:
           
Net loss
  $ (55,565 )   $ (58,922 )
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to
               
    cash (used for) provided by operating activities:
               
Depreciation and amortization
    48,086       51,849  
Stock-based compensation
    1,870       3,462  
Non-cash interest expense
    7,576       8,456  
Gain on short- and long-term investments
    (978 )     -  
Impairment of assets
    -       3,274  
Loss on disposal of assets
    1,182       173  
Severance and other expenses
    1,741       1,150  
Gain on extinguishment of debt
    (8,382 )     (6 )
Changes in operating assets and liabilities
    1,932       4,306  
    Cash (used for) provided by operating activities
    (2,538 )     13,742  
                 
Investing activities:
               
Capital expenditures
    (13,506 )     (31,382 )
Purchases of marketable securities
    (12,412 )     (71,739 )
Sales / maturities of marketable securities
    60,440       141,445  
    Cash provided by investing activities
    34,522       38,324  
                 
Financing activities:
               
Repayment of long-term debt
    (34,370 )     (102,873 )
Debt issuance costs
    (3,490 )     -  
Net proceeds from revolving credit line
    10,409       -  
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock
    2       55  
    Cash used for financing activities
    (27,449 )     (102,818 )
                 
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
    4,535       (50,752 )
                 
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
    55,639       106,391  
                 
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
  $ 60,174     $ 55,639  
 
 
 

 
Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
 
Earnings Per Share Calculation - Unaudited
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
                         
   
Thirteen Weeks Ended
   
Fifty-Two Weeks Ended
 
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
   
September 25,
   
September 26,
 
   
2011
   
2010
   
2011
   
2010
 
                         
Net loss (A)
  $ (7,193 )   $ (27,052 )   $ (55,565 )   $ (58,922 )
Plus:  interest expense on convertible
                               
subordinated notes
    -       -       -       -  
Less:  additional profit sharing expense and
                               
income tax provision
    -       -       -       -  
Net loss available to common shareholders (B)
  $ (7,193 )   $ (27,052 )   $ (55,565 )   $ (58,922 )
                                 
Weighted average common shares outstanding (C)
    23,383       23,366       23,377       23,362  
Dilutive potential common shares
    -       -       -       -  
Weighted average common and diluted shares
                               
outstanding (D)
    23,383       23,366       23,377       23,362  
                                 
Basic loss per share [(A)/(C)]
  $ (0.31 )   $ (1.16 )   $ (2.38 )   $ (2.52 )
Diluted loss per share [(B)/(D)]
  $ (0.31 )   $ (1.16 )   $ (2.38 )   $ (2.52 )
 
 
 

 
Hutchinson Technology Incorporated
 
Reconciliation of Non-GAAP to GAAP Financial Measures - Unaudited
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
                   
   
Thirteen Weeks Ended
 
   
September 25,
   
June 26,
   
September 26,
 
   
2011
   
2011
   
2010
 
                   
Net loss - GAAP
  $ (7,193 )   $ (10,940 )   $ (27,052 )
Add severance and other expenses
    352       -       3,674  
Subtract severance and other expenses
    -       (332 )     -  
Subtract gain on extinguishment of debt
    (2,915 )     -       -  
Add accelerated depreciation
    152       2,376       -  
Add non-cash interest expenses
    1,685       1,668       2,166  
Net loss - Adjusted
  $ (7,919 )   $ (7,228 )   $ (21,212 )
                         
                         
Net loss per common share – GAAP:
                       
                         
Basic loss per share
  $ (0.31 )   $ (0.47 )   $ (1.16 )
Diluted loss per share
  $ (0.31 )   $ (0.47 )   $ (1.16 )
                         
Net loss per common share – Adjusted:
                       
                         
Basic loss per share
  $ (0.34 )   $ (0.31 )   $ (0.91 )
Diluted loss per share
  $ (0.34 )   $ (0.31 )   $ (0.91 )
                         
Weighted average common and common equivalent shares outstanding:
         
                         
Basic
    23,383       23,379       23,366  
Diluted
    23,383       23,379       23,366  
 
Net loss per common share basic and diluted, is calculated by dividing net loss by weighted average common and common equivalent shares outstanding basic and diluted, respectively.