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Geneva, July 24, 2007 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM)
reported financial results for the second quarter and six months ended
June 30, 2007. On May 22, 2007, ST, in conjunction with Intel and Francisco
Partners, announced a definitive agreement to create an independent
semiconductor company, with ST contributing its Flash Memories Group
(FMG). Since January 1, 2007 ST’s NOR and NAND Flash businesses
have been reorganized into a stand-alone segment. Because of this reorganization,
ST presents certain financial results for the Company as a whole as
well as for the Company excluding FMG.
Second Quarter Net Revenues Review
| In Million
US$ and % |
Q2
2007 |
| |
ST |
ST excluding FMG |
| Net Revenues |
$2,418 |
$2,086 |
| Sequential Growth |
6.2% |
6.8% |
| Year-over-Year Growth |
-3.1% |
-0.1% |
Net revenues for the second quarter increased 6.2% to $2,418 million,
and excluding FMG, increased 6.8% sequentially. By product segment,
ASG’s net revenues increased 6.8% driven by double-digit sales
growth in wireless and digital consumer sales, Industrial & Multisegment
Sector increased 6.2% on high single-digit sales improvement in the
Industrial market segment, while FMG net revenues increased 2.7% sequentially.
President and CEO
Carlo Bozotti commented, “From the operational point of view,
ST’s sequential revenue results, led by recovery in wireless and
digital consumer, concretely demonstrate our ability to increase sales
and, we believe, gain market share.
“Strategically, the recent resolution of important initiatives
allows ST to focus efforts and resources on leadership in multimedia
convergence applications and power solutions, advance a lighter asset
business model, drive towards a higher RONA and enhance cash generation
from operations.
“Announced in mid-May, the creation of the new independent Flash
memory company, Numonyx(™), and the sale of our Flash memory assets
to this entity are moving ahead according to the anticipated timeline.
“As outlined in a separate release (issued today), we have also
reached an agreement related to the development of core 300mm CMOS processes
at 32nm and below. ST will join the IBM consortium for this cooperative
effort at the end of 2007. The two companies will have teams at both
the East Fishkill site in the US as well as Crolles in France working
together for core and value-added derivative applications, respectively.
“Additionally, advancing our commitment to a lighter
asset structure, following careful evaluation of further opportunities
to optimize our asset utilization, we reached the recently announced
decision to rationalize three of our manufacturing operations.”
Second Quarter Gross Profit Review
| In Million
US$ and % |
Q2
2007 |
| |
ST |
ST excluding FMG |
| Gross Profit |
$838 |
$788 |
| Gross Margin |
34.7% |
37.8% |
Gross profit was $838 million for the 2007 second quarter resulting
in a gross margin of 34.7% compared to $882 million and 35.4% in the
year ago quarter. Sequentially, both gross profit and gross margin improved
from the prior quarter levels of $785 million and 34.5%, respectively.
Excluding FMG, gross profit was $788 million for the 2007 second quarter,
representing a gross margin improvement to 37.8%, compared to 37.0%
in the first quarter.
Operating Expenses
Total R&D and SG&A expenses were $716 million in the second
quarter, representing a sequential quarterly increase of 2.9%. R&D
expenses increased 2.5% to $446 million in the 2007 second quarter versus
the $435 million in the prior quarter. SG&A expenses increased 3.4%
to $270 million for the 2007 second quarter compared to $261 million
in the prior quarter. Combined selling, general & administrative
and research & development expenses represented 29.6% of net revenues
in the second quarter, compared to 30.6% in the prior quarter.
Impairment and Restructuring Charges
As previously disclosed, in connection with the anticipated financial
deconsolidation of the Company’s FMG business, second quarter
net results included approximately $857 million of primarily non-cash
impairment charges. Additional charges taken in the second quarter included
about $40 million in connection with the July 10th announcement to further
optimize asset utilization and $9 million of costs from previous plans.
These charges totaled $906 million.
Operating Income, Net Income and Earnings per Share
Due to the impairment and restructuring costs the Company reported an
operating loss of $772 million, and a net loss of $758 million or $-0.84
per share. Excluding $906 million of impairment, restructuring charges
and other related closure costs during the second quarter, operating
income was $134 million, operating margin was 5.5% and net income was
$139 million or $0.15 per diluted share.
Income tax expenses for the 2007 second quarter of $4 million reflected
an estimated annual effective tax rate for recurring operations of approximately
12%, as well as some one-time income tax benefits, including those from
the July 10 announced cost-structure initiative. Income tax expenses
in the second quarter did not include any income-tax effect that could
be realized in connection with the Flash memory deconsolidation.
In the prior quarter, ST reported operating income of $62 million, an
operating margin of 2.7% (3.2% excluding restructuring and impairment
charges) and a net income of $74 million or $0.08 per diluted share
($0.09 excluding restructuring and impairment charges). In the year-ago
quarter, the Company reported operating income of $169 million, an operating
margin of 6.8% (8.1% excluding restructuring and impairment charges)
and net income of $168 million or $0.18 per diluted share ($0.21 excluding
restructuring and impairment charges).
In the second quarter of 2007, the effective average exchange rate for
the Company was approximately $1.335 to €1.00, compared to $1.29
to €1.00 in the first quarter of 2007 and $1.23 to €1.00 in
the year-ago quarter.
Cash Flow and Balance Sheet Highlights
Net cash from operating activities was $464 million in the
second quarter and $940 million for the first half. Capital expenditures
were $222 million in the 2007 second quarter compared to $285 million
in the prior quarter, and $507 million in the 2007 first half, down
from $696 million in the 2006 respective period. Net operating cash
flow* was $225 million for the second quarter, compared to $172 million
in the prior quarter. For the first half, net operating cash flow* totaled
$397 million, compared to $428 million in the 2006 first half.
At June 30, 2007, ST’s cash and cash equivalents, marketable
securities, short-term deposits and restricted cash equaled $3.0 billion.
During the second quarter ST paid cash dividends totaling $269 million,
representing an increase of approximately 150% compared to $107 million
in the year-ago period. Total debt was $2.2 billion. ST’s net
financial position** was $870 million at the end of the second quarter.
Shareholders’ equity was $8.9 billion.
Due to the pending nature of the Flash memory deconsolidation, the
Company categorized the associated assets as a new line on the balance
sheet—“Assets Held for Sale.” The Company also noted
that inventory decreased sequentially approximately $339 million. This
is due to the transfer of approximately $371 million of FMG inventory
to the Assets Held for Sale category. Excluding FMG, inventory turns
were 3.9 times in the second quarter.
? Net operating cash flow is a non-US GAAP metric, which the Company’s
management utilizes as a measure of cash-generation capability. It is
defined as net cash from operating activities ($464 million in the second
quarter of 2007) minus net cash used in investing activities (primarily
capital expenditures) excluding restricted cash, payments for purchase
of and proceeds from the sale of marketable securities and investment
in and proceeds from matured short-term deposits ($239 million in the
second quarter of 2007).
?? Net financial position is a non-US GAAP metric used by the Company’s
management to help assess financial flexibility. It is defined as cash
and cash equivalents, marketable securities, short-term deposits and
restricted cash ($3,030 million) minus total debt (bank overdrafts $41
million + current portion of long-term debt $127 million + long-term
debt $1,992 million).
Net Revenues by Market Segment for Q2 2007
The following table estimates, within a variance of 5% to 10% in the
absolute dollar amount, the relative weighting of each of the Company’s
target market segments for the second quarter of 2007.
| As % of
Net Revenues |
Q2
2007 |
| Market
Segment |
ST |
ST excluding
FMG |
| Automotive |
16% |
18% |
| Consumer |
17% |
18% |
| Computer |
15% |
16% |
| Telecom |
36% |
31% |
| Industrial & Other |
16% |
17% |
Consumer and Telecom each increased by over 10% sequentially, followed
by Industrial & Others which was up nearly 7%. Automotive was up
about 4% and Computer was down by approximately 4% sequentially. Excluding
FMG from this analysis for the first time shows a reduction of five
percentage points from telecom market segment, given FMG’s strong
positioning within wireless, spread evenly over the other four segments.
Financial and Operating Data by Product Segment for Q2 2007
“IMS and, within ASG, automotive posted record net revenue levels
in the quarter. ASG’s operating profit recovery reflected both
sales leverage and product-mix improvements. While not yet at the year-ago
level, these improvements indicate that the plan we articulated is delivering
the expected results,” observed Mr. Bozotti.
The following table provides a breakdown of revenues and operating
income by product segment.
| In Million
US$ |
Q2
2007 |
| Product
Segment |
Net Revenues |
% of Net
Revenues |
Operating
income (loss) |
| ASG (Application Specific Product Groups) |
$1,303 |
53.9% |
$53 |
| IMS (Industrial and Multisegment Sector) |
767 |
31.7% |
103 |
| FMG (Flash Memories Group) |
331 |
13.7% |
(25) |
| Others (1)(2) |
17 |
0.7% |
(903) |
| TOTAL |
$2,418 |
100.0% |
$(772) |
(1) Net revenues of “Others” include revenues from sales of
Subsystems and other products not allocated to product segments.
(2) Operating loss of “Others” includes items such as impairment,
restructuring charges, and other related closure costs, start-up costs,
and other unallocated expenses such as strategic or special research and
development programs, certain corporate-level operating expenses, certain
patent claims and litigations, and other costs that are not allocated
to the product segments, as well as operating earnings or losses of the
Subsystems and Other Products segment. Certain costs, mainly R&D,
that were formerly in the “Others” category, have been allocated
to the segments.
First Half 2007 Results
| In Million
US$ and % |
First
Half 2007 |
| Net Revenues |
$4,693 |
$4,039 |
| Year-over-Year Growth |
-3.4% |
0% |
Net revenues for the first half were $4,693 million, a decrease of
3.4% compared to 2006 first half revenues of $4,858 million. Excluding
FMG, sales were level with the last year’s first half. Gross profit
was $1,623 million, or 34.6% of net revenues, compared to $1,719 million
or 35.4% of net revenues for the 2006 first half. Operating loss was
$710 million, compared to operating income of $309 million in last year’s
first half. Net loss was $684 million, or $-0.76 per share, compared
to net income of $299 million, or $0.32 per diluted share in last year’s
first half. Net loss included pre-tax impairment, restructuring charges
and other related closure costs of $918 million ($1.01 per diluted share
impact) and $47 million ($0.04 per diluted share impact) for the 2007
and 2006 first half results, respectively.
Research and development expenses were $881 million, compared to $817
million in the 2006 first half. Selling, general, and administrative
expenses were $531 million compared to $522 million in the 2006 first
half.
In the 2007 first half, the effective average exchange rate for the
Company was approximately $1.31 to €1.00, compared to $1.22 to
€1.00 for the 2006 first half.
First Half 2007 Financial and Operating Data by Product Segment
The following table provides a breakdown of revenues and operating income
by product segment.
| In Million
US$ |
First
Half 2007 |
| Product
Segment |
Net Revenues |
% of Net
Revenues |
Operating
income (loss) |
| ASG (Application Specific Product Groups) |
$2,524 |
53.8% |
$52 |
| IMS (Industrial and Multisegment Sector) |
1,488 |
31.7% |
210 |
| FMG (Flash Memories Group) |
654 |
13.9% |
(42) |
| Others (1)(2) |
27 |
0.6% |
(930) |
| TOTAL |
$4,693 |
100% |
$(710) |
(1) and (2) defined in earlier table.
Outlook
Mr. Bozotti stated, “Based on current order visibility
for the third quarter, we see sequential sales growth continuing for
ST in the range between 2% and 7%. Despite the further weakening of
the US dollar, we expect the gross margin for the quarter to expand
to about 35.5% plus or minus one percentage point.”
These objectives refer to the total Company, including FMG, and are
based on an assumed currency exchange rate for the Company of approximately
$1.37 = €1.00 for the 2007 third quarter, which reflects current
exchange rate levels combined with the impact of existing hedging contracts.
Recent Corporate Developments
- At the Company’s Annual General Meeting, which was held in
Amsterdam on April 26, 2007, all of the proposed resolutions were
approved. The Company’s 2006 accounts in accordance with International
Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) were approved. The appointments
of Mr. Ray Bingham and Mr. Alessandro Ovi as new members of the Supervisory
Board for a three-year term, expiring at the 2010 Annual General Meeting,
were approved. The distribution of a cash dividend of $0.30 per share
was also approved.
o The complete Agenda and relevant detailed information concerning
the STMicroelectronics N.V. Annual General Meeting, as well as all
related AGM materials, is available on the Company’s website
http://investors.st.com
- On May 22, 2007, the Company entered into a definitive agreement
with Intel and Francisco Partners to create a new independent semiconductor
company from the key assets of Flash memory businesses (Intel’s
NOR business and ST’s FMG business) which last year generated
approximately $3.6 billion in combined annual revenue. The transaction
is subject to regulatory approvals and customary closing conditions
and is expected to occur in the second half of 2007.
- On July 10, 2007, the Company announced a new program to optimize
its cost structure which involves the closing of three manufacturing
sites, in Phoenix, Carrollton, and Ain Sebaa, over the next two to
three years. The Company expects savings of $150 million in cost of
sales at completion. The total restructuring charges for this program
are expected to be in the range between, $270 and $300 million, of
which an estimated $250 million are cash costs.
- In a separate press release (also issued today), ST announced that
it would work with the IBM consortium in East Fishkill, NY for advanced
CMOS process development, while IBM would be coming to Crolles, France
to work with ST on value-added derivatives of the core process that
would enable specialized functions such as embedded Memories and Analog/RF
devices to be integrated.
Products, Technology and Design Wins
Application-Specific Product Highlights
- future developments of the world semiconductor market, in particular
the future demand for semiconductor products in the key application
markets and from key customers served by our products;
- pricing pressures, losses or curtailments of purchases from
key customers all of which are highly variable and difficult to predict;
- the financial impact of obsolete or excess inventories if actual
demand differs from our anticipations;
- the impact of intellectual property claims by our competitors
or third parties, and our ability to obtain required licenses on reasonable
terms and conditions;
- changes in the exchange rates between the US dollar and the
Euro, compared to an assumed effective exchange rate of US $1.37 =
€1.00 and between the U.S. dollar and the currencies of the other
major countries in which we have our operating infrastructure;
- our ability to manage in an intensely competitive and cyclical
industry where a high percentage of our costs are fixed and difficult
to reduce in the short term, including our ability to adequately utilize
and operate our manufacturing facilities at sufficient levels to cover
fixed operating costs;
- our ability to close as currently planned and scheduled our
agreement with Intel and Francisco Partners concerning the creation
of a new independent Flash memory company to be named Numonyx (i)
if the financial, business or other conditions to Closing as contractually
provided are not met due to issues not currently anticipated and/or
(ii) if the estimated loss of $857 million relating to our Flash memory
business materially changes at Closing as a result of significant
developments in the Flash memory business;
- our ability in an intensive competitive environment, to secure
customer acceptance and to achieve our pricing expectations for high-volume
supplies of new products in whose development we have or are currently
investing;
- the anticipated benefits of research and development alliances
and cooperative activities, as well as the uncertainties concerning
the modalities, conditions and financial impact beyond 2007 of future
R&D activities in Crolles2;
- the ability of our suppliers to meet our demands for supplies
and materials and to offer competitive pricing;
- our gross margin could vary significantly from expectations
based on changes in revenue levels, product mix and pricing, capacity
utilization, variations in inventory valuation, excess or obsolete
inventory, manufacturing yields, changes in unit costs, impairments
of long-lived assets, including manufacturing, assembly/test and intangible
assets, and the timing and execution of the manufacturing ramp and
associated costs, including start-up costs;
- changes in the economic, social or political environment, including
military conflict and/or terrorist activities, as well as natural
events such as severe weather, health risks, epidemics or earthquakes
in the countries in which we, our key customers and our suppliers
operate;
- changes in our overall tax position as a result of changes
in tax laws or the outcome of tax audits, and our ability to accurately
estimate tax credits, benefits, deductions and provisions and to realize
deferred tax assets;
- the outcome of litigation;
- the results of actions by our competitors, including new product
offerings and our ability to react thereto.
Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and
uncertainties, which may cause actual results and performance of our
business to differ materially and adversely from the forward-looking
statements. Certain such forward-looking statements can be identified
by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believes”,
“may”, “will”, “should”, “would
be” or “anticipates” or similar expressions or the
negative thereof or other variations thereof or comparable terminology,
or by discussions of strategy, plans or intentions. Some of these risk
factors are set forth and are discussed in more detail in “Item
3. Key Information—Risk Factors” included in our Annual
Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2006, as filed with
the SEC on March 14, 2007. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties
materialize, or should underlying assumptions prove incorrect, actual
results may vary materially from those described in this release as
anticipated, believed or expected. We do not intend, and do not assume
any obligation, to update any industry information or forward-looking
statements set forth in this release to reflect subsequent events or
circumstances.
Unfavorable changes in the above or other factors listed under “Risk
Factors” from time to time in our SEC filings, including our Form
20-F, could have a material adverse effect on our business or financial
condition.
Conference Call Information
The management of STMicroelectronics will conduct a conference call
on July 25, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time / 3:00 p.m. CET, to
discuss performance for the second quarter of 2007.
The conference call will be available via the Internet by accessing
the following Web address: http://investors.st.com.
Those accessing the webcast should go to the Web site at least 15 minutes
prior to the call, in order to register, download, and install any necessary
audio software. The webcast will be available until August 3, 2007.
About STMicroelectronics
STMicroelectronics is a global leader in developing and delivering
semiconductor solutions across the spectrum of microelectronics applications.
An unrivalled combination of silicon and system expertise, manufacturing
strength, Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio and strategic partners
positions the Company at the forefront of System-on-Chip (SoC) technology
and its products play a key role in enabling today's convergence markets.
The Company’s shares are traded on the New York Stock Exchange,
on Euronext Paris and on the Milan Stock Exchange. In 2006, the Company's
net revenues were $9.85 billion and net earnings were $782 million.
Further information on ST can be found at www.st.com.
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