Ichor Holdings, Ltd. (NASDAQ: ICHR), a leader in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of critical fluid delivery subsystems for semiconductor capital equipment, today announced third quarter 2021 financial results.

Highlights include:

• Revenues of $263 million, up 15% year-over-year;
• Gross margin of 16.6% on a GAAP basis and 16.7% on a non-GAAP basis;
• Net earnings of $0.64 per diluted share on a GAAP basis and $0.81 on a non-GAAP basis; and
• Post-quarter-end execution of an amended and restated credit agreement, increasing our borrowing capacity and reducing the overall borrowing rate.

“Within an extraordinarily challenging operating environment, Ichor delivered year-over-year revenue growth, with continued strong margins and profitability,” commented Jeff Andreson, chief executive officer. “Chiefly as a result of our continued focus on gross margin improvements, year to date in 2021 we have demonstrated the operating leverage in our model by growing net income at well over three times the rate of revenue growth. While our revenue growth expectations for the second half of 2021 have been significantly impacted by COVID-related output constraints, customer demand continues to strengthen, and with our current visibility, we expect robust revenue levels and year-over-year growth to continue in 2022.” Mr. Andreson concluded, “I am immensely proud of our team in accomplishing Ichor’s first billion-dollar revenue year, with an expected 200bp gross margin improvement over 2020, and record earnings. We are also ending 2021 with the strongest balance sheet and capitalization in Company history, having recently completed a refinancing and $100M expansion of our credit facility, which increases our borrowing capacity to $400 million, provides us with a lower interest rate, and increases our flexibility to pursue our strategic growth initiatives.”

U.S. GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the third quarter of 2021, revenue was $262.9 million, net income was $18.5 million, and net income per diluted share (“diluted EPS”) was $0.64. This compares to revenue of $282.3 million and $227.7 million, net income of $22.9 million and $10.5 million, and diluted EPS of $0.79 and $0.45, for the second quarter of 2021 and third quarter of 2020, respectively.

Non-GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the third quarter of 2021, non-GAAP net income was $23.4 million and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.81. This compares to non-GAAP net income of $26.3 million and $14.6 million, and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.90 and $0.62, for the second quarter of 2021 and third quarter of 2020, respectively.

Fourth Quarter 2021 Financial Outlook

For the fourth quarter of 2021, we expect revenue to be in the range of $275 million to $305 million. We expect GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.64 to $0.82 and non-GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.82 to $0.98.

This outlook for non‑GAAP diluted EPS excludes known charges related to amortization of intangible assets, share‑based compensation expense, tax adjustments related to these non-GAAP adjustments, and non-recurring charges known at the time of providing this outlook. This outlook for non-GAAP diluted EPS excludes any items that are unknown at this time, such as non-recurring tax-related items or other unusual items which we are not able to predict without unreasonable efforts due to their inherent uncertainty.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Results

We ended the third quarter of 2021 with cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities of $226.7 million, a decrease of $19.9 million from the prior quarter, and a decrease of $26.2 million from December 25, 2020.

The decrease from the end of the prior quarter was primarily due to cash used in operating activities of $14.5 million, capital expenditures of $3.3 million, and payments on long-term debt of $2.2 million, partially offset by net proceeds from the issuance of shares under our share-based compensation plans of $0.3 million.

The decrease during the nine months ended September 24, 2021 was primarily due to payments on long-term debt of $36.6 million and capital expenditures of $18.7 million, partially offset by cash provided by operating activities of $24.4 million and net proceeds from the issuance of shares under our share-based compensation plans of $4.5 million.

Our cash provided by operating activities of $24.4 million during the nine months ended September 24, 2021 consisted of net income of $56.0 million and net non-cash charges of $27.3 million, partially offset by an increase in our net operating assets and liabilities of $58.9 million. Net non-cash charges primarily consisted of depreciation and amortization of $17.7 million, share-based compensation of $8.1 million, and deferred taxes of $1.0 million. The increase in our net operating assets and liabilities was primarily due to (i) an increase in inventories of $59.2 million, driven mostly by higher purchasing activity pursuant to strong customer demand and certain supply chain constraints, primarily due to a government-ordered shutdown of our Malaysia factory in July 2021, constraining production and shipments; (ii) an increase in accounts receivable of $20.7 million, driven mostly by higher sales in the third quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, as well as timing of customer payments; partially offset by (iii) an increase in accounts payable of $21.2 million, which is primarily due to higher purchases during the third quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020, partially offset by timing of payments to suppliers.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Results

In addition to U.S. GAAP results, this press release also contains non-GAAP financial results. Management uses these non-GAAP metrics to evaluate our operating and financial results. We believe the presentation of non-GAAP results is useful to investors for analyzing business trends and comparing performance to prior periods, along with enhancing investors’ ability to view our results from management’s perspective. Non-GAAP gross profit, operating income, and net income are defined as: gross profit, operating income, or net income, as applicable, excluding (1) amortization of intangible assets, share-based compensation expense, and non-recurring expenses, including contract settlement losses and facility shutdown costs, to the extent they are present in gross profit, operating income, and net income; and (2) the tax impacts associated with our non-GAAP adjustments, as well as non-recurring discrete tax items. Non-GAAP diluted EPS is defined as non-GAAP net income divided by weighted average diluted ordinary shares outstanding during the period. Non-GAAP gross margin and non-GAAP operating margin are defined as non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP operating income, respectively, divided by net sales. Free cash flow is defined as cash provided by operating activities, less capital expenditures. Tables showing these metrics on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis, with reconciliation footnotes thereto, are included at the end of this press release.

Non-GAAP results have limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider them in isolation or as a substitute for our results reported under GAAP. Other companies may calculate non-GAAP results differently or may use other measures to evaluate their performance, both of which could reduce the usefulness of our non-GAAP results as a tool for comparison.

Because of these limitations, you should consider non-GAAP results alongside other financial performance measures and results presented in accordance with GAAP. In addition, in evaluating non-GAAP results, you should be aware that in the future we will incur expenses such as those that are the subject of adjustments in deriving non-GAAP results and you should not infer from our presentation of non-GAAP results that our future results will not be affected by these expenses or any unusual or non-recurring items.

Conference Call

We will conduct a conference call to discuss our third quarter 2021 results and business outlook today at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time.

To listen to a live webcast of the call, please visit our investor relations website at https://ir.ichorsystems.com, or go to the live link at https://www.webcast-eqs.com/ichorholdings11022021. To listen via telephone, please call (877) 407‑0989 (domestic) or +1 (201) 389‑0921 (international), conference ID: 13723666.

After the call, an on-demand replay will be available at the same webcast link.

About Ichor

We are a leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of critical fluid delivery subsystems and components for semiconductor capital equipment. Our product offerings include gas and chemical delivery systems and subsystems, collectively known as fluid delivery systems and subsystems, which are key elements of the process tools used in the manufacturing of semiconductor devices. Our gas delivery subsystems deliver, monitor and control precise quantities of the specialized gases used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as etch and deposition. Our chemical delivery systems and subsystems precisely blend and dispense the reactive liquid chemistries used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as chemical-mechanical planarization, electroplating, and cleaning. We also manufacture precision-machined components, weldments, and proprietary products for use in fluid delivery systems for direct sales to our customers. This vertically-integrated portion of our business is primarily focused on metal and plastic parts that are used in gas and chemical systems, respectively. We are headquartered in Fremont, CA. ichorsystems.com.

We use a 52- or 53-week fiscal year ending on the last Friday in December. The three months ended September 24, 2021, June 25, 2021, and September 25, 2020 were all 13 weeks. References to the second and third quarters of 2021 and the third quarter of 2020 relate to the three-month periods then ended. Our fourth quarter ending December 31, 2021 will be 14 weeks.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain statements in this release are "forward-looking statements" made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "guidance," "expects," "intends," “may,” “will,” "projects," "plans," “predicts,” "believes," “could,” "estimates," "targets," "anticipates," “look forward,” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements.

Examples of forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding financial results for our fourth fiscal quarter of 2021, statements regarding the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, materials or component shortages from suppliers, as well as any other statement that does not directly relate to any historical or current fact. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and assumptions, which may not prove to be accurate. These statements are not guarantees and are subject to risks, uncertainties and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from these forward-looking statements, including: (1) dependence on expenditures by manufacturers and cyclical downturns in the semiconductor capital equipment industry, (2) reliance on a very small number of original equipment manufacturers for a significant portion of sales, (3) negotiating leverage held by our customers, (4) competitiveness and rapid evolution of the industries in which we participate, (5) risks associated with weakness in the global economy and geopolitical instability, (6) keeping pace with developments in the industries we serve and with technological innovation generally, (7) designing, developing and introducing new products that are accepted by original equipment manufacturers in order to retain our existing customers and obtain new customers, (8) managing our manufacturing and procurement process effectively, (9) defects in our products that could damage our reputation, decrease market acceptance and result in potentially costly litigation, (10) dependence on a limited number of suppliers, and (11) the impact of the COVID‑19 pandemic, any related or unrelated public health threat or fear of such event on economic activity, us and our customers, suppliers, employees, and other business relations, including, but not limited to, demand for our products, workforce availability, and costs to manufacture our products. Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including other risks, relevant factors, and uncertainties identified in the "Risk Factors" section of our Annual Report on Form 10‑K filed with the SEC on March 5, 2021.

All forward-looking statements in this press release are based upon information available to us as of the date hereof, and qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. We undertake no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained herein, whether as a result of actual results, changes in our expectations, future events or developments, or otherwise, except as required by law.

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