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

Fiscal 2021 Highlights:

• Record revenues of $1.1 billion;
• Record earnings of $2.45 per share on a GAAP basis and $3.37 per share on a non-GAAP basis;
• Gross margin of 16.2% on a GAAP basis and 16.7% on a non-GAAP basis, a year-over-year increase of 250bp on a GAAP basis and 210bp on a non-GAAP basis; and
• Acquisition of IMG Companies, LLC (“IMG”), bringing additional precision machining capabilities and capacity, and an accretive operating model to Ichor.

“We are pleased to report record revenues and earnings for fiscal 2021,” commented Jeff Andreson, chief executive officer. “Over the course of the year, levels of customer demand increased significantly, in parallel with continual upward revisions of wafer fab equipment growth expectations. At the same time, supply chain challenges progressively increased through the year, which pressured companies in the semiconductor industry to meet these unprecedented levels of demand. In spite of the operational challenges, our team executed well in 2021, achieving record revenues and earnings, increasing gross margins, and earnings growth outpacing our revenue growth, as well as successfully completing the complementary and accretive acquisition of IMG. Looking forward, our current visibility along with our customers’ outlooks indicate continued quarter-over-quarter increases in both demand and output as we progress through 2022. We look forward to continuing to execute on our strategies for growth and operational leverage in this robust demand environment.”

U.S. GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the fourth quarter of 2021, revenue was $287.2 million, net income was $14.9 million, and net income per diluted share (“diluted EPS”) was $0.51. This compares to revenue of $262.9 million and $245.0 million, net income of $18.5 million and $12.5 million, and diluted EPS of $0.64 and $0.51, for the third quarter of 2021 and fourth quarter of 2020, respectively.

For 2021, revenue was $1,096.9 million, net income was $70.9 million, and diluted EPS was $2.45. This compares to revenue of $914.2 million, net income of $33.3 million, and diluted EPS of $1.42 for 2020.

Non-GAAP Financial Results Overview

For the fourth quarter of 2021, non-GAAP net income was $26.2 million and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $0.90. This compares to non-GAAP net income of $23.4 million and $19.8 million, and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.81 and $0.81, for the third quarter of 2021 and fourth quarter of 2020, respectively.

For 2021, non-GAAP net income was $97.7 million and non-GAAP diluted EPS was $3.37. This compares to non-GAAP net income of $59.0 million, and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $2.52 for 2020.

First Quarter 2022 Financial Outlook

For the first quarter of 2022, we expect revenue to be in the range of $280 million to $320 million. We expect GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.55 to $0.79 and non-GAAP diluted EPS to be in the range of $0.80 to $1.04.

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 fourth quarter of 2021 with cash and cash equivalents of $75.5 million, a decrease of $52.5 million from the prior quarter, and a decrease of $177.4 million from December 25, 2020.

The decrease from the end of the prior quarter was primarily due to cash paid of $269.0 million, net of acquired-cash, to acquire IMG in November 2021 and cash used in operating activities of $8.9 million, partially offset by net proceeds from our credit facilities of $129.3 million and net proceeds from marketable securities of $98.5 million.

The decrease during 2021 was primarily due to cash paid of $269.0 million, net of acquired-cash, to acquire IMG in November 2021 and capital expenditures of $20.8 million, partially offset by net proceeds from our credit facilities of $92.7 million, and cash provided by operating activities of $15.5 million.

Our cash provided by operating activities of $15.5 million during 2021 consisted of net income of $70.9 million, net non-cash charges of $37.2 million, primarily consisting of depreciation and amortization of $26.0 million and share-based compensation expense of $11.5 million, and an increase in our net operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions, of $92.6 million.

The increase in our net operating assets and liabilities, net of acquisitions, was primarily due to an increase in inventories of $89.2 million and an increase in accounts receivable of $33.5 million, partially offset by an increase in accounts payable of $38.9 million. The increase in our inventories, net of acquired inventories, is primarily driven by elevated purchasing activity pursuant to strong customer demand and certain supply chain component constraints. The increase in accounts receivable, net of acquired receivables, was primarily due to increased revenue in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 and timing of customer payments. The increase in accounts payable, net of acquired payables, is primarily due to higher purchases during the fourth quarter of 2021 compared to the fourth quarter of 2020 and payment timing.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Results

In addition to U.S. GAAP results, this press release also contains non-GAAP financial results, including non‑GAAP gross profit, non‑GAAP operating income, non‑GAAP net income, non‑GAAP diluted EPS, and free cash flow. 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 acquisition-related costs and charges, 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 fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021 results and business outlook today at 2:00 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://webcast-eqs.com/ichorholdings02082022. To listen via telephone, please call (877) 407‑0989 (domestic) or +1 (201) 389‑0921 (international), conference ID: 13726103.

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 primarily for semiconductor capital equipment, as well as other industries such as defense/aerospace and medical. Our primary product offerings include gas and chemical delivery subsystems, collectively known as fluid delivery 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 subsystems precisely blend and dispense the reactive liquid chemistries used in semiconductor manufacturing processes such as chemical-mechanical planarization, electroplating, and cleaning. We also provide precision-machined components, weldments, e-beam and laser welded components, precision vacuum and hydrogen brazing, surface treatment technologies, and other proprietary products. We are headquartered in Fremont, CA. https://ir.ichorsystems.com.

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

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 first fiscal quarter of 2022, 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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