Basis of Presentation

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2012

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation

Note 1—Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Veeco Instruments Inc. (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Veeco,” the “Company” or “we”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“U.S.”) for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by U.S. generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments considered necessary for a fair presentation (consisting of normal recurring accruals) have been included. Operating results for the three months ended March 31, 2012, are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2012. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011.

Consistent with prior years, we report interim quarters, other than fourth quarters which always end on December 31, on a 13-week basis ending on the last Sunday of each period. The interim quarter ends are determined at the beginning of each year based on the 13-week quarters. The 2012 interim quarter ends are April 1, July 1 and September 30. The 2011 interim quarter ends were April 3, July 3 and October 2. For ease of reference, we report these interim quarter ends as March 31, June 30 and September 30 in our interim condensed consolidated financial statements.

Income Per Common Share

The following table sets forth the reconciliation of basic weighted average shares outstanding and diluted weighted average shares outstanding (in thousands):

	Three months ended
	March 31,
	2012	2011
Basic weighted average shares outstanding	38,261	39,842
Dilutive effect of stock options and restricted stock	602	1,149
Dilutive effect of convertible notes	—	1,540
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding	38,863	42,531

Basic income per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted income per common share is computed using the weighted average number of common shares and common equivalent shares outstanding during the period. For the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, no shares were excluded from the computation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding.

During the second quarter of 2011, the entire outstanding principal balance of our convertible debt was converted, with the principal amount paid in cash and the conversion premium paid in shares. The convertible notes met the criteria for determining the effect of the assumed conversion using the treasury stock method of accounting, since we had settled the principal amount of the notes in cash. Using the treasury stock method, it was determined that the impact of the assumed conversion for the three months ended March 31, 2011, had a dilutive effect of 1.5 million common equivalent shares.

Derivative Financial Instruments

We use derivative financial instruments to minimize the impact of foreign exchange rate changes on earnings and cash flows. In the normal course of business, our operations are exposed to fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. In order to reduce the effect of fluctuating foreign currencies on short-term foreign currency-denominated intercompany transactions and other known foreign currency exposures, we enter into monthly forward contracts. We do not use derivative financial instruments for trading or speculative purposes. Our forward contracts are not expected to subject us to material risks due to exchange rate movements because gains and losses on these contracts are intended to offset exchange gains and losses on the underlying assets and liabilities. The forward contracts are marked-to-market through earnings. We conduct our derivative transactions with highly rated financial institutions in an effort to mitigate any material credit risk.

The aggregate foreign currency exchange loss included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income was approximately ($0.1) million and ($0.3) million during the three months ended March 31, 2012  and 2011, respectively. Included in the aggregate foreign currency exchange loss were gains related to forward contracts of $0.1 million and $0.5 million during the three months ended March 31, 2012 and 2011, respectively. These amounts were recognized and are included in Other, net in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income.

As of March 31, 2012, approximately $0.1 million of gains related to forward contracts were included in prepaid expenses and other current assets and were subsequently received in April 2012. As of December 31, 2011, there were no gains or losses related to forward contracts included in prepaid expenses and other current assets or accrued expenses and other current liabilities. Monthly forward contracts with a notional amount of $3.3 million, entered into in March 2012 for April 2012, will be settled in April 2012.

The weighted average notional amount of derivative contracts outstanding during the three months ended March 31, 2012 was approximately $2.4 million.