EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

RUBICON TECHNOLOGY, INC. REPORTS THIRD QUARTER

2009 RESULTS AND OUTLINES TWO YEAR EXPANSION PLAN

Franklin Park, Ill – November 3, 2009— Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN), a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, Semiconductor, and Optical industries, today reported financial results for its third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

The Company’s revenue increased $2.5 million sequentially to $5.7 million in the third quarter driven by increased sales into the LED market. Diluted loss per share for the third quarter was $0.10 compared to $0.15 per share in the previous quarter. The Company cited the continued adoption of LED backlighting for LCD televisions and notebook and netbook computers as drivers for growth in the LED market.

Raja Parvez, President and CEO, noted, “The LED market continued to strengthen in the third quarter and pricing of sapphire substrates stabilized in the quarter as global capacity for sapphire production began to tighten.”

The Company also provided commentary on their expansion plans, which includes adding an additional crystal growth facility in the U.S. and building a low cost post crystal growth processing facility in Asia. The Company is currently working to finalize its plans, but it would be expected that both new facilities would be open within twelve months and be fully operational, meaning all equipment installed and operational, within 24 months.

Mr. Parvez continued, “We believe we are at the beginning of a long term growth cycle in the LED industry. These expansion initiatives would be designed to ensure Rubicon maintains its global leadership in high quality, large diameter sapphire substrates and ensure our pricing remains competitive while maximizing our revenue and margins generated from our existing and new manufacturing facilities.”


Fourth Quarter 2009 Guidance

Commenting on the outlook for the fourth quarter, William Weissman, Rubicon’s Chief Financial Officer said “We estimate revenue for the fourth quarter will further improve to approximately $7.0 million. We expect pricing to begin to increase in the fourth quarter and also expect to see an increase in the percentage of revenue from large diameter substrates. Based on the expected pricing and mix, gross margin should turn positive with a reduction in diluted loss per share to approximately $0.05.”

Conference Call Details

Rubicon will host a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern time on November 3, 2009 to review the highlights of the third quarter 2009 results and the fourth quarter 2009 outlook. The conference call will be available to the public through a live audio webcast via the Internet. Log on to Rubicon’s website at http://www.rubicon-es2.com/index.html. An audio replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available until 11:59 p.m. November 10, 2009, and can be accessed by dialing (888)-286-8010 or (617) 801-6888 (international). Callers should reference conference ID 98862346. The webcast will be archived on the Company’s website.

About Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Rubicon Technology, Inc. is an advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Rubicon is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes, which the Company employs to convert the bulk


crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to support next-generation LED, RFIC and optical window applications.

Further information is available at http://www.rubicon-es2.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements in this release, particularly those preceded by, followed by or including the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “should,” “estimates,” or similar expressions, or those relating to or anticipating financial results for periods beyond the end of the third quarter of 2009, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. For those statements, the company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by us. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks and uncertainties include managing the expansion of our manufacturing capacity, market acceptance of LED lighting, our ability to adapt to future changes in the LED industry, our successful development and market acceptance of RFIC and other new products, changes in the average selling prices of sapphire products, dependence on key customers, potential disruptions in our supply of electricity, changes in our product mix, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, the competitive environment, the availability and cost of raw materials, the cost of compliance with environmental standards, the ability to make effective acquisitions and successfully integrate newly acquired businesses into existing operations and other risks and uncertainties described in the company’s most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the company’s forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement that the company makes speaks only as of the date of such statement, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new


information, future events or otherwise. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

CONTACT:

William Weissman

Chief Financial Officer

847-457-3610


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

 

 

     September 30,
2009
(unaudited)
   December 31,
2008
(audited)

Assets

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 3,816    $ 7,629

Restricted cash

     10      5

Short-term investments

     41,594      37,328

Accounts receivable, net

     3,395      2,542

Inventories, net

     7,247      7,882

Other current assets

     2,794      4,926
             

Total current assets

     58,856      60,312

Property and equipment, net

     38,585      39,337

Investments

     2,000      12,696
             

Total assets

   $ 99,441    $ 112,345
             

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

     

Accounts payable

   $ 868    $ 2,440

Accrued and other current liabilities

     998      1,512
             

Total liabilities

     1,866      3,952

Stockholders’ equity

     97,575      108,393
             

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 99,441    $ 112,345
             


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share amounts)

 

 

     Three months ended September 30,    Nine months ended September 30,
     2009     2008    2009     2008

Revenue

   $ 5,737      $ 11,758    $ 11,280      $ 33,796

Cost of goods sold

     6,143        7,514      15,956        21,351
                             

Gross profit (loss)

     (406     4,244      (4,676     12,445

General and administrative expenses

     1,264        1,356      3,424        5,301

Sales and marketing expenses

     310        218      799        699

Research and development expenses

     216        179      566        679

Loss on disposal of assets

     —          1,215      —          1,215
                             

Total operating expenses

     1,790        2,968      4,789        7,894
                             

Income (loss) from operations

     (2,196     1,276      (9,465     4,551

Other income (expense):

         

Interest income (expense) and other, net

     134        392      590        1,691
                             

Income (loss) before income taxes

     (2,062     1,668      (8,875     6,242

Income tax expense

     —          49      —          173
                             

Net income (loss)

   $ (2,062   $ 1,619    $ (8,875   $ 6,069
                             

Net income (loss) per common share:

         

Basic

   $ (0.10   $ 0.08    $ (0.44   $ 0.29

Diluted

   $ (0.10   $ 0.07    $ (0.44   $ 0.27

Weighted average common shares outstanding used in computing net income (loss) per common share:

         

Basic

     20,032,470        21,222,321      20,112,967        20,891,128

Diluted

     20,032,470        22,084,570      20,112,967        22,262,889


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

     Three months ended September 30,     Nine months ended September 30,  
     2009     2008     2009     2008  

Cash flows from operating activities

        

Net income (loss)

   $ (2,062   $ 1,619      $ (8,875   $ 6,069   

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

        

Depreciation and amortization

     1,362        1,187        3,976        3,236   

Net loss on disposal of equipment

     —          1,215        —          1,215   

Other

     242        195        646        571   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

        

Accounts receivable, net

     (1,121     (626     (853     (3,364

Inventories

     723        (2,195     635        (3,080

Other current assets

     596        (293     2,132        (1,509

Accounts payable

     (448     (1,683     (1,572     1,341   

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     207        175        (514     (1,245
                                

Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities

     (501     (406     (4,425     3,234   

Cash flows from investing activities

        

Purchases of property and equipment

     (1,610     (4,935     (3,224     (15,807

Proceeds from sale of investments

     2,904        5,985        6,382        12,716   
                                

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

     1,294        1,050        3,158        (3,091

Cash flows from financing activities

        

Purchase of treasury stock

     —          —          (2,577     —     

Other financing activities

     30        18        31        538   
                                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     30        18        (2,546     538   
                                

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     823        662        (3,813     681   

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     2,993        4,399        7,629        4,380   
                                

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 3,816      $ 5,061      $ 3,816      $ 5,061