EX-99.1 2 exhb99-1.htm PLANTRONICS Q4 PRESS RELEASE Plantronics Q4 Press Release



PRESS RELEASE

Plantronics Reports Record Revenues for Fourth Quarter and for the Fiscal Year
 
FOR INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Debbie Peterson
Investor Relations Manager
(831) 458-7533
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 27, 2004

SANTA CRUZ, CA. – April 27, 2004 - Plantronics, Inc., (NYSE: PLT) today announced record revenues for its fourth quarter and full fiscal year 2004. Fourth quarter revenues increased 38% to $121.4 million to a new quarterly record, in comparison to $88.1 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. The absolute levels of revenue benefited from the extra week in the quarter, adding 7% from a normal 13-week quarter. Operating income increased from $14.6 million in the year-ago quarter to $27.8 million in the March quarter. Fourth quarter net income was $20.9 million compared to net income of $10.6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. Plantronics' diluted earnings per share were $0.42 for the fourth quarter in comparison to $0.23 in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2003. Earnings per share benefited from a lower tax rate in the fourth quarter; without this benefit, earnings per share would have been $0.39 for the quarter.
 
For the year as a whole, revenues were $417 million in comparison to $337.5 million in fiscal 2003. For the year as a whole, operating income was $84.8 million in comparison to $54.5 million in fiscal 2003, and operating margin was 20.3%. Earnings per share were $1.31 in comparison to $0.89 in fiscal 2003.
 
Ken Kannappan, President and Chief Executive Officer, noted, "Our results were above the guidance we issued on January 13th, which called for revenues of $104 to $108 million, and earnings per share of $0.30 to $0.34. Revenues from mobile headsets and wireless headsets were better than we expected. Revenues from mobile headsets were $25.9 million, down from $29.5 million in the December quarter, and up from $12 million in the March year-ago quarter. Seasonality contributed to the sequential decline while the stronger performance than expectations reflected market share staying at levels that we continue to believe are unsustainable over the long run.”

“Revenues from our Office and Contact Center products were $80.8 million, up 25% vs. the year-ago quarter and up 21% sequentially. The stronger growth resulted from the adoption of our wireless products for the office as well as some evidence of a modest rebound in revenues of contact center products,” Kannappan continued.
 
“There is much more we need to do to realize fully the opportunities we have. In particular, we are beginning to increase the level of investment in design with the goal of creating products that are truly compelling for people. I believe we are well positioned for success in the coming year and am excited about our ability to lead as headsets become mainstream and wireless headsets offer an entirely new level of benefits to people,” Kannappan concluded.
 
Barbara Scherer, SVP and CFO, said, "We exceeded the 20% target for operating margins that we have been working to achieve, ending the year at 20.3% with a fourth quarter level of 22.9%. We remain comfortable with an operating margin target for fiscal 2005 as a whole at 21% or better.”
 
“Working capital management was solid in a quarter with ramping demand, as inventory turns were 5.2 and DSO was 52 days. During the quarter, we generated $24.4 million in cash flow from operations and year to date, have generated $72.4 million. We did not repurchase any shares during the quarter and continue to have 142,600 shares remaining authorized for repurchase.”
 
“Our cash balance increased from $107.3 million as of the end of the December quarter to $180.6 million at the end of the fiscal year. The unusually large increase in our cash position was the result of the exercise of stock options. We received $49 million in proceeds from the exercise of approximately 2.6 million options by 657 of our associates. Also, as a result of the option exercises, we have approximately $14 million in tax benefits available as a credit against income taxes which will also help our cash flow during fiscal 2005,” Scherer explained.
 
“Finally, with the strong growth in our international business and the higher profitability of that business given the weakness of the dollar relative to last year, our natural tax rate for the year came in at 28% vs. the 30% level that we had been anticipating. As a result, we needed to book a tax rate of 23.7% for the fourth quarter to bring the full year rate down to 28%. While it is difficult to predict the rate for fiscal 2005 given the mix of tax jurisdictions in which we operate, we are currently estimating that the rate is likely to remain at 28% in fiscal 2005,” Scherer concluded.
 
Business Outlook
The following statements are based on current expectations. Many of these statements are forward-looking, and actual results may differ materially.
 
 
PLANTRONICS, INC. / 345 Encinal Street / P.O. Box 1802 / Santa Cruz, California 95061-1802
831-426-6060 / Fax 831-426-6098


     

 
We are cautiously optimistic about the overall economic environment and demand for our products. We feel that caution remains warranted given concern about the level of unemployment in the U.S., the level of budget and trade deficits in the U.S., the impact of a weak dollar on the Euro region recovery and the increased violence in Iraq. Given these and other factors, we remain uncertain concerning the strength and sustainability of the economic environment and the related demand outlook for headsets.
 
We consider the trends in sell-through of our U.S. commercial distributors of office and contact center products an important indicator of demand. For the March quarter, this group of distributors reported to us an increase in sell-through of 23% in comparison to the March quarter last year, and 20% growth sequentially. Our analysis indicates that the largest driver in the increased sell-through was demand for the CS50, our wireless headset solution for the office market, although we also saw increased sell-through in products and channel partners that primarily use and serve the contact center market. Our level of revenues to this channel closely matched their level of reported sell-through with channel inventory levels therefore remaining largely unchanged.
 
We have a “book and ship” business model whereby we ship most orders to our customers within 48 hours of our receipt of those orders, and we thus cannot rely on the level of backlog to provide visibility into potential future revenues.
 
Based on all of the foregoing, we are currently expecting:
 
  • Revenues for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 to be in the range of $120-$125 million. Assuming we achieve $120 to $125 million in revenues, the growth vs. Q1 fiscal 2004 will be 29% to 35%. We note that the fourth quarter of fiscal 2004 contained 14 weeks. In fiscal 2005, each quarter will contain 13 weeks.

    We currently believe that revenues of mobile products will be fairly strong in the June quarter and that we are benefiting from an unusually large share of “bundling” programs at certain wireless carriers. However, we doubt this level of share is sustainable over the long run and thus would expect more moderate revenues from mobile products in subsequent quarters than might otherwise be expected based on a simple extrapolation of recent run rates. We also believe that the ramp in revenues from wireless headsets for the office market is likely to moderate in the future.
  • Earnings per share for the first quarter of fiscal 2005 to be in the range of $0.37 - $0.41.
Plantronics does not intend to update these targets during the quarter or to report on its progress toward these targets. Plantronics will not comment on these targets to analysts or investors except by its next press release announcing its first quarter fiscal year 2005 results or by other public disclosure. Any statements by persons outside Plantronics speculating on the progress of the first quarter of the fiscal year will not be based on internal Company information and should be assessed accordingly by investors. The statements do not reflect the potential impact of any mergers or acquisitions that may be completed after the date of this release.
 
Conference Call Scheduled to Discuss Financial Results
Plantronics has scheduled a conference call to discuss the contents of this release. The conference call will take place today, Tuesday, April 27 at 2:00 PM (PDT). All interested investors and potential investors in Plantronics stock are invited to participate. To listen please dial in five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled starting time and refer to the "Plantronics Conference Call." Participants from North America should call (888) 301-8736 and other participants should call (706) 634-7260.

A replay of the call with the conference ID #6644940 will be available for 72 hours at (800) 642-1687 for callers from North America and at (706) 645-9291 for all other callers. The conference call will also be simultaneously web cast at www.plantronics.com under Investor Relations, and the web cast of the conference call will remain available at the Plantronics Web site for thirty days.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT UNDER THE PRIVATE SECURITIES LITIGATION REFORM ACT OF 1995:
Certain statements in this press release, including our target for fiscal 2005 operating margins, the estimated tax rate for fiscal 2005, our current expectations and projections for revenues and earnings for the June quarter, and other statements under the caption "Business Outlook" above, are forward-looking statements based on current information and expectations. Achievement of the results projected above is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected are:
  • A slowing in national or international economic growth, resulting in a reduction in the overall level of demand for our products;
  • As the national and international economies recover, employment opportunities in the contact center or office markets may not increase commensurately but may remain flat or even decrease, lessening the future demand for our products;
  • A softening of the level of market demand for our products within our core contact center market and/or in the newer office, mobile, computer and residential markets;
  • The inability to successfully develop, manufacture and market new products.
  • The demand for new wireless headset products may not develop as we anticipate and may lead to excess inventory and the inability to recover the associated development costs.
  • A decrease in the liquidity of our customers caused by general economic conditions that may impact their ability to pay amounts due us;
  • The actions of existing and/or new competitors, especially with regard to pricing and promotional programs;
  • The entry of new competitors which could be spurred by changes in the regulatory environment, particularly laws requiring the use of hands-free devices by drivers when using cellular telephones;
  • Variations in sales and profits in higher tax, as compared to lower tax, jurisdictions;
  • Fluctuations in foreign exchange rates; and
  • Changes in the regulatory environment either as to headsets directly or as to the products, such as mobile phones, with which our products are used.
Additional risk factors include: changes in the timing and size of orders from our customers, price erosion, increased requirements from retail customers for marketing and advertising funding, failure to match production to demand, interruption in the supply of sole-sourced critical components, continuity of component supply at costs consistent with our plans, failure of our distribution channels to operate as we expect, failure to develop products that keep pace with technological changes, the inherent risks of our substantial foreign operations, problems which might affect our principal manufacturing facility in Mexico, further terrorist acts, our nation's response to terrorist attacks and the effects of these activities on capital and consumer spending, and the loss of the services of key executives and employees. For more information concerning these and other possible risks, please refer to the Company's Form 10-K filed on June 2, 2003, filings on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as well as recent press releases. These filings can be accessed over the Internet at http://www.sec.gov/edgar/searchedgar/companysearch.html


Financial Summaries
The following related charts are provided:
  • Summary of Consolidated Financial Statements
  • Summary of Unaudited Income Statements and Related Data

About Plantronics
Plantronics introduced the first lightweight communications headset in 1962 and is recognized as the world leader in communications headsets. A publicly held company with approximately 3,350 employees, Plantronics is the leading provider of headsets to telephone companies and the business community worldwide. Plantronics headsets are also used widely in many Fortune 500 corporations and have been featured in numerous motion pictures and high-profile events, including Neil Armstrong's historic "One small step for man" transmission from the moon in 1969. Plantronics, Inc., headquartered in Santa Cruz, California, was founded in 1961 and maintains offices in 20 countries. Plantronics products are sold and supported through a worldwide network of authorized Plantronics marketing partners. Information about the Company and its products can be found at www.plantronics.com or by calling (800) 544-4660.


Plantronics is a registered trademark of Plantronics, Inc. Bluetooth is a trademark owned by Bluetooth SIG Inc., and is used by Plantronics under license. All other products or service names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners


PLANTRONICS, INC. / 345 Encinal Street / P.O. Box 1802 / Santa Cruz, California 95061-1802
831-426-6060 / Fax 831-426-6098


     

PLANTRONICS, INC.
 
SUMMARY CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
 
(in thousands, except per share data)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
 
           
 
 
Quarter Ended
Year Ended
   



 
 
March 31,
March 31,
March 31,
March 31,
 
 
2003
2004
2003
2004
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Net sales
 
$
88,059
 
$
121,440
 
$
337,508
 
$
416,965
 
Cost of sales
   
44,730
   
55,944
   
168,565
   
200,995
 
   
 
 
 
 
Gross profit
   
43,329
   
65,496
   
168,943
   
215,970
 
Gross profit %
   
49.2
%
 
53.9
%
 
50.1
%
 
51.8
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Research, development and engineering
   
8,459
   
9,774
   
33,877
   
35,460
 
Selling, general and administrative
   
20,297
   
27,970
   
80,605
   
95,756
 
   
 
 
 
 
Total operating expenses
   
28,756
   
37,744
   
114,482
   
131,216
 
   
 
 
 
 
Operating income
   
14,573
   
27,752
   
54,461
   
84,754
 
Operating income % to sales
   
16.5
%
 
22.9
%
 
16.1
%
 
20.3
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Interest and other income (expense), net
   
528
   
(300
)
 
2,299
   
1,745
 
   
 
 
 
 
Income before income taxes
   
15,101
   
27,452
   
56,760
   
86,499
 
Income tax expense
   
4,530
   
6,506
   
15,284
   
24,220
 
   
 
 
 
 
Net income
 
$
10,571
 
$
20,946
 
$
41,476
 
$
62,279
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Net income % to Sales
   
12.0
%
 
17.3
%
 
12.3
%
 
14.9
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Diluted earnings per common share
 
$
0.23
 
$
0.42
 
$
0.89
 
$
1.31
 
Shares used in diluted per share calculations
   
45,190
   
50,068
   
46,584
   
47,492
 
 

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
 
 
       
 
 
March 31,
March 31,
 
 
2003
2004
ASSETS
 
   
Cash and cash equivalents
 
$
54,704
 
$
180,616
 
Marketable securities
   
5,021
   
-
 
   
 
 
Total cash and marketable securities
   
59,725
   
180,616
 
Accounts receivable, net
   
50,503
   
64,999
 
Inventory, net
   
33,758
   
40,762
 
Deferred income taxes
   
6,357
   
13,967
 
Other current assets
   
2,674
   
10,283
 
   
 
 
Total current assets
   
153,017
   
310,627
 
Property, plant and equipment, net
   
36,957
   
42,124
 
Intangibles, net
   
3,682
   
3,440
 
Goodwill, net
   
9,386
   
9,386
 
Other assets
   
2,167
   
2,675
 
   
 
 
 
 
$
205,209
 
$
368,252
 
   
 
 
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
   
 
   
 
 
Accounts payable
 
$
13,596
 
$
19,075
 
Accrued liabilities
   
27,235
   
36,469
 
Income taxes payable
   
8,581
   
5,686
 
   
 
 
Total current liabilities
   
49,412
   
61,230
 
Deferred tax liability
   
8,867
   
7,719
 
   
 
 
Total liabilities
   
58,279
   
68,949
 
Stockholders' equity
   
146,930
   
299,303
 
   
 
 
 
 
$
205,209
 
$
368,252
 
   
 
 
 


Summary of Unaudited Income Statements and Related Data
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
FY02
Q103
Q203
Q303
Q403
FY03
Q104
Q204
Q304
Q404
FY04
                                                                     
Net sales
   
311,181
   
80,268
   
82,370
   
86,811
   
88,059
   
337,508
   
92,786
   
95,117
   
107,622
   
121,440
   
416,965
 
Cost of sales
   
163,336
   
38,810
   
40,735
   
44,290
   
44,730
   
168,565
   
47,319
   
46,351
   
51,381
   
55,944
   
200,995
 
Gross profit
   
147,845
   
41,458
   
41,635
   
42,521
   
43,329
   
168,943
   
45,467
   
48,766
   
56,241
   
65,496
   
215,970
 
Gross profit %
   
47.5
%
 
51.6
%
 
50.5
%
 
49.0
%
 
49.2
%
 
50.1
%
 
49.0
%
 
51.3
%
 
52.3
%
 
53.9
%
 
51.8
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Research, development and engineering
   
30,303
   
8,250
   
8,164
   
9,004
   
8,459
   
33,877
   
8,605
   
8,247
   
8,834
   
9,774
   
35,460
 
Selling, general and administrative
   
76,273
   
19,606
   
19,763
   
20,939
   
20,297
   
80,605
   
21,153
   
22,984
   
23,649
   
27,970
   
95,756
 
Operating expenses
   
106,576
   
27,856
   
27,927
   
29,943
   
28,756
   
114,482
   
29,758
   
31,231
   
32,483
   
37,744
   
131,216
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Operating income
   
41,269
   
13,602
   
13,708
   
12,578
   
14,573
   
54,461
   
15,709
   
17,535
   
23,758
   
27,752
   
84,754
 
Operating income %
   
13.3
%
 
16.9
%
 
16.6
%
 
14.5
%
 
16.5
%
 
16.1
%
 
16.9
%
 
18.4
%
 
22.1
%
 
22.9
%
 
20.3
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Income before income taxes
   
43,200
   
14,535
   
13,980
   
13,144
   
15,101
   
56,760
   
16,201
   
17,676
   
25,170
   
27,452
   
86,499
 
Income tax expense
   
6,952
   
4,361
   
2,450
   
3,943
   
4,530
   
15,284
   
4,860
   
5,303
   
7,551
   
6,506
   
24,220
 
Income tax expense as a percent
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
of income before taxes
   
16.1
%
 
30.0
%
 
17.5
%
 
30.0
%
 
30.0
%
 
26.9
%
 
30.0
%
 
30.0
%
 
30.0
%
 
23.7
%
 
28.0
%
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Net income after taxes
   
36,248
   
10,174
   
11,530
   
9,201
   
10,571
   
41,476
   
11,341
   
12,373
   
17,619
   
20,946
   
62,279
 
Diluted shares outstanding
   
49,238
   
47,722
   
47,298
   
46,197
   
45,190
   
46,584
   
45,077
   
46,372
   
47,501
   
50,068
   
47,492
 
EPS
   
0.74
   
0.21
   
0.24
   
0.20
   
0.23
   
0.89
   
0.25
   
0.27
   
0.37
   
0.42
   
1.31
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Net revenues from unaffiliated customers:
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Office and contact center
   
237,505
   
61,568
   
59,742
   
58,644
   
64,404
   
244,358
   
62,080
   
64,192
   
66,776
   
80,839
   
273,887
 
Mobile and computer
   
61,387
   
12,730
   
16,208
   
21,824
   
17,820
   
68,582
   
23,981
   
24,049
   
35,335
   
32,667
   
116,032
 
Other specialty products
   
12,289
   
5,970
   
6,420
   
6,343
   
5,835
   
24,568
   
6,725
   
6,876
   
5,511
   
7,934
   
27,046
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Net revenues by geographical area
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
from unaffiliated customers:
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Domestic
   
213,655
   
55,614
   
57,426
   
57,013
   
58,889
   
228,942
   
64,924
   
64,929
   
66,484
   
80,880
   
277,217
 
International
   
97,526
   
24,654
   
24,944
   
29,798
   
29,170
   
108,566
   
27,862
   
30,188
   
41,138
   
40,560
   
139,748
 
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Balance Sheet accounts and metrics:
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
   
 
 
Accounts receivable, net
   
43,838
   
44,714
   
51,303
   
51,927
   
50,503
   
50,503
   
49,852
   
52,033
   
64,425
   
64,999
   
64,999
 
Days Sales Outstanding
   
 
   
50
   
56
   
54
   
52
   
 
   
48
   
49
   
54
   
52
   
 
 
Inventory, net
   
36,103
   
37,695
   
35,659
   
34,884
   
33,758
   
33,758
   
37,510
   
37,764
   
39,178
   
40,762
   
40,762
 
Inventory turns
   
 
   
4.1
   
4.6
   
5.1
   
5.3
   
 
   
5.0
   
4.9
   
5.2
   
5.2