Kulicke & Soffa Reports Fourth Quarter & Fiscal Year 2018 Results

Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: KLIC) ("Kulicke & Soffa”, "K&S” or the "Company”), today announced financial results of its fourth fiscal quarter and full fiscal year ended September 29, 2018. The Company reported fourth quarter net revenue of $184.8 million, and reported diluted EPS of $0.43 and a non-GAAP diluted EPS of $0.45.

During its fourth fiscal quarter, K&S repurchased $23.7 million of common stock in open market transactions at an average price of $25.74 per share. The Company also recorded a quarterly dividend equivalent to $0.12 per share during its fourth fiscal quarter.

* A reconciliation of the GAAP and non-GAAP adjusted results is provided in the financial tables included in this release. See also "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Results” section.

Dr. Fusen Chen, Kulicke & Soffa's President and Chief Executive Officer, stated, "Over the past two years, our organizational redesign and development efforts have diversified our business and provided access to several new and promising growth opportunities. Throughout fiscal year 2018, these fundamental improvements resulted in our ability to deliver record levels of both gross profits and shareholders returns."

Fiscal Year 2018 Financial Highlights

• Net revenue of $889.1 million.
• Gross margin of 46.1%.
• Net income of $56.7 million or $0.80 per share; Non-GAAP net income of $171.1 million or $2.43 per share.
• The Company repurchased a total of 3.8 million shares of common stock at a cost of $91.1 million.

Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2018 Financial Highlights

• Net revenue of $184.8 million.
• Gross margin of 46.4%.
• Net income of $29.6 million or $0.43 per share; Non-GAAP net income of $31.2 million or $0.45 per share.
• Cash, cash equivalents, and short-term investments were $613.6 million as of September 29, 2018.

First Quarter Fiscal 2019 Outlook

The Company currently expects net revenue in the first fiscal quarter of 2019 ending December 29, 2018 to be approximately $150 million to $160 million. The midpoint of this guidance exceeds four of the past five first fiscal quarters.

Looking forward, Dr. Fusen Chen commented, "Despite the relative softness anticipated in the December quarter, our fundamental market positions, new product development and significant exposure to major trends supporting connected devices, automotive, LED and advanced packaging provide us with a high-level of confidence as we look ahead."

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Results

In addition to U.S. GAAP results, this press release also contains non-GAAP financial results. The Company's non-GAAP results exclude amortization related to intangible assets acquired through business combinations, goodwill impairment, costs associated with restructuring, income tax expense related to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 as well as tax benefits or expense associated with the foregoing non-GAAP items. These non-GAAP measures are consistent with the way management analyzes and assesses the Company’s operating results. The Company believes these non-GAAP measures enhance investors’ understanding of the Company’s underlying operational performance, as well as their ability to compare the Company’s period-to-period financial results and the Company’s overall performance to that of its competitors.

Management uses both U.S. GAAP metrics as well as non-GAAP operating income, operating margin, net income, net margin and net income per diluted share to evaluate the Company's operating and financial results. Non-GAAP financial measures may not provide information that is directly comparable to that provided by other companies in the Company’s industry, as other companies in the industry may calculate non-GAAP financial results differently. In addition, there are limitations in using non-GAAP financial measures because the non-GAAP financial measures are not prepared in accordance with GAAP, may be different from non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies and exclude expenses that may have a material impact on the Company’s reported financial results. The presentation of non-GAAP items is meant to supplement, but not substitute for, GAAP financial measures or information. The Company believes the presentation of non-GAAP results in combination with GAAP results provides better transparency to the investment community when analyzing business trends, providing meaningful comparisons with prior period performance and enhancing investors' ability to view the Company's results from management's perspective. A reconciliation of each available GAAP to non-GAAP financial measure discussed in this press release is contained in the attached exhibit.

About Kulicke & Soffa

Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) is a leading provider of semiconductor packaging and electronic assembly solutions supporting the global automotive, consumer, communications, computing and industrial segments. As a pioneer in the semiconductor space, K&S has provided customers with market leading packaging solutions for decades. In recent years, K&S has expanded its product offerings through strategic acquisitions and organic development, adding advanced packaging, electronics assembly, wedge bonding and a broader range of tools to its core offerings. Combined with its extensive expertise in process technology and focus on development, K&S is well positioned to help customers meet the challenges of packaging and assembling the next-generation of electronic devices (www.kns.com).

Caution Concerning Results and Forward Looking Statements

In addition to historical statements, this press release contains statements relating to future events and our future results. These statements are "forward-looking” statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and include, but are not limited to, statements that relate to our future expected dividend payouts and growth opportunities. While these forward-looking statements represent our judgments and future expectations concerning our business, a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors could cause actual developments and results to differ materially from our expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to: the risk that the Company fails to meet its operational and financial targets in order to adhere to its dividend policy; the risk that customer orders already received may be postponed or canceled, generally without charges; the risk that anticipated customer orders may not materialize; the risk that our suppliers may not be able to meet our demands on a timely basis; the volatility in the demand for semiconductors and our products and services; the risk that identified market opportunities may not grow or developed as we anticipated; volatile global economic conditions, which could result in, among other things, sharply lower demand for products containing semiconductors and for the Company’s products, and disruption of capital and credit markets; the risk of failure to successfully manage our operations; the possibility that we may need to impair the carrying value of goodwill and/or intangibles established in connection with one or more of our prior acquisitions; acts of terrorism and violence; risks, such as changes in trade regulations, currency fluctuations, political instability and war, which may be associated with a substantial non-U.S. customer and supplier base and substantial non-U.S. manufacturing operations; the impact of changes in tax law; the risk that the Company will not identify suitable acquisition opportunities or that any acquisitions will not be successful; the risk that the Company fails to timely remediate the material weaknesses identified in the Company’s internal controls over financial reporting or that new material weaknesses or significant deficiencies emerge; and the factors listed or discussed in Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. 2017 Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc. is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaims any obligation to) update or alter its forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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