NVE Corp: Form 10-Q for the period ended Dec 31, 2021

Forward-looking statements

Some of the statements made in this Report or in the documents incorporated by reference in this Report and in other materials filed or to be filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) as well as information included in verbal or written statements made by us constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements are subject to the safe harbor provisions of the reform act. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of the terminology such as may, will, expect, anticipate, intend, believe, estimate, should, or continue, or the negatives of these terms or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. To the extent that this Report contains forward-looking statements regarding the financial condition, operating results, business prospects or any other aspect of NVE, you should be aware that our actual financial condition, operating results and business performance may differ materially from that projected or estimated by us in the forward-looking statements. We have attempted to identify, in context, some of the factors that we currently believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from their current expectations. These differences may be caused by a variety of factors, including but not limited to risks related to our reliance on several large customers for a significant percentage of revenue, our dependence on critical suppliers and packaging vendors, uncertainties related to the economic environments in the industries we serve, uncertainties related to future sales and revenues, risks and uncertainties related to future stock repurchases and dividend payments, and other specific risks that may be alluded to in this Report or in the documents incorporated by reference in this Report.

Further information regarding our risks and uncertainties are contained in Part I, Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2021 as updated in Item 1A of this report.

General

NVE Corporation, referred to as NVE, we, us, or our, develops and sells devices that use spintronics, a nanotechnology that relies on electron spin rather than electron charge to acquire, store and transmit information. We manufacture high-performance spintronic products including sensors and couplers that are used to acquire and transmit data.

Critical accounting policies

A description of our critical accounting policies is provided in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended March 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2021 our critical accounting policies and estimates continued to include investment valuation, inventory valuation, and deferred tax assets estimation.

Quarter ended December 31, 2021 compared to quarter ended December 31, 2020

The table shown below summarizes the percentage of revenue and quarter-to-quarter changes for various items:

Total revenue for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 (the third quarter of fiscal 2022) decreased 4% compared to the quarter ended December 31, 2020 (the third quarter of fiscal 2021). The decrease was due to a 7% decrease in product sales partially offset by an 86% increase in contract research and development revenue.

The decrease in product sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 from the prior-year quarter was primarily due to raw materials shortages and longer lead-times for critical materials and services. The increase in contract research and development revenue was due to new contracts.

Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased to 78% the third quarter of fiscal 2022 from 84% the third quarter of fiscal 2021 primarily due to revenue mix and increased costs.

Total expenses decreased 14% in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2021 due to a 15% decrease in research and development expense and a 13% decrease in selling, general, and administrative expense. The decrease in research and development expense was primarily due to staffing changes and the completion of certain product development activities. The decrease in selling, general, and administrative expense was primarily due to staffing changes.

Interest income for the third quarter of fiscal 2022 decreased 22% due to a decrease in our available-for-sale securities and a decrease in the average interest rates on those securities.

The 12% decrease in net income in the third quarter of fiscal 2022 compared to the prior-year quarter was primarily due to decreased revenue, decreased gross margin, and decreased interest income partially offset by decreased expenses.

Nine months ended December 31, 2021 compared to nine months ended December 31, 2020

The table shown below summarizes the percentage of revenue and quarter-to-quarter changes for various items:

Total revenue for the nine months ended December 31, 2021 increased 31% compared to the nine months ended December 31, 2020. The increase was due to a 31% increase in product sales and a 17% increase in contract research and development revenue.

The increase in product sales from the prior-year period was primarily due to increased purchases by existing customers, and sales increased in most of our markets and product lines. The increase in contract research and development revenue was due to new contracts.

Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased to 77% for the first nine months of fiscal 2022 from 82% for the first nine months of fiscal 2021 primarily due to revenue mix and increased costs.

Total expenses decreased 3% for the first nine months of fiscal 2022 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2021 due to a 12% decrease in research and development expense, partially offset by a 19% increase in selling, general, and administrative expense. The decrease in research and development expense was primarily due to staffing changes and the completion of certain product development activities. The increase in selling, general, and administrative expense was primarily due to increased employee compensation expense.

Interest income for the first nine months of fiscal 2022 decreased 26% due to a decrease in our available-for-sale securities and a decrease in the average interest rates on those securities.

The 25% increase in net income in the first nine months of fiscal 2022 compared to the prior-year period was primarily due to an increase in product sales.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic

We believe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on customer demand was significantly less in the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2021 compared to the prior-year periods. We believe the impact of the pandemic on our supply chain, however, was significantly more in the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2021 than in the prior-year periods. The effects of the pandemic also increased labor and materials costs and expenses for the quarter and nine months ended December 31, 2021.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Cash and cash equivalents were $8,967,657 as of December 31, 2021 compared to $10,427,340 as of March 31, 2021. The $1,459,683 decrease in cash and cash equivalents during first nine months of fiscal 2022 was due to $14,499,696 of cash used in financing activities partially offset by $9,098,330 in net cash provided by operating activities and $3,941,683 of cash provided by investing activities.

Operating Activities

Net cash provided by operating activities related to product sales and research and development contract revenue as our primary source of working capital for the current and prior year quarters. Net cash provided by operating activities was $9,098,330 for first nine months of fiscal 2022 and $8,531,068 for the first nine months of fiscal 2021.

Accounts receivable increased by $1,073,922 during first nine months of fiscal 2022 primarily due to the timing of sales to and payments from customers.

Prepaid expenses and other assets increased by $435,067 due to the timing of estimated tax payments.

Inventories increased $466,898 due primarily to our decisions to increase work in process in order to mitigate longer vendor lead-times.

Investing Activities

Cash provided by investing activities during the nine months ended December 31, 2021 consisted of $4,000,000 in proceeds from maturities of marketable securities, partially offset by $58,317 in capital expenditures. Capital expenditures can vary from quarter to quarter depending on our needs and equipment purchasing opportunities. We have ordered several pieces of production equipment to increase our capacity. Therefore, we currently expect significantly more capital expenditures during fiscal 2022 than the $62,727 we invested in fiscal 2021.

Financing Activities

Cash used in financing activities during the nine months ended December 31, 2021 consisted of $14,499,696 of cash dividends paid to shareholders. In addition to cash dividends to shareholders paid in first nine months of fiscal 2022, on January 19, 2022 we announced that our Board had declared a cash dividend of $1.00 per share of Common Stock, or $4,833,714 based on shares outstanding as of January 14, 2022, to be paid February 28, 2022. We plan to fund dividends through cash provided by operating activities and proceeds from maturities of marketable securities. All future dividends will be subject to Board approval and subject to the company’s results of operations, cash and marketable security balances, estimates of future cash requirements, and other factors the Board may deem relevant. Furthermore, dividends may be modified or discontinued at any time without notice.

We currently believe our working capital and cash generated from operations will be adequate for our needs at least for the next 12 months.

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Management, with the participation of the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, has performed an evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures that are defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the “Exchange Act”) as of the end of the period covered by this Report. This evaluation included consideration of the controls, processes, and procedures that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Although there have been changes in personnel involved in our controls, processes, and procedures, our management concluded that, as of December 31, 2021, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective.

Changes in Internal Controls

During the quarter ended December 31, 2021, there was no change in our internal control over financial reporting that materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

There have been no material changes from the risk factors disclosed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021 as updated in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended June 30, 2021 and September 30, 2021.