Lattice Semiconductor Corp: Form 10-Q for the period ended Sep 28, 2024

The following discussion should be read along with the unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as the audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2023 10-K.

Overview

Lattice Semiconductor Corporation and its subsidiaries (“Lattice,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) develop technologies that we monetize through differentiated programmable logic semiconductor products, silicon-enabling products, system solutions, design services, and technology licenses. Lattice is the low power programmable leader. We solve customer problems across the network, from the Edge to the Cloud, in the Communications, Computing, Industrial, Automotive, and Consumer markets. Our technology, long-standing relationships, and commitment to world-class support helps our customers quickly and easily unleash their innovation to create a smart, secure, and connected world.

Lattice has focused its strategy on delivering programmable logic products and related solutions based on low power, small size, and ease of use. We also serve our customers with intellectual property ("IP") licensing and various other services. Our product development activities include new proprietary products, advanced packaging, existing product enhancements, software development tools, soft IP, and system solutions for high-growth applications such as Edge Artificial Intelligence, wireless and wireline infrastructure, platform security, and factory automation.

Critical Accounting Policies and Use of Estimates

Critical accounting policies are those that are both most important to the portrayal of a company's financial condition and results of operations, and that require management's most difficult, subjective, and complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. There have been no material changes to the items that we disclosed as our critical accounting policies and estimates in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our 2023 10-K.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and judgments affecting the amounts reported in our consolidated condensed financial statements and the accompanying notes. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience, knowledge of current conditions, and our beliefs of what could occur in the future considering available information. While we believe that our estimates, assumptions, and judgments are reasonable, they are based on information available when made, and because of the uncertainty inherent in these matters, actual results may differ materially from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We evaluate our estimates and judgments on an ongoing basis.

Impact of Global Economic Activity on our Business

Increased financial market volatility, inflationary pressure, interest rate changes, recessionary concerns, uncertainty in the financial and banking industry, and geopolitical tension continue to impact business globally and may impact our operations by causing disruption to our labor markets and supply chains. The extent to which increased financial market volatility, inflationary pressures, global pandemics, and related uncertainty will impact our business activities will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted at this time. Additionally, our business is impacted by the cyclic correction affecting the broader semiconductor industry, which has seen softened demand across our end markets.

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Results of Operations

Key elements of our Consolidated Statements of Operations, including as a percentage of revenue, are presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Revenue by End Market

We sell our products globally to a broad base of customers in three primary end market groups: Communications and Computing, Industrial and Automotive, and Consumer. Across our end markets, our products are increasingly used for Artificial Intelligence ("AI")-related applications, including device usage in AI-optimized servers in data centers, AI-enabled PCs, and AI-enabled robotics and ADAS systems, among others. We also provide IP licensing and services to these end markets.

Within these end markets, there are multiple drivers, including:

• Communications and computing: data center servers and networking equipment, client computing platforms, and wireless and wireline communications infrastructure deployments,
• Industrial and automotive: factory automation, robotics, automotive electronics, and industrial Internet of Things ("IoT"),
• Consumer: smart home, prosumer, and other applications.

The end market data we use is derived from data provided to us by our distributors and end customers. With a diverse base of customers who may manufacture end products spanning multiple end markets, the assignment of revenue to a specific end market requires the use of judgment. We also recognize certain revenue for which end customers and end markets are not yet known. We assign this revenue first to a specific end market using historical and anticipated usage of the specific products, if possible, and allocate the remainder to the end markets based on either historical usage for each product family or industry application data for certain product types.

The following are examples of end market applications for the periods presented:

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The composition of our revenue by end market is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Revenue from the Communications and Computing end market decreased by 11% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 and decreased by 14% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023 primarily due to weaker demand in telecommunications infrastructure deployments and end customers rebalancing their inventory levels, partially offset by stronger demand in data center applications.

Revenue from the Industrial and Automotive end market decreased by 51% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 and decreased by 44% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023 primarily due to softer end market demand and end customers rebalancing their inventory levels.

While we do not consider AI applications as a distinct end market, we expect AI-related revenue to grow over the next few years based on the growing pipeline of AI-related design wins. Our AI revenue is derived from applications across all three of our end market segments.

Revenue by Geography

We have a diverse base of customers where distributors represent a significant portion of our total revenue. Our revenue by geographical market is based on the ship-to location of our customers, which can vary from time to time. Revenue from Asia decreased in the periods presented primarily due to the macroeconomic environment in the region, while revenue from the Americas and Europe decreased due to reduced demand in these regions for our products in the Industrial and Automotive end market.

The composition of our revenue by geography is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Revenue from Customers

We sell our products to independent distributors and directly to customers. Distributors have historically accounted for a significant portion of our total revenue. Revenue attributable to distributors as a percentage of total revenue was 95% and 90% for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 and 2023, respectively, and 91% and 89% for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Gross Margin

The composition of our Gross margin, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Gross margin, as a percentage of revenue, decreased 100 basis points in the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 and decreased by 130 basis points for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023. Reduced margins were primarily due to changes in product mix between the periods presented.

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Operating Expenses

Research and Development Expense

The composition of our Research and development expense, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Research and development expense includes headcount-related costs, including cash- and stock-based compensation and benefits, R&D equipment, engineering wafers, licenses, and outside engineering services. These expenditures are for the design of new products, IP cores, processes, packaging, and software solutions. The decrease in Research and development expense for the third quarter of fiscal2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 was due primarily to lower costs for R&D equipment and outside services, partially offset by increased headcount-related costs. The increase in Research and development expense for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023 was due primarily to increased headcount-related costs, partially offset by lower costs for R&D equipment and outside services. We believe that investing in research and development is important to delivering innovative products to our customers.

Selling, General, and Administrative Expense

The composition of our Selling, general, and administrative expense, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Selling, general, and administrative expense includes costs for compensation and benefits related to selling, general, and administrative employees, commissions, depreciation, professional and outside services, trade show, and travel expenses. The decrease in Selling, general, and administrative expense for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 was primarily due to lower headcount-related costs and legal expenses. The decrease in Selling, general, and administrative expense for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023 was primarily due to a reduction in stock compensation expense from the forfeiture of equity awards by departing executives and lower headcount-related costs, partially offset by other costs such as legal expenses.

Amortization of Acquired Intangible Assets

The composition of our Amortization of acquired intangible assets, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Amortization of acquired intangible assets was flat between the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2024 and the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2023.

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Restructuring

The composition of our Restructuring activity, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Restructuring activity is generally comprised of expenses resulting from workforce reductions, cancellation of contracts, and consolidation of our facilities. Details of our restructuring plans and expenses accrued under them are discussed in "Note 6 - Restructuring" to our Consolidated Financial Statements in Part I, Item 1 of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. Restructuring costs increased in the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2023 primarily due to higher severance costs.

Interest Income (Expense), net

The composition of our Interest expense, net, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Interest income (expense) for the third quarter of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2023 was essentially flat. The change in Interest income (expense) for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2023 was driven by increased interest income, coupled with decreased interest expense as we paid off the outstanding balance of our long-term debt during the third quarter of fiscal 2023.

Other Income (Expense), net

The composition of our Other income (expense), net, including as a percentage of revenue, is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

The change in Other income (expense) for the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2024 compared to the third quarter and first nine months of fiscal 2023 was primarily due to foreign currency effects.

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Income Tax Expense

The composition of our Income tax expense is presented in the following table:

(In thousands)

Our Income tax expense is partially offset by federal tax credits and excess tax benefits from stock-based compensation. The lower income tax expense for the current year periods was primarily due to decreased worldwide income, partially offset by the valuation allowance over the federal deferred tax assets present during 2023.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The following sections discuss material changes in our financial condition from the end of fiscal 2023, including the effects of changes in our Consolidated Balance Sheets, and the effects of our credit arrangements and contractual obligations on our liquidity and capital resources. There continues to be uncertainty around the extent of market volatility, inflationary pressures, interest rate changes, recessionary concerns, uncertainty in the financial and banking industry, and geopolitical tension, which may impact our liquidity and working capital needs in future periods.

We have historically financed our operating and capital resource requirements through cash flows from operations, and from the issuance of long-term debt to fund acquisitions. Cash provided by or used in operating activities will fluctuate from period to period due to fluctuations in operating results, the timing and collection of accounts receivable, and required inventory levels, among other things.

We believe that our financial resources, including current cash and cash equivalents, cash flow from operating activities, and our credit facilities, will be sufficient to meet our liquidity and working capital needs through at least the next 12 months. On September 1, 2022, we entered into our 2022 Credit Agreement, as described in "Note 5 - Long-Term Debt" under Part I, Item 1 of this report. As of September 28, 2024, we did not have significant long-term commitments for capital expenditures. For further information on our cash commitments for operating lease liabilities, see "Note 7 - Leases" under Part I, Item 1 of this report.

In the future, we may continue to consider acquisition opportunities to further extend our product or technology portfolios and further expand our product offerings. In connection with funding capital expenditures, acquisitions, securing additional wafer supply, increasing our working capital, or other operations, we may seek to obtain equity or additional debt financing. We may also seek to obtain equity or additional debt financing if we experience downturns or cyclical fluctuations in our business that are more severe or longer than we anticipated when determining our current working capital needs.

Cash and cash equivalents

(In thousands)

As of September 28, 2024, we had Cash and cash equivalents of $124.3 million, of which approximately $48.4 million was held by our foreign subsidiaries. We manage our global cash requirements considering, among other things, (i) available funds among our subsidiaries through which we conduct business, (ii) the geographic location of our liquidity needs, and (iii) the cost to access international cash balances. The repatriation of non-US earnings may require us to withhold and pay foreign income tax on dividends. This should not result in our recording significant additional tax expense as we have accrued expense based on current withholding rates. As of September 28, 2024, we could access all cash held by our foreign subsidiaries without incurring significant additional expense.

The net decrease in Cash and cash equivalents of $4.0 million between December 30, 2023 and September 28, 2024 was primarily driven by cash flows from the following activities:

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Operating activities — Cash provided by operating activities results from net income adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in assets and liabilities. Cash provided by operating activities for the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was $95.5 million compared to $197.6 million for the first nine months of fiscal 2023. This decrease of $102.1 million was primarily driven by $124.1 million less cash provided by net income adjusted for non-cash items, partially offset by $22.0 million of net changes in working capital, primarily in Accounts receivable and Accrued liabilities.

Investing activities — Investing cash flows consist primarily of transactions related to capital expenditures and payments for software and intellectual property licenses. Net cash used by investing activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was $27.7 million compared to $25.3 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2023.

Financing activities — Financing cash flows consist primarily of activity on our long-term debt, repurchases of common stock, tax payments related to the net share settlement of restricted stock units, and proceeds from the exercise of options to acquire common stock. Net cash used by financing activities in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 was $71.6 million compared to $203.1 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2023. This $131.5 million decrease was due to the following activities. During the first nine months of fiscal 2024, we had no balance outstanding on our long-term debt, while during the first nine months of fiscal 2023 we made discretionary payments totaling $130.0 million on revolving loans under the 2022 Credit Agreement. During the first nine months of fiscal 2024, we repurchased approximately 0.8 million shares of common stock for $47.0 million compared to repurchases in the first nine months of fiscal 2023 of approximately 0.4 million shares of common stock for $30.0 million. Payments for tax withholdings on vesting of RSUs partially offset by employee exercises of stock options used net cash flows of $24.6 million in the first nine months of fiscal 2024, a decrease of approximately $18.5 million from the net $43.1 million used in the first nine months of fiscal 2023.

Accounts receivable, net

(In thousands)

Accounts receivable, net as of September 28, 2024 decreased by approximately $12.9 million, or 12%, compared to December 30, 2023. This decrease was due to lower revenue shipments as well as the timing of when our customers want our products. We calculate Days sales outstanding on the basis of a 365-day year as Accounts receivable, net at the end of the quarter divided by sales during the quarter annualized and then multiplied by 365.

Inventories

(In thousands)

Inventories as of September 28, 2024 increased $5.7 million, or approximately 6%, compared to December 30, 2023 primarily as a result of product buildup ahead of new product ramps and end customers rebalancing their inventory levels. Days of inventory on hand increased over the period due to lower revenue.

The Days of inventory on hand ratio compares the inventory balance at the end of a quarter to the cost of sales in that quarter. We calculate Days of inventory on hand on the basis of a 365-day year as Inventories at the end of the quarter divided by Cost of sales during the quarter annualized and then multiplied by 365.

Credit Arrangements

On September 1, 2022, we entered into our 2022 Credit Agreement. The details of this arrangement are described in "Note 5 - Long-Term Debt" in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

As of September 28, 2024, we had no used or unused credit arrangements beyond the secured revolving loan facility described in the 2022 Credit Agreement.

Share Repurchase Program

See Part II, Item 2, “Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds,” of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for more information about the share repurchase program.

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Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. We assess these risks on a regular basis and have established policies that are designed to protect against the adverse effects of these and other potential exposures. There have been no material changes to either the foreign currency exchange rate risk or interest rate risk previously disclosed in Part II, Item 7A, "Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk," of our 2023 10-K.

Conclusion Regarding the Effectiveness of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

In connection with the filing of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, evaluated the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report.

Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during the third quarter of fiscal 2024 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Inherent Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls

We do not expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will prevent all errors and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the control system are met. Further, the design of a control system must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of controls must be considered relative to their costs. Because of the inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake. Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people or by management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated goals under all potential future conditions; over time, controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of compliance with policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system, misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be detected.

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In addition to the other information set forth in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, you should carefully consider the risk factors associated with our business previously described in Part I, Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” in our 2023 10-K. There have been no material changes in the risk factors included in our 2023 10-K, and this report should be read in conjunction with the risk factors set forth in our 2023 10-K. These risk factors are not the only risks facing our company. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we may currently deem to be immaterial could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition, or operating results, including those related to adverse macroeconomic conditions, such as rising inflation and labor shortages, which may affect demand for our products or increase our product or labor costs, negatively impacting our revenues, gross margins, and overall financial results. If any of these risks occur, our business, financial condition, operating results, and cash flows could be materially adversely affected, and the trading price of our common stock could decline. These factors, together with all of the other information in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, should be carefully considered before making an investment decision relating to our common stock.

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