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Sierra Wireless Reports First Quarter 2018 Results

Sierra Wireless, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWIR) (TSX: SW) today reported results for its first quarter ending March 31, 2018. All results are reported in U.S. dollars and are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), except as otherwise indicated below.

“In the first quarter of 2018, we delivered strong year-over-year revenue growth in our higher margin Enterprise Solutions and IoT Services lines of business,” said Jason Cohenour, President and CEO. “With the acquisition of Numerex, we have added significant scale to our recurring revenue base and IoT services capabilities. We expect to leverage our stronger IoT Services business platform to expand our leadership position in Device to Cloud solutions for the IoT.”

Revenue for the first quarter of 2018 was $186.9 million, an increase of 15.9% compared to $161.2 million in the first quarter of 2017. Product revenue was $162.9 million, up 7.8% year-over-year and Services and Other revenue was $24.0 million, up 138.6% compared to the first quarter of 2017. Quarterly revenue for the three business segments was as follows: (i) Revenue from OEM Solutions was $135.2 million in the first quarter of 2018, up 2.1% compared to $132.4 million in the first quarter of 2017; (ii) Revenue from Enterprise Solutions was $29.2 million in the first quarter of 2018, up 34.5% compared to $21.7 million in the first quarter of 2017; and (iii) Revenue from IoT Services was $22.5 million in the first quarter of 2018, up 217.6% compared to $7.1 million in the first quarter of 2017. IoT Services results include the first full quarter of contribution from Numerex.

GAAP RESULTS

  • Gross margin was $62.1 million, or 33.2% of revenue, in the first quarter of 2018, compared to $55.5 million, or 34.4% of revenue, in the first quarter of 2017.
  • Operating expenses were $72.0 million and loss from operations was $9.9 million in the first quarter of 2018, compared to operating expenses of $56.8 million and loss from operations of $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2017.
  • Net loss was $8.4 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2018, compared to a net loss of $92,000, or $0.00 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2017.

NON-GAAP RESULTS(1)

  • Gross margin was 33.4% in the first quarter of 2018, compared to 34.5% in the first quarter of 2017.
  • Operating expenses were $58.6 million and earnings from operations were $3.8 million in the first quarter of 2018, compared to operating expenses of $46.4 million and earnings from operations of $9.2 million in the first quarter of 2017.
  • Net earnings were $3.3 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2018, compared to net earnings of $7.8 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, in the first quarter of 2017.
  • Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") were $9.0 million in the first quarter of 2018, compared to $12.6 million in the first quarter of 2017.

(1) See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and "Reconciliation of GAAP and Non-GAAP Results by Quarter" below.

Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the first quarter of 2018 were $70.6 million, representing an increase of $5.6 million compared to the end of the fourth quarter of 2017. The increase in cash was primarily due to cash flows from operating activities partially offset by capital expenditures.

Accounting Standard Adoption

We adopted the new accounting standard for revenue recognition (ASC 606) effective January 1, 2018. Our first quarter 2018 financial results reflect the adoption of this new standard and prior periods have been adjusted accordingly.

Financial Guidance

For the second quarter of 2018, we expect revenue to be in the range of $195 million to $203 million and non-GAAP earnings per share to be in the range of $0.17 to $0.25.

This Non-GAAP guidance reflects current business indicators and expectations. Inherent in this guidance are risk factors that are described in greater detail in our regulatory filings. Our actual results could differ materially from those presented above. All figures are approximations based on management's current beliefs and assumptions.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

We disclose non-GAAP financial measures as we believe they provide useful information on actual operating performance and assist in comparisons from one period to another. Readers are cautioned that non-GAAP financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

Non-GAAP gross margin excludes the impact of stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes and certain other nonrecurring costs or recoveries.

Non-GAAP earnings (loss) from operations excludes the impact of stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes, amortization related to acquisitions, acquisition-related and integration expense, restructuring expense, impairment and certain other nonrecurring costs or recoveries.

In addition to the above, non-GAAP net earnings (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share exclude the impact of foreign exchange gains or losses on translation of certain balance sheet accounts, unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses on forward contracts and certain tax adjustments.

We use the above-noted non-GAAP financial measures for planning purposes and to allow us to assess the performance of our business before including the impacts of the items noted above as they affect the comparability of our financial results. These non-GAAP measures are reviewed regularly by management and the Board of Directors as part of the ongoing internal assessment of our operating performance. We also use non-GAAP earnings from operations as one component in determining short-term incentive compensation for management employees.

Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net earnings (loss) plus stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes, acquisition-related and integration expense, restructuring expense, impairment, certain other nonrecurring costs or recoveries, amortization, foreign exchange gains or losses on translation of certain balance sheet accounts, unrealized foreign exchange gains or losses on forward contracts, interest and income tax expense. Adjusted EBITDA is a metric used by investors and analysts for valuation purposes and we believe that it is an important indicator of our operating performance and our ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow that will fund future working capital needs and capital expenditures.

Conference call and webcast details

Sierra Wireless President and CEO, Jason Cohenour, and CFO, David McLennan, will host a conference call and webcast with analysts and investors to review the results on Thursday, May 3, 2018, at 5:30 PM Eastern Time (2:30 PM PT). A live slide presentation will be available for viewing during the call from the link provided below.

To participate in this conference call, please dial the following number approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call:

  • Toll-free (Canada and US): 1-877-201-0168
  • Alternate number: 1-647-788-4901
  • Conference ID: 1296186

To access the webcast, please follow the link below:

Sierra Wireless Q1 2018 Conference Call and Webcast

If the above link does not work, please copy and paste the following URL into your browser:

http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=1619120&s=1&k=547F60D97C5B9093B29761E3CA369FF0

The webcast will remain available at the above link for one year following the call.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements and information in this press release are not based on historical facts and constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws (“forward-looking statements”) including statements and information relating to our financial guidance for the second quarter of 2018 and our fiscal year 2018, our business outlook for the short and longer term, statements regarding our strategy, plans and future operating performance; the Company’s liquidity and capital resources; the Company’s financial and operating objectives and strategies to achieve them; general economic conditions; expectations regarding the acquisition of Numerex; estimates of our expenses, future revenues, non-GAAP earnings per share and capital requirements; our expectations regarding the legal proceedings we are involved in; statements with respect to the Company’s estimated working capital; expectations with respect to the adoption of IoT solutions; expectations regarding product and price competition from other wireless device manufacturers and solution providers; and our ability to implement effective control procedures. Forward-looking statements are provided to help you understand our views of our short and long term plans, expectations and prospects. We caution you that forward-looking statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not intend to update or revise our forward-looking statements unless we are required to do so by securities laws.

Forward-looking statements:

  • Typically include words and phrases about the future such as “outlook”, “will”, “may", “estimates”, “intends”, “believes”, “plans”, “anticipates” and “expects”.
  • Are not promises or guarantees of future performance. They represent our current views and may change significantly.
  • Are based on a number of material assumptions, including, but not limited to, those listed below, which could prove to be significantly incorrect:
    • our ability to develop, manufacture and sell new products and services that meet the needs of our customers and gain commercial acceptance;
    • our ability to continue to sell our products and services in the expected quantities at the expected prices and expected times;
    • expected cost of sales;
    • expected component supply constraints;
    • our ability to win new business;
    • our ability to integrate the business, operations and workforce of Numerex and to return the Numerex business to profitable growth and realize the expected benefits of the acquisition;
    • our ability to integrate other acquired businesses and realize expected benefits;
    • expected deployment of next generation networks by wireless network operators;
    • our operations not being adversely disrupted by other developments, operating, cyber-security or regulatory risks; and
    • expected tax rates and foreign exchange rates.
  • Are subject to substantial known and unknown material risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results, achievements and developments in our business to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, including without limitation, the following factors. These risk factors and others are discussed in our Annual Information Form and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, which may be found on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and on EDGAR at www.sec.gov and in our other regulatory filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the United States and the Provincial Securities Commissions in Canada:
    • competition from new or established competitors or from those with greater resources;
    • risks related to the recent acquisition of Numerex;
    • disruption of, and demands on, our ongoing business and diversion of management's time and attention in connection with other acquisitions or divestitures;
    • the loss of or significant demand fluctuations from any of our significant customers;
    • cyber-attacks or other breaches of our information technology security;
    • failures of our products or services due to design flaws and errors, component quality issues, manufacturing defects, cyber-security vulnerabilities or other quality issues;
    • our financial results being subject to fluctuation;
    • our ability to respond to changing technology, industry standards and customer requirements;
    • our ability to attract or retain key personnel;
    • risks related to infringement on intellectual property rights of others;
    • our ability to obtain necessary rights to use software or components supplied by third parties;
    • our ability to enforce our intellectual property rights;
    • difficult or uncertain global economic conditions;
    • our reliance on single source suppliers for certain components used in our products;
    • our dependence on a limited number of third party manufacturers;
    • unanticipated costs associated with litigation or settlements;
    • our dependence on mobile network operators to offer and promote acceptable wireless service programs;
    • risks related to contractual disputes with counterparties;
    • risks related to governmental regulation;
    • risks related to the transmission, use and disclosure of user data and personal information; and
    • risks inherent in foreign jurisdictions.

About Sierra Wireless

Sierra Wireless (NASDAQ: SWIR) (TSX: SW) is an IoT pioneer, empowering businesses and industries to transform and thrive in the connected economy. Customers Start with Sierra because we offer a device to cloud solution, comprised of embedded and networking solutions seamlessly integrated with our secure cloud and connectivity services. OEMs and enterprises worldwide rely on our expertise in delivering fully integrated solutions to reduce complexity, turn data into intelligence and get their connected products and services to market faster. Sierra Wireless has more than 1,300 employees globally and operates R&D centers in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.sierrawireless.com.

AirPrime, AirLink, AirVantage, mangOH and Legato are trademarks of Sierra Wireless. Other product or service names mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE EARNINGS (LOSS)

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except where otherwise stated)

(unaudited)

Three months ended March 31,
2018

2017
As adjusted(1)

Revenue
Product $162,931 $ 151,180
Services and other 23,947 10,038
186,878 161,218
Cost of sales
Product

113,900

100,961
Services and other

10,878

4,762
124,778 105,723
Gross margin62,100 55,495
Expenses
Sales and marketing 22,425 18,025
Research and development 24,465 19,311
Administration 12,264 10,386
Restructuring 3,591 373
Acquisition-related and integration 1,765 451
Impairment 3,668
Amortization 7,466 4,626
71,976 56,840
Loss from operations(9,876) (1,345 )
Foreign exchange gain 1,115 1,099
Other income 55 9
Loss before income taxes(8,706) (237 )
Income tax recovery (343) (145 )
Net loss$(8,363) $ (92 )
Other comprehensive earnings (loss):
Foreign currency translation adjustments, net of taxes of $nil (767) 1,582
Comprehensive earnings (loss)$(9,130) $ 1,490
Net earnings (loss) per share (in dollars)
Basic and diluted $(0.23) $
Weighted average number of shares outstanding (in thousands)

Basic and diluted

35,912 31,909

(1) Three months ended March 31, 2017 has been adjusted to reflect the adoption of ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except where otherwise stated)

(unaudited)

March 31, 2018

December 31, 2017
As adjusted(1)

Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents $70,588 $ 65,003
Restricted cash 221 221

Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,850
(December 31, 2017 - $1,827)

166,892 173,054
Inventories 46,742 53,143
Prepaids and other 13,513 8,221
297,956 299,642
Property and equipment 42,484 42,977
Intangible assets 103,045 108,599
Goodwill 219,384 218,516
Deferred income taxes 12,082 12,197
Other assets 13,083 12,713
$688,034 $ 694,644
Liabilities
Current liabilities
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $175,397 $ 175,367
Deferred revenue 6,234 7,275
181,631 182,642
Long-term obligations 37,495 36,637
Deferred income taxes 7,697 7,845
226,823 227,124
Equity
Shareholders’ equity

Common stock: no par value; unlimited shares authorized; issued and
outstanding: 35,979,068 shares (December 31, 2017 -
35,861,510 shares)

430,090 427,748

Preferred stock: no par value; unlimited shares authorized;
issued and outstanding: nil shares

Treasury stock: at cost; 72,351 shares (December 31, 2017 – 222,639 shares) (1,054) (3,216 )
Additional paid-in capital 26,279 27,962
Retained earnings 9,139 17,502
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (3,243) (2,476 )
461,211 467,520
$688,034 $ 694,644

(1) December 31, 2017 has been adjusted to reflect the adoption of ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars)

(unaudited)

Three months ended
March 31,
2018

2017
As adjusted(1)

Cash flows provided by (used in):
Operating activities
Net loss $(8,363) $ (92 )
Items not requiring (providing) cash
Amortization 10,708 6,997
Stock-based compensation 2,814 2,126
Deferred income taxes 68 (891 )
Impairment 3,668
Unrealized foreign exchange gain (1,562) (1,169 )
Other 439 64
Changes in non-cash working capital
Accounts receivable 2,757 14,732
Inventories 6,624 (6,625 )
Prepaids and other (5,564) (2,050 )
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 1,986 (19,225 )
Deferred revenue 949 (826 )
Cash flows provided by (used in) operating activities 10,856 (3,291 )
Investing activities
Additions to property and equipment (4,064) (2,887 )
Additions to intangible assets (845) (800 )
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment 17
Acquisition of GNSS business (3,192 )
Cash flows used in investing activities (4,892) (6,879 )
Financing activities
Issuance of common shares 672 4,621
Repurchase of common shares for cancellation (2,779 )
Taxes paid related to net settlement of equity awards (665) (1,027 )
Payment for contingent consideration (960 )
Decrease in other long-term obligations (199) (96 )
Cash flows used in financing activities (192) (241 )
Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents (187) 184
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, increase (decrease) in the period 5,585 (10,227 )
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, beginning of period 65,224 102,772
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, end of period$70,809 $ 92,545

(1) Three months ended March 31, 2017 has been adjusted to reflect the adoption of ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP AND NON-GAAP RESULTS BY QUARTER

(in thousands of U.S. dollars, except where
otherwise stated)

2018

2017(1)

Q1TotalQ4Q3Q2Q1
Gross margin - GAAP $ 62,100 $ 234,239 $ 61,814 $ 57,294 $ 59,636 $ 55,495
Stock-based compensation and related social taxes 307 461 122 123 108 108
Realized gains (losses) on hedge contracts (6 ) 23 11 12
Gross margin - Non-GAAP $ 62,401 $ 234,723 $ 61,947 $ 57,429 $ 59,744 $ 55,603
Earnings (loss) from operations - GAAP $ (9,876 ) $ 100 $ (2,939 ) $ 390 $ 3,994 $ (1,345 )
Stock-based compensation and related social taxes 2,840 10,374 2,869 2,780 2,577 2,148
Acquisition-related and integration 1,765 8,195 4,792 2,077 875 451
Restructuring 3,591 1,076 245 199 259 373
Other nonrecurring costs (recoveries) 318 42 276
Realized gains (losses) on hedge contracts (51 ) 419 209 210
Impairment 3,668 3,668
Acquisition-related amortization 5,534 15,486 4,306 3,845 3,694 3,641
Earnings from operations - Non-GAAP $ 3,803 $ 39,636 $ 9,482 $ 9,501 $ 11,441 $ 9,212
Net earnings (loss) - GAAP $ (8,363 ) $ 4,518 $ (3,514 ) $ 1,354 $ 6,770 $ (92 )

Stock-based compensation and related
social taxes, restructuring, impairment,
acquisition-related, integration, realized
gains (losses) on hedge contracts and
other nonrecurring costs (recoveries)

8,196 23,631 7,906 5,056 3,753 6,916
Amortization 10,708 30,503 8,764 7,548 7,194 6,997
Interest and other, net (55 ) (67 ) (38 ) (32 ) 12 (9 )
Foreign exchange loss (gain) (1,166 ) (7,131 ) (1,058 ) (1,457 ) (3,517 ) (1,099 )
Income tax expense (recovery) (343 ) 3,199 1,880 735 729 (145 )
Adjusted EBITDA 8,977 54,653 13,940 13,204 14,941 12,568

Amortization (exclude acquisition-related
amortization)

(5,174 ) (15,017 ) (4,458 ) (3,703 ) (3,500 ) (3,356 )
Interest and other, net 55 67 38 32 (12 ) 9
Income tax expense - Non-GAAP (564 ) (5,184 ) (312 ) (1,816 ) (1,615 ) (1,441 )
Net earnings - Non-GAAP $ 3,294 $ 34,519 $ 9,208 $ 7,717 $ 9,814 $ 7,780
Diluted net earnings (loss) per share
GAAP - (in dollars per share) $ (0.23 ) $ 0.14 $ (0.11 ) $ 0.04 $ 0.21 $
Non-GAAP - (in dollars per share) $ 0.09 $ 1.05 $ 0.28 $ 0.24 $ 0.30 $ 0.24

(1) 2017 has been adjusted to reflect the adoption of ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

SIERRA WIRELESS, INC.

SEGMENTED RESULTS

(In thousands of U.S. dollars, except where
otherwise stated)

2018

2017(1)

Q1TotalQ4Q3Q2Q1
OEM Solutions
Revenue $ 135,211 $ 554,537 $ 139,795 $ 137,850 $ 144,467 $ 132,425
Gross margin
- GAAP $ 38,924 $ 170,307 $ 41,453 $ 40,680 $ 46,262 $ 41,912
- Non-GAAP $ 39,142 $ 170,694 $ 41,554 $ 40,787 $ 46,352 $ 42,001
Gross margin %
- GAAP 28.8%30.7%29.7%29.5%32.0%31.6%
- Non-GAAP 28.9%30.8%29.7%29.6%32.1%31.7%
Enterprise Solutions
Revenue $ 29,200 $ 101,535 $ 31,879 $ 26,277 $ 21,661 $ 21,718
Gross margin
- GAAP $ 14,028 $ 48,521 $ 15,129 $ 12,631 $ 10,276 $ 10,485
- Non-GAAP $ 14,075 $ 48,593 $ 15,152 $ 12,652 $ 10,289 $ 10,500
Gross margin %
- GAAP 48.0%47.8%47.5%48.1%47.4%48.3%
- Non-GAAP 48.2%47.9%47.5%48.1%47.5%48.3%
IoT Services
Revenue $ 22,467 $ 34,655 $ 11,859 $ 8,433 $ 7,288 $ 7,075
Gross margin
- GAAP $ 9,148 $ 15,411 $ 5,232 $ 3,983 $ 3,098 $ 3,098
- Non-GAAP $ 9,184 $ 15,436 $ 5,241 $ 3,990 $ 3,103 $ 3,102
Gross margin %
- GAAP 40.7%44.5%44.1%47.2%42.5%43.8%
- Non-GAAP 40.9%44.5%44.2%47.3%42.6%43.8%
Total
Revenue $ 186,878 $ 690,727 $ 183,533 $ 172,560 $ 173,416 $ 161,218
Gross margin
- GAAP $ 62,100 $ 234,239 $ 61,814 $ 57,294 $ 59,636 $ 55,495
- Non-GAAP $ 62,401 $ 234,723 $ 61,947 $ 57,429 $ 59,744 $ 55,603
Gross margin %
- GAAP 33.2%33.9%33.7%33.2%34.4%34.4%
- Non-GAAP 33.4%34.0%33.8%33.3%34.5%34.5%

(1) 2017 has been adjusted to reflect the adoption of ASC 606 - Revenue from Contracts with Customers.

Contacts:

Sierra Wireless
Investor and Media Contact:
David Climie, +1 604-231-1137
Vice President, Investor Relations
dclimie@sierrawireless.com
or
Investor Contact:
David G. McLennan, +1 604-231-1181
Chief Financial Officer
investor@sierrawireless.com

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