SYMM Symmetricom, Inc. (MM)

SAN JOSE, Calif., Aug. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Symmetricom®, Inc. (NASDAQ: SYMM), a worldwide leader in precision time and frequency technologies, today reported financial results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2012 ended July 1, 2012.

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Net revenue for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $62.6 million, a year-over-year increase of $1.9 million, driven by strong performance overall in the Government and Enterprise business and continued strength in PackeTime® for wireless and Ethernet backhaul deployments.  Symmetricom reported net income of $4.0 million, or $0.09 per share, for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012, compared to a net loss of $1.3 million, or $0.03 per share, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

Non-GAAP net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $5.2 million, or $0.12 per share, compared to $5.4 million, or $0.12 per share, reported for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

Net revenue for fiscal 2012 was $237.7 million, compared to $208.1 million for fiscal 2011.  Symmetricom reported net income of $11.4 million, or $0.27 per share, in fiscal 2012, compared to net income of $1.4 million, or $0.03 per share, in fiscal 2011.  Non-GAAP net income for fiscal 2012 was $16.8 million, or $0.39 per share, compared to $17.7 million, or $0.40 per share, reported for the prior year.

Cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments totaled $66.9 million as of July 1, 2012, an increase of $5.4 million from the $61.5 million reported as of April 1, 2012, reflecting strong cash inflows from operations, offset by approximately $6.0 million in stock repurchases during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012.  Net cash generated from operating activities in the fourth quarter was approximately $12.2 million, driven by a sequential decrease in inventories, as compared to the prior quarter.  After subtracting approximately $1.4 million of property, plant and equipment purchases, free cash flow was approximately $10.9 million.

"We had another quarter of solid earnings, as we delivered revenue growth and generated strong cash flow.  Our Government and Enterprise business delivered robust growth overall, driven primarily by solid government programs and Quantum™ SA.45s Chip Scale Atomic Clock (CSAC) revenue.  In Communications, we continued to grow our PackeTime® revenue for wireless and Ethernet backhaul networks," said Dave Côté, president and chief executive officer of Symmetricom.  "We are expanding our reach in new and existing vertical markets with our industry-leading Quantum™ CSAC and PackeTime® solutions, further diversifying our product and customer base.  Looking forward to fiscal 2013, our primary focus will be on ramping new products.  Our diverse product portfolio and geographic footprint is a key differentiator for Symmetricom as we face a challenging macro-economic environment in the near-term.  With a strong competitive position supported by a wide range of timing technologies, we are well positioned for future growth."

Business Results

Revenue in the Communications Business in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $32.8 million, compared to $35.2 million reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.  Revenue in the Government and Enterprise Business in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2012 was $29.8 million, compared to $25.5 million reported in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011.

First Quarter 2013 Guidance

Symmetricom's guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2013 is as follows:

• Net revenue is expected to be in the range of $55 million to $61 million
• GAAP earnings per share is expected to be in the range of $0.01 to $0.07
• Non-GAAP earnings per share is expected to be in the range of $0.05 to $0.10

A reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP guidance is provided at the end of this press release.

Investor Conference Call

As previously announced, management will hold a conference call to discuss these results today, at 1:30 p.m. Pacific Time.  Investors are invited to join the conference call by dialing +1-517-308-9149 and referencing "Symmetricom."  A live webcast will also be available on the investor relations section of the company's website at http://www.symmetricom.com.  An audio replay will be available for one week and can be accessed by dialing +1-203-369-0530.

About Symmetricom, Inc.

Symmetricom (NASDAQ:SYMM), a world leader in precise time solutions, sets the world's standard for time. The company generates, distributes and applies precise time for the communications, aerospace/defense, IT infrastructure and metrology industries. Symmetricom's customers, from communications service providers and network equipment manufacturers to governments and their suppliers worldwide, are able to build more reliable networks and systems by using the company's advanced timing technologies, atomic clocks, services and solutions. All products support today's precise timing standards, including GPS-based timing, IEEE 1588 (PTP), Network Time Protocol (NTP), Synchronous Ethernet and DOCSIS® timing. Symmetricom is based in San Jose, Calif., with offices worldwide. For more information, visit: http://www.symmetricom.com or join the dialogue at http://www.twitter.com/symmetricom.

Non-GAAP Information

Certain non-GAAP financial information is included in this press release.  In the reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results, Symmetricom excludes certain items related to non-cash equity-based compensation, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges, and manufacturing transition costs and non-cash income tax expenses for valuation allowances against deferred tax assets that the company does not consider indicative of its ongoing performance.  The income tax effect after these non-GAAP adjustments is determined based upon Symmetricom's estimate of its annual non-GAAP effective tax rate excluding these non-GAAP adjustments.  Symmetricom believes that excluding such items provides investors, analysts and management with a representation of the Company's core operating performance and with information useful in assessing, in conjunction with GAAP results, underlying trends in operating performance.  Management uses such non-GAAP information to evaluate financial results and to establish operational goals.  Non-GAAP information should not be considered superior to or as a substitute for data prepared in accordance with GAAP.  A reconciliation of the non-GAAP results to the GAAP results is provided in the financial schedules portion of this press release.

Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by or used in operating activities minus purchases of property, plant and equipment.  Symmetricom believes this metric provides useful information to its investors, analysts, and management about the level of cash generated by or used in normal business operations, including the use of cash for the purchase of property, plant and equipment.  Management also views it as a measure of cash available to pay debt and return cash to stockholders.  Free cash flow is not a GAAP financial measure and should not be considered superior to or a substitute for operating cash flow or other cash flow data prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Safe Harbor

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and is subject to the safe harbor created by those sections.  These forward-looking statements include statements concerning first quarter fiscal 2013 guidance and future performance, expectations regarding positioning for future growth, ramping of new products, diversification of our revenue streams and customer base as well as the information regarding the usefulness of the non-GAAP financial information.  The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, even if subsequently made available by Symmetricom on its website or otherwise.  Symmetricom expressly disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein, whether as a result of a change in its expectations, a change in any events, conditions or circumstances on which a forward-looking statement is based, or otherwise.  Symmetricom's actual results could differ materially from those projected or suggested in these forward-looking statements.  Factors that could cause future actual results to differ materially from the results projected in or suggested by such forward-looking statements include: but are not limited to, risks relating to general economic conditions in the markets we address and the telecommunications market in general, risks related to the development of our new products and services, reliance on our contract manufacturer, the effects of increasing competition and competitive pricing pressure, uncertainties associated with changing intellectual property laws, developments in and expenses related to litigation, the inability to obtain sufficient amounts of key components, the rescheduling or cancellation of key customer orders, the loss of a key customer, the effects of new and emerging technologies, the risk that excess inventory may result in write-offs, price erosion and decreased demand, fluctuations in the rate of exchange of foreign currency, changes in our effective tax rate, market acceptance of our new products and services, technological advancements, undetected errors or defects in our products, the risks associated with our international sales, potential short-term investment losses and other risks due to credit market dislocation, geopolitical risks and risk of terrorist activities, the risks associated with attempting to integrate other companies and businesses we acquire, and the risk factors listed from time to time in Symmetricom's reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 3, 2011 and subsequent Forms 10-Q and 8-K.

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Contact:

Dan Madden

VP Finance & Investor Relations

+1-408-428-7929

dmadden@symmetricom.com

SOURCE Symmetricom, Inc.