Almere, The Netherlands
April 23, 2024, 6 p.m. CET
Solid start of the year, Q1 orders supported by GAA and HBM
ASM International N.V. (Euronext Amsterdam: ASM) today reports its Q1 2024
results (unaudited).
Financial highlights
EUR million Q1 2023 Q4 2023 Q1 2024
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New orders 647.4 677.5 697.9
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yoy change % at constant currencies (6%) (14%) 10%
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Revenue 710.0 632.9 639.0
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yoy change % at constant currencies 40% (7%) (8%)
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Gross profit margin % 49.4 % 47.2 % 52.9 %
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Adjusted gross profit margin (1) 51.1 % 47.9 % 52.9 %
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Operating result 204.2 131.5 187.1
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Operating result margin % 28.8 % 20.8 % 29.3 %
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Adjusted operating result (1) 221.2 141.0 191.8
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Adjusted operating result margin (1) 31.2 % 22.3 % 30.0 %
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Net earnings 380.4 90.9 173.1
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Adjusted net earnings (1) 183.0 100.3 178.9
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(1) Adjusted figures are non-IFRS performance measures (previously referred to
as "normalized"). Refer to Annex 3 for a reconciliation of non-IFRS performance
measures.
* New orders of EUR698 million in Q1 2024 increased by 10% at constant
currencies (increased by 8% as reported), supported by healthy GAA 2nm
orders, and a strong increase in memory orders, mainly for HBM-related DRAM
applications.
* Revenue of EUR639 million decreased by 8% at constant currencies (decreased by
10% as reported) from Q1 of last year but came in at the high end of
guidance (EUR600-640 million).
* Adjusted gross profit margin increased to 52.9%, up from 51.1% in Q1 of last
year, on the back of a generally positive mix, and in particular a continued
strong contribution from China sales, which increased to a quarterly record.
* Adjusted operating result margin decreased to 30.0%, compared to 31.2% in Q1
last year. This was mainly explained by the decrease in revenue and partly
offset by the increase in gross profit margin, while the increase in
operating expenses was relatively moderate in Q1.
* Revenue for Q2 2024 is projected to increase to EUR660-700 million. Revenue in
H2 is expected to increase by 10% or more compared to H1 2024. Full year
2024 is expected to be another year of growth for ASM.
Comment
"ASM started the year on a solid footing", said Benjamin Loh, CEO of ASM.
"Revenue in the first quarter came in at EUR639 million, which was a decrease of
8% compared to the same quarter of last year. Revenue was at the top end of our
guidance of EUR600-640 million.
Bookings increased to EUR698 million, up 10% at constant currencies from the first
quarter 2023. Bookings again included a healthy level of tool orders related to
the gate-all-around (GAA) 2nm technology node. Current traction confirms our
expectation that the GAA migration is going to be a strong driver for ASM.
Memory bookings showed a solid increase compared to a lower level of last year,
for the larger part driven by HBM-related demand for high-performance DRAM
applications. In addition, bookings from the Chinese market remained at a strong
level in the first quarter. Order intake in power/analog/wafer (excluding
silicon carbide Epi) continued to be relatively low, reflecting the soft
conditions in this market segment.
Gross margin increased to 52.9% compared to 51.1% in the first quarter of last
year, on the back of a generally positive mix, and in particular continued
strong sales from China with above-average profitability. The operating profit
margin decreased slightly from 31.2% to 30.0%. Operating expenses increased by a
moderate 3% compared to the first quarter of last year."
Outlook
While market conditions are still mixed in the first part of the year, we expect
the recovery in wafer fab equipment (WFE) spending to gradually pick up speed in
the remainder of the year. We expect revenue in the second quarter of 2024, at
constant currencies, to increase to a range of EUR660-700 million, which is higher
than we indicated with our Q4 report.
We now project ASM's revenue in the second half to increase 10% or more compared
to the first half, at constant currencies. With that, we expect 2024 to be
another growth year for ASM. We still expect sales from the Chinese market in
the second half to be lower, but the decrease will be more moderate than we
previously anticipated. Sales in advanced logic/foundry, mainly for GAA, and in
the memory segment are expected to be higher in the second half.
In part supported by previously announced new customer wins we still expect our
silicon carbide (SiC) Epi sales to increase by a meaningful double-digit
percentage in 2024. However, this growth will be somewhat slower than we
expected at the start of the year, as some SiC customers have recently been
pushing out new investments.
We reiterate our revenue target for 2025 (range of EUR3.0-3.6 billion), driven by
an expected rebound in the WFE market, including the move of GAA 2nm technology
into high-volume manufacturing in 2025, and a further recovery in the memory
markets.
Annual General Meeting
On March 26, 2024, ASM published the agenda, convocation, and other materials
for the 2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM), to be held on May 13, 2024, in
Almere, which as also earlier announced, includes, amongst other things,
approvals of:
* the annual accounts of 2023;
* the proposal to declare a regular dividend of EUR2.75 per common share;
* the reappointment of Mr. Lamouche and the appointment of Ms. Micki and Mr.
Van den Brink as members of the Supervisory Board;
* the appointment of Ernst & Young Accountants LLP as auditor for the
financial year 2025;
* a change of the remuneration policy for, and remuneration of, the
Supervisory Board;
* a proposal to withdraw common shares; and,
* an amendment to ASM's articles of association.
Please refer to the AGM documents available on our website for more detailed
information.
About ASM
ASM International N.V., headquartered in Almere, the Netherlands, and its
subsidiaries design and manufacture equipment and process solutions to produce
semiconductor devices for wafer processing, and have facilities in the United
States, Europe, and Asia. ASM International's common stock trades on the
Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange (symbol: ASM). For more information, visit
ASM's website at www.asm.com.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: All matters discussed in
this press release, except for any historical data, are forward-looking
statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-
looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, economic conditions
and trends in the semiconductor industry generally and the timing of the
industry cycles specifically, currency fluctuations, corporate transactions,
financing and liquidity matters, the success of restructurings, the timing of
significant orders, market acceptance of new products, competitive factors,
litigation involving intellectual property, shareholders or other issues,
commercial and economic disruption due to natural disasters, terrorist activity,
armed conflict or political instability, changes in import/export regulations,
pandemics, epidemics and other risks indicated in the company's reports and
financial statements. The company assumes no obligation nor intends to update or
revise any forward-looking statements to reflect future developments or
circumstances.
This press release contains inside information within the meaning of Article
7(1) of the EU Market Abuse Regulation.
Quarterly earnings conference call details
ASM will host the quarterly earnings conference call and webcast on Wednesday,
April 24, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. CET.
Conference-call participants should pre-register using this link
(https://services.choruscall.it/DiamondPassRegistration/register?confirmationNum
ber=3815193&linkSecurityString=4b7f746c0) to receive the dial-in numbers,
passcode and a personal PIN, which are required to access the conference call.
A simultaneous audio webcast and replay will be accessible at this link
(https://services.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=8VcZZYks).
Contacts
Investor and media relations Investor relations
Victor Bareño Valentina Fantigrossi
T: +31 88 100 8500 T: +31 88 100 8502
E: investor.relations@asm.com E: investor.relations@asm.comÂ