CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page1of21
LinearTechnology(LLTC)EarningsReport:Q32016ConferenceCallTranscriptThefollowingLinearTechnologyconferencecalltookplaceonApril20,2016,11:30AMET.Thisisatranscriptofthatearningscall:
CompanyPart icipants
DonZerio;LinearTechnologyCorporation;VPFinanceandCFOLotharMaier;LinearTechnologyCorporation;CEO&Director
OtherPart icipants
DavidWong;WellsFargoSecurities;AnalystCraigHettenbach;MorganStanley;AnalystRossSeymore;DeutscheBank;AnalystEvanWang;StifelNicolaus;AnalystJohnPitzer;CreditSuisse;AnalystC.J.Muse;EvercoreISI;AnalystCraigEllis;B.Riley&Co.;AnalystAmbrishSrivastava;BMOCapitalMarkets;AnalystVivekArya;BankofAmerica;AnalystCodyAcree;DrexelHamilton;AnalystSteveSmigie;RaymondJames&Associates,Inc.;AnalystHarlanSur;JPMorgan;AnalystWilliamStein;SunTrustRobinsonHumphrey;Analyst
MANAGEMENTDISCUSSIONSECTION
Operator :
WelcometotheLinearTechnologyCorporationfiscal2016third-quarterearningsconferencecall.
Today'sconferenceisbeingrecorded.
Atthistime,IwouldliketoturntheconferenceovertoDonZerio,VicePresidentofFinanceandChiefFinancialOfficer.Pleasegoahead,sir.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Goodmorning.WelcometotheLinearTechnologyconferencecall.I'mjoinedtodaybyBobSwanson,ourExecutiveChairman;andLotharMaier,ourCEO.
Iwouldliketoremindyouthatinourpresentationtodayandouranswerstocertainquestionsthatmayfollowwemaymakeforward-lookingstatementsthataredependentoncertainrisksanduncertaintiesincludingbutnotlimitedtoourfinancialresultsforfutureperiods,ourabilitytoproduceandsellexistingproducts,thetimingandintroductionofnewproductsandprocessesandgeneralconditionsintheworldeconomyandfinancialmarkets.
Inadditiontotheserisks,pleaserefertotheriskfactorslistedintheCompany'sannualreportonForm10-KforthefiscalyearendedJune28,2015andoursubsequentquarterlyfilingsonForm10-Q.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page2of21
Also,SECRegulationFDregardingselectivedisclosureinfluencesourinteractionwithinvestors.Accordingly,thisconferencecallwillbeourforumtorespondtoquestionsregardingourestimatedfinancialperformancegoingforward.Shouldyouhavequestionsregardingourestimatesofsalesandprofitsorotherfinancialmattersfortheupcomingquarter,thisisatimewearefreetorespondtoyourquestions.
Asnotedinourpressrelease,whichwasreleasedyesterdayjustafterthemarketclose,revenuefortheMarchquartercameinatthehigherendofguidanceat$361.1million,up4%fromtheDecemberquarter.Grossmarginincreasedto76.2%from75.7%benefitingfromthehighersalesbase,afullquarterofproductioninourfabsandcertainothermanufacturingefficiencies.Recallthatoursecondquarterhadlessproductiondaysinourfabsduetoholidaysandplantshutdowndays.
Operatingmarginimprovedto45%ofsales,upfrom43.1%duetothehighergrossmarginandonelessweekofoperatingexpensesaswehad14weeksinoursecondquarter.Oureffectivetaxratewasslightlyhigherinthethirdquarterat21.75%versus19.5%inQ2onlowerdiscretequarterlyitems.Netincomeandearningspersharewere$128.4millionand$0.52pershare.
Alltold,thiswasaprettygoodquarterandwearehappywiththeresultsgivenglobalmacroeconomicconditionsthatarestillprovidingsomeheadwinds.Webeatthemidpointofourguidance,weincreasedgrossmarginandoperatingmarginandourbookingsincreasedoverthepriorquarteratalevelthatshouldallowustogrowinthefourthquarteraswell.
Thetransportationmarketcontinuestogrownicelyandwe'reseeingrecoveryintheindustrialmarketandtoalesserextentthecommunicationsmarketwhichhasbeenweakforsometime.We'reseeingrecoveryacrossabroadbaseincludingdistributionandthesmallerandmidsizecustomers.
Ingeneral,inventoriesinthechannelappeartobeinbalanceandwebelieveweareshippingtoendcustomerdemand.However,thereremainspocketsofweaknessincertaingeographiesandthecomputermarketremainsparticularlyweak,thoughthatisnotamajormarketforus.Weremaincautiousgiventhegeneralbusinessclimatebutbaseduponourthird-quarterbookingsandourcurrentrunrate,wearecurrentlyprojectingrevenuetobeup2%to5%intheJunequarter.
Turningtobookingsbyregionandmarketsector.Asareminder,wehavepostedbookingsbymarketandrevenuebygeographyforthequarteronourwebsiteatlinear.comunderinvestorrelationssupplementalinformation.Wepostthisinformationbytheendofourbusinessdateonthedaywereleaseourresults.
Totalbookingsincreasedforthequarterandwehadapositivebook-to-billratio.BookingsincreasedinbothNorthAmericaandtheinternationalmarket.
Withininternational,bookingswereupineachofourmajorgeographicregionsEurope,JapanandAsia-Pacific.WecontinuetodoparticularlywellinChinaasbookingswereupthemostinthatregiononthestrengthofautomotive,thoughourindustrialbusinessisgrowinginthatcountrytoo.
Withrespecttobookingsbymarketsector,bookingswereupineachofourmajormarketsthatrepresent86%ofourbusinessindustrial,transportationandcommunications.Inoursmallermarkets,militaryspacegrewmodestlywhilecomputerandconsumershoweddeclines.Thecomputermarket,particularlyPCsandnotebooks,continuetobeparticularlyweak.
Industrialcontinuestobeourlargestmarketat44%ofourbookings,upfrom43%thepreviousquarter.IndustrialbookingsincreasedineachofourmajorgeographicregionsledbyNorthAmericaandEurope.
Thebreadthofthisincreaseacrossourcustomerbaseisgivingussomecomfortthatthenoticeable
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page3of21
weaknessweexperiencedinthismarketoverthepastseveralmonthsisinrecoveryandthattheinventorycorrectionthatresultedisbehindus.WebelieveweareshippingtoendcustomerdemandandtheinventoriesinthechannelandattheOEMsareatleaststableifnotlean.
Turningtotransportationbookings,thismarketcontinuestoshowthehighestpercentagegrowthanditwas24%ofourbusinessthispastquarter,upfrom23%.TheincreaseinbookingsintransportationwasdrivenprimarilybyAsia-PacificbutwesawgrowthinJapanandtheUSaswell.
TheUShasbeenasmallertransportationmarketforusbutwearemakinggoodstrideshereandit'supnicelyforthequarterinpercentagetermsandopportunitiescontinuestoincrease.
EuropebookingsweredownintransportationmodestlyinthequarterbutcomingoffarelativelystrongQ2.TransportationgrowthinAsia-Pacificcontinuestobestronganditwasourhighestregionintotaltransportationbookings,overtakingbothEuropeandJapanforthefirsttime.
Asyoushouldknowbynow,wehavebeenparticularlysuccessfulwithourpartsintheChinaandKoreamarket.
AsIhavenoticedinpreviouscalls,Chinaisall-inonelectricvehiclesasonepartofthesolutionfortheirsevereairpollution,offeringincentivestobothbusinessesandconsumerstobuildandbuyelectricvehiclesincludingautos,taxisandbuses.
OursuperiorBMSpartshavewonussignificantbusinessinChinawhereweenjoyveryhighmarketshareforbatterymanagementsystems.Ourtransportationbusinessinthisregionshouldcontinuetogrowstronglyfortheforeseeablefuture.
Communicationsremainat18%ofourbookingsforthequarterbutaftertwoquartersofsequentialgrowthwearehopefulthatthismarketisbeginningtoshowsomelife.Thelargebasestationsandinfrastructurepieceofthismarketcontinuestobeweakbutthatisnolongerasizablepieceofourcommunicationsbusiness.
Weareseeinggrowthinoptical,networkinganddatacomwhichistheareaofthemarketthatwefocus.ThismarketwasstrongestforusintheUSwhileEuropewasflatandAsiawasdownslightly.
Thecomputermarketwas6%ofourbookings,downfrom7%lastquarterwithadecreaseprimarilyinNorthAmericawherethemajorityofthisbusinessisbooked.
Asstatedlastquarter,thismarketisdownasexpectedasitissufferingduetoweakernotebooksalesandstoragedevices.Thismarketmaycontinuetodeclineabitmoreforusovertheshorttermasnotebooksalescontinuetodecline,butlongertermweexpectgrowthopportunitiesaswehavecompellingproductsindevelopmentthataddressthehigherendofthismarketwhereinnovationandsuperiorfunctionalityarestillneeded.
Bookingsformilitaryspaceandharshenvironmentproductsincreasedmodestlythisquarterandremainat6%ofourbusiness.Militaryhasreboundedslightlyfromtheweaknessweexperiencedinthefirstquarterwhilethespacebusinesshasbeensomewhatflatforthepastyear.Wedoexpectthespacebusinesstopickupassatellitelaunchactivityincreases.
ThisispredominantlyaUSmarket,thoughwedobooksomebusinessinEurope.Bothregionssawanincreaseinbookingsthisquarter.
Finally,consumer,oursmallestendmarketwherewetakebusinessopportunisticallywhenfunctionalityandperformancestillmatter,thismarketdecreased2%ofourbusiness,downfrom3%lastquarter.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page4of21
Withregardtowhereourbookingsareactuallycreated,62%werecreatedinternationallyand38%inNorthAmerica,thesameaslastperiod.
Movingtosales,salesincreasedby4%fromthepriorquarterandweredown2.9%fromtheprior-yearquarter.GeographicallysaleswereupthemostinEuropefollowedbyNorthAmericaandAsia-PacificbutweredowninJapanwhichisnotunusualasMarchistypicallytheirfiscalyear-end.USsaleswereupforbothOEManddistributionwhererevenueisrecognizedonasell-throughbasis.
Onaregionalbasis,NorthAmericawas28%ofourbusiness,upfrom27%lastquarter.Europewasupto21%thisquarterfrom19%lastquarter.Japandeclinedto13%ofourbusiness,downfrom15%lastquarter,andAsia-Pacificdecreasedfrom39%to38%ofsalesbutwasupinabsolutedollars.
Turningtotherestoftheincomestatement,grossmarginwasupfrom75.7%to76.2%.Thisisagoodresult,particularlysinceouroverseasassemblyandtestoperationshadlowerproductiondaysduetoChineseNewYear.
Grossmarginwasaidedbythehighersalesbasewhichreducesfixedoverheadperunitandanincreaseinouraveragesellingpriceto$1.97,up$0.05from$1.92lastquarter.
Thefourthquarterisafullproductionquarterforallofourplantsandweexpecttogrowsales.SoIdoexpectsomemarginexpansionsubjecttotheproductmixwithinsales.
R&Ddecreased$0.2millionsequentiallyto$69.6million,primarilyduetolowerlaborandfringecostastherewasoneextraweekinthepriorquarter.Inaddition,legalcostsweredown.
Partiallyoffsettingthesedecreases,vacationcostandprofitsharingincreased.Vacationcostswerehigherastheywerenoshutdowndaysandmuchlessvacationtakeninthethirdquarterthanduringtheholidayseason.
SG&Adecreased$0.4millionsequentiallyto$43million.SimilartoR&D,thiswasmostlyduetolowerlaborandfringecostfromonelessweekinthequartercomparedtoQ2.Inaddition,othercostdecreasesuchasadvertising,travelandforeignsalescostsfromforeignexchange.
SimilartoR&D,thesedeclineswerepartiallyoffsetbyhighervacationcostandprofitsharing.Operatingincomeincreasedby$13millionto$162.5millionrepresenting45%ofoursales.Interestandotherincomeincreasedslightlyto$1.6milliononhigherinvestedcashnetofsmalllossfromforeigncurrencytransactions.
Ourquarterlyeffectiveincometaxratewashigherthisquarterat21.75%versus19.5%lastquarterduetolowerquarterlydiscreteitems.Nextquarterabsentdiscretetaxitemsifanyweexpectourannualeffectivetaxratetobeinthe24%to24.5%range.
Netincomefortheperiodwas$128.4million,up$6.9millionandwas35.6%ofsales,upfrom35%.Theaveragesharesoutstandingusedinthecalculationofearningspersharedecreasedby116,000shares.Theweightedaverageofstockrepurchasesboththisperiodandlastperiodmorethanoffsetvestingofemployeestockawards.
GAAPearningspersharewas$0.52,upfrom$0.50inthepriorquarter.Withouttheimpactofstock-basedcompensationof$19.9milliondilutedearningspersharewouldhavebeen$0.59pershare.
Lookingatjustafewmajorcomponentsofourbalancesheet,duringthecurrentquartertheCompany'scash,cashequivalentsandmarketablesecuritiesincreasedby$55.3millionto$1.36billionnetofspending$78.2milliononcashdividendswhichhavebeenincreasedto$0.32pershareandspending$32.6milliononstockpurchasesofapproximately800,000shares.Capitalexpendituresforthequarter
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page5of21
were$13.2million.
Accountsreceivableof$152.9millionincreasedby$7.8milliononthehighersalesbaseandDSOwas39days,upfrom38daysaswehadanextraweekofcollectionsinthesecondquarter.Inventoryat$94.2millionwasessentiallyflatversusthepriorquarterandwebelievetobeagoodprofiletosupportourbusinessandkeepleadtimesrelativelyshort.Ourquarterlyaverageinventoryturnswasupslightlyto3.7timesperyear.
Lookingforward,atthecurrentbookingsrate,weareguidingrevenuetobeup2%to5%intheJunequarter.Threequartersagowhenweannouncedourrevenuesforourfirstfiscalquarterwouldbedownsignificantlyourexpectationwasthatthesuddendropwasmoreofashort-termcorrectionratherthanadeepdowncycle.Atthispointitappearsthatourreadingofthetealeaveswasaccurate.
Inventoriesinthechannelnowappeartobeinbalanceifnotlean.Weareshippingtoendcustomerdemand,bookingshavepickedupandourlargestmarket,industrial,appearstobeinrecovery.However,itisstillafragilemarket.
TheglobalmacroeconomicclimateisnotparticularlyfavorablewhencertaingeographiesremainweakandGDPof2%isconsideredgoodgrowth.Nevertheless,wefeelgoodaboutourstrategyandthegrowthopportunitiesaheadinthemarketswherewehavefocusedourresourcesandproductdevelopment,particularlyintheindustrial,transportationandcommunicationsmarkets.Thesearethemarketsthatwilldrivethegrowthinhighperformanceanalogandthedecisionsthatwemadeseveralyearsagoandexecuteduponnowleaveuswell-positionedtocapitalize.
IwillnowopenuptheconferencecalltoquestionstobeaddressedtoBob,Lotharorme.
QUESTIONS&ANSWERS
Operator :
(OperatorInstructions)
DavidWong,WellsFargo.
DavidWong (Analyst-WellsFargoSecurities):
Thanksverymuch.Don,couldyougiveussomefeelofyourattitudetocashonthebalancesheetanduseofcash,andinparticularwhatyouseeintermsofstockrepurchasesgoingforward?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Yes,David,asyouknowweretiredourconvertiblenote.It'sbeenabouttwoyearsnow,andafterhavingdebtserviceforsevenyearsweenjoynothavingit.Soforthetimebeing,wecontinuetolikenothavingthedebtservice.
Weprefertouseourexistingcashtofundourdividendandstockrepurchases.Andsoforthetimeperiodthatpositionhasn'tchangedbutit'snotthatwe'renecessarilyagainsttakingsomedebt.We'vedoneitinthepast,butcurrentlywe'vechosentouseourexistingcashtofundourstockrepurchases.
DavidWong (Analyst-WellsFargoSecurities):
Great,thanks.
Operator :
CraigHettenbach.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page6of21
CraigHettenbach (Analyst-MorganStanley):
Greatthankyou.JustaquestiononthecommentonChinaandEVs,justintermsofcertainlyit'sstillasmallmarketasapercentageoftermsbutthedollarcontentopportunityismuchhigher.I'mcurioustogetyourthoughtsonjustfromadesignperspectiveandwhatyou'reseeingfromcustomershowthatinfluenceswhatyouthinkabouttheopportunityoverthenextone,two,threeyears?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
WhenyouthinkaboutChinayouknow,particularlywhenwhatwe'vetalkedaboutisthisEVmarket,it'snotjustcars,it'staxisandtoalargeextentit'salsobusesandsomemachinery.AndwhenwewinbusinessontheBMSsidewetypicallywinbusinessaroundtherestofthecaraswell.
Sograntedthesetypesofvehiclesarestillarelativelysmallpercentagethecontentcanbetwo,three,four,10timesasmuchasinaconventionalcarandthenumbersmaybeweresmallbutappeartobegettingquiteabitbigger.Ifyoulookathowmanyplug-inandelectriccarsChinaproducedin2015itwasaround300,000andthat'sgoingtodoublewethinkin2016.AndrightnowwiththeincentivesthattheChinesegovernmenthasputinplace,theydon'tappeartobeanendtothis.
CraigHettenbach (Analyst-MorganStanley):
Gotit.AndifIcouldjustfollowupjustonthetopicofBMS,Ithinkyouguysareonyourthirdoffourthgenerationofproducts.Sojustseeminglyitisabigopportunitybutjustkindofthingsyou'redoingonatechnologyfronttomakesurethatyoumaintainkindofleadershippositionforthesetypeofproducts.
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,andit'sinterestingbecauseeveryOEMdoesitalittlebitdifferent.Sothereisn'tlikeonesolutionthatsolveseverybody'sproblems.Somepeoplehaveefficiency,somepeoplewantprecision,somecustomerswantcommunication.
Soit'sadifferentsetofrequirementsfromcustomertocustomer.Andsoit'sjustanever-evolvingfield.Andtherequirementsareobviouslyit'sprecision.
Thelithiumbatteriesareveryexpensive,andsoifwecanmakethemeasurementsmorepreciseitmeanstheyhavetopurchaselessbatteries.Whenyourbatterysystemstopsworkinginavehiclethat'saplug-inorahybridthecarstops,sotheyarelookingforthingslikeredundancyandbackupsystems.Soit'saprettycomplicatedproductwithalotofdifferenthooksinitandeveryOEMhasadifferenthotbutton.
CraigHettenbach (Analyst-MorganStanley):
Okay,thanksforthatcolor.
Operator :
RossSeymore.
RossSeymore (Analyst-DeutscheBank):
Higuys,congratsonthesolidquarterandguide.JusthadaquestionontheASPsideoftheequation.
Don,youmentionedthebenefitthatthathadalittlebittothegrossmargin.Butjustkindofmoreholistically,Ithinkthat$1.97wasupnicelysequentiallyandyearoveryearbutIthinkit'salsothehighestwe'veseenforyourCompanyasfarasIcanfindinhistory.CanyoujusttalkalittlebitaboutwhatisdrivingASPsupforyourCompanyovertimeandifinthesinglequartertherewasanyparticularly
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page7of21
uniquemovements?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
WellIthinkjustingeneralthestrategychangethatwemadeseveralyearsagoasyouknowtodefocusoutofconsumerandmoretowardsindustrialandtransportationandcommunicationjustoverthelastseveralyears,thatstrategyinandofitselfisgoingtohelpourASPanditdid.Andyou'llalsoknowthatwe'vehadgoodsuccessinourmodulebusinesswhichcontinuestogrowquitefranklybeyondourexpectations.Andthat'sanothergreatproductthatwecontinuetoseejustrunning.
AndtheASPonthemodulesisquitehighandwe'realsotalkingtodayaboutoursuccesswithbatterymanagementsystemswhichalsoisarelativelyhighASPproduct.SoourstrategyingeneralandthesuccessofcertainofourproductsiscontinuingtodriveASPhigheranditcertainlywouldn'tsurpriseusifwegotover$2.
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,justtohighlight,weusedtohaveASPsevengreaterthan$2foralongperiodoftime.You'dhavetogobackabout15yearstoseethat.Andasweenteredintotheconsumerbusiness,wesawourASPsdrop.
Ithinkthelowquarterforuswaslike$1.38.Andthenwe'veseenasteadygrowthbacktowhatwethinkisprobablylikelyforusistogetabove$2hereinthefuture.
AndwefeelthatwayforthereasonsthatDonsaid.We'vegottheseBMSproducts,wehavemoduleproducts.Andifyoulookatvirtuallyeverythingthatwe'vegotinthedesignpipelinearereallyproductsthatshouldwarrantpricesabove$2.
RossSeymore (Analyst-DeutscheBank):
GreatandIguessasmyfollow-up,justswitchinggearstotheindustrialside,it'sgoodtoseethatit'sactingbetterandyougavealotofcoloronthat.Iguessifwecouldjustcompareittoayearagoatthistime,itlookslikeyourrevenuesareinthesameballparkforwhatyoureportedintheMarchquarterandseeminglywhatyou'reguidingforthatsubsegmentinJune.Couldyoujustcompareandcontrastwhatgivesyoutheconfidenceinhowyou'refeelingaboutthatatthesamelevelofrevenuestodayversusayearagowhenofcoursewewereontheprecipiceofthatcorrectionshort-livedbutcorrectionnonethelessintheSeptemberquarter?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,priortothatcorrectionwewereonaprettygoodMarchintermsofimprovementsinourindustrialbusiness.AndIthinkwehadacorrectionforquitefranklyreasonsIdon'tfullyunderstandbecausewedidn'tloseanycustomers,wedidn'tloseanybusiness.AndsoIthinkwhatwe'reseeingnowisthatindustrialbusinessthatroughlyayearagowasdoingprettygoodforusresettingandtakingoffwherewewereaboutayearago.
RossSeymore (Analyst-DeutscheBank):
Great,thankyou.
Operator :
ToreSvanberg,Stifel.
EvanWang (Analyst-StifelNicolaus):
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page8of21
Yes,hi,thankyoufortakingmy--thisisEvanWangcallinginforToreSvanberg.Thankyoufortakingmyquestion.
Thefirstquestionisoncommunications.Youhavetalkedaboutthepotentialofbeingonarebound,Iwaswonderingifyoucancharacterizethisalittlebitbasedonmaybethebookingsfromthefirstcoupleofweekssofarthisquarterastothesteepnessofthisrecoveryandgoingforwardevenoutacoupleofquartersifyoucould?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Well,youknowanyofourmarketsreallydon'tgetdrivenbywhat'shappenedinthefirstfewweeksofaquarter.Thesethingsevolveliterallyoveryears.Andwe'veseensomestressonourcommunicationsbusinessbecausehistoricallyitwasroughlyevenlysplitbetweenthebasestationandthenetworkingpartofthebusiness.
Andovertheyearswhatwe'vebeenseeingisthebasestations,whichhavebecomesomewhatcommoditized,thatbusinessdecliningandtherestofthebusinesswassortofthenetworkingandinfrastructurepartofthebusinessimproving.SoIthinkwhatwe'reseeingnowisthefactthatwe'vegivenupmostofthebasestationbusiness.Wedon'thavealotofbasestationbusinesstoloseanymore.
Andwhatwe'reseeingisjustthepickupofthenetworkingbusinesswhichwe'vebeenseeingreallyforyearsandthat'sbecomingalittlebitconspicuousnow.Therearealsosomesegmentsinthenetworkingbusinessthataredoingwell.Donmentionedtheopticalbusiness.
WhereverthereisalotofinnovationistypicallywhereLineardoeswell.Andtheopticalmarketsgoingbetween10Gto20Gto40Gto100to200,400G,asthatprogressiongoesthere'salotoftechnologyinvolvedandwhenthathappensthat'sgoodforus.Soforustheopticalmarketrightnowisdoingquitewell.
EvanWang (Analyst-StifelNicolaus):
Great.Myfollow-upquestionisforthelongerterm,youcitedthatthemacroremainsweak.Andgiventhestrengthandyourfocusmarkets,isthisstillamajorconcernforyouordoyouseethestrengthinthesemarketsufficienttofuelyourgrowth?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
It'sanissueforus.WereallyliketoseesomestrongglobalGDPgrowthsoit'sanobviousheadwindtous.ButatthemomentIthinkwe'vegotenoughgoodproductsandgoodmarketsthatwecanbuckthatheadwindtosomeextent,butquitefranklywe'dhavealotstrongerbusinessifweweren'tfacingheadwindlikethat.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Youknow,ImentionedJapan.Japanisweak.ThereisdefinitelysomeseasonalitywithJapanthispastquarter.
AsImentionedMarchistypicallytheirfiscalyearendandsotheywilltakelessdeliveryandsuch.ButIthinkthere'ssomerealweaknessinJapan.IthinktheymaybeaffectedbyChinasomewhatbutthere'sstillpocketsofweaknessoutthere.
There'snotmanyregionsaroundtheworldifatallthatareexperiencinganykindofgrowth,something3%orbetter,Imeanyoudon'tevenseethat,likeIsaid2%isconsideredstrong.Soit'scertainlynotagreatmarketouttherebutIthinkinthemarketsthatwefocuswe'recertainlyholdingourownandwe
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page9of21
can'tusethemacroeconomicenvironmentasanexcuse.Wehavetocontinuetogrowandwethinkwecandothat.
EvanWang (Analyst-StifelNicolaus):
Thankyouverymuch.
Operator :
JohnPitzer.
JohnPitzer (Analyst-CreditSuisse):
Yes,goodmorningguys.Thanksforlettingmeaskthequestion.
Don,inyourpreparedcommentsyoutalkedaboutyourexpectationfortheJunequarterfortheretobeadditionalgrossmarginleveragebaseduponsomeofthefixedcostabsorptionmaybeoffsetbymix.CanyouhelpusquantifyhowmuchweshouldseefortheJunequarter?Isthisasimilarincrementalmarginthatwe'veseeninMarch?
Andthenonasimilarvein,ifyoulookatwheregrossmarginsaretoday,andIalwaysfeelsillyaboutaskingthisquestion,youstillhaveabout200basispointsofupsidetowheremarginswerekindofbackinthat2010timeperiodaround78%.Isthereanythingstructurallydifferentaboutthebusinesstodaythatshouldn'tallowyoutoatsomepointgetbacktothatmarginprofile?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Youknow,John,youhavetorememberwherewewereinthemarketbackin2010.Imeanthatwasasnapbackfromthe2008,2009creditcrisisandrecessionandsothewholemarketwasifyourecallwassortofpedaltothemetal.Ourfactoryutilizationatthattimewasveryhigh.
WestillhadsomeconsumerproductsthatwerelowerASPbutalsolowercostthathelpedgettothatveryhighgrossmargin.Notthatwecan'tgetbacktherebutthat'ssortoftheperfectenvironmenttogetbacktoagrossmarginthatisinexcessof78%.SoIthinkthat'sdifferentandyouhavetolookatwhatthatenvironmentis.
Andsecondly,thereissomecosttotheautomotivemarket,youknowthequalityandthereliabilitythatisexpected.Soyes,there'shigherASPtherebutthecostdependinguponwhichproductyou'retalkingabouthasquitehightestcost.Sothere'sthataswell.
Butevenonaslightlylowergrossmarginthegrossmarginperunitishigher.Sowe'llmakethattradeoffeveryday.SoImeanthere'sjustalotofvariabilitiesthatgointogrossmarginwhichiswhyIcan'tnecessarilygiveyouatargetforwhatourgrossmarginisgoingtobenextquarter.
Idon'tknowwhatthemixisgoingtobeyet.I'mnotexactlysurewhatourcapacitylevelwillbeinthefactory.AllIcansayislook,wejustgrewabout$13millionandaddedhalfapoint,50basispoints.
Idon'tknowifIcanpromiseanother50basispoints.Butassumingwegrow,assumingwehavearelativelysortofconstantkindofmixinourproductsIwouldexpectthatwewouldbeabletoaddtogrossmarginintotal.Whetherit's20basispointsor30basispointsorevenhigherIcan'tsayrightnow.
JohnPitzer (Analyst-CreditSuisse):
That'shelpful,Don.Andthen,Lothar,maybeasmyfollow-up,aquestionaroundgrowth.
AndIunderstandthatthecompareisprobablynotfairbecausethere'sbeenalotofrepositioningofthe
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page10of21
Company.Butifyoulookatthetop-linegrowthsince2010totheendofthisyearit'sbeensortofflattishandagainalotofrepositioningwithinthatfive-yearperiod.
I'mkindofcuriousashowyouthinkweshouldthinkaboutyourgrowthratefromheregiventherepositioningandthefocusoftheCompanyintheendmarkets.Andifnotonanabsolutebasisrelativetowherethesemimarketisgrowing,howmuchfasterdoyouthinkyoucangrowonanongoingbasis?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,Ithinkyou'vegotaprettygoodobservationthere,that2010asDonsaidearlierwaskindofapeak.Therewasahugedownturnandthentherewasahugecorrectioninthenitcorrectedagainafterthatcorrection.
Andifyoulookbackinthelastseveralyears,we'veseensteadybutmodestgrowthandIthinkweneedtwothings.Oneisweneedtheoverallmarkettogetbetter.Andsoifwe'regoingtogetbacktowhatwealwayssaywe'dliketogroworwethinkwe'reentitledtogrowis10%we'vegottogetsomedecentGDPgrowth.
IfyoulookatourCompanyfromwherewe'repositioned,fromaproductstandpoint,fromanendmarketstandpoint,wecouldn'tbeanybetterpositionedthanwearepresently.SoI'mnotworriedatallaboutthethingsthatareinourcontrolbecauseIthinkwe'vemanagedthatprettywell.
Wejustneedalittlebitofhelpfromthemarketandthere'snoreasonwhywecan'tgrow8%or10%inayear.Wedonothaveaproductoramarketissue.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Hey,John,letmejustfollowuponthat.Ifyougobackto2014,wehadaboutfiveifnotsixquartersinarowwhereyearoveryearweweregrowinginthathighsingledigit9%,10%.Andthat'swhatwethoughtwecoulddoandwethoughtwecouldcontinuetodoitwhenmostoftheconsumertransitionwasbehindus.
Soallthenewbusinessandnewopportunitieswenowfeltafterseveralyearsofreplacingbusinesswasnowadditiveontop.Soweweresortofthere.Andobviouslyafter2014wefelloffthatpaceasdidcertainlytherestofthemarketaswell.
Butcomputergotweak,communicationsgotweak,industrialgotweakonus.Soagainthere'ssomemacroeconomicheadwinds.ButtoLothar'spoint,withalittlebitmorestabilityandalittlebitmoregrowthonaveragearoundtheglobewethinkwecangrowbackupatthat10%rangeandwethinkwe'vealreadyshownwecandoit,wejustneedsomehelpfromthemarket.
JohnPitzer (Analyst-CreditSuisse):
Great,thanksguys.
Operator :
C.J.Muse,ISIGroup.
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
Yes,goodmorning.Thankyoufortakingmyquestion.
Iguessfirstquestion,whenyouthinkaboutconsumernowwhenwehadroughlya$28millionrunrate,clearlymuchmoreleveragetoyourthreecorebusinesses.Howshouldwethinkaboutnormalseasonality
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page11of21
patternsinthislowgrowthenvironmentcoupledwiththatmixshift?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Forwhichmarket?
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
Sorry,I'mthinkinginaggregateforyouguys.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
I'msorry,C.J.,canyouaskthatquestionagain?
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
Sure.Thinkingaboutseasonalpatternsinthebackhalfoftheyear,recognizingthatyouaremuchmorefocusedtoyourB2Bbusinessandlesssoontheconsumerfrontandhowthattranslatesintowhatweshouldexpectintothebackhalfoftheyear.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Soareyouaskingaboutsortoftheseasonalityofourbusinessgoingforward?
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
That'sright.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Well,youknowthereusedtobesortofasomewhatregularpatternorcycletoourbusinessseveralyearsago.Andmaybetheconsumercomponentofthatthatwehadthatatonetimewasdoubledigits,maybethatfactoredintothat.Sowithconsumergonethereseemstobemaybelessofanormalpattern.
Butjustingeneral,clearlythefirsthalfofthecalendaryearourfiscalthirdandfourthquartersisseasonallystrongforLinear,particularlybecauseoffocusonindustrialandtransportation.Soweassumethatthatwillstaythatwaygoingforward.WehopetogrowinQ4.
Goingonbeyondthatit'sverydifficultofforecastthisbusinessoverthenextquarterjustbecauseoftheeconomyandsomevariabilityinthebusinessandourcustomers.Butwewouldexpectthatcomingoutofthefourthquarter,historicallythefirstquarterhasbeen,ourfirstfiscalquarterhasbeenaflattishtoupslightly,downslightlytypeofquarterandthenQ2hasgenerallybeen,that'stheDecemberquarter,hasgenerallybeenourweakerquarterwherewegodownslightly,althougheventhispastyearthatpatternwaschangedbecauseSeptemberwasthedownquarterandwewererecoveringintheDecemberquarter.
Soyoulookathistoryandwhathappensandthereissomewhatofapatterntherebutitseemstohavechangedeveryyear.SoI'mnotsureIwouldputtoomuchontheseasonalityotherthanclearlythefirsthalfofthecalendaryeartendstobestrongerquartersforus.
Iwouldthinkthatthatwouldcontinueabsentsomemajorchange.Ihopethatanswersyourquestion.BecauseIdidn'treallyunderstandit.
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
That'shelpful.IguessmovingtoOpEx,youguided31%orlessofsalesforthepriorQandyoucameina
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page12of21
littleabovethat.CuriouswhatdrovethatandhowshouldwethinkaboutthatpercentagegoingintotheJunequarter?
AndthenifIcouldjustsneakonelastquestion,itwouldbeareyouseeinganyimpactinyourbusinessfromtheearthquakeinJapan?Thankyou.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Well,thelatteroneIdon'tbelievethatwe'reseeinganyimpact,atleastnonethatweknowofyet.Sothat'stheeasyone.
It'sfunny,IguessIgotcaughtontheoneminormissImadeontheincomestatementwhereIdidsaythatIexpectedtobeinthe31%rangesimilartoQ1ifnotbetter.Andsoat31.2%that'sexactlywhatwherewewereinourfirstquarter,soIthinkthat'swhatIsaid.ButinfairnessIexpectedittobealittlebetter.
Andthere'stwothingsthat--andwe'renottalkingaboutalotofmoney.Ithinktogetdownto31%ouroperatingexpenseswouldhavebeenabout$600,000or,$700,000less,notalot.
ButonethingIdidn'tfactorintowassurprisinglyitisvacation.Thewaywedoouraccountingforvacation,Ithinkit'sthewaymostcompaniesdoit,iswhenemployeesaretakingvacationyouactuallygetaP&Lbenefitandthenwhentheyarenottakingvacation,vacationchargesgoup.Andit'sthewayyouaccruethevacationaccrual.
SoonethingthatIdidn'tfactoriswhenyouhaveaholidayperiodlikeChristmasandNewYear'sandthenwealsohadshutdownsaswell,peopleusetheirvacationsothattheycangetpaidratherthantakingtimeoffwithoutpay.Sothisquarterthatsortofsnappedbacktheotherwaybecauseafterpeopleusetheirvacationthere'shardlyanyvacationtakenatall.
SotheimpacttothatquitehonestlywasalittlehigherthanIexpected.Andsoat31.2%quitehonestlyIwouldhavethoughtthatwewouldhavedonealittlebitbetter.Butgoingforward,Ithinkthat31%ofsalesisgiveortakeisprobablywhereyou'regoingtofindus.
Thesecondthingthere,andIthinkI'vebeentalkingaboutthisthelastcoupleofquarters,isonanannualbasis,ifyoutakeoutstockcompensation,ouroperatingexpensesaregenerallyincreasinginthe3%to4%range.Andthat'ssortoftypical.
Butstockcompensationwhichisnon-cashisincreasingsomewhathigherthanthat.Andit'ssolelybecauseouroldergrantsthatweregrantedfiveyearsagoweregrantedinthelow$30range.Well,thosearefallingoffofbeingreplacedbyhighergrants.
Sothatphenomenoniscausingstockcompensationtoincreasequarteroverquarteralittlefasterthantherestofourcashoperatingexpenses.Sothere'salittlebitofpressurethere.Thatwillturnaroundeventually,butfornowthat'swhyyoumightseeouroperatingexpensesintotalgrowingmaybealittlehigherthanyou'dexpect.
C.J.Muse (Analyst-EvercoreISI):
Veryhelpful.Thankyou.
Operator :
CraigEllis,B.Riley.
CraigEllis (Analyst-B.Riley&Co.):
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page13of21
Thankyoufortakingthequestionandcongratulationsontheresults,guys.Don,thefirstquestionistoyouandit'sjustafollow-uponthebasisfortheguidance.
Ithinkyoupredicatedtheguidancerangeonbookingsatcurrentrates.Socanyoujustreminduswhatthemonthlybookingslinearitywouldtypicallylooklikeinthefiscalfourthquarter?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Well,youknow,thispastquarter,whichisnotunusualwhenyouseethebookings,weactuallyhadslightlyhigherbookingsinJanuarybuttheystabilizedprettywelloverthequarterenoughtoallowustogrowaswesaid.ButwhenyoulookatJanuaryforexampleit'snotunusualthatbookingsincreasedcomingoutoftheDecembercalendaryear-end.Andtheremighthavebeensomepre-bookingforChinesenewyear.
Sothat'swhatyou'vegottobealittlecarefulwhenyoutrytoreadintothenextquarterwhenyou'reonthecallbaseduponacoupleofweeksofbookingsforthecurrentquarter.Becausetheresometimesendsupbeingaspikejustcomingoutofthedifferentfiscalperiods.
IsaidIthinkwe'veseenjustingeneralourbookingsperdayhavestabilizedsomewhat,sowe'rehopingthatthatwillcontinue.WecontinuetotalktoourcustomersandIthinkourfeedbackingeneralistheyarefeelingprettygoodabouttheirbusiness.WetalkedaboutseasonalityandQ3andQ4aregenerallystrongerforLinearTech,theyarestrongerfortransportationandindustrial.
Thetransportationmarketcontinuestogrownicelyforus.Sojustbaseduponthatinformationthat'swhywe'refeelinggoodaboutourposition,that'swhywe'refeelingprettygoodthatwecancontinuetogrowinthefourthquarter.
Andbeyondthat,wejustreallydon'tknow.It'sverydifficulttoforecastlongeroutfartheroutthanthefirstquarter.Sowe'rejustgoingtohavetoseewhathappens.
CraigEllis (Analyst-B.Riley&Co.):
Okay,I'mgoingtotakeanotherswingatitbecauseIwaslookingforsomethingalittlebitdifferent.Ifwelookbackhistorically,wouldwetypicallyseethatMayandJuneareaboutonparwiththebookingsintensitythatwouldbeseeninAprilorwouldtheytypicallybenorthorsouth?Oristherenotadiscernibleinapatterntomakeacallontheintra-quarterlinearitybymonth?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Idon'tthinkthere'senoughofapatternotherthanthatgenerallyourbookingsinthefirstcalendar,firsthalfofthecalendartendtoberelativelystrongtofuelthegrowthinthosequarters.Youknowourleadtimesarerelativelyshortatfourtosixweeks.Sowedon'thaveabookingsthatgooutmonthsandquarterstoletusgiveustoomuchinsightonthefuture.
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,IthinkwhatDonissayingisthere'sanuancehere.Imeantypicallyourbookingsandbillingsareprettydoggoneflatthroughaquarter.Andtheremightbesomeinventorypositioningourcustomersdoattheendofthequarterthatpicksupthebookingsatthebeginningofthenextquarter.
Butwe'retalkingaboutnuancesherenot--wedon'thaveahockeysticktypepatternofourbusiness.It'svery,verylinearbothfromabookingsandabillingstandpoint.
CraigEllis (Analyst-B.Riley&Co.):
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page14of21
That'shelpfulfollow-upguys.Thefollow-upquestionistoyouLothar,itwashelpfultogetthecoloronthecommunicationsbusiness.Thebasestationmixouthasbeenwell-known,you'vebeenverytransparentonthat.
Myfollow-upquestion,though,asyoulookatthetrendsinoptical,networkinganddatacom,areyouseeingdifferentialratesofgrowthinanyofthosemarkets?Andifso,whereareyouseeingthebettergrowth?
Andthenrelatedtothat,canyougiveussomesenseastothesizeofthosedifferentbusinessessowecanputthatgrowthinbettercontextinsideofcommunications?Thankyou.
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Iwouldsaywherethere'salotofpotentialbusinessforusgoingforwardIwouldsayit'sintheopticalarea.Asamentionedearlierthere'salotofinnovationgoingonthereandtheuseofopticalisexpanding.
Itusedtobethefiberwasforlong-haulcommunicationsandmostofthatfiberisinthegroundalready.Andreallywherefiberisbecomingmoreandmoreimportantisshorterdistances,withinbuildings,serverracktoserverrackindatacenters.
Andsothat'stheareawherevery,veryhigh-speedcommunicationsisneededanditneedstofitinavery,verysmallformatandheatdissipationisabigissue.Sowe'vegotsolutionsforthosetypesofapplicationsthatmakethatopticalmarketkindofaprettyinterestingmarketforusrightnow.
CraigEllis (Analyst-B.Riley&Co.):
Thanks,guys.
Operator :
AmbrishSrivastava,BankofMontreal.
AmbrishSrivastava(Analyst-BMOCapitalMarkets):
Hi,thankyouandIwillborrowthesillyhatfromJohnPitzerfromtheearlierquestion.Ijustwantedtodrillinalittlebitmoreonthegrossmargin.Andhewasrightit'skindofsillytobeaskingthatgivenwhereyouguysareat.
Butbasedoneverythingyousaid,theASPsseemtohaveaseculartrendupwards.Ontheautoside,shouldcost,thecostpenaltybeabatingasyouimproveyouryields?
Andthenpickanormalizedutilization,shouldn'tgrossmarginthenshouldhaveasecularupwardtrajectoryifwelookoutlongerterm?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Youknow,Ithinkyou'reright.ImeanIthinkwe'rebeingmaybealittlebitmodesthereinthatyouknowifIlookbackatwhathappenedin2010,ifthosethatcircumstanceshappenedagaintousnowwhereifthegrowthreallytookofflikewewereseeingbackthen,Iwouldfeelprettyconfidentthatwecouldgetto78%grossmargins.
We'retalkingaboutapercentageortwo.Andourfactoriesarenot100%loadedrightnowandIthinkthere'ssomeefficiencieswecanpickup.Butagainthisiswe'retalkingaboutacouplehundredbasispoints.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page15of21
AmbrishSrivastava(Analyst-BMOCapitalMarkets):
Yes,yes.AndIwasn'taskingfornextquarter.Somyquickfollow-upthenisonsomethingyoumentionedontheautomotiveside.
YousaidUSyou'reunderrepresentedandyou'reseeingprogress.WhatspecificareasareyouseeingprogressintheUS?Thankyou.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Well,Ithinkthe,youknowthere'sthevehicleitselfandthere'sthesuppliersandweplayinallofthat.Ithinkclearlytodatewe'vebeenmoreaccessiblewithmoreoftheluxurymodelcarsinEuropeandJapanandwe'vebeensuccessfulwiththeelectriccarsinChinaandthat'snottosaywehaven'tbeensuccessfulintheUS,it'sjustbeenmoresoontheinternationalmarket.
ButIthinkthatclearlytheADASopportunitiesandtheautonomousdrivingvehicleinthefuture,IthinksomeoftheeventhebigthreeautomakersintheUSdon'twanttobeleftbehindtheresotheyarestartingtojumpinaswell.SoIthinkthattypeofmarketIthinkiscomingmoresofromtheUSandwecertainlythinkwe'llplayinthere.
SointermsofdollarsIthinkinternationallytendstothetransportationbusinessforusisdrivenmostlyfromoverthere.Butwe'redefinitelyonapercentagebasisareincreasingtheUSbookingsandsales.Andwethinkthat'sgoingtocontinuetogrow.
AmbrishSrivastava(Analyst-BMOCapitalMarkets):
Okay,thankyou.Goodluck,guys.
Operator :
VivekAryawithBoAMerrillLynch
VivekArya(Analyst-BankofAmerica):
Thankyoufortakingmyquestion.Firstoneontransportation,veryimpressivegrowth,andIthinkyoumentionedthebatterymanagementsystemandtheopportunitythere.Couldyougiveusasenseofthecompetitivelandscape?
AreyoutheonlyCompanyinthatspace?Doyousenseanycompetitioninthatspaceatall?Andbeyondbatterymanagementsystemswhataretheotherareasoffocusintransportation?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Asfarascompetition,werecognizedprobablyalmostadecadeagothattherewasgoingtobetheemergenceofthisBMSproducts.Andsowereallywerefirsttomarketwithaviableproduct.Andwe'reinafourth-generationproductrightnowinproductionandwe'vegotsixth-andseventh-generationproductsandbeyondindevelopment.
Andsograntedit'sgettingtobeavisiblemarketandcompetitorsrecognizeitandsotherearecompetitorsinthisspace.ButIthinkwefortheforeseeablefuturehaveaprettygoodtechnicalleadrelativetothecompetition.Thesearecomplicatedchips.
Imeantheyarevery,verycomplicated.AndasImentionedearlierthereisnowaythatonecompetitorisgoingtocomeinwithonechipbecauseeveryOEMhasadifferentpreferenceofwhattheywant.Sothere'smanyvariationsontheBMSproduct.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page16of21
Soeventhoughwekindofcallitaproductit'sreallyafamilyofproducts.AndIthinkwe'vegotagoodtechnicalleadonthecompetition.
Intermsofautomotiveingeneralthere'sjustgreatopportunities.Thecarcompaniesareannouncingthis48voltbatterysystems,youaregoingtoseethemstartingwithmodelyear2016,2017andbeyondyouaregoingtoseeitreallypickingup.Whenthathappensthere'sgoodopportunitiesforus.
SiliconValleyhereisbecomingthenewDetroit.EveryOEM'shereinSiliconValley.Acoupleof--thereissomespeculationthere'ssomenewentrantsintheautomotivebusinessdevelopinginSiliconValleyaswell.
TheoneelectriccarmanufacturerhereinSiliconValleyisdoingwellandsoIthinkthedomesticmarketforusisgoingtobegoodforautomotive.It'sbeenalittlebitslowforuswhenwedealtwithsortofthebigDetroitautomobilecompaniesbutwewereIthinkalittlebithardonourselvesbecauseeventhoughwedidn'tselltoomuchdirectlytotheOEMswehadaprettygoodcontentintheUScarsbecausetheybuyalotofsubassembliesfromoverseas.Sowhatwe'reseeingnowissortoftheindigenousdesignwinshappeningintheautomotivemarketintheUSwhichwehaven'thadreallystrongupuntilthelastfewyears.
VivekArya(Analyst-BankofAmerica):
Gotit,veryhelpful.Asafollow-upthisisperhapsabroaderindustryquestionbutwhenIlookattheindustrialendmarketnotjustforLinearbutacrosstheboard,inthelastfewyearswehaveseenverymodest2%,3%,4%GDP-likegrowth.
Butgiventhatsemiconductorsaresupposedtoexpandcontentinmostoftheirendmarkets,whyhasgrowthbeensolowinindustrial?Arethereputsandtakesaroundpartsofindustrialthataregrowingversusdecliningandwhatisanacceptablegrowthrateinthatendmarket?Thankyou.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Boy,that'sahardone.Youknowonethingabouttheindustrialbusinessis40%ofourbusinessinourlargestmarket.Thereissomanycustomers,somanydifferenttypesofbusinessinthatmarketit'shardtoinfertrendsandpatterns.
SoIdon'tthinkIhaveagoodanswerforyouandIdon'tthinkLothardoeseitherbecauseheissittingthereshakinghishead.ButIjustthinkthatoverthelastyearorsotheglobalmarketasyousaidhasbeen,hasn'tbeenparticularlystrongandindustrialmarketIthinkyou'vegottostartwithGDP.Andsolikewesaidweneedhelpfromthemarkettogrowthat.
Butoverthelongerperiodoftimewhenyoulookattheanalogmarketthegrowthmarketshavebeenindustrialandtransportation.Andalongwithcommunicationsaswellthat'swherewefocusedourbusiness.Sowefeelconfidentthatthisslowgrowththatyou'reseeingoverallinindustrialisgoingtoturnaroundandgrowabitfaster.
Againoursalesgenerallyhavebeentwoorthreeyearsoutfromwhenwegetfromoursalesandourwinstoproduction.Soweseewhat'sgoingonwithourdesignwinsthatwillshipinacoupleofyears.Sowefeelprettyconfidentthatourstrategyoffocusingonindustrialmarketisagoodoneandwefeelstronglythatyou'regoingtoseegreatergrowthinindustrialthanwhatyou'vebeenseeing.
VivekArya(Analyst-BankofAmerica):
Thankyou.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page17of21
Operator :
CodyAcree.
CodyAcree (Analyst-DrexelHamilton):
Thanksguysfortakingmyquestions.Maybejustfollowingupthereonindustrial,canyoutalkaboutsomeofthesubsetswhereyou'restartingtoseesomeoftheimprovementsinordervisibility,maybesomeofthosepocketsthatarestillstrugglingGDPdependent?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,theindustrialmarketnothinghappensfastinanalogandnothinghappensevenslowerinfactintheindustrialbusiness.Butifyoukindofstepbackandlook,there'ssomemarketsthataredoingokay.Sortoftheinstrumentationmarketisdoingwell.
Themedicalbusinessisdoingwellforus.Anythingattachedtoexploration.O ilandgasrightnowisnotparticularlystrongbecauseoftheobviousreasonbecauseofthelowgasprices.
Certainlyifgaspricesstartedtogoupagainwe'dseeapickupinsortoftheexplorationpartofthemarket.Someofthealternativeenergystuffwe'restartingtoseesomeinterestinsolarandwind.Thatcouldbeagoodmarketforusaswellinthefuture.
Wepickthatupintheindustrialbusiness.Soit'slike1,000differentstories,there'sjustnotabigtrendthatfallsthroughthatmarket.
Andit'snotmadeupofbigcustomers.It'slotsofmedium-sizecustomers.Soit'snotlikeonepersonoronecustomerdominatesthisbusiness.
CodyAcree (Analyst-DrexelHamilton):
AndmaybeifIjustaskyoutoreadthetealeavesIguessalittlebit,asyoupushthroughthebeginningsoftheyearandyou'vestartedtoseethesebetterbookingsinpartsofcommsandthroughoutindustrialandintransport,doyougetasensethatthisisreallyjustasnapbackfromaninventorycorrectionorabitofseasonality?Orareyouoptimisticthatyou'vebuiltanymomentumherethateitheritwouldbeCompanyspecificorjustendmarketspecificthatismorethanjustabouncebackfromaninventorycorrection?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Ithinkwehadmomentumgoingintojustpriortothedropinsales.AndasImentionedearlier,therewasnoreasonforthedropinsales.Wedidn'tloseanycustomers,wedidn'tgetkickedoutofanyprograms.
ItjustwasaninventoryresetandIthinkyou'reseeingthatresettakingplacehereinthelastcoupleofquarters.AndIthinkwe'llpickupthemomentumthatwehadbeforethisinventorycorrection.Andifyoulookatwherewe'restrongintheindustrialandtheautomotivesegmentsoftheanalogmarket,thatmakesup50%ofthetotalanalogmarketandit'stheonlytwomarketsinanalogthatreallyhaveanysortofsustainedgrowth.
Soit'snotlikewe'reinthewrongmarkets.We'rekindofintherightmarketsandwe'restronginthosemarketsandthosemarketsaregrowing.SoIthinkfromamomentumstandpoint,Ithinkwe'rewell-positioned.
CodyAcree (Analyst-DrexelHamilton):
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page18of21
Thanks,guys.
Operator :
SteveSmigie,RaymondJames.
SteveSmigie (Analyst-RaymondJames&Associates,Inc.):
Great,thanksalot,guys.Iwantedtofollowupalittlebitontheopticalmarket.Iwashopingyoucouldtalkalittlebitaboutwhereyouseeyourstrengthsarepart-wise,solaserdrivers,etc.?Andasthisdatacentermarketramps,aretherecertaindistances,speedsthatyouareparticularlygoodatthatyouthinkyouareleveredto?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
It'snotsomuchthespeeds,meaningthatwhenthespeedsgoupthereissomehugerequirements,there'stheseverycomplicatedASICsthatareinvolvedintheseopticalsystems.Theyhavemany,manypowerrailsthatneedtobepoweredandithastobedonewithveryhighefficiencybecausethesethingsareinverysmall,compact,notverywellcooledlocations.
Sothere'salotofelectronicstogetthisopticalstufftoworkandIthinkwe'vegotsomegoodsolutionsinsmallfootprints.Ourmicromodulesdowellinthatarea.Theyhaveafootprintthatyoucan'tdodiscreetly,sothoseproductsdowellinoptical.Andit'sreallyinthesortofnotthephotonicspartofititself,it'sinthesupportoftheelectronicsthatgointothephotonics.
SteveSmigie (Analyst-RaymondJames&Associates,Inc.):
Okay,great.Andthenjustsorrytonitpickonindustrialhere,butyouguystalkedaboutsomepickuphere.
Howmuchofthatwouldbewhatyoutalkedaboutalittlebitthereasjustsortofreturningbacktonormaldemandpostsortofinventorycorrectionversusendmarketdemandpickingupversusyouguysjusthavinggooddesignsthataretakingoff?SoIguesswhatI'mtryingtogetathowmuchofthisisjusttrueendmarketdemandpickingupversusgoodstuffthatyouguyshavedone?
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Wethinkit'sacombinationofboth,really.Imeanbookingsbackthreequartersagotheyalmostfelloffacliffalittlebitsurprisinglyandwherecustomersthatwerebookingatasteadypatternsuddenlystoppedbookingandthatwaslargecustomersaswellassmallercustomers.
SoIthinktherewasacoupleofquarterswheretheytooktheirinventorylevelsdown,maybetocoincidewiththeirownlowergrowthoptimisticgrowthrates.Butevenwesaidbacktheneventhoughtherewasweaknessandyousawthedeclineinbookings,mostofourcustomers,andwe'retalkingthousands,werestilloptimisticabouttheirbusinessandtheyweregrowing.
SoIthinkit'sprobablyboththattheyaregettingbacktotheirusuallevelsofbooking,theirinventoriesareagoodprofile.Butwethinkwe'regrowingfromthere.Sowethinkwe'vegotgrowthaheadthatthisismorethanjustsortofthesnapbackfromacorrection.
SteveSmigie (Analyst-RaymondJames&Associates,Inc.):
Great,thankyou.
Operator :
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page19of21
HarlanSur.
HarlanSur (Analyst-JPMorgan):
Goodmorning,thanksfortakingmyquestion.Justonequestionontheemergingproductsportfolio,youguysmentionedthemicromoduleproductsIthinkinanswertooneofthepriorquestions.
Itisoneofthemoreinterestingproductareasbecauseitismoresortofsystems-levelfocus,systemandpackage.Questioniswhatendmarketsorapplicationsareyouguysseeingmosttractionforthesemicromodulesandhowfastdoyouseetheseproductsgrowingifyoulookatthepipelineofyourdesignwins?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Yes,thesemicromodulesarenotdesignedspecificallyforanyendmarket.Theytendtobeforthemostpartprettygeneralpurpose.Weprobablyinitiallydevelopedtheseproductstoaccesssmall-andmedium-sizecustomers,customersthatwecouldn'tsendourapplicationengineerstovisit.
Sowegivethemthesemodules,whichlikeyousaidiskindofasysteminapackage,it'sadoneanalogsolution,alltheyhavetodoissolderitdownonaboardandthatworked.Wesellthesetomany,manysmall-andmedium-sizecustomerswhodon'thavethein-houseexpertise.Somewhattooursurprise,they'vealsodoneverywellinlargeandsophisticatedcustomerswhodohavein-houseanalogcapabilitiesbutwewinthatbusinessreallyontwofronts.
Onefrontisbecauseit'sdone,theygetatime-to-marketadvantage,andtwo,it'sinafootprintthateveniftheycoulddotheanalogdesignthemselvestheycouldneverdoitinassmallofafootprint.Sobutallthosethingsarenotdirectedtoonespecificmarket.Weprobablyinitiallysawstrengthinsortofthecommunicationsmarketwiththemicromodules.
Nowit'sexpandedtoallovertheplace.Weevenhavemodulenowthatgoesintoautomotiveapplicationsandmysenseiswe'reprobablygoingtoseemoreofthataswell.Soit'snottargetedtoanyspecificendmarket.
HarlanSur (Analyst-JPMorgan):
Great,thanksfortheinsights.
Operator :
(OperatorInstructions)WilliamStein,SunTrust.
WilliamStein (Analyst-SunTrustRobinsonHumphrey):
Great,thankyoufortakingmyquestion.Gentlemen,earlieronthecallIthinktherewerealotofquestionsaroundautomotiveandyouhavespokenatgreatlengthaboutbatterymanagementsystems.
I'mwonderingifyoucantalktous,inparticularinChina,I'mwonderingifyoucantalktousaboutdemandtrendsasyouanticipatetheminthecomingyearastheincentivesthattheChinesegovernmentisrunningrightnowwouldseemtoannualizeintheSeptembertimeframe.Doyouthinkthatisgoingtobeaheadwindtoyourautomotivedemandnextyear?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
That'sahardread.AndallIcankindofsayis,well,IreadthestatisticsaboutwhattheChinesegovernmentisforecastingintermsofthesalesofhybridsandelectricandplug-inhybridvehiclesand
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page20of21
theyarecertainlyforecastingcalendaryear2016isgoingtodoublefromwhatitwasin2015.
Ifit'sgoingtodoubleagain,Idon'tknow.Thenumbersaregettingtobeprettylarge.Butwhatwedoknowisthatthemarketfromourcustomerseemstobeprettystrong.
Theyareallsayingtheyaregoingtogrowgoingforward.Weobviouslytakewhatourcustomerssaysometimeswithagrainofsaltintermsoftheirforecast.Butcertainlythereactionwegetfromourcustomerbaseisthatthisisn'taone-yeartypeofevent.
Thesenseisthisisgoingtocontinue.Ifyou'vetraveledinChinaatallthepollutionisincrediblybad.AndIthinktheyjusthavetofundamentallydosomethingtoaddressitandthisisoneofmanythingsthattheyaredoing.
WilliamStein (Analyst-SunTrustRobinsonHumphrey):
Itsoundslikeyourautomotiveexposuretheremaybeabitmoremixthanunitdependent.Sothat'shelpful,Igetit.AndonemoreifIcansqueezeitin.
Defenseendmarkets,we'veheardsomecompaniessuggestthatthebidtheyareseeingfromthebigcontractors,thelargercustomersinthisspacehavebecomebiggerandmorestrategic.AndI'mwonderingifyou'reseeingthatbiddingactivityandwhetherit'sturnedintoanybacklogthatyoumightbeabletodiscuss?
LotharMaier (CEO&Director):
Themil/spacebusinessforushasbeenprettysteady,meaningit'sbeen6%ofourbusinessforalongtimeandittendstogrowapproximatelyastheCompanygrows.Butyoudomakeagoodpoint.Ican'tsayI'veseenanythingbuttherearesomerumblingsouttherethatthatmightgetbetter.
Wepickupspaceinthataswellandthere'salotofpeopleouttheretryingtofigureouthowtoputrocketsandsatellitesintospaceandweparticipateinthatbusinessaswell.SotherearesomethingsthatallowustobealittlebitoptimisticbutIcan'tsayI'vegotanythingIcanputmyfingeron.
WilliamStein (Analyst-SunTrustRobinsonHumphrey):
Well,that'shelpful.Thankyou.
Operator :
Gentlemen,itappearswehavenomoretelephonequestionsatthistime.
DonZerio (VPFinanceandCFO):
Okay,thankyouforjoiningusonourconferencecalltoday.Welookforwardtotalkingtoyouagainnextquarter.Haveagoodday.
Operator :
Ladiesandgentlemen,thisdoesconcludetoday'sconference.
Allrightsreserved(c)2014TheStreet,Inc.
Pleasefeelfreetoquoteupto200wordspertranscript.Anyquoteshouldbeaccompaniedby"ProvidedbyTheStreet"andalinktothecompletetranscriptandwww.thestreet.com.Anyotheruseormethodofdistributionisstrictlyprohibited.
CompanyName:LinearT echnologyCorpCompanyTicker:LLT CSector:T echnologyIndustry:Electronics
EventDescription:Q32016EarningsCallMarketCapasofEventDate:10.76BPriceasofEventDate:46.37
©2014TheStreet,Inc.Al l R ightsReserved Page21of21
THEINFORMATIONCONTAINEDINEACHWRITTENORAUDIOTRANSCRIPT(the"TRANSCRIPT")ISAREPRODUCTIONOFAPARTICULARCOMPANY'SCONFERENCECALL,CONFERENCEPRESENTATIONOROTHERAUDIOPRESENTATION.THETRANSCRIPTSAREPROVIDED"ASIS"AND"ASAVAILABLE"ANDTHESTREETISNOTRESPONSIBLEINANYWAYNORDOESITMAKEANYREPRESENTATIONORWARRANTYREGARDINGTHEACCURACYORCOMPLETENESSOFTHETRANSCRIPTSASPRODUCED,NORTHESUBSTANCEOFAPARTICULARCOMPANY'SINFORMATION.
THETRANSCRIPTSAREPROVIDEDFORINFORMATIONALPURPOSESONLY.THESTREETISNOTPROVIDINGANYINVESTMENTADVICEORENDORSINGANYPARTICULARCOMPANY.