Dolby Laboratories, Inc. (NYSE:DLB) today announced the company’s financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2020. For the third quarter, Dolby reported total revenue of $246.9 million, compared to $302.2 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2019.
“Consumers, now more than ever, want immersive entertainment and communications experiences,” said Kevin Yeaman, President and CEO, Dolby Laboratories. “We continue to grow the number of devices and the amount of content that support Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, and recently launched Dolby.io, which will broaden the range of content and experiences in Dolby.”
Third quarter GAAP net income was $67.3 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, compared to GAAP net income of $39.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. On a non-GAAP basis, third quarter net income was $87.5 million, or $0.86 per diluted share, compared to non-GAAP net income of $79.3 million, or $0.76 per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. Third quarter cash flow from operations was $134.3 million, compared to $91.4 million for the third quarter of fiscal 2019. A complete listing of Dolby’s non-GAAP measures are described and reconciled to the corresponding GAAP measures at the end of this release.
COVID-19
Dolby continues to monitor the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic on all aspects of our company. Our priorities continue to be the safety and well-being of our employees and supporting our communities. Since the initial outbreak of COVID-19, our revenues have been, and we expect will continue to be, impacted across various markets within licensing and products and services. The implications of COVID-19 on our future results of operations remain uncertain as the situation continues to develop globally.
We expect continued significant uncertainty in global financial markets. Dolby’s financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 rely on estimates of royalty-based revenue that take into consideration the macroeconomic effect of global events, including the COVID-19 pandemic, which may impact supply chain activities and demand for shipments. For more information, see the section captioned “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter of fiscal 2020, filed on or around the date hereof.
Dividend
Today, Dolby announced a cash dividend of $0.22 per share of Class A and Class B common stock, payable on August 26, 2020, to stockholders of record as of the close of business on August 17, 2020.
Financial Outlook – Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2020
Unit volume shipments, aggregated across various end markets and devices, continue to be negatively impacted due to economic uncertainty and continued shut downs. The cinema market continues to be adversely impacted by COVID-19, and we anticipate a number of global cinema sites will remain closed during most of the quarter, and when sites do begin to reopen we expect them to be operating at reduced capacity.
Our actual results could differ materially from the estimates we are providing due in part to the challenging economic environment and highly uncertain effects of COVID-19. As a result, the estimates we are providing for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and fiscal year 2020 reflect certain assumptions about the potential impact of COVID-19, based upon a consideration of external and internal data and information. For more information, see “Forward-Looking Statements” in this press release for a description of certain risks that we face, and the section captioned “Risk Factors” in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the third quarter of fiscal 2020, filed on or around the date hereof.
Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2020
Dolby is providing the following estimates for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2020:
Total revenue is estimated to range from $225 million to $255 million
Gross margin percentages are anticipated to range from 85% to 86% on a GAAP basis and from 86% to 87% on a non-GAAP basis
Operating expenses are anticipated to range from $187 million to $197 million on a GAAP basis and from $167 million to $177 million on a non-GAAP basis
Effective tax rate is anticipated to range from 19% to 21% on both a GAAP and non-GAAP basis
Diluted earnings per share is anticipated to range from about $0.05 to $0.20 on a GAAP basis and from $0.22 to $0.37 on a non-GAAP basis
Fiscal Year 2020
Dolby is providing the following estimates for its fiscal year 2020:
Total revenue is estimated to range from $1.12 billion to $1.15 billion
Gross margin percentages are anticipated to range from 87% to 88% on a GAAP basis and from 88% to 89% on a non-GAAP basis
Operating expenses are anticipated to range from $785 million to $795 million on a GAAP basis and from $697 million to $707 million on a non-GAAP basis
Effective tax rate is anticipated to range from 1% to 2% on a GAAP basis and from 8% to 9% on a non-GAAP basis
Diluted earnings per share is anticipated to range from $2.04 to $2.19 on a GAAP basis and from $2.76 to $2.91 on a non-GAAP basis
Non-GAAP Financial Information
To supplement Dolby’s financial statements presented on a GAAP basis, Dolby provides certain non-GAAP financial measures to provide investors with an additional tool to evaluate Dolby’s operating results in a manner that focuses on what Dolby’s management believes to be its ongoing business operations. Specifically, we exclude the following as adjustments from one or more of our non-GAAP financial measures:
Stock-based compensation expense: Stock-based compensation, unlike cash-based compensation, utilizes subjective assumptions in the methodologies used to value the various stock-based award types that we grant. These assumptions may differ from those used by other companies. To facilitate more meaningful comparisons between our underlying operating results and those of other companies, we exclude stock-based compensation expense.
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles: We amortize intangible assets acquired in connection with acquisitions. These intangible assets consist of patents and technology, customer relationships, and other intangibles. We record amortization charges relating to these intangible assets in our GAAP financial statements, and we view these charges as items arising from pre-acquisition activities that are determined by the timing and valuation of our acquisitions. As these amortization charges do not directly correlate to our operations during any particular period, and often remain unchanged between reporting periods, we exclude these charges to facilitate an evaluation of our current operating results and comparisons to our past operating performance.
Restructuring charges: Restructuring charges are costs associated with restructuring plans and primarily relate to costs associated with exit or disposal activities, employee severance benefits, and asset impairments. We exclude restructuring costs, including any adjustments to charges recorded in prior periods, as we believe that these costs are not representative of our normal operating activities and therefore, excluding these amounts enables a more effective comparison to our past operating performance.
Income tax adjustments: We believe that excluding the income tax effect of the aforementioned non-GAAP adjustments provides a more accurate view of our underlying operating results to management and investors.
Impact from Tax Reform: The enactment of the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Tax Reform), and any related amendments or revisions, requires certain discrete and infrequent charges that are not representative of current operating results and therefore, excluding these amounts enables a more effective comparison to our past operating performance.
Using the aforementioned adjustments, Dolby provides various non-GAAP financial measures including, but not limited to: non-GAAP net income, non-GAAP diluted earnings per share, non-GAAP gross margin, non-GAAP operating expenses, non-GAAP operating margin, and non-GAAP effective tax rate. Dolby’s management believes it is useful for itself and investors to review both GAAP and non-GAAP measures to assess the performance of Dolby’s business. Dolby’s management does not itself, nor does it suggest that investors should, consider non-GAAP financial measures in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Whenever Dolby uses non-GAAP financial measures, it provides a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most closely applicable GAAP financial measures. Investors are encouraged to review the related GAAP financial measures and the reconciliation of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures as detailed above. Investors are also encouraged to review Dolby’s GAAP financial statements as reported in its US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings. A reconciliation between GAAP and non-GAAP financial measures is provided at the end of this press release and on the Dolby investor relations website, http://investor.dolby.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements relating to Dolby’s expected financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2020, our ability to advance our long-term objectives, and future dividend payments are “forward-looking statements” that are subject to risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations, and as a result of certain risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those projected. The following important factors, without limitation, could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Dolby’s business operations, financial results, and financial position (including the impact to Dolby partners and disruption of the supply chain and delays in shipments of consumer products; consumer demand for products that incorporate Dolby technologies; delays in the development and release of new products or services that contain Dolby technologies; delays in royalty reporting or delinquent payment by partners or licensees; the impact to the overall cinema market, including duration of cinema closures and resulting adverse impact to Dolby’s revenue recognized on box-office sales and demand for cinema products and services; temporary Dolby office closures and other actions to protect Dolby’s workforce; and macroeconomic conditions that affect discretionary spending and access to products that contain Dolby technologies); risks associated with trends in the markets in which Dolby operates, including the Broadcast, Mobile, Consumer Electronics, PC, Cinema, and Other Markets; the loss of, or reduction in sales by, a key customer or licensee? pricing pressures? risks that the continued shift in content distribution from optical disc-based and other traditional media to online and streaming media content could result in fewer devices with Dolby technologies or less revenue from such devices? risks relating to conducting business internationally, including trade restrictions and changes in diplomatic or trade relationships; risks relating to the expiration of patents? the timing of Dolby’s receipt of royalty reports and payments from its licensees, including recoveries? changes in tax regulations; timing of revenue recognition under licensing agreements and other contractual arrangements? Dolby’s ability to develop, maintain, and strengthen relationships with industry participants? Dolby’s ability to develop and deliver innovative technologies in response to new and growing markets? competitive risks? risks associated with conducting business in China and other countries that have historically limited recognition and enforcement of intellectual property and contractual rights? risks associated with the health of the motion picture industry generally? Dolby’s ability to increase its revenue streams and to expand its business generally, and to expand its business beyond audio technologies to other technologies? risks associated with acquiring and successfully integrating businesses or technologies? and other risks detailed in Dolby’s SEC filings and reports, including the risks identified under the section captioned “Risk Factors” in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q. Dolby disclaims any obligation to update information contained in these forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
About Dolby Laboratories
Dolby Laboratories (NYSE: DLB) is based in San Francisco with offices in over 20 countries around the globe. Dolby transforms the science of sight and sound into spectacular experiences. Through innovative research and engineering, we create breakthrough experiences for billions of people worldwide through a collaborative ecosystem spanning artists, businesses, and consumers. The experiences people have – with Dolby Cinema, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio, and Dolby Voice – revolutionize entertainment and communications at the cinema, on the go, in the home, and at work.
Dolby, Dolby Cinema, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Dolby Audio, Dolby Voice, and the double-D symbol are among the registered and unregistered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Other trademarks remain the property of their respective owners. DLB-F
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