EX-15.1 2 dex151.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 15.1

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Editorial Contacts:

 

Joe Greenhalgh, Director, Investor Relations – USA (510) 713-4220

Kristen Onken, Sr. Vice President and Chief Financial Officer – USA (510) 713-4220

Garreth Hayes, Public Relations Manager – Europe +41-(0) 21-863-5111

Nancy Morrison, Director, Corporate Communications – USA (510) 713-4948

 

Logitech Reports Record Q1 Sales and Profitability

 

Q1 Sales up 22 Percent at $267 Million; Operating Income up 175 Percent at $21.6 Million; Net Income up 231 Percent at $18.9 Million

 

FREMONT, Calif., July 21, 2004 and ROMANEL-SUR-MORGES, Switzerland, July 22, 2004 — Logitech International (SWX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) today reported record Q1 sales and profitability, as the Company continued to execute on its growth strategy. For Logitech’s first fiscal quarter, ended June 30, 2004, sales were $267 million, up 22 percent from $218 million for the same quarter one year ago. Gross margin was 34.1 percent – the highest-ever Q1 gross margin for the Company – up from 27.8 percent last year, representing a year-over-year improvement of 629 basis points. Operating income was $21.6 million, up 175 percent from $7.9 million last year. Net income for the quarter was $18.9 million ($.39 per share), up 231 percent from $5.7 million ($ 0.12 per share) in the prior year.

 

Logitech’s retail sales were up 32 percent from one year ago, reflecting robust performance among the Company’s core product categories, including cordless mice, webcams and gaming peripherals for PCs and consoles. As anticipated, Logitech’s OEM sales weakened during the first quarter, falling 11 percent over the same quarter last year, due to a steep decline in OEM sales of peripherals for gaming consoles. Offsetting part of this decline, OEM sales of computer mice were up by 25 percent over last year.

 

“We’re pleased with this exceptional Q1 performance,” said Guerrino De Luca, Logitech’s president and chief executive officer. “The very healthy growth in our core product categories – especially cordless and webcams – underscores the substantial opportunity they represent, and validates our market development efforts. We’re also particularly pleased by our gross margin, which exceeded our expectations, and is a strong indicator of the value of our unique combination of premium brand, attractive products and efficient manufacturing, in a market that remains extremely competitive.”


Highlights for Logitech’s first fiscal quarter of 2005 include:

 

  Retail sales and unit shipments of cordless mice more than doubled year over year, up by 121 percent and 126 percent, respectively.

 

  The Company reached the milestone of shipping more than 50 million cordless peripherals (keyboards, mice and trackballs) since its first introduction of cordless devices.

 

  Retail sales and unit shipments of webcams more than doubled year over year, up by 120 percent and 128 percent, respectively.

 

  Logitech announced that users of MSN have logged more than one billion video instant messaging sessions using Webcam for MSN Messenger, a feature that Logitech has provided to MSN since March 2003.

 

  Retail sales of gaming peripherals for PCs and consoles nearly doubled (up by 99 percent) and unit shipments increased by 107 percent over last year.

 

  Logitech received a gold and a silver 2004 Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) from the Industrial Designers Society of America (ISDA).

 

  The integration of the Harmony remote control business into Logitech’s ongoing business proceeded on schedule, following the purchase in May 2004 of Intrigue Technologies.

 

  During Q1, Logitech repurchased 746,500 of its shares for a total of 43 million Swiss francs ($34 million), as part of the share buyback program approved by the Company’s board of directors on April 8, 2004.

 

  Cash flow from operations was $55 million for Q1, up $44 million over the same quarter last year.

 

For the full Fiscal Year 2005, ending March 31, 2005, the Company reaffirmed its targets for 11 percent growth in revenue and 15 percent growth in operating income, year over year. “Based on strong retail momentum during Q1,” continued Mr. De Luca, “we now expect that for the remainder of the fiscal year, retail sales will grow faster than originally anticipated. Consistent with the Q1 performance, we now also expect OEM sales to decline year over year. The anticipated strength of our retail sales should allow us to accelerate our strategy to invest in marketing, product development and infrastructure to drive future growth, while maintaining our focus on our Fiscal 2005 targets.”

 

Logitech will hold an earnings teleconference on July 22, 2004 at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time/14:00 Central European Time to discuss these results. In addition, a live webcast and replay of the teleconference will be available on the Logitech corporate Web site at www.logitech.com/investors. Please visit the Web site at least 10 minutes early to register for the teleconference webcast.


About Logitech

 

Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq National Market System (LOGI). The company has manufacturing facilities in Asia and offices in major cities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

 

# # #

 

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including the statements regarding growth strategy execution, revenue and operating income targets for Fiscal Year 2005, core product category opportunity, gross margin indications, retail and OEM FY 2005 sales and investment strategy. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause Logitech’s actual performance to differ materially from that anticipated in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include the timing of new product introductions by Logitech and its competitors and their acceptance by the market, the sales mix of our higher and lower margin retail and OEM products, Logitech’s ability to successfully integrate the products, technology and operations of Intrigue Technologies, Inc., our ability to match production to demand and to coordinate the worldwide manufacturing and distribution of our products in a timely and cost-effective manner, general economic and political conditions, the effect of fluctuations in exchange rates, as well as generally those additional factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, and subsequent filings, available from the SEC’s Edgar database at www.sec.gov and upon request from Logitech by calling (510) 713-4220. Logitech does not undertake to update any forward-looking statements.

 

Logitech, the Logitech logo and other Logitech marks are owned by Logitech and may be registered. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the Company’s Web site at www.logitech.com.


LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL S.A.

 

(In thousands, except per share / ADS) - Unaudited

 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME


   Quarter Ended June 30

 
   2004

    2003

 

Net sales

   $ 266,594     $ 218,192  

Cost of goods sold

     175,728       157,554  
    


 


Gross profit

     90,866       60,638  
    


 


% of net sales

     34.1 %     27.8 %

Operating expenses :

                

Marketing and selling

     39,569       28,032  

Research and development

     16,679       14,595  

General and administration

     13,042       10,158  
    


 


Total operating expenses

     69,290       52,785  
    


 


Operating income

     21,576       7,853  

Interest expense, net

     (290 )     (249 )

Other income (expenses), net

     896       (483 )
    


 


Income before income taxes

     22,182       7,121  

Provision for income taxes

     3,327       1,424  
    


 


Net income

   $ 18,855     $ 5,697  
    


 


Shares used to compute net income per share and ADS:

                

Basic

     44,828       45,743  

Diluted

     50,295       48,056  

Net income per share and ADS:

                

Basic

   $ 0.42     $ 0.12  

Diluted

   $ 0.39     $ 0.12  


LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL S.A.

 

(In thousands) - Unaudited

 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS


   June 30,
2004


   March 31,
2004


   June 30,
2003


Current assets

                    

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 273,976    $ 294,753    $ 229,952

Accounts receivable

     150,926      206,187      158,493

Inventories

     179,884      135,561      125,994

Other current assets

     49,360      45,304      47,131
    

  

  

Total current assets

     654,146      681,805      561,570

Investments

     16,644      16,172      980

Property, plant and equipment

     42,068      37,308      39,714

Intangible assets

                    

Goodwill

     131,778      108,615      108,615

Other intangible assets

     20,744      12,543      16,386

Other assets

     3,868      9,473      7,835
    

  

  

Total assets

   $ 869,248    $ 865,916    $ 735,100
    

  

  

Current liabilities

                    

Short-term debt

   $ 9,898    $ 14,129    $ 9,880

Accounts payable

     156,622      143,016      116,722

Accrued liabilities

     118,910      113,752      90,243
    

  

  

Total current liabilities

     285,430      270,897      216,845

Long-term debt

     140,037      137,008      131,835

Other liabilities

     910      931      3,552
    

  

  

Total liabilities

     426,377      408,836      352,232

Shareholders’ equity

     442,871      457,080      382,868
    

  

  

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

   $ 869,248    $ 865,916    $ 735,100
    

  

  


LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL S.A.

 

(In thousands) - Unaudited

 

SUPPLEMENTAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION


   Quarter Ended June 30

   2004

   2003

Depreciation

   $ 5,916    $ 5,861

Amortization of other acquisition-related intangibles

     1,396      1,377

Operating income

     21,576      7,853

Operating income before depreciation and amortization

     28,888      15,091

Capital expenditures

     10,591      6,773

Net sales by channel:

             

Retail

   $ 223,471    $ 169,825

OEM

     43,123      48,367
    

  

Total net sales

   $ 266,594    $ 218,192
    

  

Net sales by product family:

             

Retail - Cordless

   $ 76,680    $ 55,357

Retail - Corded

     57,569      59,444

Retail - Video

     45,895      21,815

Retail - Audio

     21,499      19,507

Retail - Gaming

     16,249      8,175

Retail - Other

     5,579      5,527

OEM

     43,123      48,367
    

  

Total net sales

   $ 266,594    $ 218,192
    

  


LOGITECH INTERNATIONAL S.A.

 

(In thousands) - Unaudited

 

HISTORICAL SALES BY CHANNEL AND PRODUCT
FAMILY


   Quarter Ended

   Year Ended

   June 30
2003


   September 30
2003


  

December 31

2003


   March 31
2004


   March 31
2004


Net sales by channel:

                                  

Retail

   $ 169,825    $ 234,478    $ 333,997    $ 281,990    $ 1,020,290

OEM

     48,367      59,115      75,560      65,138      248,180
    

  

  

  

  

Total net sales

   $ 218,192    $ 293,593    $ 409,557    $ 347,128    $ 1,268,470
    

  

  

  

  

Net sales by product family:

                                  

Retail - Cordless

   $ 55,357    $ 73,091    $ 113,106    $ 99,528    $ 341,082

Retail - Corded

     59,444      77,034      82,573      75,778      294,829

Retail - Video

     21,815      36,607      53,600      54,396      166,418

Retail - Audio

     19,507      28,224      42,937      27,973      118,641

Retail - Gaming

     8,175      16,261      36,233      22,203      82,872

Retail - Other

     5,527      3,261      5,548      2,112      16,448

OEM

     48,367      59,115      75,560      65,138      248,180
    

  

  

  

  

Total net sales

   $ 218,192    $ 293,593    $ 409,557    $ 347,128    $ 1,268,470