EX-99.1 2 dex991.htm PRESS RELEASE Press Release

Exhibit 99.1

RUBICON TECHNOLOGY, INC. REPORTS STRONG FIRST QUARTER

2010 RESULTS OF OPERATION

Franklin Park, Ill – April 29, 2010 — Rubicon Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:RBCN), a leading provider of sapphire substrates and products to the LED, RFIC, Semiconductor, and Optical industries, today reported financial results for its first quarter ended March 31, 2010.

First Quarter 2010 Financial Highlights

 

   

Revenue rose to $11.5 million, up 35 percent sequentially

 

   

Gross margin increased to 36 percent, up from 12 percent in the previous quarter

 

   

Substrate average selling prices increase 20 percent sequentially

 

   

Diluted earnings per share of $0.07 as compared to a loss per share of $0.04 in the fourth quarter 2009

Commenting on the results, Raja Parvez, President and CEO said, “We started the year with a strong quarter as a combination of increased pricing, improved product mix, and operational efficiency enabled us to dramatically increase gross margin and earnings per share in the quarter.”

The Company’s revenue increased thirty five percent sequentially to $11.5 million in the current quarter driven primarily by strong demand from the LED market. The strong demand enabled the Company to increase pricing on its sapphire substrates by 20 percent over prices in the prior quarter. The Company also reported sales to the SoS RFIC and Optical markets up significantly in the quarter.

The Company noted that LED chip manufacturers continue to migrate away from 2 inch substrates toward the use of larger diameters. Mr. Parvez continued, “We expect increased orders for six inch polished wafers in the second half of the year and are gearing up our polishing operation to accommodate the increased demand.”


Second Quarter 2010 Guidance

Commenting on the outlook for the second quarter, William Weissman, Rubicon’s Chief Financial Officer said “Demand remains strong and we estimate revenue for the second quarter will increase to approximately $14.0 million. We expect diluted earnings per share of approximately $0.14, based on a projected diluted share count of 21.5 million share.”

Conference Call Details

Rubicon will host a conference call at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on April 29, 2010 to review the highlights of the first quarter 2010 results and the second quarter 2010 outlook. The conference call will be available to the public through a live audio web broadcast via the Internet. Log on to Rubicon’s website at http://www.rubicon-es2.com/index.html. An audio replay of the call will be available approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call. The audio replay will remain available until 11:59 p.m. May 6, 2010, and can be accessed by dialing (888)-286-8010 or (617) 801-6888 (international). Callers should reference conference ID 36847834. The webcast will be archived on the Company’s website.

About Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Rubicon Technology, Inc. is an advanced electronic materials provider that is engaged in developing, manufacturing and selling monocrystalline sapphire and other crystalline products for light-emitting diodes (LEDs), radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), blue laser diodes, optoelectronics and other optical applications. The Company applies its proprietary crystal growth technology to produce very high-quality sapphire in a form that allows for volume production of various sizes and orientations of substrates and windows. Rubicon is a vertically-integrated manufacturer with capabilities in crystal growth, high precision core drilling, wafer slicing, surface lapping, large-diameter polishing and wafer cleaning processes, which the Company employs to convert the bulk crystal into products with the quality and precision specified by its customers. The Company is actively developing larger diameter products to support next-generation LED, RFIC and optical window applications.


Further information is available at http://www.rubicon-es2.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain of the statements in this release, particularly those preceded by, followed by or including the words “believes,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “should,” “estimates,” or similar expressions, or those relating to or anticipating financial results for periods beyond the end of the first quarter of 2010, constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. For those statements, the company claims the protection of the safe harbor for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by us. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks and uncertainties include managing the expansion of our manufacturing capacity, market acceptance of LED lighting, our ability to adapt to future changes in the LED industry, our successful development and market acceptance of RFIC and other new products, changes in the average selling prices of sapphire products, dependence on key customers, potential disruptions in our supply of electricity, changes in our product mix, our ability to protect our intellectual property rights, the competitive environment, the availability and cost of raw materials, the cost of compliance with environmental standards, the ability to make effective acquisitions and successfully integrate newly acquired businesses into existing operations and other risks and uncertainties described in the company’s most recent Form 10-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. For these reasons, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the company’s forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statement that the company makes speaks only as of the date of such statement, and the company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of


new information, future events or otherwise. Comparisons of results for current and any prior periods are not intended to express any future trends or indications of future performance, unless expressed as such, and should only be viewed as historical data.

CONTACT:

William Weissman

Chief Financial Officer

847-457-3610


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

(in thousands)

 

 

     March 31,
2010
(unaudited)
   March 31,
2009
(unaudited)

Assets

     

Cash and cash equivalents

   $ 12,505    $ 5,512

Restricted cash

     7      9

Short-term investments

     28,966      33,844

Accounts receivable, net

     7,311      1,546

Inventories, net

     6,635      8,094

Other current assets

     4,012      3,944
             

Total current assets

     59,436      52,949

Property and equipment, net

     42,025      38,566

Investments

     2,000      12,709

Other assets

     187      —  
             

Total assets

   $ 103,648    $ 104,224
             

Liabilities and Stockholders’ Equity

     

Accounts payable

   $ 1,685    $ 1,206

Accrued and other current liabilities

     2,338      956
             

Total liabilities

     4,023      2,162

Stockholders’ equity

     99,625      102,062
             

Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity

   $ 103,648    $ 104,224
             


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (unaudited)

(in thousands except share and per share amounts)

 

 

     Three months ended March 31,  
     2010    2009  

Revenue

   $ 11,516    $ 2,338   

Cost of goods sold

     7,363      4,946   
               

Gross profit (loss)

     4,153      (2,608

General and administrative expenses

     2,141      1,135   

Sales and marketing expenses

     257      243   

Research and development expenses

     212      152   
               

Total operating expenses

     2,610      1,530   
               

Income (loss) from operations

     1,543      (4,138

Other income (expense):

     

Interest income (expense) and other, net

     72      270   
               

Income (loss) before income taxes

     1,615      (3,868

Income tax expense

     40      —     
               

Net income (loss)

   $ 1,575    $ (3,868
               

Net income (loss) per common share:

     

Basic

   $ 0.08    ($ 0.19

Diluted

   $ 0.07    ($ 0.19

Weighted average common shares outstanding used in computing net income (loss) per common share:

     

Basic

     20,244,347      20,280,160   

Diluted

     21,437,861      20,280,160   


Rubicon Technology, Inc.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)

(in thousands)

 

 

     Three months ended March 31,  
     2010     2009  

Cash flows from operating activities

    

Net income (loss)

   $ 1,575      ($ 3,868

Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

    

Depreciation and amortization

     1,398        1,296   

Other

     450        213   

Changes in operating assets and liabilities

    

Accounts receivable, net

     (2,344     996   

Inventories

     (38     (212

Other current assets

     (568     982   

Accounts payable

     (371     (1,234

Accrued expenses and other current liabilities

     622        (556
                

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities

     724        (2,383
                

Cash flows from investing activities

    

Purchases of property and equipment

     (3,857     (525

Proceeds from sale of investments

     11,750        3,369   
                

Net cash provided by investing activities

     7,893        2,844   
                

Cash flows from financing activities

    

Purchase of treasury stock

     —          (2,577

Other financing activities

     34        (1
                

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

     34        (2,578
                

Effect of foreign exchange rate changes on Cash and cash equivalents

     (6     —     

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents

     8,645        (2,117

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of period

     3,860        7,629   
                

Cash and cash equivalents, end of period

   $ 12,505      $ 5,512