CEVA, Inc. Announces Fourth Quarter and Year End 2008 Financial Results

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- CEVA, Inc. , a leading licensor of silicon intellectual property (SIP) platform solutions and DSP cores for the handset, consumer electronics and portable device markets, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2008.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20051010/CEVALOGO)

Fourth Quarter 2008

Total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $10.0 million, an increase of 21% compared to $8.2 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2007. Licensing revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $4.6 million, an increase of 15% from $4.0 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2007. Royalty revenue for the fourth quarter of 2008 was a record high $4.3 million, an increase of 41% from $3.0 million reported for the fourth quarter of 2007 and a 30% sequential increase from the third quarter of 2008. Revenue from services and support for the fourth quarter of 2008 was $1.1 million, compared to $1.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2007.

US GAAP net income was $1.0 million for the fourth quarter of 2008, compared to a net loss of $0.3 million for the same quarter of 2007. US GAAP diluted net income per share for the fourth quarter of 2008 increased to $0.05 per share, compared to diluted loss per share of $0.01 for the fourth quarter of 2007.

The financial results for the fourth quarter of 2008 include equity-based compensation expense of $0.8 million; a pre-tax capital gain of $0.9 million associated with our equity divestment of GloNav Inc to NXP Semiconductors and a one-time reorganization expense of $0.6 million related to the recent cost reduction measures taken to reduce the on-going expenses associated with the Company's SATA activities.

Non-GAAP net income and diluted net income per share for the fourth quarter of 2008, excluding the items described above, were $1.6 million and $0.08 per share, respectively, an increase of 246% and 300%, respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of 2007.

During the fourth quarter, CEVA continued to implement its previously-announced one million share buy-back program. As of February 2, 2009, the Company repurchased approximately 753,000 shares at an average price of $7.70 per share for a total amount of approximately $5.8 million and has an additional 247,000 shares available for repurchase under the existing plan.

During the fourth quarter of 2008, the Company concluded six new license agreements, all of which are for CEVA DSP cores, platforms and software. Target applications for customer deployment are 2G and 3G handsets, smartphones and mobile multimedia products. Geographically, four of the six deals concluded were in Europe, one in the U.S. and one in the Asia Pacific region. Of the license deals concluded, two are with strategic customers. One of the strategic agreements is with a large merchant chip supplier in the handset market who signed a comprehensive agreement for the use of CEVA DSP cores in low-end and mid-range handset products. The second strategic agreement is with a leading Asia-based semiconductor company in the consumer market who is expanding into the handset market targeting the 3G segment.

Gideon Wertheizer, Chief Executive Officer of CEVA, said, "I am very proud of CEVA's progress during 2008. It was an outstanding year for the Company from both a strategic and a business perspective. Not only have we gained considerable market traction in the handset, portable and consumer electronics markets, but as a result of the industry-wide migration to CEVA DSP cores, our technologies are now in mass production at Nokia, Samsung, LG Electronics, Sony Ericsson, Sony Electronics and many others. I believe that our market position and strong business fundamentals will allow us to keep growing, even in the midst of uncertain economic times."

Full Year 2008 Review

Total revenue for 2008 was $40.4 million, representing an increase of 22% compared to $33.2 million reported for 2007. Royalty revenue for 2008 was a record high of $14.3 million, representing an increase of 58% compared to $9.1 million reported for 2007. Licensing revenue for 2008 was $21.7 million, an increase of 11% compared to $19.5 million a year ago. A total of 30 new licensing agreements were signed in 2008, compared to 36 agreements in 2007. Shipped units by licensees increased 36% to a record 307 million in 2008, compared to 227 million units shipped in 2007.

US GAAP net income and diluted net income per share for 2008 was $8.6 million and $0.42, an increase of 563% and 600%, respectively, compared to $1.3 million and $0.06 per share reported for 2007.

In 2008, the Company recorded equity-based compensation expenses of $2.9 million, a pre-tax capital gain of $12.1 million associated with its equity divestment of GloNav to NXP Semiconductors; an expense of $3.5 million associated with the exit of the Dublin long-term lease in the first quarter of 2008, and a restructuring expense of $0.6 million associated with SATA activities in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Non-GAAP net income and diluted net income per share for 2008, excluding the items described above, were $6.7 million and $0.32 per share, respectively, an increase of 118% and 113%, respectively, compared to 2007.

Yaniv Arieli, Chief Financial Officer of CEVA, stated, "The fourth quarter of 2008 delivered another significant milestone for CEVA with record high royalty revenue of $4.3 million. This continued royalty progress is clearly reflected in the Company's record full year 2008 financials with total revenue up 22% year-over-year to $40.4 million, combined with significant profitability and net income per share improvements. The Company also managed to generate positive cash flow of $8.3 million during 2008, strengthening our balance sheet considerably. As of December 31, 2008, CEVA's cash balances and marketable securities were $84.6 million. "In the context of the current economic downturn, we recently made adjustments to our 2009 expense levels to ensure the sustainability of our financial progress by reducing overall expenses by approximately $1.0 million," concluded Arieli.

CEVA Conference Call

On February 3, 2009, CEVA management will conduct a conference call at 8:30 a.m. Eastern Time / 1:30 p.m. London time, to discuss the operating performance for the fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2008.

    The conference call will be available via the following dial in numbers:

    -- US Participants: Dial 1-877-493-9121 (Access Code: CEVA)
    -- UK/Rest of World: Dial +44-800-032-3836 (Access Code: CEVA)

For those who cannot access the live broadcast, a replay will be available by dialing 1-800-642-1687 (passcode: 79622372) for US domestic callers and +44-800-917-2646 (passcode: 79622372) for international callers from two hours after the end of the call until 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Time) on February 10, 2009. The replay will also be available at CEVA's web site https://www.ceva-ip.com.

About CEVA, Inc.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., CEVA is a leading licensor of silicon intellectual property (SIP) platform solutions and DSP cores for mobile handsets, consumer electronics and portable devices. CEVA's IP portfolio includes comprehensive solutions for multimedia, audio, voice over packet (VoP), Bluetooth and Serial ATA (SATA), and a wide range of programmable DSP cores and subsystems with different price/performance metrics serving multiple markets. In 2008, CEVA's IP was shipped in over 300 million devices. For more information, visit https://www.ceva-ip.com/

Forward-Looking Statements -

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, as well as assumptions that if they materialize or prove incorrect, could cause the results of CEVA to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including Mr. Wertheizer's statement about our market position and strong business fundamentals allowing us to keep growing, even in the midst of uncertain economic times; and Mr. Arieli's statement reducing overall 2009 expenses to ensure the sustainability of our financial progress. The risks, uncertainties and assumptions include: the ability of the CEVA DSP cores and other technologies to continue to be strong growth drivers for us; the continuation of our market position; the ability of the reduction in overall 2009 expenses to produce the intended benefits; the effect of intense competition within our industry; the effect of the challenging period of growth experienced by the industries in which we license our technology; the possibility that the market for our technology may not develop as expected; the possibility that our customers' products incorporating our technologies do not succeed as expected; our ability to timely and successfully develop and introduce new technologies; our reliance on revenue derived from a limited number of licensees; our ability to continue to improve our royalty revenue in future periods, general market conditions and other risks relating to our business and the pipeline of companies interested in our technologies, including, but not limited to, those that are described from time to time in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings. CEVA assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements or information, which speak as of their respective dates.


                       CEVA, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES
         CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - U.S. GAAP
               U.S. dollars in thousands, except per share data

                                Quarter ended             Year ended
                                 December 31,             December 31,
                             2008         2007         2008         2007
                          Unaudited    Unaudited    Unaudited     Audited

    Revenues:
      Licensing             $4,613       $4,012      $21,701      $19,499
      Royalties              4,282        3,042       14,349        9,095
      Other revenues         1,114        1,187        4,315        4,617

    Total revenues          10,009        8,241       40,365       33,211

    Cost of revenues         1,125          925        4,668        3,851

    Gross profit             8,884        7,316       35,697       29,360

    Operating expenses:
      Research and
       development, net      5,039        5,121       20,172       19,136
      Sales and marketing    1,687        1,608        7,088        6,253
      General and
       administrative        1,646        1,587        6,637        5,721
      Amortization of
       intangible assets         -           24           53          148
      Reorganization
       expense                 584            -        4,121            -

    Total operating
     expenses                8,956        8,340       38,071       31,258

    Operating loss             (72)      (1,024)      (2,374)      (1,898)
    Interest and other
     income, net             1,514        1,016       14,740        3,636

    Income (loss)
     before taxes
     on income               1,442           (8)      12,366        1,738
    Taxes on income            482          243        3,801          447

    Net income (loss)         $960        $(251)      $8,565       $1,291

    Basic net income
     (loss) per share        $0.05       $(0.01)       $0.43        $0.07

    Diluted net income
     (loss) per share        $0.05       $(0.01)       $0.42        $0.06
      Weighted-average
       number of Common
       Stock used in
       computation of
       net income (loss)
       per share
       (in thousands):
      Basic                 19,647       19,873       20,009       19,606
      Diluted               19,977       19,873       20,575       20,150



       Unaudited Reconciliation of GAAP to Non GAAP Financial Measures
            (U.S. Dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)

                                Quarter ended             Year ended
                                 December 31,             December 31,
                             2008         2007         2008         2007
                          Unaudited    Unaudited    Unaudited    Unaudited

    GAAP net income (loss)     960         (251)       8,565        1,291
    Equity-based
     compensation expense
     included in cost
     of revenue                 29           28          112           83
    Equity based
     compensation expense
     included in research
     and development
     expenses                  283          289        1,088          935
    Equity based
     compensation expense
     included in sales
     and marketing expenses    151           84          531          334
    Equity based
     compensation expense
     included in general
     and administrative
     expenses                  375          221        1,191          779
    Reorganization expense     584(1)         -        4,121(1)         -
    Other income              (760)(2)       (3)     (12,007)(3)     (428)(5)
    Taxes on income            (61)(2)       83(4)     3,116(3)        83
    Non-GAAP net income      1,561          451        6,717        3,077

    GAAP weighted-average
     number of Common
     Stock used in
     computation of
     diluted net income
     (loss) per share
     (in thousands)         19,977       19,873       20,575       20,150
    Weighted-average
     number of shares
     related to outstanding
     options                     5        1,125          128          147
    Weighted-average
     number of Common Stock
     used in computation
     of diluted net income
     per share, excluding
     equity-based compensation
     expense; reorganization
     expense, net; capital
     gains associated with
     CEVA's equity divestment
     of GloNav Inc, net;
     and disposal of an
     investment
     (in thousands)         19,982       20,998       20,703       20,297

    GAAP diluted net
     income (loss)
     per share               $0.05       $(0.01)       $0.41        $0.06
    Equity-based
     compensation expense    $0.04        $0.03        $0.14        $0.11
    Reorganization
     expense                 $0.03(1)         -        $0.20            -
    Other income             (0.04)(2)    (0.00)       (0.58)(3)    (0.02)(5)
    Taxes on income          $0.00(2)     $0.00(4)     $0.15 (3)    $0.00
    Non GAAP diluted
     net income per
     share                   $0.08        $0.02        $0.32        $0.15

    (1) Results for the three months ended December 31, 2008 included a
        reorganization expense of $0.6 million related to cost cutting
        measures associated with SATA activities. Results for the year ended
        December 31, 2008 included a reorganization expense of $3.5 million
        related to the termination of the long-term Harcourt lease in
        Dublin, Ireland and $0.6 million related to SATA activities.
    (2) Results for the three months ended December 31, 2008 included a
        capital gain of $0.9 million reported in interest and other income,
        net, and the applicable tax expense of $0.06 million reported in taxes
        on income, related to the equity divestment of GloNov Inc to NXP
        Semiconductors and a loss of $0.14 million reported in interest and
        other income, net, related to disposal of fixed assets.
    (3) Results for the year ended December 31, 2008 included a capital gain
        of $12.12 million reported in interest and other income, net, and the
        applicable tax expense of $3.1 million reported in taxes on income,
        related to the equity divestment of GloNov and a gain of $0.03 million
        reported in interest and other income, net, related to the disposal of
        an investment and a loss of $0.14 million reported in interest and
        other income, net, related to disposal of fixed assets.
    (4) Results for the three months ended December 31, 2007 included tax
        provision expense of $0.08 related to a gain from disposal of an
        investment.
    (5) Results for the year ended December 31, 2007 included a gain of $0.43
        million, reported in interest and other income and the applicable tax
        expense of $0.08 million reported in taxes on income, related to the
        disposal of an investment.



                       CEVA, INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES
                    CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                          U.S. Dollars in Thousands

                                                  December 31,   December 31,
                                                      2008           2007
                                                   Unaudited        Audited

      ASSETS
    Current assets:
      Cash and cash equivalents                      $13,328        $40,697
       Marketable securities and bank deposits        71,301         35,678
      Trade receivables, net                           5,390          2,502
      Deferred tax assets                              1,085            861
      Prepaid expenses                                 1,673            904
      Investment                                           -          4,233
      Other current assets                             3,248          2,391
        Total current assets                          96,025         87,266
    Long-term investments:
      Severance pay fund                               3,441          3,091
    Deferred tax assets                                  351            455
    Property and equipment, net                        1,271          1,626
    Goodwill                                          36,498         36,498
    Other intangible assets, net                           -             53
        Total assets                                $137,586       $128,989

    LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY

    Current liabilities:
      Trade payables                                    $615           $455
      Accrued expenses and other payables             10,446          8,452
      Taxes payable                                       44            320
      Deferred revenues                                1,034            727
        Total current liabilities                     12,139          9,954

      Accrued severance pay                            3,788          3,141
      Accrued liabilities                                  -          1,506

        Total liabilities                             15,927         14,601

    Stockholders' equity:
    Common Stock:                                         20             20
    Additional paid in-capital                       153,712        149,772
    Treasury Stock                                    (5,077)             -
    Other comprehensive income (loss)                    (24)             7
    Accumulated deficit                              (26,972)       (35,411)
        Total stockholders' equity                   121,659        114,388
        Total liabilities and stockholders'
         equity                                     $137,586       $128,989

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SOURCE: CEVA, Inc.

Web site: https://www.ceva-ip.com/