PHOTRONICS INC - Quarter Report: 2021 May (Form 10-Q)

This Form 10-Q contains forward-looking statements, as defined by the SEC. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a “safe harbor” for forward-looking statements made by us, or on our behalf. Forward-looking statements are statements other than statements of historical fact, including, without limitation, those statements that include such words as “anticipates”, “believes”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “plans”, “predicts”, and similar expressions, and, without limitation, may address our future plans, objectives, goals, strategies, events, or performance, as well as underlying assumptions and other statements that are other than statements of historical facts. On occasion, in other documents filed with the SEC, press releases, conferences, or by other means, we may discuss, publish, disseminate, or otherwise make available, forward-looking statements, including statements contained within Item 2 – “Management’s Discussion & Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of this Form 10-Q.

Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed. Our expectations, beliefs and projections are expressed in good faith and are believed by us to have a reasonable basis, including, without limitation, management’s examination of historical operating trends, information contained in our records, and information we’ve obtained from other parties. However, we can offer no assurance that our expectations, beliefs, or projections will be realized, accomplished or achieved.

Forward-looking statements within this Form 10-Q speak only as of the date of its filing, and we undertake no obligation to update any such statements to reflect changes in events or circumstances that may subsequently occur. Users of this Report are cautioned that various factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements found within this Form 10-Q and that they should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. In addition, all forward-looking statements, whether written or oral and whether made by us or on our behalf, are expressly qualified by the risk factors provided in Item 1A “Risk Factors” of our Form 10-K, as well as any additional risk factors we may provide in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q.

NOTE 1 - BASIS OF FINANCIAL STATEMENT PRESENTATION

Photronics, Inc. (“Photronics”, “the Company”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is one of the world's leading manufacturers of photomasks, which are high-precision photographic quartz or glass plates containing microscopic images of electronic circuits. Photomasks are a key element in the manufacture of ICs and FPDs, and are used as masters to transfer circuit patterns onto semiconductor wafers and FPD substrates during the fabrication of integrated circuits, a variety of FPDs and, to a lesser extent, other types of electrical and optical components. We currently have eleven manufacturing facilities, which are located in Taiwan (3), Korea, the United States (3), Europe (2), and two recently constructed facilities in China. Our FPD facility in Hefei, China, commenced production in the second quarter of fiscal 2019, and our IC facility in Xiamen, China, commenced production in the third quarter of fiscal 2019.

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (“the financial statements”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information, and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for annual financial statements. In the opinion of management, adjustments, all of which are of a normal recurring nature, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The financial statements include the accounts of Photronics, its wholly owned subsidiaries, and the majority-owned subsidiaries which it controls. All intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect amounts reported in them. Estimates are based on historical experience and on various assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Our estimates are based on the facts and circumstances available at the time they are made. Subsequent actual results may differ from such estimates. We review these estimates periodically and reflect any effects of revisions in the period in which they are determined.

Reclassified prior period amounts have been made to conform to the current period presentation, including the separation of Foreign currency transaction impact, net, from Interest income and other income, net, on the condensed consolidated statements of income, and the segregation of share-based compensation activity into the two categories of Shares issued under equity plans and Share-based compensation in the condensed consolidated statements of equity; in previous reports, we segregated this activity into three categories.

Our business is typically impacted during the first, and sometimes the second, quarters of our fiscal year by the North American, European, and Asian holiday periods, as some customers reduce their development and buying activities during those periods. Operating results for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending October 31, 2021. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements, and notes thereto, included in our Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2020.

NOTE 2 - CASH, CASH EQUIVALENTS AND RESTRICTED CASH

Cash and cash equivalents include cash and highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less, readily convertible to known amounts of cash, and so near to their maturity that they present insignificant risk of changes in value because of changes in interest rates. The carrying values of cash equivalents approximate their fair values, due to the short-term maturities of these instruments.

Restricted cash is included in Other assets on our May 2, 2021 and October 31, 2020, consolidated balance sheets, respectively. The restrictions on these amounts are primarily related to land lease agreements and customs requirements.

The following table presents cash and cash equivalents as reported in our condensed consolidated balance sheets, as well as the sum of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash, as reported in our condensed consolidated statements of cash flows:

NOTE 3 - INVENTORIES

Inventories are stated at the lower of cost, determined under the first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) method, or net realizable value. Presented below are the components of inventory at the balance sheet dates:

NOTE 4 - PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property, plant and equipment consists of the following:

ROU assets resulting from finance leases are included in the table above as follows:

Depreciation and amortization expense for property, plant and equipment (including amortization expense for ROU assets) was $22.3 million and $44.9 million for the three and six-month periods ended May 2, 2021, respectively, and $22.1 million and $45.6 million for the three and six-month periods ended May 3, 2020, respectively.

NOTE 5 - PDMCX JOINT VENTURE

In January 2018, Photronics, Inc. through its wholly owned Singapore subsidiary (hereinafter, within this Note “we”, “Photronics”, “us”, or “our”), and DNP, through its wholly owned subsidiary “DNP Asia Pacific PTE, Ltd.” entered into a joint venture under which DNP obtained a 49.99% interest in our IC business in Xiamen, China. The joint venture, which we refer to as “PDMCX”, was established to develop and manufacture photomasks for leading-edge and advanced-generation semiconductors. We entered into this joint venture to enable us to compete more effectively for the merchant photomask business in China, and to benefit from the additional resources and investment that DNP provides to enable us to offer advanced-process technology to our customers. No gain or loss was recorded upon the formation of this joint venture.

The total investment per the PDMCX operating agreement (the “Agreement”) is $160 million. As of May 2, 2021, Photronics and DNP had each contributed cash of approximately $65 million, and PDMCX had obtained local financing of approximately $50 million; thus both parties have fulfilled their initial investment commitments under the Agreement. As discussed in Note 6, liens were granted to the local financing entity on assets with a total carrying value of $93.3 million, as collateral for the loans.

Under the Agreement, DNP is afforded, under certain circumstances, the right to put its interest in PDMCX to Photronics. These circumstances include disputes regarding the strategic direction of PDMCX that may arise after the initial two-year term of the Agreement and cannot be resolved between the two parties. As of the date of issuance of these financial statements, DNP had not indicated its intention to exercise this right. In addition, both Photronics and DNP have the option to purchase, or put, their interest from, or to, the other party, should their ownership interest fall below twenty percent for a period of more than six consecutive months. Under all such circumstances, the sales of ownership interests would be at the exiting party’s ownership percentage of the joint venture’s net book value, with closing to take place within three business days of obtaining required approvals and clearance.

We recorded net income from the operations of PDMCX of $2.3 million, and $2.2 million during the three and six-month periods ended May 2, 2021, respectively, and losses of $0.4 million and $4.1 million during the three and six-month periods ended May 3, 2020, respectively. General creditors of PDMCX do not have recourse to the assets of Photronics (other than the net assets of PDMCX), and our maximum exposure to loss from PDMCX at May 2, 2021, was $59.1 million.

As required by the guidance in Topic 810 - “Consolidation” of the ASC, we evaluated our involvement in PDMCX for the purpose of determining whether we should consolidate its results in our financial statements. The initial step of our evaluation was to determine whether PDMCX was a variable interest entity (“VIE”). Due to its lack of sufficient equity at risk to finance its activities without additional subordinated financial support, we determined that it was a VIE. Having made this determination, we then assessed whether we were the primary beneficiary of the VIE, and concluded that we were the primary beneficiary during the current and prior year reporting periods; thus, as required, the PDMCX financial results have been consolidated with Photronics. Our conclusion was based on the facts that we held a controlling financial interest in PDMCX (which resulted from our having the power to direct the activities that most significantly impacted its economic performance) and had the obligation to absorb losses and the right to receive benefits that could potentially be significant to PDMCX. Our conclusions that we had the power to direct the activities that most significantly affected the economic performance of PDMCX during the current and prior year reporting periods were based on our right to appoint the majority of its board of directors, which has, among others, the powers to manage the business (through its rights to appoint and evaluate PDMCX’s management), incur indebtedness, enter into agreements and commitments, and acquire and dispose of PDMCX’s assets. In addition, as a result of the 50.01% variable interest we held during the current and prior-year periods, we had the obligation to absorb losses, and the right to receive benefits, that could potentially be significant to PDMCX.

The carrying amounts of PDMCX assets and liabilities included in our condensed consolidated balance sheets are presented in the following table, together with our exposure to loss related to these assets and liabilities.

NOTE 6 - DEBT

Short-term debt was $0.0 million, and $4.7 million as of May 2, 2021 and October 31, 2020, respectively, with the 2020 amount representing an advance payment, under an MLA, to fund equipment purchased or leased in the U.S., and short duration borrowings in Xiamen, China, to fund operations. See below for further information. The weighted-average interest rate on our short-term debt as of October 31, 2020 was 2.02%.

The tables below provide information on our long-term debt.

⁽¹⁾ First five loan repayments will each be for 7.5 percent of the approved 200 million RMB loan principal; last five installments will each be for 12.5 percent of the approved loan principal.

⁽²⁾ Semiannual repayments commence in March 2022.

⁽³⁾ See Note 8 for interest rates on lease liabilities, maturity dates and periodic payment amounts.

⁽⁴⁾ Represents the carrying amount at the balance sheet date of the related right-of-use assets, in which the lessors have secured interests.

Xiamen Project Loans

In November 2018, PDMCX was approved for credit of 345 million RMB (approximately $53.3 million, at the balance sheet date), subject to certain limitations related to PDMCX registered capital at the time of the initial approval, pursuant to which PDMCX has entered into separate loan agreements (the “Project Loans”) for intermittent borrowings. The Project Loans, which are denominated in RMB, were used to finance certain capital expenditures for our Xiamen, China, facility. PDMCX granted liens on its land use right, building, and certain equipment as collateral for the Project Loans. As of May 2, 2021, PDMCX had outstanding borrowings of 300.0 million RMB ($46.4 million) against this approval. The interest rates on the Project Loans are variable, and based on the RMB Loan Prime Rate of the National Interbank Funding Center. Interest incurred on the loans is eligible for reimbursement through incentives provided by the Xiamen Torch Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, which provide for such reimbursements up to a prescribed limit. The Xiamen Project Loans have covenants and provisions, certain of which relate to the assets pledged as security for the loan, all of which we were in compliance with at May 2, 2021.

Xiamen Working Capital Loans

In November 2018, PDMCX was approved for revolving, unsecured credit of the equivalent of $25.0 million, pursuant to which PDMCX may enter into separate loan agreements with varying terms to maturity. Under this credit agreement (the “Working Capital Loans”), PDMCX can borrow up to 140.0 million RMB to pay value-added taxes (“VAT”), and up to 60.0 million RMB to fund operations; combined total borrowings are limited to the equivalent of $25.0 million. As of May 2, 2021, PDMCX had 86.1 million RMB ($13.3 million) outstanding against the approval to pay VAT and no outstanding borrowings against the approval to fund operations. The interest rates on the approval to pay VAT are variable, based on the RMB Loan Prime Rate of the National Interbank Funding Center. Interest incurred on the VAT loans are eligible for reimbursement through incentives provided by the Xiamen Torch Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, which provide for such reimbursements up to a prescribed limit.

Hefei Equipment Loan

In October 2020, our Hefei, China, facility was approved to borrow 200 million RMB (approximately $30.9 million, at the balance sheet date) from the China Construction Bank Corporation. Loan proceeds have been, and will be, used to fund the purchases of two lithography tools at the Hefei facility. As of May 2, 2021, we had 81.5 million RMB ($12.6 million) outstanding against this approval. The interest rate on the loan is variable and based on the RMB Loan Prime Rate of the National Interbank Funding Center. The borrowings are secured by the Hefei facility, its related land use right, and certain manufacturing equipment. The Hefei Equipment Loan has covenants and provisions, certain of which relate to the assets pledged as security for the loan, including covenants for the ratio of total liabilities to total assets and the ratio of current assets to current liabilities, all of which we were in compliance with at May 2, 2021.

Finance Leases

In February 2021, we entered into a five-year $7.2 million finance lease for a high-end inspection tool and, in December 2020, under an MLA which we entered into effective July 2019, we entered into a $35.5 million lease for a high-end lithography tool. Upon entering into the latter lease, our prior $3.5 million short-term obligation to the lessor became a portion of the lease liability. See Note 8 for additional information on these leases.

Corporate Credit Agreement

In September 2018, we entered into a five-year amended and restated credit agreement (the “Credit Agreement”), which has a $50 million borrowing limit, with an expansion capacity to $100 million. The Credit Agreement is secured by substantially all of our assets located in the United States and common stock we own in certain foreign subsidiaries. The Credit Agreement includes covenants around minimum interest coverage ratio, total leverage ratio, and minimum unrestricted cash balance (all of which we were in compliance with at May 2, 2021), and limits the amount of cash dividends, distributions, and redemptions we can pay on our common stock to an aggregate annual amount of $50 million. We had no outstanding borrowings against the Credit Agreement at May 2, 2021. The interest rate on the Credit Agreement (1.11% at May 2, 2021) is based on our total leverage ratio at LIBOR plus a spread, as defined in the Credit Agreement.

NOTE 7 - REVENUE

We recognize revenue when, or as, control of a good or service transfers to a customer, in an amount that reflects the consideration to which we expect to be entitled in exchange for transferring those goods or services. We account for an arrangement as a revenue contract when each party has approved and is committed to perform under the contract, the rights of the contracting parties regarding the goods or services to be transferred and the payment terms are identifiable, the arrangement has commercial substance, and collection of consideration is probable. Substantially all of our revenue comes from the sales of photomasks. We typically contract with our customers to sell sets of photomasks, which are comprised of multiple layers, the predominance of which we invoice as they ship to customers. As the photomasks are manufactured to customer specifications, they have no alternative use to us and, as our contracts generally provide us with the right to payment for work completed to date, we recognize revenue as we perform, or “over time”, on most of our contracts. We measure our performance to date using an input method, which is based on our estimated costs to complete the various manufacturing phases of a photomask. At the end of a reporting period, there will be a number of uncompleted revenue contracts on which we have performed; for any such contracts under which we are entitled to be compensated for our costs incurred plus a reasonable profit, we recognize revenue and a corresponding contract asset for such performance. We account for shipping and handling activities that we perform after a customer obtains control of a good as being activities to fulfill our promise to transfer the good to the customer, rather than as promised services, or performance obligations, under the contract. We report our revenue net of any sales or similar taxes we collect on behalf of government entities.

As stated above, photomasks are manufactured to customer specifications in accordance with their proprietary designs; thus, they are individually unique. Due to their uniqueness and other factors, their transaction prices are individually established through negotiations with customers; consequently, our photomasks do not have standard or “list” prices. The transaction prices of the vast majority of our revenue contracts include only fixed amounts of consideration. In certain instances, such as when we offer a customer an early payment discount, an estimate of variable consideration would be included in the transaction price, but only to the extent that a significant reversal of revenue would not occur when the uncertainty related to the variability was resolved.

Contract Assets, Contract Liabilities, and Accounts Receivable

We recognize a contract asset when our performance under a contract precedes our receipt of consideration from a customer, or before payment is due, and our receipt of consideration is conditional upon factors other than the passage of time. Contract assets reflect our transfer of control of photomasks that are in process or completed but not yet shipped to customers. A receivable is recognized when we have an unconditional right to payment for our performance, which generally occurs when we ship the photomasks. Our contract assets primarily consist of a significant amount of our in-process production orders and fully manufactured photomasks which have not yet shipped, for which we have an enforceable right to collect consideration (including a reasonable profit) in the event the in-process orders are cancelled by customers. On an individual contract basis, we net contract assets with contract liabilities (deferred revenue) for financial reporting purposes. Contract assets of $7.6 million are included in Other current assets, and contract liabilities of $8.6 million and $5.3 million are included in Accrued liabilities and Other liabilities, respectively, in our May 2, 2021 condensed consolidated balance sheet. Our October 31, 2020 condensed consolidated balance sheet includes contract assets of $6.3 million, included in Other current assets, and contract liabilities of $8.0 million and $5.2 million are included in Accrued liabilities and Other liabilities, respectively. We did not impair any contract assets during the three or six-month periods ended May 2, 2021 or May 3, 2020. We recognized $1.3 million and $3.8 million of revenue from the settlement of contract liabilities that existed at the beginning of the three and six-month periods ended May 2, 2021, and recognized $0.9 million and $1.8 million of revenue in the respective prior year periods, that related to the settlement of contract liabilities that existed at the beginning of those periods.

We generally record our accounts receivable at their billed amounts. All outstanding past due customer invoices are reviewed for collectibility during, and at the end of, every reporting period. To the extent we believe a loss on the collection of a customer invoice is probable, we record the loss and credit the allowance for credit losses. In the event that an amount is determined to be uncollectible, we charge the allowance for credit losses and derecognize the related receivable. We did not incur any credit losses on our accounts receivable during the six-month period ended May 2, 2021, and credit losses on our accounts receivable were immaterial during the three and six-month periods ended May 3, 2020.

Our invoice terms generally range from net thirty to ninety days, depending on both the geographic market in which the transaction occurs and our payment agreements with specific customers. In the event that our evaluation of a customer’s business prospects and financial condition indicate that the customer presents a collectibility risk, we modify terms of sale, which may require payment in advance of performance. At the time of adoption, we elected the practical expedient allowed under ASC Topic 606 “Revenue from Contracts with Customers” (“Topic 606”) that permits us not to adjust a contract’s promised amount of consideration to reflect a financing component when the period between when we transfer control of goods or services to customers and when we are paid is one year or less.

In instances when we are paid in advance of our performance, we record a contract liability and, as allowed under the practical expedient in Topic 606, recognize interest expense only if the period between when we receive payment from the customer and the date when we expect to be entitled to the payment is greater than one year. Historically, advance payments we’ve received from customers have generally not preceded the completion of our performance obligations by more than one year.

Disaggregation of Revenue

The following tables present our revenue for the three and six-month periods ended May 2, 2021 and May 3, 2020, disaggregated by product type, geographic origin, and timing of recognition.

Contract Costs

We pay commissions to third-party sales agents for certain sales that they obtain for us. However, the bases of the commissions are the transaction prices of the sales, which are completed in less than one year; thus, no relationship is established with a customer that will result in future business. Therefore, we do not recognize any portion of these sales commissions as costs of obtaining a contract, nor do we currently foresee other circumstances under which we would recognize such assets.

Remaining Performance Obligations

As we are typically required to fulfill customer orders within a short time period, our backlog of orders is generally not in excess of one to two weeks for IC photomasks and two to three weeks for FPD photomasks. As allowed under Topic 606, we have elected not to disclose our remaining performance obligations, which represent the costs associated with the completion of the manufacturing process of in-process photomasks related to contracts that have an original duration of one year or less.

Product Warranties

Our photomasks are sold under warranties that generally range from one to twenty-four months. We warrant that our photomasks conform to customer specifications, and will typically repair, replace, or issue a refund for any photomasks that fail to do so. The warranties do not represent separate performance obligations in our revenue contracts. Historically, customer claims under warranties have been immaterial.

NOTE 8 - LEASES

Our involvement in lease arrangements has typically been as a lessee. We determine if an agreement is or contains a lease on the date of the lease agreement or commitment, if earlier. Our evaluation considers whether the arrangement includes an identified asset and whether it affords us the right to control the asset. Our having the right to control the identified asset is determined by whether we are entitled to substantially all of its economic benefits and can direct its use.

We recognize leases on our consolidated balance sheet when a lessor makes an asset underlying a lease having a term in excess of twelve months available for our use. As allowed under ASC Topic 842 – “Leases” (“Topic 842”), we have elected to not apply the recognition requirements to leases that, at their commencement dates, have lease terms of twelve months or less and do not include options to purchase their underlying assets that we are reasonably certain to exercise. The present value of lease payments over the term of the lease provides the basis for the initial measurement of right-of-use assets and their related lease liabilities. Finance lease liabilities are determined using the rates implicit in the leases and operating lease liabilities are determined using our incremental borrowing rate, for collateralized loans, at the commencement date. Variable lease payments, other than those that are dependent on an index or on a rate, are not included in the measurement of ROU assets and their related lease liabilities. Lease terms will include extension periods if the lease agreement includes an option to extend the lease that we are reasonably certain to exercise. As allowed under Topic 842 we have elected, for all classes of assets, the practical expedient to not separate lease components of a contract from nonlease components of a contract.

 In February 2021, we entered into a five-year $7.2 million finance lease for a high-end inspection tool. Monthly payments on the lease, which commenced in February 2021, are $0.1 million per month. Upon the payment of the fiftieth monthly payment and prior to payment of the fifty-first monthly payment, we may exercise an early buyout option to purchase the tool at 33.684638% of its original cost. If we do not exercise the early buyout option, then at the end of the five-year lease term, the lease shall continue to renew on a month-to-month basis at the same rental; at our option, after the original term or any renewal periods, we may return the tool, elect to extend the lease, or purchase the tool at its fair market value. Since we are reasonably certain that we will exercise the early buyout option, our lease liability reflects such exercise and we have classified the lease as a finance lease. The interest rate implicit in the lease is 1.08%.

In December 2020, we entered into a five-year $35.5 million finance lease for a high-end lithography tool. Monthly payments on the lease, which commenced in January 2021, increased from $0.04 million after the first three months to $0.6 million for the following nine months, followed by forty-eight monthly payments of $0.5 million. As of the due date of the forty-eighth monthly payment, we may exercise an early buyout option to purchase the tool at 39.84% of the initial lease liability. If we do not exercise the early buyout option, then at the end of the five-year lease term, at our option, we may return the tool, elect to extend the lease term for a period and a lease payment to be agreed with lessor at the time, or purchase the tool for its then-fair market value as determined by the lessor. Since we are reasonably certain that we will exercise the early buyout option, our lease liability reflects such exercise and we have classified the lease as a finance lease. The interest rate implicit in the lease is 1.58%. The lease agreement incorporates the covenants included in our Corporate Credit Agreement, which are detailed in Note 6, and includes a cross-default provision for any agreement or instrument with an outstanding, committed balance greater than $5.0 million in which we are the indebted party.