Blueprint
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES AND
EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
20549
FORM
10-Q
/X/ QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the quarterly period ended November 30, 2016
OR
/ / TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE
SECURITIES
EXCHANGE
ACT OF 1934
For
the transition period from _________ to __________
Commission file
number: 000-22893
AEHR TEST
SYSTEMS
(Exact name of
Registrant as specified in its charter)
California
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94-2424084
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(State or other
jurisdiction of
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(I.R.S. Employer
Identification No.)
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incorporation or
organization)
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400 Kato
Terrace
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Fremont,
CA
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94539
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(Address of
principal
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(Zip
Code)
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executive
offices)
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(510)
623-9400
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate by check
mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports
required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period as the
registrant was
required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such
filing requirements for the past 90 days.
Yes
X
No ___
Indicate by check
mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted
on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File
required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of
Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was
required to submit and post such files).
Indicate by check
mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated
filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange
Act.
Large accelerated
filer ___
Accelerated filer ___
Non-accelerated
filer ___
Smaller reporting company X
(Do not check if a
smaller reporting company)
Indicate by check
mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes
___ No
X
Number of shares of
the registrant’s common stock, $0.01 par value, outstanding
as of December 30, 2016 was 16,643,433.
AEHR TEST
SYSTEMS
FORM
10-Q
FOR THE QUARTER
ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2016
INDEX
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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ITEM
1. Financial Statements (Unaudited)
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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets at November 30, 2016
and May 31, 2016
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4
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the Three
and
Six Months Ended November 30, 2016 and 2015
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5
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Loss for
the
Three and Six Months Ended November 30, 2016 and
2015
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6
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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the
Six Months Ended November 30, 2016 and 2015
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7
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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
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8
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ITEM
2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations
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19
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ITEM
3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market
Risks
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23
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ITEM
4. Controls and Procedures
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24
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PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
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ITEM
1. Legal Proceedings
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25
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ITEM
1A. Risk Factors
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25
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ITEM
2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of
Proceeds
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32
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ITEM
3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities
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32
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ITEM
4. Mine Safety Disclosures
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32
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ITEM
5. Other Information
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32
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ITEM
6. Exhibits
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32
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SIGNATURES
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33
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Index
to Exhibits
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34
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PART I.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)
AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in
thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
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(1)
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ASSETS
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Current
assets:
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Cash
and cash equivalents
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$5,154
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$939
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Accounts
receivable, net
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1,429
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522
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Inventories
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6,069
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7,033
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Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
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390
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254
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Total
current assets
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13,042
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8,748
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Property
and equipment, net
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793
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1,204
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Other
assets
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95
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94
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Total
assets
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$13,930
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$10,046
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LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY (DEFICIT)
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Current
liabilities:
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Accounts
payable
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$1,770
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$1,413
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Accrued
expenses
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1,366
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1,553
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Customer
deposits and deferred revenue, short-term
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1,055
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1,714
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Total
current liabilities
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4,191
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4,680
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Long-term
debt, net of debt issuance costs
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6,051
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5,962
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Deferred
revenue, long-term
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47
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127
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Total
liabilities
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10,289
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10,769
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Aehr
Test Systems shareholders' equity (deficit):
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Common
stock, $0.01 par value:
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Authorized:
75,000 shares; Issued
and outstanding: 16,639 shares and 13,216
shares at November 30, 2016 and May
31, 2016, respectively
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167
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132
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Additional
paid-in capital
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64,636
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58,052
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Accumulated
other comprehensive income
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2,188
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2,237
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Accumulated
deficit
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(63,331)
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(61,124)
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Total
Aehr Test Systems shareholders' equity (deficit)
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3,660
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(703)
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Noncontrolling
interest
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(19)
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(20)
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Total
shareholders' equity (deficit)
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3,641
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(723)
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Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity (deficit)
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$13,930
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$10,046
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(1)
The condensed
consolidated balance sheet at May 31, 2016 has been
derived from the
audited consolidated financial statements at that
date.
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these
condensed
consolidated financial statements.
AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in
thousands, except per share data)
(unaudited)
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Net
sales
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$4,216
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$4,620
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$9,534
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$11,253
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Cost
of sales
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2,753
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2,929
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5,865
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6,179
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Gross
profit
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1,463
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1,691
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3,669
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5,074
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Operating
expenses:
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Selling,
general and administrative
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1,707
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1,713
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3,423
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3,558
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Research
and development
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1,040
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923
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2,100
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1,985
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Total
operating expenses
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2,747
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2,636
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5,523
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5,543
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Loss
from operations
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(1,284)
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(945)
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(1,854)
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(469)
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Interest
expense
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(181)
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(137)
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(359)
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(272)
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Other
income, net
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43
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55
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40
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31
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Loss
before income tax expense
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(1,422)
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(1,027)
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(2,173)
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(710)
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Income
tax expense
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(30)
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(21)
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(34)
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(44)
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Net
loss
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(1,452)
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(1,048)
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(2,207)
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(754)
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Less:
Net income attributable to the noncontrolling
interest
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--
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--
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--
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--
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Net loss
attributable to Aehr Test Systems
common shareholders
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$(1,452)
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$(1,048)
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$(2,207)
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$(754)
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Net
loss per share Basic
and Diluted
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$(0.09)
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$(0.08)
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$(0.15)
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$(0.06)
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Shares
used in per share calculations: Basic
and Diluted
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16,029
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13,048
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14,673
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13,005
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The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these
condensed
consolidated financial statements.
AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE LOSS
(in
thousands, unaudited)
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Net
loss
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$(1,452)
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$(1,048)
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$(2,207)
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$(754)
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Other comprehensive
loss, net of tax:
Net
change in cumulative translation adjustments
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(55)
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(60)
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(48)
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(42)
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Total comprehensive
loss
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(1,507)
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(1,108)
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(2,255)
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(796)
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Less: Comprehensive
income attributable to the
noncontrolling interest
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2
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--
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1
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--
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Comprehensive
loss, attributable to
Aehr Test Systems common
shareholders
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$(1,509)
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$(1,108)
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$(2,256)
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$(796)
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The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these
condensed
consolidated financial statements.
AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in
thousands)
(unaudited)
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Cash
flows from operating activities:
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Net
loss
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$(2,207)
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$(754)
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Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net
cash used in operating activities:
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Stock-based
compensation expense
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534
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573
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Provision
for doubtful accounts
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12
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17
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Amortization
of debt issuance costs
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89
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82
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Depreciation
and amortization
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129
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73
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Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
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Accounts
receivable
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(972)
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(1,196)
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Inventories
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1,335
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(316)
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Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
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(138)
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(139)
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Accounts
payable
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721
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687
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Accrued
expenses
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(201)
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439
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Customer
deposits and deferred revenue
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(739)
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(3,328)
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Income
taxes payable
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21
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9
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Net
cash used in operating activities
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(1,416)
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(3,853)
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Cash
flows from investing activities:
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Purchases
of property and equipment
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(88)
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(169)
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Net
cash used in investing activities
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(88)
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(169)
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Cash
flows from financing activities:
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Proceeds
from issuance of common stock under
private placement, net of issuance costs
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5,299
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--
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Proceeds
from issuance of common stock under
employee plans, net of taxes paid related to
share settlement of equity awards
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463
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460
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Net
cash provided by financing activities
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5,762
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460
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Effect
of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
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(43)
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(10)
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Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash
equivalents
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4,215
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(3,572)
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Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of period
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939
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5,527
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Cash
and cash equivalents, end of period
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$5,154
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$1,955
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Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash flow information:
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Net
change in capitalized share-based compensation
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$--
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$(20)
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Fair
value of common stock issued to settle accounts payable
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$323
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$--
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Transfers
of property and equipment to inventories
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$372
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$--
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The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these
condensed
consolidated financial statements.
AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(UNAUDITED)
1.
BASIS OF PRESENTATION
The
accompanying financial information has been prepared by Aehr Test
Systems, without audit, pursuant to the rules and regulations of
the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Certain information
and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements
prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles in the United States (GAAP) have been condensed or
omitted pursuant to such rules and regulations.
In
the opinion of management, the unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements for the interim periods presented have been
prepared on a basis consistent with the May 31, 2016 audited
consolidated financial statements and reflect all adjustments,
consisting of normal recurring adjustments, necessary for a fair
presentation of the condensed consolidated financial position and
results of operations as of and for such periods indicated. These
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto should be read in conjunction with the condensed
consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included in the
Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May
31, 2016. Results for the interim periods presented herein are not
necessarily indicative of results which may be reported for any
other interim period or for the entire fiscal year.
PRINCIPLES
OF CONSOLIDATION. The condensed consolidated financial statements
include the accounts of Aehr Test Systems and its subsidiaries
(collectively, the "Company," "we," "us," and "our"). All
significant intercompany balances have been eliminated in
consolidation. For our majority owned subsidiary, Aehr Test Systems
Japan K.K., we reflected the noncontrolling interest of the portion
we do not own on our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets in
Shareholders’ Equity (Deficit) and in the Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations.
ACCOUNTING
ESTIMATES. The preparation of financial statements in conformity
with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions
that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and
disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the
financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and
expenses during the reporting period. Estimates are used to account
for sales and revenue allowances, the allowance for doubtful
accounts, inventory valuations, income taxes, stock-based
compensation expenses, and product warranties, among others. We
base our estimates on historical experience and on various other
assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Actual results could differ materially from those
estimates.
SIGNIFICANT
ACCOUNTING POLICIES. The Company’s significant accounting
policies are disclosed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended May 31, 2016. There have been no
changes in our significant accounting policies during the six
months ended November 30, 2016.
2.
STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
Stock-based
compensation expense consists of expenses for stock options,
restricted stock units, or RSUs, and employee stock purchase plan,
or ESPP, purchase rights. Stock-based compensation cost for stock
options and ESPP purchase rights are measured at each grant date,
based on the fair value of the award using the Black-Scholes option
valuation model, and is recognized as expense over the
employee’s requisite service period. This model was developed
for use in estimating the value of publicly traded options that
have no vesting restrictions and are fully transferable. The
Company’s employee stock options have characteristics
significantly different from those of publicly traded options. For
RSUs, stock-based compensation cost is based on the fair value of
the Company’s common stock at the grant date. All of the
Company’s stock-based compensation is accounted for as an
equity instrument. See Notes 10 and 11 in the Company’s
Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2016 filed on August 29, 2016
for further information regarding the 2006 Equity Incentive Plan
and the 2006 Employee Stock Purchase
Plan.
In
October 2016, the Company’s 2016 Equity Incentive Plan and
the Amended and Restated Employee Stock Purchase Plan were approved
by the Company’s shareholders. The 2016 Equity Incentive Plan
replaces our 2006 Equity Incentive Plan, which was scheduled to
expire in October 2016, and will continue in effect until 2026. A
total of 2,238,467 shares of common stock have been reserved for
issuance under the Company’s 2016 Equity Incentive Plan. The
Amended and Restated 2006 Employee Stock Purchase Plan extends the
term of the ESPP indefinitely. See the Registration Statement on
Form S-8 filed on November 14, 2016 for further information
regarding the 2016 Equity Incentive Plan and the ESPP.
The
following table summarizes the stock-based compensation expense
related to the Company’s stock-based incentive plans for the
three and six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015 (in
thousands):
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Stock-based
compensation in the form of employee stock options, RSUs and ESPP
purchase rights, included in:
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Cost
of sales
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$23
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$20
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$47
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$42
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Selling,
general and administrative
|
141
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186
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388
|
424
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Research
and development
|
51
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48
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99
|
107
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Total
stock-based compensation
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$215
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$254
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$534
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$573
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As
of November 30, 2016 and 2015, there were no stock-based
compensation costs capitalized as part of inventory.
During
the three months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company
recorded stock-based compensation related to stock options and RSUs
of $185,000 and $233,000, respectively. During the six months ended
November 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company recorded stock-based
compensation related to stock options and RSUs of $464,000 and
$518,000, respectively.
As
of November 30, 2016, the total compensation cost related to
unvested stock-based awards under the Company’s 2006 and 2016
Equity Incentive Plans, but not yet recognized, was approximately
$1,266,000, which is net of estimated forfeitures of $3,000. This
cost will be amortized on a straight-line basis over a weighted
average period of approximately 2.4 years.
During
the three months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, the Company
recorded stock-based compensation related to the ESPP of $30,000
and $21,000, respectively. During the six months ended November 30,
2016 and 2015, the Company recorded stock-based compensation
related to the ESPP of $70,000 and $55,000,
respectively.
As
of November 30, 2016, the total compensation cost related to
purchase rights under the ESPP but not yet recognized was
approximately $72,000. This cost will be amortized on a
straight-line basis over a weighted average period of approximately
0.9 years.
Valuation Assumptions
Valuation
and Amortization Method. The Company estimates the fair value of
stock options granted using the Black-Scholes option valuation
model and a single option award approach. The fair value under the
single option approach is amortized on a straight-line basis over
the requisite service periods of the awards, which is generally the
vesting period.
Expected
Term. The Company’s expected term represents the period that
the Company’s stock-based awards are expected to be
outstanding and was determined based on historical experience,
giving consideration to the contractual terms of the stock-based
awards, vesting schedules and expectations of future employee
behavior as evidenced by changes to the terms of its stock-based
awards.
Volatility.
Volatility is a measure of the amounts by which a financial
variable such as stock price has fluctuated (historical volatility)
or is expected to fluctuate (expected volatility) during a period.
The Company uses the historical volatility for the past four or
five years, which matches the expected term of most of the option
grants, to estimate expected volatility. Volatility for each of the
ESPP’s four time periods of six months, twelve months,
eighteen months, and twenty-four months is calculated separately
and included in the overall stock-based compensation cost
recorded.
Risk-Free
Interest Rate. The Company bases the risk-free interest rate used
in the Black-Scholes option valuation model on the implied yield in
effect at the time of option grant on U.S. Treasury zero-coupon
issues with a remaining term equivalent to the expected term of the
stock awards including the ESPP.
Fair
Value. The fair value of the Company’s stock options granted
to employees for the three and six months ended November 30, 2016
and 2015 were estimated using the following weighted average
assumptions in the Black-Scholes option valuation
model:
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Expected
term (in years)
|
4
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4
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4
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4
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Volatility
|
0.81
|
0.86
|
0.81
|
0.86
|
Risk-free
interest rates
|
1.10%
|
1.21%
|
1.02%
|
1.21%
|
Weighted
average grant date fair value
|
$1.66
|
$1.38
|
$1.09
|
$1.38
|
There
were no RSUs granted to employees for the three months ended
November 30, 2016. During the six months ended November 30, 2016,
RSUs were granted for 138,000 shares. The market value on the date
of the grant was $1.68 per share.
There
were no ESPP purchase rights granted for the three and six months
ended November 30, 2016 and 2015.
The
following tables summarize the Company’s stock option and
RSU transactions during
the three and six months ended November 30, 2016 (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
Balance,
May 31, 2016
|
1,847
|
|
|
Options
granted
|
(318)
|
RSUs
granted
|
(138)
|
Shares
cancelled
|
46
|
|
|
Balance,
August 31, 2016
|
1,437
|
|
|
Additional
shares reserved
|
2,238
|
Options
granted
|
(50)
|
Shares
cancelled
|
1
|
2006
Plan available shares expired
|
(1,438)
|
|
|
Balance,
November 30, 2016
|
2,188
|
The
following table summarizes the stock option transactions during the
three and six months ended November 30, 2016 (in thousands, except
per share data):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balances,
May 31, 2016
|
3,201
|
$1.66
|
$189
|
|
|
|
|
Options
granted
|
318
|
$1.68
|
|
Options
cancelled
|
(46)
|
$1.40
|
|
Options
exercised
|
(91)
|
$1.32
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balances,
August 31, 2016
|
3,382
|
$1.67
|
$2,694
|
|
|
|
|
Options
granted
|
50
|
$2.81
|
|
Options
cancelled
|
(1)
|
$2.08
|
|
Options
exercised
|
(202)
|
$1.22
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balances,
November 30, 2016
|
3,229
|
$1.72
|
$4,099
|
|
|
|
|
Options
fully vested and expected to vest
at November 30, 2016
|
3,185
|
$1.72
|
$4,058
|
|
|
|
|
The
options outstanding and exercisable at November 30, 2016 were in
the following exercise price ranges (in thousands, except per share
data):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Number
Outstanding Shares
|
Weighted Average
Remaining Contractual Life (Years)
|
Weighted Average
Exercise Price
|
Number
Exercisable Shares
|
Weighted Average
Remaining Contractual Life (Years)
|
Weighted Average
Exercise Price
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
|
$0.59-$0.97
|
514
|
2.27
|
$0.66
|
514
|
2.27
|
$0.66
|
|
$1.09-$1.40
|
899
|
2.87
|
$1.28
|
816
|
2.77
|
$1.28
|
|
$1.68-$2.06
|
547
|
5.63
|
$1.77
|
240
|
4.52
|
$1.88
|
|
$2.10-$2.81
|
1,269
|
5.03
|
$2.44
|
738
|
4.90
|
$2.45
|
|
$0.59-$2.81
|
3,229
|
4.08
|
$1.72
|
2,308
|
3.52
|
$1.58
|
$
3,261
|
The
total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three and six
months ended November 30, 2016 was $359,000 and $411,000,
respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during
the three and six months ended November 30, 2015 was $125,000 and
$185,000, respectively. The weighted average remaining contractual
life of the options exercisable and expected to be exercisable at
November 30, 2016 was 4.08 years.
3.
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic
earnings per share is determined using the weighted average number
of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings
per share is determined using the weighted average number of common
shares and potential common shares (representing the dilutive
effect of stock options, RSUs and ESPP shares) outstanding during
the period using the treasury stock method.
The
following table presents the computation of basic and diluted net
loss per share attributable to the Company’s common
shareholders (in thousands, except per share data):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Numerator:
Net loss
|
$(1,452)
|
$(1,048)
|
$(2,207)
|
$(754)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator
for basic net loss
per share:
|
|
|
|
|
Weighted
average shares outstanding
|
16,029
|
13,048
|
14,673
|
13,005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Shares
used in basic net loss per
share calculation
|
16,029
|
13,048
|
14,673
|
13,005
|
Effect
of dilutive securities
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
|
|
|
|
Denominator
for diluted net loss per
share
|
16,029
|
13,048
|
14,673
|
13,005
|
|
|
|
|
|
Basic
net loss per share
|
$(0.09)
|
$(0.08)
|
$(0.15)
|
$(0.06)
|
Diluted
net loss per share
|
$(0.09)
|
$(0.08)
|
$(0.15)
|
$(0.06)
|
For
the purpose of computing diluted earnings per share, the weighted
average number of potential common shares does not include stock
options with an exercise price greater than the average fair value
of the Company’s common stock for the period, as the effect
would be anti-dilutive. In the three and six months ended November
30, 2016 and 2015 potential common shares have not been included in
the calculation of diluted net loss per share as the effect would
be anti-dilutive. As such, the numerator and the denominator used
in computing both basic and diluted net loss per share for these
periods are the same. Stock options to purchase 3,229,000 shares of
common stock, RSUs for 72,000 shares and ESPP rights to purchase
246,000 ESPP shares were outstanding as of November 30, 2016, but
were not included in the computation of diluted net loss per share,
because the inclusion of such shares would be anti-dilutive. Stock
options to purchase 3,385,000 shares of common stock and ESPP
rights to purchase 131,000 ESPP shares were outstanding as of
November 30, 2015, but were not included in the computation of
diluted net loss per share, because the inclusion of such shares
would be anti-dilutive.
4. FAIR
VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
The
Company’s financial instruments are measured at fair value
consistent with authoritative guidance. This authoritative guidance
defines fair value, establishes a framework for using fair value to
measure assets and liabilities, and disclosures required related to
fair value measurements.
The
guidance establishes a fair value hierarchy based on inputs to
valuation techniques that are used to measure fair value that are
either observable or unobservable. Observable inputs reflect
assumptions market participants would use in pricing an asset or
liability based on market data obtained from independent sources
while unobservable inputs reflect a reporting entity’s
pricing based upon their own market assumptions. The fair value
hierarchy consists of the following three levels:
Level 1
- instrument valuations are obtained from real-time quotes for
transactions in active exchange markets involving identical
assets.
Level 2
- instrument valuations are obtained from readily-available pricing
sources for comparable instruments.
Level 3
- instrument valuations are obtained without observable market
values and require a high level of judgment to determine the fair
value.
The following table summarizes the Company’s financial assets
measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of November 30, 2016
(in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money
market funds
|
$4,001
|
$4,001
|
$--
|
$--
|
Certificate
of deposit
|
50
|
--
|
50
|
--
|
Assets
|
$4,051
|
$4,001
|
$50
|
$--
|
|
|
|
|
|
The
following table summarizes the Company’s financial assets
measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of May 31, 2016 (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Money
market funds
|
$1
|
$1
|
$--
|
$--
|
Certificate
of deposit
|
50
|
--
|
50
|
--
|
Assets
|
$51
|
$1
|
$50
|
$--
|
|
|
|
|
|
There
were no financial liabilities measured at fair value as of November
30, 2016 and May 31, 2016.
There
were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 fair value
measurements during the three and six months ended November 30,
2016.
The
carrying amounts of financial instruments including cash, cash
equivalents, receivables, accounts payable and certain other
accrued liabilities, approximate fair value due to their short
maturities. Based on the borrowing rates currently available to the
Company for loans with similar terms, the carrying value of the
debt approximates the fair value.
The
Company has, at times, invested in debt and equity of private
companies, and may do so again in the future, as part of its
business strategy.
5.
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE, NET
Accounts receivable
represents customer trade receivables and is presented net of
allowances for doubtful accounts of $20,000 at November 30, 2016
and $8,000 at May 31, 2016. Accounts receivable are derived
from the sale of products throughout the world to semiconductor
manufacturers, semiconductor contract assemblers, electronics
manufacturers and burn-in and test service companies. The
Company’s allowance for doubtful accounts is based upon
historical experience and review of trade receivables by aging
category to identify specific customers with known disputes or
collection issues. Uncollectible receivables are recorded as bad
debt expense when all efforts to collect have been exhausted and
recoveries are recognized when they are received.
6.
INVENTORIES
Inventories
are comprised of the following (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Raw
materials and sub-assemblies
|
$2,495
|
$2,839
|
Work
in process
|
3,308
|
4,151
|
Finished
goods
|
266
|
43
|
|
$6,069
|
$7,033
|
7.
SEGMENT INFORMATION
The
Company operates in one reportable segment: the design, manufacture
and marketing of advanced test and burn-in products to the
semiconductor manufacturing industry.
The
following presents information about the Company’s operations
in different geographic areas. Net sales are based upon ship-to
location (in thousands).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended November 30, 2016:
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
$1,709
|
$2,256
|
$251
|
$4,216
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
740
|
39
|
14
|
793
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
months ended November 30, 2016:
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
$4,873
|
$4,166
|
$495
|
$9,534
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
740
|
39
|
14
|
793
|
|
|
|
|
|
Three
months ended November 30, 2015:
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
$507
|
$3,768
|
$345
|
$4,620
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
530
|
33
|
13
|
576
|
|
|
|
|
|
Six
months ended November 30, 2015:
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
$1,225
|
$9,149
|
$879
|
$11,253
|
Property
and equipment, net
|
530
|
33
|
13
|
576
|
The
Company’s Japanese and German subsidiaries primarily comprise
the foreign operations. Substantially all of the sales of the
subsidiaries are made to unaffiliated Japanese or European
customers. Net sales from outside the United States include those
of Aehr Test Systems Japan K.K. and Aehr Test Systems
GmbH.
Sales
to the Company’s five largest customers accounted for
approximately 96% and 95% of its net sales in the three and six
months ended November 30, 2016, respectively. Two customers
accounted for approximately 60% and 22% of the Company’s net
sales in the three months ended November 30, 2016. Three customers
accounted for approximately 50%, 19% and 16% of the Company’s
net sales in the six months ended November 30, 2016. Sales to the
Company’s five largest customers accounted for approximately
97% and 96% of its net sales in the three and six months ended
November 30, 2015, respectively. Two customers accounted for
approximately 51% and 36% of the Company’s net sales in the
three months ended November 30, 2015. Two customers accounted for
approximately 54% and 27% of the Company’s net sales in the
six months ended November 30, 2015. No other customers represented
more than 10% of the Company’s net sales in the six months
ended November 30, 2016 and 2015.
8.
PRODUCT WARRANTIES
The
Company provides for the estimated cost of product warranties at
the time revenues are recognized on the products shipped. While the
Company engages in extensive product quality programs and
processes, including actively monitoring and evaluating the quality
of its component suppliers, the Company’s warranty obligation
is affected by product failure rates, material usage and service
delivery costs incurred in correcting a product failure. Should
actual product failure rates, material usage or service delivery
costs differ from the Company’s estimates, revisions to the
estimated warranty liability would be required.
The
standard warranty period is one year for systems and ninety days
for parts and service.
The
following is a summary of changes in the Company's liability for
product warranties during the three and six months ended November
30, 2016 and 2015 (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at the beginning of the period
|
$90
|
$219
|
$155
|
$137
|
|
|
|
|
|
Accruals
for warranties issued during
the period
|
11
|
128
|
11
|
237
|
Accruals
and adjustments (change in estimates) related
to pre-existing warranties during the
period
|
--
|
--
|
(54)
|
--
|
Settlement
made during the period (in
cash or in kind)
|
(29)
|
(42)
|
(40)
|
(69)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Balance
at the end of the period
|
$72
|
$305
|
$72
|
$305
|
The
accrued warranty balance is included in accrued expenses on the
accompanying condensed consolidated balance sheets.
9.
INCOME TAXES
Income
taxes have been provided using the liability method whereby
deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on
differences between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and
liabilities and net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards
measured using the enacted tax rates and laws that will be in
effect when the differences are expected to reverse or the
carryforwards are utilized. Valuation allowances are established
when it is determined that it is more likely than not that such
assets will not be realized.
Since
fiscal 2009, a full valuation allowance was established against all
deferred tax assets as management determined that it is more likely
than not that certain deferred tax assets will not be
realized.
The
Company accounts for uncertain tax positions consistent with
authoritative guidance. The guidance prescribes a “more
likely than not” recognition threshold and measurement
attribute for the financial statement recognition and measurement
of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.
The Company does not expect any material change in its unrecognized
tax benefits over the next twelve months. The Company recognizes
interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as a
component of income taxes.
Although
the Company files U.S. federal, various state, and foreign tax
returns, the Company’s only major tax jurisdictions are the
United States, California, Germany and Japan. Tax years 1997 - 2016
remain subject to examination by the appropriate governmental
agencies due to tax loss carryovers from those years.
10.
CUSTOMER DEPOSITS AND DEFERRED REVENUE, SHORT-TERM
Customer
deposits and deferred revenue, short-term (in
thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Customer
deposits
|
$692
|
$540
|
Deferred
revenue
|
363
|
1,174
|
|
$1,055
|
$1,714
|
11.
LONG-TERM DEBT
On
April 10, 2015, the Company entered into a Convertible Note
Purchase and Credit Facility Agreement (the “Purchase
Agreement”) with QVT Fund LP and Quintessence Fund L.P. (the
“Purchasers”) providing for (a) the Company’s
sale to the Purchasers of $4,110,000 in aggregate principal amount
of 9.0% Convertible Secured Notes due 2017 (the “Convertible
Notes”) and (b) a secured revolving loan facility (the
“Credit Facility”) in an aggregate principal amount of
up to $2,000,000. On August 22, 2016 the Purchase Agreement was
amended to extend the maturity date of the Convertible Notes to
April 10, 2019, decrease the conversion price from $2.65 per share
to $2.30 per share, decrease the forced conversion price from $7.50
per share to $6.51 per share, and allow for additional equity
awards.
The
Convertible Notes bear interest at an annual rate of 9.0% and will
mature on April 10, 2019 unless repurchased or converted prior to
that date. Interest is payable quarterly on March 1, June 1,
September 1 and December 1 of each year. Debt issuance costs of
$356,000, which are being accreted over the term of the original
loan using the effective interest rate method, were offset against
the loan balance. During the three and six months ended November
30, 2016, $44,000 and $89,000, respectively, of amortization costs
were recognized as interest expense. Unamortized debt issuance
costs of $59,000 were offset against the loan balance at November
30, 2016.
The
conversion price for the Convertible Notes is $2.30 per share of
the Company’s common stock and is subject to adjustment upon
the occurrence of certain specified events. Holders may convert all
or any part of the principal amount of their Convertible Notes in
integrals of $10,000 at any time prior to the maturity date. Upon
conversion, the Company will deliver shares of its common stock to
the holder of Convertible Notes electing such conversion. The
Company may not redeem the Convertible Notes prior to
maturity.
On
April 14, 2016, $900,000 drawn against the Credit Facility was
converted to Convertible Notes. On July 17, 2016, $1,100,000 drawn
against the Credit Facility was converted to Convertible Notes. At
November 30, 2016 there was no remaining balance available on the
Credit Facility.
The
Company’s obligations under the Purchase Agreement are
secured by substantially all of the assets of the
Company.
Long-term
debt, net of debt issuance costs (in thousands):
|
|
|
|
|
|
Principal
|
$6,110
|
$6,110
|
Unamortized
debt issuance costs
|
(59)
|
(148)
|
|
$6,051
|
$5,962
|
12.
EQUITY
On August 8, 2016 the Company issued
200,000 shares of its common stock to Semics Inc., a semiconductor
test equipment provider that produces fully automatic wafer probe
systems, in consideration for cancellation of an outstanding
invoice of $323,000 for capital equipment.
On
September 28, 2016, the Company sold 2,721,540 shares of its common
stock in a private placement transaction with certain institutional
and accredited investors. The purchase price per share of the
common stock sold in the private placement was $2.15, resulting in
gross proceeds to the Company of $5,851,000, before offering
expenses. The net proceeds after offering expenses were
$5,299,000.
13.
RECENT ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
May 2014, as part of its ongoing efforts to assist in the
convergence of US GAAP and International Financial Reporting
Standards (“IFRS”), the Financial Accounting Standards
Board (“FASB”) issued an accounting standards
update related to revenue from
contracts with customers. This standard sets forth a new five-step
revenue recognition model which replaces the prior revenue
recognition guidance in its entirety and is intended to eliminate
numerous industry-specific pieces of revenue recognition guidance
that have historically existed in US GAAP. The underlying principle
of the new standard is that a business or other organization will
recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or
services to customers in an amount that reflects what it expects in
exchange for the goods or services. The standard also requires more
detailed disclosures and provides additional guidance for
transactions that were not addressed completely in the prior
accounting guidance. The standard provides alternative methods of
initial adoption and will become effective for us beginning in the
first quarter of fiscal 2019. The FASB has issued several updates
to the standard which i) defer the original effective date from
January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2018, while allowing for early
adoption as of January 1, 2017. ii) clarify the application of the
principal versus agent guidance. and iii) clarify the guidance on
inconsequential and perfunctory promises and licensing. In May
2016, the FASB issued an update to address certain narrow aspects
of the guidance including collectibility criterion, collection of
sales taxes from customers, noncash consideration, contract
modifications and completed contracts. This issuance does not
change the core principle of the guidance in the initial topic
issued in May 2014. In December 2016, the FASB issued updated
guidance regarding revenue from contracts with customers. Some
topics that could impact the Company include corrections and
improvements around the following: contract costs impairment
testing, disclosure of remaining performance obligations and prior
period obligations, contract modifications, and contract asset
versus receivable. The Company is currently evaluating the impact
of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
August 2014, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to
going concern. This guidance requires management to evaluate the
conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the
entity’s ability to continue as a going concern and whether
or not it is probable that the entity will be unable to meet its
obligations as they become due within one year after the date the
financial statements are issued. This guidance will apply to all
entities and will be effective for us in fiscal year 2017, with
early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the
impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
July 2015, the FASB issued an accounting standards update that
requires management to measure inventory at the lower of cost or
net realizable value. Net realizable value is the estimated selling
prices in the ordinary course of business, less reasonably
predictable costs of completion, disposal, and transportation. This
new standard will be effective for us in fiscal year 2018, with
early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the
impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
November 2015, the FASB issued an accounting standards update
related to deferred tax assets and liabilities. This standard
simplifies the presentation of deferred income taxes to be
classified as noncurrent in the consolidated balance sheet. This
new standard will be effective for us in fiscal year 2018, with
early adoption permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the
impact of adopting this new guidance on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
January 2016, the FASB issued an accounting standards update
related to recognition and measurement of financial assets and
financial liabilities. This standard changes accounting for equity
investments, financial liabilities under the fair value option and
the presentation and disclosure requirements for financial
instruments. In addition, it clarifies guidance related to the
valuation allowance assessment when recognizing deferred tax assets
resulting from unrealized losses on available-for-sale debt
securities. This standard is effective for us in fiscal year 2020.
Early adoption is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating
the impact of this new guidance on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
February 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to
Leases. This guidance requires management to present all leases
greater than one year on the balance sheet as a liability to make
payments and an asset as the right to use the underlying asset for
the lease term. This new standard will be effective for us in
fiscal year 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company is
currently evaluating the impact of adopting this new guidance on
its consolidated financial statements.
In
March 2016, the FASB released an accounting standards update that
simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based
payment transactions, including the income tax consequences,
forfeitures, classification of awards as either equity or
liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The
accounting standard will be effective for the Company beginning the
first quarter of fiscal 2018, and early adoption is permitted. The
Company is currently evaluating the impact of this new guidance on
its consolidated financial statements.
In
June 2016, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that
requires measurement and recognition of expected credit losses for
financial assets held based on historical experience, current
conditions, and reasonable and supportable forecasts that affect
the collectibility of the reported amount. The accounting standard
update will be effective for the Company beginning in the first
quarter of fiscal 2021 on a modified retrospective basis, and early
adoption in fiscal 2020 is permitted. The Company is currently
evaluating the impact of this accounting standard update on its
Consolidated Financial Statements.
In
August 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to the
classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the
statement of cash flows. The accounting standard update will be
effective for the Company beginning in the first quarter of fiscal
2019 on a retrospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. The
Company is currently evaluating the impact of this accounting
standard update on its Consolidated Statements of Cash
Flows.
In
October 2016, the FASB issued an accounting standard update that
requires recognition of the income tax consequences of intra-entity
transfers of assets (other than inventory) at the transaction date.
The accounting standard update will be effective for the Company
beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 on a modified
retrospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. The Company
is currently evaluating the impact of this accounting standard
update on its Consolidated Financial Statements.
In
November 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to
statements of cash flows. This guidance clarifies that amounts
generally described as restricted cash and restricted cash
equivalents should be included with cash and cash equivalents when
reconciling the beginning-of-period and end-of period total amounts
shown on the statement of cash flows. The accounting standard
update will be effective for the Company beginning in the first
quarter of fiscal 2019 on a retrospective basis, and early adoption
is permitted. The Company is currently evaluating the impact of
this accounting standard update on its Consolidated Financial
Statements.
In
December 2016, the FASB issued authoritative guidance related to
technical corrections and improvements. This guidance provides
minor updates on a variety of codification topics and are not
expected to have a significant effect on current accounting
practice. Most of these corrections do not have a transition date
as they are minor in nature.
Item 2.
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION
AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The
following discussion of the financial condition and results of
operations of the Company should be read in conjunction with the
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and the
related notes that appear elsewhere in this report and with our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2016
and the consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto.
In
addition to historical information, this report contains
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements in this
report, including those made by the management of Aehr Test
Systems, other than statements of historical fact, are
forward-looking statements. These statements typically may be
identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as
"believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "should," "planned,"
"estimated," and "potential," among others and include, but are not
limited to, statements concerning our expectations regarding our
operations, business, strategies, prospects, revenues, expenses,
costs and resources. These forward-looking statements are subject
to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual
results to differ materially from those anticipated results or
other expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements.
Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include,
but are not limited to, those discussed in this report and other
factors beyond our control, and in particular, the risks discussed
in “Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors” and those discussed
in other documents we file with the SEC. All forward-looking
statements included in this document are based on our current
expectations, and we undertake no obligation to revise or publicly
release the results of any revision to these forward-looking
statements. Given these risks and uncertainties, readers are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking
statements.
OVERVIEW
The
Company was founded in 1977 to develop and manufacture burn-in and
test equipment for the semiconductor industry. Since its inception,
the Company has sold more than 2,500 systems to semiconductor
manufacturers, semiconductor contract assemblers and burn-in and
test service companies worldwide. The Company’s principal
products currently are the Advanced Burn-in and Test System, or
ABTS, the FOX full wafer contact parallel test and burn-in system,
the MAX burn-in system, WaferPak contactors, the DiePak carrier and
test fixtures.
The
Company’s net sales consist primarily of sales of systems,
WaferPak contactors, test fixtures, die carriers, upgrades and
spare parts, revenues from service contracts, and engineering
development charges. The Company's selling arrangements may include
contractual customer acceptance provisions, which are mostly deemed
perfunctory or inconsequential, and installation of the product
occurs after shipment and transfer of title.
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES AND ESTIMATES
The
Company’s discussion and analysis of its financial condition
and results of operations are based upon the Company’s
condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these
condensed consolidated financial statements requires the Company to
make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of
assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses, and related disclosure
of contingent assets and liabilities. On an ongoing basis, the
Company evaluates its estimates, including those related to
customer programs and incentives, product returns, bad debts,
inventories, income taxes, financing operations, warranty
obligations, and long-term service contracts. The Company’s
estimates are derived from historical experience and on various
other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the
circumstances. Those results form the basis for making judgments
about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not
readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from
these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. For a
discussion of the critical accounting policies, see “Item 7.
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
and Results of Operations – Critical Accounting Policies and
Estimates” in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2016.
There
have been no material changes to our critical accounting policies
and estimates during the six months ended November 30, 2016
compared to those discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended May 31, 2016.
RESULTS
OF OPERATIONS
The
following table sets forth items in the Company’s unaudited
condensed consolidated statements of operations as a percentage of
net sales for the periods indicated.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
sales
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
100.0%
|
Cost
of sales
|
65.3
|
63.4
|
61.5
|
54.9
|
Gross
profit
|
34.7
|
36.6
|
38.5
|
45.1
|
|
|
|
|
|
Operating
expenses:
|
|
|
|
|
Selling,
general and administrative
|
40.5
|
37.1
|
35.9
|
31.6
|
Research
and development
|
24.7
|
20.0
|
22.0
|
17.6
|
|
|
|
|
|
Total
operating expenses
|
65.2
|
57.1
|
57.9
|
49.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
from operations
|
(30.5)
|
(20.5)
|
(19.4)
|
(4.1)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Interest
expense
|
(4.3)
|
(3.0)
|
(3.8)
|
(2.4)
|
Other
income, net
|
1.1
|
1.3
|
0.4
|
0.2
|
|
|
|
|
|
Loss
before income tax expense
|
(33.7)
|
(22.2)
|
(22.8)
|
(6.3)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Income
tax expense
|
(0.7)
|
(0.5)
|
(0.3)
|
(0.4)
|
Net
loss
|
(34.4)
|
(22.7)
|
(23.1)
|
(6.7)
|
Less:
Net income attributable to the
noncontrolling interest
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
|
|
|
|
|
Net
loss attributable to Aehr
Test Systems common shareholders
|
(34.4)%
|
(22.7)%
|
(23.1)%
|
(6.7)%
|
THREE
MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2016 COMPARED TO THREE MONTHS ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2015
NET
SALES. Net sales decreased to $4.2 million for the three months
ended November 30, 2016 from $4.6 million for the three months
ended November 30, 2015, a decrease of 8.7%. The decrease in net
sales for the three months ended November 30, 2016 resulted
primarily from the decreases in net sales of the Company’s
wafer-level products, partially offset by the increase in net sales
of the Company’s Test During Burn-in (TDBI) products. Net
sales of the Company’s wafer-level products for the three
months ended November 30, 2016 were $1.4 million, and decreased
approximately $0.7 million from the three months ended November 30,
2015. Net sales of the TDBI products for the three months ended
November 30, 2016 were $2.7 million, and increased approximately
$0.2 million from the three months ended November 30,
2015.
GROSS
PROFIT. Gross profit consists of net sales less cost of sales. Cost
of sales consists primarily of the cost of materials, assembly and
test costs, and overhead from operations. Gross profit decreased to
$1.5 million for the three months ended November 30, 2016 from $1.7
million for the three months ended November 30, 2015, a decrease of
13.5%. Gross profit margin decreased to 34.7% for the three months
ended November 30, 2016 from 36.6% for the three months ended
November 30, 2015 due to changes in mix of product
sales.
SELLING,
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE. Selling, general and administrative, or
SG&A, expenses consist primarily of salaries and related costs
of employees, commission expenses to independent sales
representatives, product promotion and other professional services.
SG&A expenses were flat at $1.7 million for the three months
ended November 30, 2016 compared with the three months ended
November 30, 2015.
RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT. Research and development, or R&D, expenses
consist primarily of salaries and related costs of employees
engaged in ongoing research, design and development activities,
costs of engineering materials and supplies, and professional
consulting expenses. R&D expenses increased to $1.0 million for
the three months ended November 30, 2016 from $0.9 million for the
three months ended November 30, 2015, an increase of 12.7%. The
increase in R&D expenses was primarily due to an increase in
employment related expenses.
INTEREST
EXPENSE. Interest expense was $181,000 for the three months ended
November 30, 2016 compared with $137,000 for the three months ended
November 30, 2015. The increase in interest expense in the three
months ended November 30, 2016 was primarily due to higher average
borrowings.
OTHER
INCOME, NET. Other income, net was $43,000 and $55,000 for the
three months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The
change in other income was primarily due to gains realized in
connection with the fluctuation in the value of the dollar compared
to foreign currencies during the referenced periods.
INCOME
TAX EXPENSE. Income tax expenses were $30,000 and $21,000 for the
three months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015,
respectively.
SIX
MONTHS ENDED NOVEMBER 30, 2016 COMPARED TO SIX MONTHS ENDED
NOVEMBER 30, 2015
NET
SALES. Net sales decreased to $9.5 million for the six months ended
November 30, 2016 from $11.3 million for the six months ended
November 30, 2015, a decrease of 15.3%. The decrease in net sales
for the six months ended November 30, 2016 resulted primarily from
the decreases in net sales of the Company’s wafer-level
products, partially offset by the increase in the Company’s
TDBI products. Net sales of the Company’s wafer-level
products for the six months ended November 30, 2016 were $4.2
million, and decreased approximately $3.2 million from the six
months ended November 30, 2015. Net sales of the TDBI products for
the six months ended November 30, 2016 were $5.3 million, and
increased approximately $1.4 million from the six months ended
November 30, 2015.
GROSS
PROFIT. Gross profit decreased to $3.7 million for the six months
ended November 30, 2016 from $5.1 million for the six months ended
November 30, 2015, a decrease of 27.7%. Gross profit margin
decreased to 38.5% for the six months ended November 30, 2016 from
45.1% for the six months ended November 30, 2015. The higher gross
profit margin for the six months ended November 30, 2015 was
primarily the result of the sale of systems which included
previously written-down material.
SELLING,
GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE. SG&A expenses decreased to $3.4
million for the six months ended November 30, 2016 from $3.6
million for the six months ended November 30, 2015, a decrease of
3.8%. The decrease in SG&A expenses was primarily due to a
decrease in sales commissions to outside sales
representatives.
RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT. R&D expenses increased to $2.1 million for the
six months ended November 30, 2016 from $2.0 million for the six
months ended November 30, 2015, an increase of 5.8%. The increase
in R&D expenses was primarily due to an increase in employment
related expenses.
INTEREST
EXPENSE. Interest expense was $359,000 for the six months ended
November 30, 2016 compared with $272,000 for the six months ended
November 30, 2015. The increase in interest expense in the six
months ended November 30, 2016 was primarily due to higher average
borrowings.
OTHER
INCOME, NET. Other income, net was $40,000 and $31,000 for the six
months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. The change
in other income was due primarily to gains realized in connection
with the fluctuation in the value of the dollar compared to foreign
currencies during the referenced periods.
INCOME
TAX EXPENSE. Income tax expenses were $34,000 and $44,000 for the
six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015,
respectively.
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
Net
cash used in operating activities was $1.4 million and $3.9 million
for the six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively.
For the six months ended November 30, 2016, net cash used in
operating activities was primarily the result of net loss of $2.2
million, as adjusted to exclude the effect of non-cash charge of
stock-based compensation expense of $0.5 million. Net cash used in
operations was also impacted by an increase in accounts receivable
of $1.0 million and a decrease in customer deposits and deferred
revenue of $739 thousand, partially offset by a decrease in
inventories of $1.3 million and an increase in accounts payable of
$721 thousand. The increase in accounts receivable was primarily
due to large shipments toward the end of November 30, 2016. The
decrease in customer deposits and deferred revenue was primarily
due to shipments to customers with down payments. The decrease in
inventories is primarily due to the sales of systems on-hand at the
beginning of the period. The increase in accounts payable was
primarily due to inventory and capital equipment purchases. For the
six months ended November 30, 2015, net cash used in operating
activities was primarily the result of net loss of $0.8 million, as
adjusted to exclude the effect of non-cash charge of stock-based
compensation expense of $0.6 million, as well as a decrease in
customer deposits and deferred revenue of $3.3 million and an
increase in accounts receivable of $1.2 million. This was partially
offset by an increase in accounts payables of $0.7 million. The
decrease in customer deposits and deferred revenue was primarily
due to the shipments of customer orders with down payments. The
increase in accounts receivable was primarily due to an increase in
sales. The increase in accounts payable was primarily due to higher
expenditures associated with higher revenue.
Net
cash used in investing activities was $88,000 and $169,000 for the
six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Net cash
used in investing
activities was due to the purchases of property and
equipment.
Financing
activities provided cash of $5.8 million and $0.5 million for the
six months ended November 30, 2016 and 2015, respectively. Net cash
provided by financing activities during the six months ended
November 30, 2016 was due primarily to the net proceeds of $5.3
million from the sale of our common stock in a private placement
transaction with certain institutional and accredited investors
that closed on September 28, 2016 and $0.5 million in proceeds from
the issuance of common stock under employee plans. Net cash
provided by financing activities during the six months ended
November 30, 2015 was due to proceeds from the issuance of common
stock under employee plans.
The
effect of fluctuation in exchange rates used cash of $43,000 for
the six months ended November 30, 2016 and $10,000 for the six
months ended November 30, 2015. The change in cash used was due to
the fluctuation in the value of the dollar compared to foreign
currencies.
As
of November 30, 2016 and May 31, 2016, the Company had working
capital of $8.9 million and $4.1 million, respectively. Working
capital consists of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable,
inventory and other current assets, less current
liabilities.
The
Company leases its manufacturing and office space under operating
leases. The Company entered into a non-cancelable operating lease
agreement for its United States manufacturing and office
facilities, which was renewed in November 2014 and expires in June
2018. Under the lease agreement, the Company is responsible for
payments of utilities, taxes and insurance.
From
time to time, the Company evaluates potential acquisitions of
businesses, products or technologies that complement the
Company’s business. If consummated, any such transactions may
use a portion of the Company’s working capital or require the
issuance of equity. The Company has no present understandings,
commitments or agreements with respect to any material
acquisitions.
The
Company anticipates that its existing cash balance together with
income from operations, collections of existing accounts
receivable, revenue from our existing backlog of products, the sale
of inventory on hand, and deposits and down payments against
significant orders will be adequate to meet its short-term working
capital and capital equipment requirements. On August 22, 2016, the
Company extended the maturity date of the Convertible Notes due in
2017 to April 10, 2019 which improves its ability to meet current
liabilities for fiscal 2017. On September 28, 2016, the Company
sold 2,721,540 shares of its common stock in a private placement
transaction resulting in net proceeds after offering expenses of
$5,299,000 to the Company. Refer to Note 12, “EQUITY”.
Depending on the Company’s rate of growth and profitability,
and its ability to obtain significant orders with down payments,
the Company may require additional equity or debt financing to meet
its working capital requirements or capital equipment needs. There
can be no assurance that additional financing will be available
when required, or if available, that such financing can be obtained
on terms satisfactory to the Company.
OFF-BALANCE
SHEET ARRANGEMENTS
The
Company has not entered into any off-balance sheet financing
arrangements and has not established any variable interest
entities.
OVERVIEW
OF CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS
On
April 10, 2015, the Company entered into a Convertible Note
Purchase and Credit Facility Agreement providing for the
Company’s sale of the Convertible Notes and a secured
revolving loan facility. On August 22, 2016, the Company entered
into an amendment to the Convertible Note Purchase and Credit
Facility Agreement and the Convertible Notes to extend the maturity
date of the Convertible Notes to April 10, 2019. See Note 11,
“LONG-TERM DEBT”, for a description of the Convertible
Note Purchase and Credit Facility Agreement and the Convertible
Notes.
There
have been no additional material changes in the composition,
magnitude or other key characteristics of the Company's contractual
obligations or other commitments as disclosed in the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended May 31,
2016.
Item 3.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISKS
The
Company had no holdings of derivative financial or commodity
instruments as of November 30, 2016 or May 31, 2016.
The
Company is exposed to financial market risks, including changes in
interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates. The Company
only invests its short-term excess cash in government-backed
securities with maturities of 18 months or less. The Company does
not use any financial instruments for speculative or trading
purposes. Fluctuations in interest rates would not have a material
effect on the Company’s financial position, results of
operations or cash flows.
A
majority of the Company’s revenue and capital spending is
transacted in U.S. Dollars. The Company, however, enters into
transactions in other currencies, primarily Euros and Japanese Yen.
Since the price is determined at the time a purchase order is
accepted, the Company is exposed to the risks of fluctuations in
the foreign currency-U.S. Dollar exchange rates during the lengthy
period from purchase order to ultimate payment. This exchange rate
risk is partially offset to the extent that the Company’s
subsidiaries incur expenses payable in their local currency. To
date, the Company has not invested in instruments designed to hedge
currency risks. In addition, the Company’s subsidiaries
typically carry debt or other obligations due to the Company that
may be denominated in either their local currency or U.S. Dollars.
Since the Company’s subsidiaries’ financial statements
are based in their local currency and the Company’s condensed
consolidated financial statements are based in U.S. Dollars, the
Company’s subsidiaries and the Company recognize foreign
exchange gains or losses in any period in which the value of the
local currency rises or falls in relation to the U.S. Dollar. A 10%
decrease in the value of the subsidiaries’ local currency as
compared with the U.S. Dollar would not be expected to result in a
significant change to the Company’s net income or loss. There
have been no material changes in our risk exposure since the end of
the last fiscal year, nor are any material changes to our risk
exposure anticipated.
Item 4.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
EVALUATION OF
DISCLOSURE CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES. Our management evaluated, with
the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief
Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and
procedures, as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the
Exchange Act, as of the end of the period covered by this Quarterly
Report on Form 10-Q. Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive
Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our
disclosure controls and procedures are effective to ensure that
information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or
submit under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time
periods specified in the SEC rules and forms, and that such
information is accumulated and communicated to management as
appropriate to allow for timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
CHANGES
IN INTERNAL CONTROLS OVER FINANCIAL REPORTING. There was no change
in our internal control over financial reporting, as defined in
Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act, that occurred
during the period covered by this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially
affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
INHERENT
LIMITATIONS OF INTERNAL CONTROLS. Our management, including our
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, does not
expect that our disclosure controls and procedures or our internal
controls will prevent all error and all fraud. A control system, no
matter how well conceived and operated, can provide only
reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the objectives of the
control system are met. Because of the inherent limitations in all
control systems, no evaluation of controls can provide absolute
assurance that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any,
within us have been detected. These inherent limitations include
the realities that judgments in decision-making can be faulty, and
that breakdowns can occur because of a simple error or mistake.
Additionally, controls can be circumvented by the individual acts
of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by
management override of the control. The design of any system of
controls also is based in part upon certain assumptions about the
likelihood of future events, and there can be no assurance that any
design will succeed in achieving our stated goals under all
potential future conditions. Over time, controls may become
inadequate because of changes in conditions, or the degree of
compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. Because
of the inherent limitations in a cost-effective control system,
misstatements due to error or fraud may occur and not be
detected.
PART II
- OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
None.
Item
1A. RISK FACTORS
You
should carefully consider the risks described below. These risks
are not the only risks that we may face. Additional risks and
uncertainties that we are unaware of, or that we currently deem
immaterial, also may become important factors that affect us. If
any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition
or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected
which could cause our actual operating results to differ materially
from those indicated or suggested by forward-looking statements
made in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and in other documents
we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission,
including without limitation our most recently filed Annual Report
on Form 10-K or presented elsewhere by management from time to
time.
If we are not able to reduce our operating expenses sufficiently
during periods of weak revenue, or if we utilize significant
amounts of cash to support operating losses, we may erode our cash
resources and may not have sufficient cash to operate our
business.
In
recent years, in the face of a downturn in our business and a
decline in our net sales, we implemented a variety of cost controls
and restructured our operations with the goal of reducing our
operating costs to position ourselves to more effectively meet the
needs of the then weak market for test and burn-in equipment. While
we took significant steps to minimize our expense levels and to
increase the likelihood that we would have sufficient cash to
support operations during the downturn, from fiscal 2009 through
fiscal 2016, with the exception of fiscal 2014, we experienced
operating losses. The Company anticipates that the existing cash
balance together with income from operations, collections of
existing accounts receivable, revenue from our existing backlog of
products, the sale of inventory on hand, and deposits and down
payments against significant orders will be adequate to meet its
short-term working capital and capital equipment requirements. The
Company extended the maturity date of the Convertible Notes to
April 10, 2019 which improves our ability to meet current
liabilities for fiscal 2017. Refer to Note 11 of Notes to Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements, “LONG-TERM DEBT” for
further discussion of the Convertible Notes. Depending on our rate
of growth and profitability, and our ability to obtain significant
orders with down payments, we may require additional equity or debt
financing to meet our working capital requirements or capital
equipment needs. There can be no assurance that additional
financing will be available when required, or if available, that
such financing can be obtained on terms satisfactory to the
Company.
Our common stock may be delisted from The NASDAQ Capital Market if
we cannot maintain compliance with NASDAQ’s continued listing
requirements.
In
order to maintain our listing on The NASDAQ Capital Market, we are
required to maintain compliance with NASDAQ’s continued
listing requirements. The continued listing requirements include,
among others, a minimum bid price of $1.00 per share and any of:
(i) a minimum stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million; (ii) a
market value of listed securities of at least $35 million; or (iii)
net income from continuing operations of $500,000 in the most
recently completed fiscal year or in two of the last three fiscal
years. There are no assurances that we will be able to sustain
long-term compliance with NASDAQ’s continued listing
requirements. On April 19, 2016 the Company was notified by NASDAQ
that it was no longer in compliance with NASDAQ’s continued
listing requirements as we did not have a minimum
stockholders’ equity of $2.5 million. On October 3, 2016, the
Company was notified by NASDAQ that the Company had regained
compliance with NASDAQ’s continued listing requirements. If
we fail to maintain compliance with the applicable NASDAQ continued
listing requirements, our stock may be delisted.
If
we are delisted, we would expect our common stock to be traded in
the over-the-counter market, which could make trading our common
stock more difficult for investors, potentially leading to declines
in our share price and liquidity. Delisting from The NASDAQ Capital
Market would also constitute an event of default under our
Convertible Notes. In addition, delisting could result in negative
publicity and make it more difficult for us to raise additional
capital.
We rely on increasing market acceptance for our FOX system, and we
may not be successful in attracting new customers or maintaining
our existing customers.
A
principal element of our business strategy is to increase our
presence in the test equipment market through system sales in our
FOX wafer-level test and burn-in product family. The FOX system is
designed to simultaneously functionally test and burn-in all of the
die on a wafer on a single touchdown. The market for the FOX
systems is in the early stages of development. Market acceptance of
the FOX system is subject to a number of risks. Before a customer
will incorporate the FOX system into a production line, lengthy
qualification and correlation tests must be performed. We
anticipate that potential customers may be reluctant to change
their procedures in order to transfer burn-in and test functions to
the FOX system. Initial purchases are expected to be limited to
systems used for these qualifications and for engineering studies.
Market acceptance of the FOX system also may be affected by a
reluctance of IC manufacturers to rely on relatively small
suppliers such as us. As is common with new complex products
incorporating leading-edge technologies, we may encounter
reliability, design and manufacturing issues as we begin volume
production and initial installations of FOX systems at customer
sites. The failure of the FOX system to achieve increased market
acceptance would have a material adverse effect on our future
operating results, long-term prospects and our stock
price.
The semiconductor equipment industry is intensely competitive. In
each of the markets it serves, the Company faces competition from
established competitors and potential new entrants, many of which
have greater financial, engineering, manufacturing and marketing
resources than the Company.
The
Company’s FOX full wafer contact systems face competition
from larger systems manufacturers that have significant
technological know-how and manufacturing capability. The
Company’s ABTS Test During Burn-in (TDBI) systems have faced
and are expected to continue to face increasingly severe
competition, especially from several regional, low-cost
manufacturers and from systems manufacturers that offer higher
power dissipation per device under test. Some users of such
systems, such as independent test labs, build their own burn-in
systems, while others, particularly large IC manufacturers in Asia,
acquire burn-in systems from captive or affiliated suppliers. The
Company’s WaferPak products are facing and are expected to
face increasing competition. Several companies have developed or
are developing full-wafer and single-touchdown probe
cards.
The
Company expects its competitors to continue to improve the
performance of their current products and to introduce new products
with improved price and performance characteristics. New product
introductions by the Company’s competitors or by new market
entrants could cause a decline in sales or loss of market
acceptance of the Company’s products. The Company has
observed price competition in the systems market, particularly with
respect to its less advanced products. Increased competitive
pressure could also lead to intensified price-based competition,
resulting in lower prices which could adversely affect the
Company’s operating margins and results. The Company believes
that to remain competitive it must invest significant financial
resources in new product development and expand its customer
service and support worldwide. There can be no assurance that the
Company will be able to compete successfully in the
future.
We rely on continued market acceptance of our ABTS system and our
ability to complete certain enhancements.
Continued
market acceptance of the ABTS family, first introduced in fiscal
2008, is subject to a number of risks. It is important that we
achieve customer acceptance, customer satisfaction and increased
market acceptance as we add new features and enhancements to the
ABTS product. To date, the Company has shipped ABTS systems to
customers worldwide for use in both reliability and production
applications. The Company has recognized a weakening of ABTS
product sales over the past few quarters. The failure of the ABTS
family to increase revenues above current levels would have a
material adverse effect on our future operating
results.
We generate a large portion of our sales from a small number of
customers. If we were to lose one or more of our large customers,
operating results could suffer dramatically.
The
semiconductor manufacturing industry is highly concentrated, with a
relatively small number of large semiconductor manufacturers and
contract assemblers accounting for a substantial portion of the
purchases of semiconductor equipment. Sales to the Company’s
five largest customers accounted for approximately 94%, 79%, and
90% of its net sales in fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
During fiscal 2016, Apple and Texas Instruments accounted for
approximately 47% and 32%, respectively, of the Company’s net
sales. During fiscal 2015, Texas Instruments and Micronas accounted
for approximately 45% and 11%, respectively, of the Company’s
net sales. During fiscal 2014, Texas Instruments, Spansion and
Micronas accounted for approximately 40%, 30% and 12%,
respectively, of the Company’s net sales. No other customers
accounted for more than 10% of the Company’s net sales for
any of these periods.
We
expect that sales of our products to a limited number of customers
will continue to account for a high percentage of net sales for the
foreseeable future. In addition, sales to particular customers may
fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. The loss of,
reduction or delay in an order, or orders from a significant
customer, or a delay in collecting or failure to collect accounts
receivable from a significant customer could adversely affect our
business, financial condition and operating results.
A substantial portion of our net sales is generated by relatively
small volume, high value transactions.
We
derive a substantial portion of our net sales from the sale of a
relatively small number of systems which typically range in
purchase price from approximately $300,000 to well over $1 million
per system. As a result, the loss or deferral of a limited number
of system sales could have a material adverse effect on our net
sales and operating results in a particular period. Most customer
purchase orders are subject to cancellation or rescheduling by the
customer with limited penalties, and, therefore, backlog at any
particular date is not necessarily indicative of actual sales for
any succeeding period. From time to time, cancellations and
rescheduling of customer orders have occurred, and delays by our
suppliers in providing components or subassemblies to us have
caused delays in our shipments of our own products. There can be no
assurance that we will not be materially adversely affected by
future cancellations or rescheduling. For non-standard products
where we have not effectively demonstrated the ability to meet
specifications in the customer environment, we defer revenue until
we have met such customer specifications. Any delay in meeting
customer specifications could have a material adverse effect on our
operating results. A substantial portion of net sales typically are
realized near the end of each quarter. A delay or reduction in
shipments near the end of a particular quarter, due, for example,
to unanticipated shipment rescheduling, cancellations or deferrals
by customers, customer credit issues, unexpected manufacturing
difficulties experienced by us or delays in deliveries by
suppliers, could cause net sales in a particular quarter to fall
significantly below our expectations.
We may experience increased costs associated with new product
introductions.
As
is common with new complex products incorporating leading-edge
technologies, we have encountered reliability, design and
manufacturing issues as we began volume production and initial
installations of certain products at customer sites. Some of these
issues in the past have been related to components and subsystems
supplied to us by third parties who have in some cases limited the
ability of us to address such issues promptly. This process in the
past required and in the future is likely to require us to incur
un-reimbursed engineering expenses and to experience larger than
anticipated warranty claims which could result in product returns.
In the early stages of product development there can be no
assurance that we will discover any reliability, design and
manufacturing issues or, that if such issues arise, that they can
be resolved to the customers’ satisfaction or that the
resolution of such problems will not cause us to incur significant
development costs or warranty expenses or to lose significant sales
opportunities.
Periodic economic and semiconductor industry downturns could
negatively affect our business, results of operations and financial
condition.
Periodic
global economic and semiconductor industry downturns have
negatively affected and could continue to negatively affect our
business, results of operations, and financial condition. Financial
turmoil in the banking system and financial markets has resulted,
and may result in the future, in a tightening of the credit
markets, disruption in the financial markets and global economy
downturn. These events may contribute to significant slowdowns in
the industry in which we operate. Difficulties in obtaining capital
and deteriorating market conditions can pose the risk that some of
our customers may not be able to obtain necessary financing on
reasonable terms, which could result in lower sales for the
Company. Customers with liquidity issues may lead to additional bad
debt expense for the Company.
Turmoil
in the international financial markets has resulted, and may result
in the future, in dramatic currency devaluations, stock market
declines, restriction of available credit and general financial
weakness. In addition, flash, DRAM and other memory device prices
have historically declined, and will likely do so again in the
future. These developments may affect us in several ways. The
market for semiconductors and semiconductor capital equipment has
historically been cyclical, and we expect this to continue in the
future. The uncertainty of the semiconductor market may cause some
manufacturers in the future to further delay capital spending
plans. Economic conditions may also affect the ability of our
customers to meet their payment obligations, resulting in
cancellations or deferrals of existing orders and limiting
additional orders. In addition, some governments have subsidized
portions of fabrication facility construction, and financial
turmoil may reduce these governments’ willingness to continue
such subsidies. Such developments could have a material adverse
effect on our business, financial condition and results of
operations.
The
recent economic conditions and uncertainty about future economic
conditions make it challenging for us to forecast our operating
results, make business decisions, and identify the risks that may
affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
If such conditions recur, and we are not able to timely and
appropriately adapt to changes resulting from the difficult
macroeconomic environment, our business, financial condition or
results of operations may be materially and adversely
affected.
We sell our products and services worldwide, and our business is
subject to risks inherent in conducting business activities in
geographic regions outside of the United States.
Approximately
80%, 64%, and 56% of our net sales for fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014,
respectively, were attributable to sales to customers for delivery
outside of the United States. We operate a sales, service and
limited manufacturing organization in Germany and sales and service
organizations in Japan and Taiwan. We expect that sales of products
for delivery outside of the United States will continue to
represent a substantial portion of our future net sales. Our future
performance will depend, in significant part, upon our ability to
continue to compete in foreign markets which in turn will depend,
in part, upon a continuation of current trade relations between the
United States and foreign countries in which semiconductor
manufacturers or assemblers have operations. A change toward more
protectionist trade legislation in either the United States or such
foreign countries, such as a change in the current tariff
structures, export compliance or other trade policies, could
adversely affect our ability to sell our products in foreign
markets. In addition, we are subject to other risks associated with
doing business internationally, including longer receivable
collection periods and greater difficulty in accounts receivable
collection, the burden of complying with a variety of foreign laws,
difficulty in staffing and managing global operations, risks of
civil disturbance or other events which may limit or disrupt
markets, international exchange restrictions, changing political
conditions and monetary policies of foreign
governments.
Approximately
97%, 2% and 1% of our net sales for fiscal 2016 were denominated in
U.S. Dollars, Euros and Japanese Yen, respectively. Although the
percentages of net sales denominated in Euros and Japanese Yen were
small in fiscal 2016, they have been larger in the past and could
become significant again in the future. A large percentage of net
sales to European customers are denominated in U.S. Dollars, but
sales to many Japanese customers are denominated in Japanese Yen.
Because a substantial portion of our net sales is from sales of
products for delivery outside the United States, an increase in the
value of the U.S. Dollar relative to foreign currencies would
increase the cost of our products compared to products sold by
local companies in such markets. In addition, since the price is
determined at the time a purchase order is accepted, we are exposed
to the risks of fluctuations in the U.S. Dollar exchange rate
during the lengthy period from the date a purchase order is
received until payment is made. This exchange rate risk is
partially offset to the extent our foreign operations incur
expenses in the local currency. To date, we have not invested in
any instruments designed to hedge currency risks. Our operating
results could be adversely affected by fluctuations in the value of
the U.S. Dollar relative to other currencies.
Our industry is subject to rapid technological change and our
ability to remain competitive depends on our ability to introduce
new products in a timely manner.
The
semiconductor equipment industry is subject to rapid technological
change and new product introductions and enhancements. Our ability
to remain competitive depends in part upon our ability to develop
new products and to introduce them at competitive prices and on a
timely and cost-effective basis. Our success in developing new and
enhanced products depends upon a variety of factors, including
product selection, timely and efficient completion of product
design, timely and efficient implementation of manufacturing and
assembly processes, product performance in the field and effective
sales and marketing. Because new product development commitments
must be made well in advance of sales, new product decisions must
anticipate both future demand and the technology that will be
available to supply that demand. Furthermore, introductions of new
and complex products typically involve a period in which design,
engineering and reliability issues are identified and addressed by
our suppliers and by us. There can be no assurance that we will be
successful in selecting, developing, manufacturing and marketing
new products that satisfy market demand. Any such failure would
materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
Because
of the complexity of our products, significant delays can occur
between a product’s introduction and the commencement of the
volume production of such product. We have experienced, from time
to time, significant delays in the introduction of, and technical
and manufacturing difficulties with, certain of our products and
may experience delays and technical and manufacturing difficulties
in future introductions or volume production of our new products.
Our inability to complete new product development, or to
manufacture and ship products in time to meet customer requirements
would materially adversely affect our business, financial condition
and results of operations.
Our dependence on subcontractors and sole source suppliers may
prevent us from delivering our products on a timely basis and
expose us to intellectual property infringement.
We
rely on subcontractors to manufacture many of the components or
subassemblies used in our products. Our FOX and ABTS systems and
WaferPak contactors contain several components, including
environmental chambers, power supplies, high-density interconnects,
wafer contactors, signal distribution substrates, WaferPak Aligners
and certain ICs that are currently supplied by only one or a
limited number of suppliers. Our reliance on subcontractors and
single source suppliers involves a number of significant risks,
including the loss of control over the manufacturing process, the
potential absence of adequate capacity and reduced control over
delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, quality and costs. In the
event that any significant subcontractor or single source supplier
is unable or unwilling to continue to manufacture subassemblies,
components or parts in required volumes, we would have to identify
and qualify acceptable replacements. The process of qualifying
subcontractors and suppliers could be lengthy, and no assurance can
be given that any additional sources would be available to us on a
timely basis. Any delay, interruption or termination of a supplier
relationship could adversely affect our ability to deliver
products, which would harm our operating results.
Our
suppliers manufacture components, tooling, and provide engineering
services. During this process, our suppliers are allowed access to
intellectual property of the Company. While the Company maintains
patents to protect from intellectual property infringement, there
can be no assurance that technological information gained in the
manufacture of our products will not be used to develop a new
product, improve processes or techniques which compete against our
products. Litigation may be necessary to enforce or determine the
validity and scope of our proprietary rights, and there can be no
assurance that our intellectual property rights, if challenged,
will be upheld as valid.
Future changes in semiconductor technologies may make our products
obsolete.
Future
improvements in semiconductor design and manufacturing technology
may reduce or eliminate the need for our products. For example,
improvements in semiconductor process technology and improvements
in conventional test systems, such as reduced cost or increased
throughput, may significantly reduce or eliminate the market for
one or more of our products. If we are not able to improve our
products or develop new products or technologies quickly enough to
maintain a competitive position in our markets, our business may
decline.
Our stock price may fluctuate.
The
price of our common stock has fluctuated in the past and may
fluctuate significantly in the future. We believe that factors such
as announcements of developments related to our business,
fluctuations in our operating results, general conditions in the
semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industries as well as the
worldwide economy, announcement of technological innovations, new
systems or product enhancements by us or our competitors,
fluctuations in the level of cooperative development funding,
acquisitions, changes in governmental regulations, developments in
patents or other intellectual property rights and changes in our
relationships with customers and suppliers could cause the price of
our common stock to fluctuate substantially. In addition, in recent
years the stock market in general, and the market for small
capitalization and high technology stocks in particular, have
experienced extreme price fluctuations which have often been
unrelated to the operating performance of the affected companies.
Such fluctuations could adversely affect the market price of our
common stock.
We depend on our key personnel and our success depends on our
ability to attract and retain talented employees.
Our
success depends to a significant extent upon the continued service
of Gayn Erickson, our President and Chief Executive Officer, as
well as other executive officers and key employees. We do not
maintain key person life insurance for our benefit on any of our
personnel, and none of our employees are subject to a
non-competition agreement with us. The loss of the services of any
of our executive officers or a group of key employees could have a
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and
operating results. Our future success will depend in significant
part upon our ability to attract and retain highly skilled
technical, management, sales and marketing personnel. There is a
limited number of personnel with the requisite skills to serve in
these positions, and it has become increasingly difficult for us to
hire such personnel. Competition for such personnel in the
semiconductor equipment industry is intense, and there can be no
assurance that we will be successful in attracting or retaining
such personnel. Changes in management could disrupt our operations
and adversely affect our operating results.
We may be subject to litigation relating to intellectual property
infringement which would be time-consuming, expensive and a
distraction from our business.
If we do not adequately protect our
intellectual property, competitors may be able to use our proprietary
information to erode our competitive advantage, which could harm
our business and operating results. Litigation may be necessary to
enforce or determine the validity and scope of our proprietary
rights, and there can be no assurance that our intellectual
property rights, if challenged, will be upheld as valid. Such
litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of
resources and could have a material adverse effect on our operating
results, regardless of the outcome of the litigation. In addition,
there can be no assurance that any of the patents issued to us will
not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented or that the rights
granted thereunder will provide competitive advantages to
us.
There
are no pending claims against us regarding infringement of any
patents or other intellectual property rights of others. However,
in the future we may receive communications from third parties
asserting intellectual property claims against us. Such claims
could include assertions that our products infringe, or may
infringe, the proprietary rights of third parties, requests for
indemnification against such infringement or suggestions that we
may be interested in acquiring a license from such third parties.
There can be no assurance that any such claim will not result in
litigation, which could involve significant expense to us, and, if
we are required or deem it appropriate to obtain a license relating
to one or more products or technologies, there can be no assurance
that we would be able to do so on commercially reasonable terms, or
at all.
While we believe we have complied with all applicable environmental
laws, our failure to do so could adversely affect our business as a
result of having to pay substantial amounts in damages or
fees.
Federal,
state and local regulations impose various controls on the use,
storage, discharge, handling, emission, generation, manufacture and
disposal of toxic and other hazardous substances used in our
operations. We believe that our activities conform in all material
respects to current environmental and land use regulations
applicable to our operations and our current facilities, and that
we have obtained environmental permits necessary to conduct our
business. Nevertheless, failure to comply with current or future
regulations could result in substantial fines, suspension of
production, alteration of our manufacturing processes or cessation
of operations. Such regulations could require us to acquire
expensive remediation equipment or to incur substantial expenses to
comply with environmental regulations. Any failure to control the
use, disposal or storage of or adequately restrict the discharge
of, hazardous or toxic substances could subject us to significant
liabilities.
If we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial
reporting in the future, the accuracy and timing of our financial
reporting may be adversely affected.
We
are required to comply with Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act
of 2002. The provisions of the act require, among other things,
that we maintain effective internal control over financial
reporting and disclosure controls and procedures. Preparing our
financial statements involves a number of complex processes, many
of which are done manually and are dependent upon individual data
input or review. These processes include, but are not limited to,
calculating revenue, deferred revenue and inventory costs. While we
continue to automate our processes and enhance our review and put
in place controls to reduce the likelihood for errors, we expect
that for the foreseeable future, many of our processes will remain
manually intensive and thus subject to human error.
Item 2.
UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS
None except as previously disclosed in
our Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 28,
2016.
Item 3.
DEFAULTS UPON SENIOR SECURITIES
None.
Item 4.
MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not
Applicable
Item 5.
OTHER INFORMATION
None.
Item 6.
EXHIBITS
The
Exhibits listed on the accompanying "Index to Exhibits" are filed
as part of, or incorporated by reference into, this
report.
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
the registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
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Aehr Test
Systems
(Registrant)
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Date: January 13,
2017
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/s/ GAYN
ERICKSON
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Gayn
Erickson
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President and Chief
Executive Officer
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Date:
January 13, 2017 |
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/s/ KENNETH B.
SPINK
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Kenneth B.
Spink
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Vice
President of Finance and Chief Financial
Officer
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AEHR
TEST SYSTEMS
INDEX
TO EXHIBITS
Exhibit
No.
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Description
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10.1(1)
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Purchase
Agreement by and among Aehr Test Systems and the Investors (defined
therein), dated as of September 22, 2016.
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10.2(1)
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Registration
Rights Agreement by and among Aehr Test Systems and
the
Investors (defined therein), dated as of September 22,
2016. |
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Certification of
Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and
15d-14(a) promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
amended, as adopted pursuant to Section 302(a) of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
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Certification of
Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rules 13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a)
promulgated under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended,
as adopted pursuant to Section 302(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
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Certification of
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18
U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.*
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101.INS
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XBRL Instance
Document
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101.SCH
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XBRL Taxonomy
Extension Schema Document
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101.CAL
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XBRL Taxonomy
Extension Calculation Linkbase Document
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|
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101.DEF
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XBRL Taxonomy
Extension Definition Linkbase Document
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101.LAB
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XBRL Taxonomy
Extension Label Linkbase Document
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101.PRE
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XBRL Taxonomy
Extension Presentation Linkbase Document
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(1) Incorporated by
reference to the same numbered Exhibit previously filed with the
Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed September 28, 2016
(File No. 000-22893).
*This
exhibit shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of
Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 or otherwise
subject to the liabilities of that Section, nor shall it be deemed
incorporated by reference in any filings under the Securities Act
of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, whether made before
or after the date hereof and irrespective of any general
incorporation language in any filings.