WILMINGTON, Del., Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — InterDigital, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDCC), a mobile and video technology research and development company, today announced results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2019.Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial HighlightsFourth quarter 2019 total revenue was $102.2 million, compared to $75.3 million in fourth quarter 2018. Fourth quarter 2019 recurring revenue was $77.5 million, compared to $73.7 million in fourth quarter 2018. This increase was driven by new agreements signed in fourth quarter 2019. Additionally, fourth quarter 2019 included $24.7 million of past sales, which was primarily attributable to new deals signed in the quarter.Fourth quarter 2019 operating expenses were $76.9 million, compared to $71.5 million in fourth quarter 2018. The increase was primarily driven by $7.0 million in intellectual property enforcement and non-patent litigation costs. The additional costs associated with our May 2019 acquisition of Technicolor’s R&I division were mostly offset in fourth quarter 2019 by cost savings initiatives.Fourth quarter 2019 net income1 was $13.8 million, or $0.44 per diluted share compared to net income1 of $2.1 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, in fourth quarter 2018.In fourth quarter 2019, the company recorded $17.5 million of cash provided by operating activities, compared to $29.8 million of cash used in operating activities in fourth quarter 2018. The company generated $8.7 million of free cash flow2 in fourth quarter 2019, compared to free cash flow used of $38.7 million in fourth quarter 2018. The increase was primarily driven by timing of collections under fixed-fee agreements. Ending cash and short-term investments totaled $924.7 million.From October 1, 2019 through December 31, 2019, the company repurchased 0.4 million shares of common stock under its stock repurchase program for a total cost of approximately $25.0 million. $71.8 million remains available for repurchase subsequent to the increase to the buyback authorization in May 2019.“In fourth quarter we signed new wireless licenses agreements with key players like Google and ZTE, providing solid revenue growth for our core business and also serving as additional validation of our rate structure highlighted in our transparency effort launched in first quarter 2020,” said William J. Merritt, President and CEO of InterDigital. “In the same quarter, we also signed a new license on the consumer electronics side. That success, combined with ongoing licensing discussions with other consumer electronics customers, allowed us to target the annual licensing potential of our new consumer electronics business at $150 million in 3 to 5 years. With the combined revenue opportunity of our wireless and consumer electronics licensing platforms reaching $650 million, our focus as we enter 2020 is firmly on driving revenue growth while maintaining the operating leverage of the business by meeting our expense targets.”Full Year 2019 Financial HighlightsFull year 2019 recurring revenue was $298.2 million, compared to $280.3 million for full year 2018. This increase was attributable to new licensing agreements and engineering services agreements signed during the year.Full year 2019 operating expenses were $281.1 million, compared to $244.8 million in 2018, an increase of $36.3 million. Of this increase, $29.1 million resulted from the company’s Technicolor acquisitions, including a $9.8 million increase in patent amortization and a $6.3 million increase in revenue sharing costs. The remaining $7.2 million increase in operating expenses was almost entirely driven by increased intellectual property enforcement and non-patent litigation costs.Net income1 was $20.9 million, or $0.66 per diluted share, compared to $65.0 million, or $1.84 per diluted share, in full year 2018.In full year 2019, the company recorded $89.4 million of cash provided by operating activities, compared to $146.8 million provided by operating activities for full year 2018. The company generated $51.4 million of free cash flow2 in full year 2019, compared to $112.1 million for full year 2018. The decrease in cash provided by operating activities was primarily driven by the timing of cash collections under fixed fee agreements, as well as higher cash operating expenses driven by the Technicolor acquisitions.Near-Term OutlookThe company expects total first quarter 2020 revenue to be between $73 million and $75 million, comprised almost entirely of recurring revenue.This revenue guidance does not include the potential impact of any new patent license, technology solutions or patent sale agreements that may be signed, or any arbitration or dispute resolutions that may occur, during the balance of first quarter 2020.Conference Call InformationInterDigital will host a conference call on Thursday, February 20, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its fourth quarter and full year 2019 financial performance and other company matters. For a live Internet webcast of the conference call, visit www.interdigital.com and click on the link to the live webcast on the Investors page. The company encourages participants to take advantage of the Internet option.For telephone access to the conference, call +1 (800) 353-6461 within the United States or +1 (334) 323-0501 from outside the United States. Please call by 9:50 a.m. ET on February 20th and give the operator conference ID number 6761771.An Internet replay of the conference call will be available on InterDigital’s website in the Investors section. In addition, a telephone replay will be available from 1:00 p.m. ET February 20th through 1:00 p.m. ET February 25th. To access the recorded replay, call +1 (888) 203-1112 or +1 (719) 457-0820 and use the replay code 6761771.About InterDigital®InterDigital develops mobile and video technologies that are at the core of devices, networks, and services worldwide. We solve many of the industry’s most critical and complex technical challenges, inventing solutions for more efficient broadband networks, better video delivery, and richer multimedia experiences years ahead of market deployment. InterDigital has licenses and strategic relationships with many of the world’s leading technology companies. Founded in 1972, InterDigital is listed on NASDAQ and is included in the S&P MidCap 400® index.InterDigital is a registered trademark of InterDigital, Inc.For more information, visit the InterDigital website: www.interdigital.com.Forward-Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such statements include information regarding our current beliefs, plans and expectations, including, without limitation, our current expectations with respect to the company’s first quarter 2020 revenue. Words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “forecast,” “goal,” and variations of any such words or similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements.Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties. Actual outcomes could differ materially from those expressed in or anticipated by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, including, without limitation, those identified in this press release, as well as the following: (i) unanticipated delays, difficulties or acceleration in the execution of patent license agreements; (ii) our ability to leverage our strategic relationships and secure new patent license agreements on acceptable terms; (iii) our ability to enter into sales and/or licensing partnering arrangements for certain of our patent assets; (iv) our ability to enter into partnerships with leading inventors and research organizations and identify and acquire technology and patent portfolios that align with InterDigital’s roadmap; (v) our ability to commercialize the company’s technologies and enter into customer agreements; (vi) the failure of the markets for the company’s current or new technologies and products to materialize to the extent or at the rate that we expect; (vii) unexpected delays or difficulties related to the development of the company’s technologies and products; (viii) changes in our interpretations of, and assumptions and calculations with respect to the impact on the company of, the Tax Reform Act, as well as further guidance that may be issued regarding the Tax Reform Act; (ix) failure to accurately forecast the long-term value and costs of the Technicolor patent licensing business or of certain assets acquired in the transactions; (x) the resolution of current legal or regulatory proceedings, including any awards or judgments relating to such proceedings, additional legal or regulatory proceedings, changes in the schedules or costs associated with legal or regulatory proceedings or adverse rulings in such legal or regulatory proceedings; (xi) changes or inaccuracies in market projections; and (xii) changes in the company’s business strategy.We undertake no duty to update publicly any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by applicable law, regulation or other competent legal authority.Footnotes1 Throughout this press release, net income (loss) and diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) are attributable to InterDigital, Inc. (e.g., after adjustments for noncontrolling interests), unless otherwise stated.2 Free cash flow is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure that InterDigital believes is helpful in evaluating the company’s ability to invest in its business, make strategic acquisitions and fund share repurchases, among other things. A limitation of the utility of free cash flow as a measure of financial performance is that it does not represent the total increase or decrease in the company’s cash balance for the period. InterDigital defines “free cash flow” as net cash provided by operating activities less purchases of property and equipment, technology licenses and investments in patents. InterDigital’s computation of free cash flow might not be comparable to free cash flow reported by other companies. The presentation of this financial information, which is not prepared under any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles, is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. A detailed reconciliation of free cash flow to net cash provided by operating activities, the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure, is provided at the end of this press release.
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