• Revenue: $10.1 million in Q3 2024, up 29.5% from $7.8 million in Q3 2023.
• Product Revenue: 23.4% of total revenues in Q3 2024, compared to 9.7% in Q3 2023.
• Licensing Revenue: $7.7 million in Q3 2024, a 9.8% increase from $7 million in Q3 2023.
• Gross Margin: 82.5% in Q3 2024, compared to 84% in Q2 2024.
• Operating Profit: $87 million in Q3 2024, compared to an operating loss of $3.7 million in Q2 2024.
• Net Profit (Non-IFRS): $80.5 million in Q3 2024, or $2.91 per diluted ADS.
• Cash and Cash Equivalents: $173.6 million at the end of Q3 2024.
• Debt Repayment: Approximately $85 million in mature debt repaid post-Q3 2024.
• Q4 2024 Revenue Growth Outlook: Expected approximately 10% sequential growth.
• Cash Operating Expenses Target: Below $10 million per quarter on average in 2025.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 8 Warning Signs with SQNS.

Release Date: November 05, 2024

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.

Positive Points

• Sequans Communications SA (NYSE:SQNS) successfully closed a $200 million transaction with Qualcomm, enhancing financial stability and validating its technological leadership in the cellular IoT space.
• The company has retained perpetual licensing rights to its 4G IoT technology, allowing it to maintain and enhance its product offerings and support its design win pipeline.
• Sequans Communications SA (NYSE:SQNS) has nearly eliminated its debt, providing greater operational flexibility and positioning the company for targeted R&D investments.
• The company has a robust design win pipeline, representing approximately $250 million in future revenue, with projects transitioning into mass production.
• Sequans Communications SA (NYSE:SQNS) anticipates significant revenue growth in 2025, driven by existing design wins and new opportunities, with a focus on expanding its licensing and services business.

Negative Points

• The company experienced a shipment delay at the end of September, impacting product revenue for the third quarter.
• There was a noncash impairment charge of $56.6 million related to the suspension of the 5G Taurus project, affecting financial results.
• Sequans Communications SA (NYSE:SQNS) faces challenges in rapidly evolving IoT markets, requiring continuous innovation and adaptation to remain competitive.
• The company's financial results are preliminary and subject to finalization, which may lead to adjustments in reported figures.
• Despite improvements, the company still faces the challenge of achieving breakeven by 2026, requiring careful management of cash burn and operational expenses.

Q & A Highlights

Q: Can you provide more details on the product recovery and how it is expected to progress into 2025, particularly regarding the $250 million design win pipeline and the breakdown by technologies? A: Dr. Georges Karam, Chairman, explained that the design win pipeline remains intact, with customers continuing to design with Sequans despite past challenges. The company is seeing traction again, with new deals being closed. The focus this year has been on Cat M Monarch 2 revenue, with new projects expected to come online in Q4 and continue into 2025. The growth will be driven by existing customers with multiple projects moving to mass production. In 2025, there will be a mix of Monarch 2 and Calliope 2 projects, with Cat 1 expected to ramp up significantly.

Q: How does the Redcap technology fit into your strategy, and when do you expect it to become relevant? A: Dr. Georges Karam, Chairman, stated that Redcap and E Redcap are reduced capacity 5G solutions, with Redcap targeting high-end IoT applications and E Redcap focusing on lower speed needs. The Redcap technology will be introduced next year, with E Redcap following the year after. The demand for these technologies will increase as 5G standalone deployments become more widespread, allowing devices to connect directly to 5G without relying on 4G.

Q: Can you elaborate on the licensing opportunities, particularly in relation to Redcap and E Redcap? A: Dr. Georges Karam, Chairman, mentioned that Sequans has a strong track record in licensing, consistently generating significant revenue from these deals. The company is engaged with multiple partners and expects to sign more licensing agreements in 2025. These deals are carefully selected to avoid impacting product revenue and are expected to continue contributing to Sequans' financial performance.

Q: What is the outlook for product revenue growth and licensing revenue in the near term? A: Deborah Choate, CFO, indicated that product revenue is expected to double in Q4 compared to Q3, with continued growth anticipated in 2025 as new design win projects move to mass production. Licensing and service revenues will remain significant, including contributions from the Qualcomm deal. The company is also implementing cost efficiencies to reduce cash operating expenses below $10 million per quarter in 2025.

Q: How is Sequans positioned to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving IoT market? A: Dr. Georges Karam, Chairman, emphasized that Sequans retains a world-class engineering team with deep expertise in 4G and 5G. The company's strategy includes enhancing existing 4G LTE platforms and introducing next-generation 5G products. Sequans' differentiated go-to-market strategy and comprehensive product offerings position it well to meet the growing demand for reliable Western-designed cellular IoT solutions.

For the complete transcript of the earnings call, please refer to the full earnings call transcript.