• 4th Quarter Revenue: $252 million.
• Earnings Per Diluted Share (EPS): $1.54.
• Systems Revenue: $187.4 million.
• CS&I Revenue: $65 million.
• Gross Margin: 46%.
• Operating Expenses: $61.7 million.
• Operating Profit: $54.5 million.
• Operating Margin: 21.6%.
• Full Year 2024 Revenue: $1.02 billion.
• Full Year Gross Margin: 44.7%.
• Full Year Operating Income: $211 million.
• Full Year EPS: $6.15.
• Free Cash Flow (4th Quarter): $8 million.
• Share Repurchase (4th Quarter): $15 million.
• Cash and Short-term Investments: $571 million.
• Backlog: $646 million.
• Bookings (4th Quarter): $84.5 million.
• 1st Quarter 2025 Revenue Outlook: Approximately $185 million.
• 1st Quarter 2025 Gross Margin Outlook: Approximately 40%.
• 1st Quarter 2025 EPS Outlook: Approximately $0.38.

• Warning! GuruFocus has detected 6 Warning Signs with FIS.

Release Date: February 11, 2025

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

Positive Points

• Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) reported better-than-expected revenue for the 4th quarter of 2024, reaching $252 million, driven by strong demand for aftermarket CS&I sales.
• The company achieved a gross margin of 46% in the 4th quarter, exceeding their outlook of 42.5%, primarily due to higher CS&I revenue.
• Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) maintained a strong balance sheet with $571 million in cash and no debt, providing a solid foundation for future investments.
• The company received 22 customer awards in 2024, indicating strong customer satisfaction and recognition for supplier excellence.
• Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) is strategically expanding its footprint in the advanced logic market and Japan, aiming for long-term growth opportunities.

Negative Points

• The company anticipates a decline in overall revenue for 2025, primarily due to capacity digestion in the power and general mature markets, especially in China.
• Silicon carbide revenue is expected to decline sequentially in the first quarter of 2025 as customers undergo a digestion period.
• The memory market remains soft, with Axcelis Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:ACLS) expecting muted NAND sales and only modest growth in DRAM for 2025.
• The company faces challenges from new US government export restrictions, which could impact revenue from China, although the impact is expected to be at the lower end of the previously estimated range.
• Operating expenses are projected to be slightly higher in 2025 due to continued investments in R&D and customer engagement, which may pressure margins in the short term.

Q & A Highlights

Q: What factors are contributing to the expectation of a stronger second half of 2025 compared to the first half? A: Russell Low, President and CEO, explained that the expectation is based on their backlog, customer conversations, and internal work. Bookings have stabilized, and they are ahead of bookings compared to Q4. Customers have formalized their plans, allowing Axcelis to understand shipping plans better, giving them confidence in a stronger second half.

Q: Why is Axcelis not expecting a pickup in NAND memory revenue despite positive commentary from peers? A: An unidentified company representative stated that NAND is expected to remain muted in 2025. Axcelis sells more implanters when customers expand wafer output, not just when they change technology nodes. Current customer activities are focused on node changes rather than capacity expansion, which doesn't benefit Axcelis until new factories are filled.

Q: How is Axcelis managing the impact of new export controls on their business in China? A: An unidentified company representative mentioned that the initial estimate of the impact was cautious, including potential risks to system shipments. However, new information has provided confidence in their ability to deliver these shipments, leading to an expectation that the impact will be closer to the low end of the previously guided range.

Q: What are the indicators that the first quarter might be the bottom for the current market digestion? A: Russell Low noted that while there is significant digestion in mature technologies in China, the business outside of China remains resilient. They see positive signs from the US, Europe, and Korea, suggesting that the first half will be lower than the second half, but not broken down into specific quarters.

Q: What are Axcelis's plans for expanding into Japan, and how does it fit into their long-term strategy? A: Russell Low highlighted that Japan represents a significant opportunity, with Axcelis having made a beachhead in power applications. They aim to expand through their strongest products and then bring the rest of their portfolio. The expansion into Japan and advanced logic is seen as a multi-year effort, contributing to their long-term growth strategy.

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