AMSC Reports Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2019 Financial Results and Provides Business Outlook

Company to host conference call tomorrow, February 6 at 10:00 am ET

AYER, Mass., Feb. 05, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMSC (Nasdaq: AMSC), a global solutions provider serving power grid and wind industry leaders, today reported financial results for its third quarter of fiscal year 2019 ended December 31, 2019.  

Revenues for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 were $17.9 million compared with $14.1 million for the same period of fiscal 2018. The year-over-year increase was a result of higher Grid segment revenues versus the year ago period, partially offset by lower ECS shipments to Inox during the period. The higher Grid segment revenues are primarily due to increased D-VAR, SPS and REG revenues versus the year ago period. 

AMSC’s net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was $6.8 million, or $0.32 per share, compared to net income of $17.3 million, or $0.85 per share, for the same period of fiscal 2018.  The Company’s non-GAAP net loss for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 was $6.7 million, or $0.32 per share, compared with a non-GAAP net loss of $2.3 million, or $0.11 per share, in the same period of fiscal 2018. Please refer to the financial table below for a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results.
  
Cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash on December 31, 2019 totaled $66.3 million, compared with $68.6 million at September 30, 2019.

“Grid revenues more than doubled in the third quarter of fiscal 2019, compared to year ago results,” said Daniel P. McGahn, Chairman, President and CEO, AMSC. “In fact, Grid revenues for the first three quarters of this fiscal year have already surpassed Grid revenues from the entire prior fiscal year. We have maintained our sales momentum, strengthened our backlog and extended our Grid visibility well into fiscal year 2020.” 

Business Outlook
For the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2020, AMSC expects that its revenues will be in the range of $17 million to $20 million.  The Company’s net loss for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019 is expected not to exceed $6.0 million, or $0.28 per share.  The Company's non-GAAP net loss (as defined below) is expected not to exceed $5.0 million, or $0.23 per share.  The Company expects operating cash flow to be a burn of $2 million to $4 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2019.  This guidance does not include any tax payments or other costs related to the final China settlement payment.  The Company expects cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities and restricted cash on March 31, 2020, to be no less than $61 million.

Conference Call Reminder
In conjunction with this announcement, AMSC management will participate in a conference call with investors beginning at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, February 6, 2020, to discuss the Company’s financial results and business outlook. Those who wish to listen to the live or archived conference call webcast should visit the “Investors” section of the Company’s website at http://www.amsc.com/investors. The live call also can be accessed by dialing 800-367-2403 or 334-777-6978 and using conference ID 3141218. A replay of the call may be accessed 2 hours following the call by dialing (888-203-1112 or 719-457-0820 and using conference ID 3141218.

About AMSC (Nasdaq: AMSC)
AMSC generates the ideas, technologies and solutions that meet the world’s demand for smarter, cleaner … better energy. Through its Gridtec Solutions, AMSC provides the engineering planning services and advanced grid systems that optimize network reliability, efficiency and performance. Through its Windtec Solutions, AMSC provides wind turbine electronic controls and systems, designs and engineering services that reduce the cost of wind energy. The Company’s solutions are now powering gigawatts of renewable energy globally and are enhancing the performance and reliability of power networks in more than a dozen countries. Founded in 1987, AMSC is headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts with operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. For more information, please visit www.amsc.com.

AMSC, D-VAR, D-VAR VVO, Gridtec, Windtec, and Smarter, Cleaner … Better Energy are trademarks or registered trademarks of American Superconductor Corporation. All other brand names, product names, trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Any statements in this release regarding sales, backlog and Grid visibility into fiscal 2020; our expected GAAP and non-GAAP financial results for the quarter ending March 31, 2020, our expected cash, cash equivalents, marketable securities, and restricted cash balance on March 31, 2020; and other statements containing the words "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements represent management's current expectations and are inherently uncertain. There are a number of important factors that could materially impact the value of our common stock or cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These important factors include, but are not limited to: A significant portion of our revenues are derived from a single customer, Inox, and we cannot predict if and how successful Inox will be in executing on Solar Energy Corporation of India ("SECI") orders under the new central and state auction regime, and any related failure by Inox to succeed under this regime, or any delay in Inox’s ability to deliver its wind turbines, could result in fewer electric control systems shipments to Inox; We have a history of operating losses and negative operating cash flows, which may continue in the future and require us to secure additional financing in the future; Our operating results may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter and may fall below expectations in any particular fiscal quarter; We may be required to issue performance bonds or provide letters of credit, which restricts our ability to access any cash used as collateral for the bonds or letters of credit;  Changes in exchange rates could adversely affect our results of operations; If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate and timely financial statements could be impaired and may lead investors and other users to lose confidence in our financial data; Our financial condition may have an adverse effect on our customer and supplier relationships; Our contracts with the U.S. government are subject to audit, modification or termination by the U.S. government and include certain other provisions in favor of the government, and additional funding of such contracts may not be approved by U.S. Congress; Our success in addressing the wind energy market is dependent on the manufacturers that license our designs; Our success is dependent upon attracting and retaining qualified personnel and our inability to do so could significantly damage our business and prospects; We may experience difficulties re-establishing our HTS wire production capability in our Ayer, Massachusetts facility; We may not realize all of the sales expected from our backlog of orders and contracts; Our business and operations would be adversely impacted in the event of a failure or security breach of our information technology infrastructure; Failure to comply with evolving data privacy and data protection laws and regulations or to otherwise protect personal data, may adversely impact our business and financial results; We rely upon third-party suppliers for the components and subassemblies of many of our Wind and Grid products, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuations, which could harm our business; Many of our revenue opportunities are dependent upon subcontractors and other business collaborators; If we fail to implement our business strategy successfully, our financial performance could be harmed; Problems with product quality or product performance may cause us to incur warranty expenses and may damage our market reputation and prevent us from achieving increased sales and market share;  Many of our customers outside of the United States may be either directly or indirectly related to governmental entities, and we could be adversely affected by violations of the United States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery laws outside the United States; We have had limited success marketing and selling our superconductor products and system-level solutions, and our failure to more broadly market and sell our products and solutions could lower our revenue and cash flow;  We may acquire additional complementary businesses or technologies, which may require us to incur substantial costs for which we may never realize the anticipated benefits;  Our success depends upon the commercial adoption of the Resilient Electric Grid ("REG") system, which is currently limited, and a widespread commercial market for our products may not develop; Growth of the wind energy market depends largely on the availability and size of government subsidies, economic incentives and legislative programs designed to support the growth of wind energy;  We have operations in, and depend on sales in, emerging markets, including India, and global conditions could negatively affect our operating results or limit our ability to expand our operations outside of these markets; Changes in India’s political, social, regulatory and economic environment may affect our financial performance; Our products face intense competition, which could limit our ability to acquire or retain customers; Our international operations are subject to risks that we do not face in the United States, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results; Lower prices for other fuel sources may reduce the demand for wind energy development, which could have a material adverse effect on our ability to grow our Wind business; Adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions could adversely affect our operating results; We face risks related to our intellectual property; We face risks related to our technologies; We face risks related to our legal proceedings; We face risks related to our common stock; and the important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Part 1. Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019, and our other reports filed with the SEC. These important factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by forward-looking statements made herein and presented elsewhere by management from time to time. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views to change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In thousands, except per share data)

	Three Months Ended								Nine Months Ended
	December 31,								December 31,
	2019				2018				2019				2018
Revenues
Grid	$	15,232			$	6,826			$	36,577			$	23,325
Wind		2,683				7,308				9,120				18,293
Total revenues		17,915				14,134				45,697				41,618
Cost of revenues		16,329				10,398				38,770				30,364
Gross margin		1,586				3,736				6,927				11,254
Operating expenses:
Research and development		2,049				2,470				6,920				7,573
Selling, general and administrative		6,071				5,347				16,726				16,308
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles		85				85				255				255
Restructuring		0				47				0				450
Gain on Sinovel settlement, net		0				(24,978	)			0				(53,698	)
Total operating expenses		8,205				(17,029	)			23,901				(29,112	)
Operating (loss) income		(6,619	)			20,765				(16,974	)			40,366
Change in fair value of warrants		556				(2,475	)			4,648				(2,658	)
Gain on sale of minority interest		0				127				0				127
Interest income, net		262				336				1,101				769
Other income, net		(932	)			124				45				1,058
(Loss) income before income tax expense		(6,733	)			18,877				(11,180	)			39,662
Income tax expense		112				1,584				29				4,548
Net (loss) income	$	(6,845	)		$	17,293			$	(11,209	)		$	35,114
Net (loss) income per common share
Basic	$	(0.32	)		$	0.85			$	(0.54	)		$	1.73
Diluted	$	(0.35	)		$	0.83			$	(0.75	)		$	1.71
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding
Basic		21,185				20,419				20,786				20,300
Diluted		21,203				20,864				20,894				20,538

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEET
(In thousands, except per share data)

	December 31, 2019				March 31, 2019
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	25,481			$	77,483
Marketable securities		25,000				0
Accounts receivable, net		16,491				7,855
Inventory		18,591				12,119
Note receivable, current portion		0				2,888
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		3,704				3,053
Total current assets		89,267				103,398
Marketable securities		10,047				0
Property, plant and equipment, net		8,840				8,972
Intangibles, net		2,635				2,890
Right-of-use asset		3,495				0
Goodwill		1,719				1,719
Restricted cash		5,754				715
Deferred tax assets		1,373				1,357
Other assets		361				279
Total assets	$	123,491			$	119,330
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued expenses	$	19,379			$	15,885
Lease liability, current portion		436				0
Derivative liabilities		(0	)			4,942
Deferred revenue, current portion		15,220				7,557
Total current liabilities		35,035				28,384
Deferred revenue, long term portion		7,923				7,962
Lease liability, long term portion		3,128				0
Deferred tax liabilities		175				1,698
Other liabilities		42				93
Total liabilities		46,303				38,137
Stockholders' equity:
Common stock		228				216
Additional paid-in capital		1,052,621				1,044,622
Treasury stock		(2,666	)			(2,101	)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss		(247	)			(5	)
Accumulated deficit		(972,748	)			(961,539	)
Total stockholders' equity		77,188				81,193
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity	$	123,491			$	119,330

UNAUDITED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In thousands)

	Nine Months Ended December 31,
	2019				2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net (loss) income	$	(11,209	)		$	35,114
Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash (used in)/provided by operations:
Depreciation and amortization		3,312				3,455
Stock-based compensation expense		1,236				2,402
Provision for excess and obsolete inventory		491				686
Gain on sale of minority interest		0				(127	)
Deferred income taxes		(1,069	)			(940	)
Change in fair value of warrants		(4,648	)			2,658
Non-cash interest income		0				(168	)
Other non-cash items		(22	)			(752	)
Unrealized foreign exchange gain/(loss) on cash and cash equivalents		(209	)			—
Changes in operating asset and liability accounts:
Accounts receivable		(8,661	)			(724	)
Inventory		(6,968	)			3,320
Prepaid expenses and other assets		(332	)			(1,380	)
Accounts payable and accrued expenses		2,648				4,603
Deferred revenue		7,652				(361	)
Net cash (used in)/provided by operating activities		(17,779	)			47,786
Cash flows from investing activities:
Purchase of property, plant and equipment		(2,926	)			(709	)
Proceeds from the sale of property, plant and equipment		3,001				138
Purchase of marketable securities		(35,000	)			—
Proceeds from sale of minority interest		0				127
Change in other assets		37				(206	)
Net cash used in investing activities		(34,888	)			(650	)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Employee taxes paid relayed to net settlement of equity awards		(565	)			(456	)
Proceeds from exercise of warrants		6,139				0
Proceeds from exercise of employee stock options and ESPP		100				71
Net cash used in financing activities		5,674				(385	)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash		30				(792	)
Net (decrease)/increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash		(46,963	)			45,959
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at beginning of period		78,198				34,248
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at end of period	$	31,235			$	80,207

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP NET INCOME (LOSS) TO NON-GAAP NET INCOME (LOSS)
(In thousands, except per share data)

	Three Months Ended December 31,								Nine Months Ended December 31,
	2019				2018				2019				2018
Net (loss) income	$	(6,845	)		$	17,293			$	(11,209	)		$	35,114
Sale of minority investments		0				(127	)			0				(127	)
Stock-based compensation		590				792				1,236				2,402
(Gain) on Sinovel settlement, net		—				(24,978	)			—				(53,698	)
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles		85				85				255				255
Changes in fair value of warrants		(556	)			2,475				(4,648	)			2,658
Tax effect of adjustments for (gain) on Sinovel settlement, net		—				2,163				—				4,991
Non-GAAP net loss	$	(6,726	)		$	(2,297	)		$	(14,366	)		$	(8,405	)
Non-GAAP net loss per share - basic	$	(0.32	)		$	(0.11	)		$	(0.69	)		$	(0.41	)
Weighted average shares outstanding - basic		21,185				20,419				20,786				20,300

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP OPERATING CASH FLOW TO NON-GAAP OPERATING CASH FLOW
(In thousands)

		Nine months ended
	December 31, 2019				December 31, 2018
Operating cash flow	$	(17,779	)		$	47,786
Sinovel settlement (net of legal fees and expenses)		1,000				(54,724	)
Tax effect of adjustments		2,724				2,377
Non-GAAP operating cash flow	$	(14,055	)		$	(4,561	)

Reconciliation of Forecast GAAP Net Loss to Non-GAAP Net Loss
(In millions, except per share data)

		Three months ending
		March 31, 2020
Net loss		$	(6.0	)
Stock-based compensation			0.9
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles			0.1
Non-GAAP net loss		$	(5.0	)
Non-GAAP net loss per share		$	(0.23	)
Shares outstanding			21.4

Note: Non-GAAP net loss is defined by the Company as net income (loss) before; sale of minority investments; stock-based compensation; gain on Sinovel settlement, net, amortization of acquisition-related intangibles; changes in fair value of warrants; other non-cash or unusual charges, and the tax effect of adjustments calculated at the relevant rate for our non-GAAP metric. The Company believes non-GAAP net loss assists management and investors in comparing the Company’s performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding these non-cash, non-recurring or other charges that it does not believe are indicative of its core operating performance.  The Company does not expect a further gain on sale of minority investments or gain on Sinovel settlement, net, and the Company no longer has any warrants outstanding, therefore the Company's non-GAAP net loss guidance does not include the impact from these adjustments.  Actual non-GAAP net loss for the fiscal quarter ending March 31, 2020, including the above adjustments, may differ materially from those forecasted in the table above.

Non-GAAP operating cash flow is defined by the Company as operating cash flow before: Sinovel settlement (net of legal fees and expenses); tax effect of adjustments; and other unusual cash flows or items. The Company believes non-GAAP operating cash flow assists management and investors in comparing the Company’s operating cash flow across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding these non-recurring cash items that it does not believe are indicative of its core operating cash flow.

Generally, a non-GAAP financial measure is a numerical measure of a company's performance, financial position or cash flow that either excludes or includes amounts that are not normally excluded or included in the most directly comparable measure calculated and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures included in this release, however, should be considered in addition to, and not as a substitute for or superior to, operating income, cash flows, or other measures of financial performance prepared in accordance with GAAP. A reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP net loss is set forth in the table above.

AMSC Contacts
Investor Relations Contact:
LHA Investor Relations
Sanjay M. Hurry
[phone]
[e-mail]

Public Relations Contact:
RooneyPartners LLC
Bob Cavosi
646-638-9891
[e-mail]

AMSC Communications Manager:
Nicol Golez
Phone: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]