LISLE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Molex Incorporated (NASDAQ: MOLX and MOLXA), a global electronic components company, today reported financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2009 that exceeded previously issued guidance.

Revenue for the September 2009 quarter of $674.0 million exceeded the high end of the outlook provided on September 21, 2009 of $665.0 million and increased 18% from the June 2009 quarter. The increase in local currency was 16%. Orders for the quarter were $724.4 million, an increase of 26% from the June 2009 quarter. Recovery in the data, consumer electronics and telecom markets exceeded expectations.

Net loss for the September 2009 quarter was $11.6 million, or $0.07 per share, compared with a net loss of $219.7 million, or $1.27 per share, for the June 2009 quarter. The range for the earnings per share outlook provided on September 21, 2009 was a loss of $0.08 to $0.12 per share.

On a non-GAAP basis, net income for the September 2009 quarter was $31.7 million, or $0.18 per share, compared with a net loss of $16.5 million, or $0.09 per share, in the June 2009 quarter. This result exceeded the upper end of the outlook for non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.16 per share. For the quarter, non-GAAP net income excluded a pretax restructuring charge of $55.9 million ($38.5 million after-tax or $0.22 per share) and a tax adjustment related to stock compensation of $4.8 million or $0.03 per share. The tax adjustment is primarily due to the reversal of a tax benefit for a significant number of employee stock options that expired unexercised during the quarter.

Molex Chief Executive Officer, Martin P. Slark, commented on the quarter, “We continue to see month over month improvements in revenue and orders in virtually all of our key markets. The increase in orders of 26% from the June quarter was the second consecutive quarter of increasing orders and gives us strong momentum going into the December quarter. Order rates in two key markets, consumer electronics and data, surpassed prior year levels. As in the June quarter, we saw significant operating leverage as gross margin benefited from the increase in revenue and ongoing cost containment actions. This is strong evidence that our restructuring program is yielding the intended results. Looking forward, we are assessing the sustainability of the recovery as well as the impact of rising raw material costs and the weaker dollar.”

Other financial highlights for the quarter ended September 30, 2009:

• Gross profit margin improved to 28.4%, compared with 24.1% in the June 2009 quarter.
• SG&A expense was $145.6 million, an increase of $8.9 million from the June 2009 quarter; unfavorable currency translation contributed $3.4 million to the increase.
• Capital expenditures were $45.6 million or 6.8% of revenue.
• The effective tax rate was (52.2)%. Excluding the impact from restructuring costs, asset impairments and the tax adjustment, the tax rate was 34.2%.
• The Book-to-Bill ratio was 1.07.
• Backlog was $304.2 million, an increase of $51.2 million from the June 2009 quarter.
• Cash flow from operations was $70.6 million.
• The term loan in Japan was refinanced during the quarter for a 3-year term at a fixed interest rate of 1.64%. The amount of the loan is 20 billion Japanese Yen.

Outlook

The Company estimates revenue in a range of $680 to $720 million for the December 2009 quarter. At this level of revenue, the Company expects earnings per share in a range of $0.11 to $0.15, assuming an effective tax rate of 30%. Included in these estimates is a pretax restructuring charge of approximately $19 million or $0.07 per share after-tax. Due to the limited visibility caused by current economic conditions, the Company will not provide full year guidance at this time.

Earnings Conference Call Information

A conference call will be held on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 4:00 pm central. Please dial (888) 680-0865 to participate in the conference call. International callers please dial (617) 213-4853. Please dial in at least five minutes prior to the start of the call and refer to participant pass code 50811125. Internet users will be able to access the web-cast, including slide materials, live and in replay in the “Investors” section of the Company’s website at www.molex.com. A 48-hour telephone replay will be available at approximately 6:00 pm central at (888) 286-8010 or (617) 801-6888 / pass code 27765123.

Other Investor Events

October 30, 2009 – Molex Incorporated Annual Meeting of Stockholders in Lisle, IL

December 2, 2009 – NASDAQ OMX 23^rd Investor Program in London

December 3, 2009 – Credit Suisse 2009 Annual Technology Conference in Scottsdale, AZ

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this release that are not historical are forward-looking and are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to vary materially from those stated. Words such as “anticipates,” “expects,” “believes,” “intends,” “plans,” “projects,” “estimates,” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are based on currently available information and include, among others, the discussion under “Outlook.” These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions including those associated with the operation of our business, including the risk that customer demand will decrease either temporarily or permanently, whether due to the Company's actions or the demand for the Company's products, and that the Company may not be able to respond through cost reductions in a timely and effective manner; the risk that the value of our inventory may decline; price cutting, new product introductions and other actions by our competitors; fluctuations in the costs of raw materials that the Company is not able to pass through to customers because of existing contracts or market factors; the availability of credit and general market liquidity; fluctuations in currency exchange rates; the financial condition of our customers; the challenges attendant to plant closings and restructurings, including the difficulty of predicting plant closing and relocation costs, the difficulty of commencing or increasing production at existing facilities, and the reactions of customers, governmental units, employees and other groups, the challenges attendant to plant construction; and the ability to realize cost savings from restructuring activities.

Other factors, risks and uncertainties are set forth in Item 1A “Risk Factors” of the Company’s Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2009 which is incorporated by reference and in other reports that Molex files or furnishes with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Forward-looking statements are based upon assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed in these forward-looking statements. As a result, this release speaks only as of its date and Molex disclaims any obligation to revise these forward-looking statements or to provide any updates regarding information contained in this release resulting from new information, future events or otherwise.

Molex Incorporated is a 71-year-old global manufacturer of electronic, electrical and fiber optic interconnection systems. Based in Lisle, Illinois, USA, the Company operates 41 manufacturing locations in 17 countries. The Molex website is www.molex.com.

Editor’s note: Molex is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market (MOLX and MOLXA) in the United States and on the London Stock Exchange. The Company’s voting common stock (MOLX) is included in the S&P 500 Index.

Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share are non-GAAP financial measures. We refer to Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share to describe earnings and earnings per share excluding the items referenced above. We believe that Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share provide useful information to investors because both provide information about the estimated financial performance of Molex’s ongoing business. Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share are used by management in its financial and operational decision-making and evaluation of overall operating performance and segment level core operating performance. Non-GAAP net income (loss) and non-GAAP earnings (loss) per share may be different from similar measures used by other companies.