adi-20231028
UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
Form 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended October 28, 2023
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission file number 1-7819
Analog Devices, Inc.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
One Analog Way, Wilmington, MA 01887
(Address of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(781) 935-5565
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
______________________________
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock $0.16 2/3 par value per share ADI Nasdaq Global Select Market
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ☐ No☑
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☑ No ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☑ Accelerated filer ☐
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes ☐No ☑
The aggregate market value of the voting and non-voting common equity held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $74,584,000,000 based on the last reported sale of the Common Stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market on April 29, 2023. Shares of voting and non-voting stock beneficially owned by executive officers, directors and holders of more than 5% of the outstanding stock have been excluded from this calculation because such persons or institutions may be deemed affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not a conclusive determination for other purposes.
As of October 28, 2023, there were 496,261,678 shares of Common Stock, $0.162/3 par value per share, outstanding.
Documents Incorporated by Reference
Document Description Form 10-K Part
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Note about Forward-Looking Statements 1
PART I 2
Item 1. Business 2
Item 1A. Risk Factors 11
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 23
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 23
Item 2. Properties 24
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 25
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 25
Item 6. Reserved 27
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 39
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 41
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 43
Consolidated Statements of Income 43
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income 44
Consolidated Balance Sheets 45
Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity 46
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 47
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 48
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 85
Item 9B. Other Information 87
Item 9C. Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions That Prevent Inspections 87
PART III 88
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 88
Item 11. Executive Compensation 88
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 88
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 89
Schedule II - Valuation and Qualifying Accounts 97
Signatures 99
Note About Forward-Looking Statements
This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” contains forward-looking statements regarding future events and our future results that are subject to the safe harbor created under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other safe harbors under the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts, and projections about the industries in which we operate and the beliefs and assumptions of our management. Words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “targets,” “goals,” “projects,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “continues,” “potential,” “may,” “could” and “will,” and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to projections regarding our future financial performance or results; our anticipated growth and trends in our businesses; the effects of business, economic, political, legal and regulatory impacts or conflicts upon our global operations; changes in demand for semiconductors and the related changes in demand and supply for our products, including the effects of customer inventory adjustments; our Q4 2023 Plan (as defined herein); manufacturing delays, product availability, and supply chain disruptions; our ability to recruit or retain our key personnel; our future liquidity, capital needs and capital expenditures; our goals related to carbon neutrality, net zero emissions and water recycling; our development of technologies and processes and research and development investments; our future market position and expected competitive changes in the marketplace for our products; the anticipated result of litigation matters; our plans to pay dividends or repurchase stock; servicing our outstanding debt; our plans to borrow under our third amended and restated revolving credit agreement, as amended, and issue notes under our commercial paper program and the planned use of proceeds from such borrowing and issuing; our expected tax rate; the effect of changes in or the application of new or revised tax laws; expected cost savings; the effect of new accounting pronouncements; our plans to integrate or realize the benefits or synergies expected of acquired businesses and technologies; our continued initiatives to consolidate our footprint related to our business units; and other characterizations of future events or circumstances are forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. Readers are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are only predictions and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict, including those identified in Part I, Item 1A. "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Therefore, actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed in any forward-looking statements. We undertake no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements, including to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of the filing of this report, except to the extent required by law.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
Company Overview, Strategy and Mission
Analog Devices, Inc. (we, Analog Devices or the Company) is a global semiconductor leader dedicated to solving our customers' most complex engineering challenges. We deliver innovations that connect technology to human breakthroughs and play a critical role at the intersection of the physical and digital worlds by providing the building blocks to sense, measure, interpret, connect and power. We design, manufacture, test and market a broad portfolio of solutions, including integrated circuits (ICs), software and subsystems that leverage high-performance analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing technologies. Our comprehensive product portfolio, deep domain expertise and advanced manufacturing capabilities extend across high-performance precision and high-speed mixed-signal, power management and processing technologies – including data converters, amplifiers, power management, radio frequency (RF) ICs, edge processors and other sensors.
The Intelligent Edge is characterized by ubiquitous sensing, hyper-scale and edge computing and pervasive connectivity. These technological trends are driving a continuous evolution of new generations of applications that are increasing the demand for Analog Devices’ high-performance analog, mixed-signal, power and RF ICs. We have positioned our business to capitalize on the secular growth opportunities across our markets and to deliver innovative solutions. Central to our strategy is our focus on challenges that our customers have across the most impactful application areas. That is built around the following three key priorities, which will continue to drive our long-term success:
•Efficient use of capital. Research and development (R&D) is critical to continue our cycle of innovation-driven success. We target the most attractive opportunities, particularly across our business-to-business (B2B) markets including Industrial, Automotive and Communications. We are also deeply committed to realizing targeted shareholder value creation from our recent acquisitions to complement our R&D and drive long-term value creation. Through the development of cutting-edge innovations and our ability to solve difficult problems across a broad array of applications, we generate significant cash flow and are deeply committed to delivering strong shareholder returns.
•Deepening customer-centricity. Close customer relationships influence aspects of our business: from our broad range of product portfolios and applications expertise to manufacturing capabilities in high-performance power management and precision and high-speed signal processing technologies. We believe that our engineering talent continues to be an important competitive differentiator in the semiconductor space that will enable us to continue to deepen our relationships with customers. We strive to be the destination for the world's best engineering talent with a team of more than 13,000 engineers. Together, our products and our engineering talent enable us to partner with our customers, leveraging our analog domain expertise and receiving the full benefit of our technology capabilities to develop complete and innovative solutions.
•Capitalizing on secular trends. We are positioned to capitalize on important secular growth trends to drive advancements in digitized factories, mobility and digital healthcare, combat climate change and reliably connect humans and the world. In addition, we are well-aligned with the key B2B markets driving the increase in data at the Intelligent Edge and we will continue to be a critical partner in the collection, creation and communication of our customers’ edge data.
In addition to driving organic growth, our strategy involves expansion through the acquisition of businesses, assets or technologies, including the acquisition of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Maxim) in the fiscal year ended October 30, 2021 (fiscal 2021) which allow us to complement our existing product offerings, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering talent or enhance our technological capabilities.
We were incorporated in Massachusetts in 1965with our corporate headquarters near Boston in Wilmington, Massachusetts. We have manufacturing facilities primarily in the United States, Ireland and Southeast Asia. Our common stock is listed on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ADI and is included in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Our fiscal year is the 52-week or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to the last day in October; October 28, 2023 (fiscal 2023), the fiscal year ended October 29, 2022 (fiscal 2022) and the fiscal year ended October 30, 2021 were 52-week fiscal periods.
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Acquisition of Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.
On August 26, 2021 (Acquisition Date), we completed the acquisition of Maxim, an independent manufacturer of innovative analog and mixed-signal products and technologies. Pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of July 12, 2020 (the Merger Agreement), Maxim stockholders received, for each outstanding share of Maxim common stock, 0.6300 of a share of the Company’s common stock as of the Acquisition Date, for total consideration of approximately $28.0 billion of our common stock. The acquisition of Maxim is referred to as the Acquisition.
Available Information
We maintain a website with the address www.analog.com. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K (including exhibits), and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We also make available on our website our by-laws, corporate governance guidelines, the charters for the committees of our Board of Directors and our code of business conduct and ethics which applies to our directors, officers and employees and other governance documents. Such information is available in print and free of charge to any shareholder of Analog Devices who requests it. In addition, we intend to disclose on our website any amendments to, or waivers from, our code of business conduct and ethics that are required to be publicly disclosed pursuant to rules of the SEC or Nasdaq.
We have included our website address in this Annual Report on Form 10-k as an inactive textual reference. We are not including the information contained on our website as a part of, or incorporating it by reference into, this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Products
Semiconductor components are the building blocks used in electronic systems and equipment. These components are classified as either discrete devices, such as individual transistors, or as ICs, in which a number of transistors and other elements are combined to form a more complicated electronic circuit.
Our ICs are designed to address a wide range of real-world signal processing applications. We sell our ICs to customers worldwide, many of whom use products spanning our core technologies in a wide range of applications. Our IC product portfolio includes both general-purpose products used by a broad range of customers and applications, as well as application-specific products designed for specific target markets. By using readily available, high-performance, general-purpose products in their systems, our customers can reduce the time they need to bring new products to market. Given the high cost of developing more customized ICs, our standard products often provide a cost-effective solution for many low to medium volume applications. Our analog ICs monitor, condition, amplify or transform continuous analog signals associated with physical properties, such as temperature, pressure, weight, light, sound or motion, and play an important role in bridging real world phenomena to a variety of electronic systems. Our analog ICs also provide voltage regulation and power control to electronic systems.
We also work with customers to design application-specific solutions. We begin with our existing core technologies, which leverage our analog and mixed signal, power management, RF and microwave, edge processors and other sensors, and devise solutions that more closely meet the needs of a specific customer or group of customers. In certain cases, because we have already developed the core technology platform for our general-purpose products, we can create application-specific solutions quickly and efficiently.
Our analog and mixed-signal IC technology have been the foundation of our business for over five decades, and we are one of the world’s largest suppliers of high-performance analog ICs. Our analog signal processing ICs are primarily high-performance devices, offering higher dynamic range, greater bandwidth and other enhanced features. We believe that the principal advantages these products have as compared to competitors’ products include higher accuracy, higher speed, lower cost per function, smaller size, lower power consumption and fewer components, resulting in improved performance and reliability. Our product portfolio includes several thousand analog ICs, many of which can have several hundred end customers. Our analog ICs typically have long product life cycles. Our customers include original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and customers who build electronic subsystems for integration into larger systems.
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Our product offerings include more than 75,000 stock keeping units (SKUs) that can be aggregated into the following general categories:
•Analog and Mixed Signal—We are a leading supplier of data converter products. Data converters translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals. Data converters remain our largest and most diverse product family and an area where we are continuously innovating to enable our customers to redefine and differentiate their products. Our converter products combine sampling rates and accuracy with the low noise, power, price and small package size required by industrial, automotive, consumer, and communications electronics.
•Power Management & Reference—Power management and reference products, which include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management, provide efficient solutions for power management and conversion applications in the automotive, communications, industrial and high-end consumer markets. Our high-performance power ICs include powerful performance, integration and software design simulation tools to provide fast and accurate power supply designs.
•Amplifiers/RF and Microwave—We are also a leading supplier of high-performance amplifiers which are used to condition analog signals. High performance amplifiers emphasize the performance dimensions of speed and precision. Within this product portfolio we provide precision, instrumentation, high speed, intermediate frequency/RF/microwave, broadband, and other amplifiers. Our analog product line also includes a broad portfolio of high-performance RF and microwave ICs covering the entire RF signal chain. Our high-performance RF and microwave ICs support the high-performance requirements of cellular infrastructure and a broad range of applications in our target markets, including instrumentation, aerospace and automotive.
•Sensors & Actuators—Our analog technology portfolio is comprised of sensor and actuator products, including products based on micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology. MEMS technology enables us to build extremely small sensors that incorporate an electromechanical structure and the supporting analog circuitry for conditioning signals obtained from the sensing element. Our MEMS product portfolio includes accelerometers used to sense acceleration, gyroscopes used to sense rotation, inertial measurement units used to sense multiple degrees of freedom combining multiple sensing types along multiple axes, and broadband switches suitable for radio and instrument systems. We offer other high-performance sensors, from temperature to magnetic fields, that are deployed in a variety of systems. In addition to sensor products, our other analog product category includes isolators that enable designers to implement isolation in designs without the cost, size, power, performance, and reliability constraints found with optocouplers.
•Digital Signal Processing and System Products(DSPs)—DSPs are optimized for high-speed numeric calculations, which are essential for instantaneous, or real-time, processing of digital data generated, in most cases, from analog to digital signal conversion. Our DSPs are designed to be fully programmable and to efficiently execute specialized software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data. Programmable DSPs are designed to provide the flexibility to modify the device’s function quickly and inexpensively using software. Our general-purpose DSP IC customers typically write their own algorithms using software development tools provided by us and third-party suppliers. Our DSPs are designed in families of products that share common architectures and therefore can execute the same software across a range of products.
Sales Channel
We sell our products globally through a direct sales force, third-party distributors, independent sales representatives and via our website. We have direct sales offices, sales representatives and/or distributors in over 50 countries. We support our worldwide sales efforts through our website and with extensive promotional programs that include editorial coverage and paid advertising in online and printed trade publications, webinars, social media and communities, promotional and training videos, direct mail programs, technical seminars and participation in trade shows. We publish, share and distribute technical content such as data sheets, application guides and catalogs. We maintain a staff of field application engineers who aid customers in incorporating our products into their products. In addition, we offer a variety of web-based tools that ease product selection and aid in the design process for our customers.
We believe distributors provide a cost-effective means of reaching a broad range of customers while providing efficient logistics services. From time to time, we may add or terminate distributors in specific geographies, or move customers to a direct support or fulfillment model as we deem appropriate given our strategies, the level of distributor business activity and distributor performance and financial condition.
These distributors typically maintain an inventory of our products. Some of them also sell products that compete with our products, including those for which we are an alternate source. We make sales to distributors under agreements that allow certain distributors to receive price adjustment credits and to return qualifying products for credit, as determined by us, in order
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to reduce the amounts of slow-moving, discontinued or obsolete product from their inventory. These agreements limit such returns to a certain percentage of our shipments to that distributor during the prior quarter. In addition, certain distributors are allowed to return unsold products if we terminate the relationship with the distributor. Additional information relating to our revenue and customer concentration is set forth in Note 2l, Concentrations of Risk; Note 2n, Revenue Recognition; and Note 4, Industry, Segment and Geographic Information, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
We typically do not have long-term sales contracts with our customers. In some of our markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even any, of the product. In other instances, we manufacture product based on forecasts of customer demand. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales and are subject to the risk of cancellation of orders leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, those orders or forecasts may be for products that meet the customer’s unique requirements such that those canceled orders would result in an inventory of unsaleable products, causing potential inventory write-offs.
Markets
The breakdown of our annual revenue by end market is set out in the table below:
*The sum of the individual percentages may not equal 100% due to rounding.
The following describes some of the characteristics of, and customer products within, our major end markets of Industrial, Automotive, Communications and Consumer:
Industrial — Our industrial market includes the following sectors:
Industrial Automation — We are a leader in industrial automation because we deliver robust, high performance solutions from our deep motion and process control expertise and precision sensing measurement and interpretation to expansive connectivity and power capabilities. We take real-world phenomena in the most complex environments on the factory floor and translate it into valuable insights and outcomes. We co-create with customers to architect robotics systems and solutions that improve dynamic behavior and precision while enhancing worker safety, machine health, and manufacturing flexibility. Our industrial automation market includes applications such as:
• Condition-based monitoring (CbM) • Industrial power supplies
• Industrial robotics • Industrial motion control
• Factory and process control
Instrumentation & Measurement — Trusted measurement is at the forefront of innovation. With the rapid pace of global transformation, from ubiquitous connectivity, to electrification, to artificial intelligence, to human health and environmental sustainability — all these trends require reliable and efficient test solutions from R&D to manufacturing to field deployment. We enable high performance measurement through our components and system solutions. Our RF, high-speed and power management products are designed to enable solutions for complying with evolving communications standards. Our high-voltage, isolation and precision products are a key part of the systems that are designed for safety, longevity and efficiency in electric vehicles and renewable energy. Beyond electrical testing, our precision and power technology enable analytical instruments for drug or vaccine R&D and manufacturing, food safety and quality and environmental monitoring. Our instrumentation and measurement market includes applications such as:
• Automated test equipment • Automotive and energy test
• Electronic test and measurement • Life sciences and drug discovery
• Environmental and process analysis
Aerospace/Defense — The defense, commercial avionics and space markets all require high-performance ICs that meet rigorous environmental and reliability specifications. Many of our ICs can be supplied in versions that meet these standards. In addition, many products can be supplied to meet the standards required for broadcast satellites and other commercial space
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applications. Most of our products sold in this market are specially tested versions of products derived from our standard product offering. As end systems are becoming more complex, many of our customers in this market also look for us to provide higher levels of integration in order to minimize size, weight and power and to improve ease-of-use. As such, we also sell products in the form of SiPs (system in package), printed circuit board assemblies, modules, and subsystems. Customer products include applications such as:
• Navigation systems • Radar systems
• Space and satellite communications • Security devices
• Communication systems • Electronic surveillance and countermeasures
Healthcare — The healthcare market is evolving in response to the need for increased access to better and more affordable care, as well as a growing focus on preventative healthcare and the need to better manage chronic conditions. To help achieve this, we are collaborating with customers and partners on innovative solutions that are designed to achieve better outcomes for patients and physicians at reduced costs for all. Our offerings include both standard and application-specific products and are used in applications such as:
• Ultrasound systems • Anesthesia equipment
• X-Ray equipment (CT and DR) • Lab diagnostic equipment
• Image guided therapy • Surgical tools and instruments
• Multi-parameter vital signs monitors • Blood analyzers
• Remote patient monitoring • Point-of-care diagnostics
Energy Management — The global drive towards improved energy efficiency, conservation, reliability and cleanliness is driving investments in electrification across many different application areas, including electric vehicle charging infrastructure, renewable energy, power transmission and distribution systems, electric meters and other innovative areas. The common characteristic behind these efforts is the addition of sensing, measurement and communication technologies to electrical infrastructure. Our offerings include both standard and application-specific products and are used in applications such as:
• Utility meters • Wind turbines
• Electric vehicle charging infrastructure • Solar inverters
Automotive — We develop differentiated high-performance signal processing solutions, which enable sophisticated transportation systems that span infotainment, electrification and autonomous applications. Through collaboration with manufacturers worldwide, we have developed a broad portfolio of analog, digital, power and sensor ICs that address the emerging needs of this evolving industry. Our focus is on audio/video applications that lead to an enriched in-cabin experience, electrification applications that improve vehicle range and reduce emissions, and mission-critical perception and navigation applications that enable vehicles to more clearly sense the external environment. Specifically, we have developed products used in applications such as:
• Video processing and connectivity
Communications — The development of broadband, wireless and internet infrastructures around the world has created an important market for our communications products. Communications technology involves the processing of signals that are converted from analog to digital and digital to analog form during the process of transmitting and receiving data. The need for higher speed and reduced power consumption, coupled with more reliable, bandwidth-efficient communications, creates demand for our products, which are used in the full spectrum of signal processing for data, video, voice and machine-to-machine communications. In wireless and wireline communication applications, our products are incorporated into:
• Data centers and data storage
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Consumer — To address the market demand for state of the art personal and professional entertainment systems and the consumer demand for high quality user interfaces, music, movies and photographs, we have developed analog, digital and mixed-signal and power solutions that meet the rigorous cost and time-to-market requirements of the consumer electronics market. The emergence of high-performance, feature-rich consumer products has created a market for our high-performance ICs with a high level of specific functionality that enables best in class user experience and battery management. These products include:
See Note 4, Industry, Segment and Geographic Information, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information about our products by end market.
Competition
We believe that competitive performance in the marketplace for signal processing products depends upon multiple factors, including technological innovation, strength of brand, diversity of product portfolio, product performance, technical support, delivery capabilities, customer service quality, reliability and price, with the relative importance of these factors varying among products, markets, and customers. We compete with a number of semiconductor companies in markets that are highly competitive. Many companies have sufficient financial, manufacturing, technical, sales and marketing resources to develop and market products that compete with our products. Some of our competitors may have more advantageous supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers or suppliers. Our competitors also include both emerging companies selling specialized products in markets we serve and companies outside of the U.S., including entities associated with well-funded efforts by foreign governments to create indigenous semiconductor industries.
We believe that our technical innovation emphasizing product performance and reliability, supported by our commitment to strong customer service and technical support, enables us to make a fundamental difference to our customers’ competitiveness in our chosen markets.
Seasonality
Our sales are subject to a varying degree of seasonality. Historically, sales to customers during our first fiscal quarter may be lower than other quarters due to plant shutdowns at some of our customers. In general, the seasonality for any specific period of time has not had a material impact on our results of operations. In addition, as explained in our risk factors contained in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, our revenue is more likely to be influenced on a quarter to quarter basis by cyclicality in the semiconductor industry.
We believe that a number of factors should be used to assess future customer demand, including backlog, macroeconomic trends, customer insights and current customer bookings as compared to billings (book-to-bill) ratio. We define backlog to mean firm orders from a customer or distributor with a requested delivery date within thirteen weeks. However, backlog may be impacted by the tendency of customers to rely on shorter lead times available from suppliers, including us, in periods of depressed demand. In periods of increased demand, there is a tendency towards longer lead times that has the effect of increasing backlog and, in some instances, we may not have manufacturing capacity sufficient to fulfill all orders. As is customary in the semiconductor industry, we allow most orders to be canceled within a reasonable notification period or deliveries to be delayed by customers without significant penalty, while also allowing certain distributors to receive price adjustment credits and to return qualifying products for credit, as determined by us, in order to reduce the amounts of slow-moving, discontinued or obsolete product from their inventory.
Production Resources
Monolithic IC components are manufactured in a sequence of semiconductor production steps that include wafer fabrication, wafer testing, dicing the wafer into individual “chips,” or dice, assembly of the dice into packages and electrical testing of the devices in final packaged form. The raw materials used to manufacture these devices include silicon wafers, processing chemicals (including liquefied gases), precious metals laminates, ceramic and plastic used for packaging. We utilize, develop and employ a wide variety of manufacturing processes, primarily based on bipolar and complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) transistors, which are specifically tailored for use in fabricating high-performance analog, DSP and mixed-signal ICs. Devices such as MEMS, iCoupler® isolators and various sensors are fabricated using specialized processes, which typically use substantially similar equipment as bipolar and CMOS processes.
Our IC products are fabricated on proprietary processes at our internal production facilities in Wilmington, Massachusetts; Camas, Washington; Beaverton, Oregon; and Limerick, Ireland and also on a mix of proprietary and non-proprietary processes at third-party wafer fabricators. We currently source more than half of our wafer requirements annually from third-party wafer fabrication foundries, such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and others, and
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the remainder is sourced internally. In addition, we operate an assembly, wafer sort and testing facility in Penang, Malaysia and wafer sort and test facilities in the Philippines and Thailand. We also make extensive use of third-party subcontractors for the assembly and testing of our products.
Our products require a wide variety of components, raw materials and external foundry services, most of which we purchase from third-party suppliers. We have multiple sources for many of the components and materials that we purchase and incorporate into our products. If any of our key suppliers are unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver sufficient quantities of components to us on the time schedule and of the quality that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage additional or replacement suppliers, which could result in significant expenses and disruptions or delays in manufacturing, product development and shipment of product to our customers. Although we have experienced shortages of components, materials and external foundry services from time to time, we work to balance these constraints by shifting global resources and capacity where appropriate.
Patents and Intellectual Property Rights
We seek to establish and maintain our proprietary rights in our technology and products through the use of patents, copyrights, mask works, trademarks and trade secrets. We have a program to file applications for and obtain patents, copyrights, mask works and trademarks in the United States and in selected foreign countries where we believe filing for such protection is appropriate. We also seek to maintain our trade secrets and confidential information by nondisclosure policies and through the use of appropriate confidentiality agreements. We have obtained a substantial number of patents and trademarks in the United States and in other countries. As of October 28, 2023, we held approximately 4,842 U.S. patents and approximately 416 published pending U.S. patent applications. There can be no assurance, however, that the rights obtained can be successfully enforced against infringing products in every jurisdiction. While our patents, copyrights, mask works, trademarks and trade secrets provide some advantage and protection, we believe our competitive position and future success is largely determined by such factors as the system and application knowledge, innovative skills, technological expertise and management ability and experience of our personnel; the range and success of new products being developed by us; our market brand recognition and ongoing marketing efforts; and customer service and technical support. It is generally our policy to seek patent protection for significant inventions that may be patented, though we may elect, in certain cases, not to seek patent protection even for significant inventions, if we determine other protection, such as maintaining the invention as a trade secret, to be more advantageous. We also have trademarks that are used in the conduct of our business to distinguish genuine Analog Devices products, and we maintain cooperative advertising programs to promote our brands and identify products containing genuine Analog Devices components.
Environment, Social and Governance
We are a member of the Responsible Business Alliance as well as a signatory to the United Nations Global Compact and the Business Ambition for 1.5°C campaign. Our 2022 Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Report states our goals to be carbon neutral by calendar year 2030, to achieve net zero emissions by calendar year 2050 or sooner, to achieve a water recycling rate of at least 50% in manufacturing facilities by 2025, to comply with our code of business conduct and ethics and to apply fair labor standards. The ESG Report is available on our website at www.analog.com/sustainability. The contents of our website and the information contained in our ESG Report are not incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
To support our commitment to ESG, we have implemented an oversight structure which includes a quarterly reporting cadence both to senior management and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee of the Board of Directors. These quarterly reports include updates on progress against targets, as well as updates on topics such as stakeholder value, risks and opportunities, regulatory preparedness, ESG ratings and key ESG focus areas.
We are committed to protecting the environment and the health and safety of our employees, customers and the public. We endeavor to adhere to applicable environment, health and safety (EHS) regulatory and industry standards across all of our facilities, and to encourage pollution prevention, reduce our water and energy consumption, manage waste streams to divert from landfills and strive towards continual improvement. We strive to achieve excellence in EHS management practices as an integral part of our total quality management system.
Our EHS management systems in all of our manufacturing facilities are certified to ISO 14001:2015 for environmental management and ISO 45001:2018 for occupation health and safety. Our industrial hygiene surveillance program is designed to minimize and prevent exposures in the workplace. We use two industry standard metrics to assess injury performance and trends worldwide. In fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022, our global injury rates were lower than the U.S. semiconductor industry benchmark.
Our manufacturing facilities are subject to numerous and increasingly strict federal, state, local and foreign EHS laws and regulations, particularly with respect to the transportation, storage, handling, use, emission, discharge and disposal of certain
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chemicals used or produced in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Our products are subject to increasingly stringent regulations regarding substance content in jurisdictions where we sell products. Contracts with many of our customers reflect these and additional EHS compliance standards. Substance content of our products includes materials that are subject to conflict mineral reporting requirements. Compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material impact on our capital expenditures, earnings, financial condition or competitive position. There can be no assurance, however, that current or future environmental laws and regulations will not impose costly requirements upon us. Any failure by us to comply with applicable environmental laws, regulations and contractual obligations could result in fines, suspension of production, the need to alter manufacturing processes and legal liability.
Cybersecurity and Information Security Risk Oversight
We regularly perform risk assessments relating to cybersecurity and technology risks. Our enterprise security program has been developed based on industry standards, including those published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Highlights of the program include:
•A comprehensive set of enterprise security policies and procedures that guide our protection strategy.
•Protecting against threats through use of the following measures: identifying critical assets and high-risk threats; implementing cybersecurity detection, controls and remediation practices; implementing a third-party risk management program to evaluate our critical partners’ cyber posture; and evaluating our program effectiveness by performing internal and external assessments.
Risks identified by our cybersecurity program are analyzed to determine the potential impact on us and the likelihood of occurrence. Such risks are continuously monitored to ensure that the circumstances and severity of such risks have not changed. Senior leadership and our internal audit team provides the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors with quarterly updates on the performance of our program. The Chief Information Officer regularly updates the full Board of Directors on information security matters and risk, including cybersecurity.
We conduct regular workforce training to instruct employees to identify cybersecurity concerns and take the appropriate action. We install and regularly update antivirus software on all company managed systems and workstations to detect and prevent malicious code from impacting our systems. In addition, we have a product security team focused on integrating risk and security best practices into our product development life cycle. Periodically, we are audited by an independent information systems expert to determine both the adequacy of, and compliance with, controls and standards.
We self-insure for cybersecurity risks and continue to monitor mitigation strategies. We have not experienced a material security breach in the last three years, and as a result, we have not incurred any net expenses from such a breach. Furthermore, we have not been penalized or paid any amount under an information security breach settlement over the last three years.
Human Capital and Empowerment
Our company was founded on the principle that people are our greatest asset. Our future success depends in large part on the continued service of our key technical and senior management personnel, and on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified employees, particularly highly-skilled engineers involved in the design, development, support and manufacture of new and existing products and processes. In order for us to attract the best talent, we aim to offer challenging work in an environment that enables our employees to learn, grow and reach their full potential.
Core to our empowerment strategy is embracing diversity and building a culture of inclusion across the organization. We are working to achieve this by expanding the diversity of our workforce, creating growth and development opportunities for our employees, embracing different perspectives and fostering an inclusive work environment for all. In addition, we encourage employees to organize and develop different employment networks, which contribute to our broader diversity and inclusion initiatives. Our current employee networks include the Analog Veterans Network, Neurodiversity Network, People of Color and Allies Network, Pride Network, Women’s Leadership Network, Young Professionals Network, the Green Team and the Communities Activities Board. As noted in "Environment, Social and Governance" above, we published our 2022 ESG Report which details our sustainability efforts, operations efficiency, employee engagement and governance, and also provides a look at the state of our organization and an overview of some of the initiatives we have launched to drive continuous improvements across diversity and inclusion.
As of October 28, 2023, we had approximately 26,000 employees, of whom approximately 13,000 are in engineering roles. Approximately 60% of our workforce is male and 40% female. Our senior leadership team is 73% male and 27% female, while manager roles are approximately 75% male and 25% female. 33% of the members of our Board of Directors are female. For fiscal 2023, our voluntary employee turnover rate was approximately 7.6%.
Our human capital resource objectives include identifying, recruiting, retaining, incentivizing and integrating our existing and future employees. We strive to attract and retain the most talented employees in the industry and across the globe by
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offering competitive compensation and benefits that support their health, financial and emotional well-being. Our compensation philosophy is based on rewarding each employee’s individual contributions and striving to achieve equal pay for equal work regardless of gender, race or ethnicity. We use a combination of fixed and variable pay including base salary, bonuses, performance awards and equity compensation. The principal purposes of our equity incentive plans are to attract, retain and motivate selected employees and directors through the granting of stock-based compensation awards. We offer employees benefits that vary by country and are designed to meet or exceed local laws and to be competitive in the marketplace. Examples of benefits offered in the U.S. include a 401(k) plan with employer contributions; health benefits; life, business travel and disability insurance; additional voluntary insurance; paid time off and parental leave; education assistance; paid counseling assistance; backup child and adult care; adoption support; and family college planning. For further information concerning our equity incentive plans, see Note 3, Stock-based Compensation and Shareholders' Equity, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In order to ensure that we are meeting our human capital objectives we frequently utilize employee surveys to understand the effectiveness of our employee and compensation programs and where we can improve across the company. Our latest survey completed in fiscal 2022 had a participation rate of over 83% of all our employees and the survey results indicated that we excel in areas including purpose, respectful treatment, commitment to diversity/inclusion and accountability. Our dual focus of being a great place to work and providing industry-leading benefits and work culture has led to strong employee satisfaction and pride that has been recognized across the globe, as evidenced with the following awards: TIME World's Best Companies (2023), Forbes America's Best Employers by State (2023), Forbes World's Top Female Friendly Companies (2022, 2021) and The Boston Globe’s Top Places to Work (2021).
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ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS
Set forth below and elsewhere in this report and in other documents we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are descriptions of certain risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results contemplated by the forward-looking statements in this report. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also adversely affect our business. For more information, see the section titled “Note About Forward-Looking Statements” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Risks Related to our Business, Operations, Industry and Partners
Global political and economic uncertainty and adverse conditions related to our international operations could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
We have significant operations and manufacturing facilities outside the United States, including in Ireland, the Philippines, Thailand, and Malaysia. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from customers in international markets, and we expect that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue in the future. As a result of our international operations, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted by, among others, the following factors:
•political, legal and economic changes, crises or instability and civil unrest that may impact markets in which we do business, such as macroeconomic weakness related to trade and political disputes between the United States and China, tensions across the Taiwan Strait that may adversely affect our operations in Taiwan, our customers and the technology industry supply chain, and the ongoing conflicts between Israel and Hamas and between Russia and Ukraine;
•compliance requirements of customs and export regulations, including the Export Administration Regulations and the International Traffic and Arms Regulations;
•currency conversion risks and exchange rate and interest rate fluctuations, including the potential impact of elevated interest rates;
•instability of global credit and financial markets due to adverse macroeconomic conditions such as rising inflation, high interest rates, bank failures and slower economic growth or recession that could, among other impacts, affect our ability to access external financing sources on acceptable terms or lead to financial difficulties or uncertainty of our customers, suppliers and distributors exposing us to late payments, cancelled orders and inventory challenges;
•trade policy, commercial, travel, export or taxation disputes or restrictions, import or export tariffs, changes to export classifications or other restrictions imposed by the U.S. government or by the governments of the countries in which we do business, particularly with respect to China;
•sanctions imposed by governments in countries in which we do business, including those imposed on Russia by, among others, the European Union, the United States and the United Kingdom in response to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, which sanctions restrict a wide range of trade and financial dealings with Russian and Russian persons, as well as with certain regions in Ukraine;
•complex, varying and changing government regulations and legal standards and requirements, particularly with respect to tax, price protection, competition practices, export control, customs, immigration, anti-boycott, data privacy, cyber and product security, sustainability, climate and other ESG matters, intellectual property, anti-corruption, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and environmental compliance;
•economic disruption from terrorism and threats of terrorism and the response to them by the United States and its allies;
•increased managerial complexities, including different employment practices and labor issues;
•changes in immigration laws, regulations and procedures and enforcement practices of various government agencies;
•greater difficulty enforcing intellectual property rights and weaker laws protecting such rights;
•natural disasters, public health emergencies, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or other catastrophic events;
•transportation disruptions and delays and increases in labor and transportation costs;
•fluctuations in raw material costs and energy costs due to general market factors and conditions such as inflationary pressures and supply chain constraints;
•greater difficulty in accounts receivable collections and longer collection periods; and
•increased costs associated with our foreign defined benefit pension plans.
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Many of these factors and risks are present and may be exacerbated within our business operations in China. For example, changes in U.S.-China relations, the political environment or international trade policies could result in further revisions to laws or regulations or their interpretation and enforcement, increased taxation, trade sanctions, the imposition of import or export duties and tariffs, restrictions on imports or exports, currency revaluations or retaliatory actions, which have had and may continue to have an adverse effect on our business plans and operating results. In addition, expanded export restrictions limit our ability to sell to certain Chinese companies and to third parties that do business with those companies. These restrictions have created and these and similar restrictions may continue to create uncertainty and caution with our current or prospective customers and may cause them to amass large inventories of our products, replace our products with products from another supplier that is not subject to the export restrictions or focus on building indigenous semiconductor capacity to reduce reliance on U.S. suppliers. Furthermore, if these export restrictions cause our current or potential customers to view U.S. companies as unreliable, we could suffer reputational damage or lose business to foreign competitors who are not subject to such export restrictions, and our business could be materially harmed. We are continuing to evaluate the impact of these restrictions on our business, but these actions may have direct and indirect adverse impacts on our revenues and results of operations in China and elsewhere. In addition, our success in the Chinese markets may be adversely affected by China’s continuously evolving policies, laws and regulations, including those relating to antitrust, cybersecurity, data protection and data privacy, the environment, indigenous innovation and the promotion of a domestic semiconductor industry and intellectual property rights and enforcement and protection of those rights.
The markets for semiconductor products are cyclical, and increased production may lead to overcapacity and lower prices, and conversely, we may not be able to satisfy unexpected demand for our products.
The cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry has resulted in periods when demand for our products has increased or decreased rapidly. If we overbuild inventory in a period of decreased demand, or we expand our operations and workforce too rapidly or procure excessive resources in anticipation of increased demand for our products, and that demand does not materialize at the pace at which we expect, or declines, our operating results may be adversely affected as a result of underutilization of capacity, charges related to obsolete inventory, asset impairment or inventory write-downs, increased operating expenses or reduced margins. For example, we have experienced, and may in the future experience, periods of customer inventory adjustments that may adversely affect our operating results. Further, any capacity expansions by us or other semiconductor manufacturers could also lead to overcapacity in our target markets which could lead to price erosion that could adversely impact our operating results. Conversely, during periods of rapid increases in demand, our available capacity may not be sufficient to satisfy the demand. In addition, we may not be able to expand our workforce and operations in a sufficiently timely manner, procure adequate resources and raw materials, locate suitable third-party suppliers or respond effectively to changes in demand for our existing products or to demand for new products requested by our customers, and our current or future business could be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on third parties for supply of raw materials and parts, semiconductor wafer foundry services, assembly and test services and transportation, among other things, and we generally cannot control their availability or conditions of supply or services.
We rely, and plan to continue to rely, on third-party suppliers and service providers, including raw material and components suppliers, semiconductor wafer foundries, assembly and test contractors and freight carriers (collectively, vendors), in manufacturing and shipping our products. This reliance involves several risks, including reduced control over availability, capacity utilization, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, costs and supply chain allocations. We currently source more than half of our wafer requirements annually from third-party wafer foundries, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and others. These foundries often provide wafer foundry services to our competitors and therefore periods of increased industry demand may result in capacity constraints. With respect to TSMC in particular, tensions across the Taiwan Strait or other geopolitical events could disrupt TSMC’s operations, which would adversely affect our ability to manufacture certain products and as a result, could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
Our manufacturing processes require availability of certain raw materials and supplies. Limited or delayed access to these items could adversely affect our results of operations. In certain instances, one of our vendors may be the sole source of highly specialized processing services or materials. If such vendor is unable or unwilling to manufacture and deliver components to us on the time schedule and of the quality or quantity that we require, we may be forced to seek to engage an additional or replacement vendor, which could result in additional expenses and delays in product development or shipment of product to our customers. If additional or replacement vendors are not available, we may also experience delays in product development or shipment which could, in turn, result in reputational harm or the temporary or permanent loss of customers, and as a result could adversely affect our business and results of operations.
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Our industry faces challenges associated with products diverted from authorized distribution channels, which could result in reputational harm and have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
We market and sell our products directly and through third-party distributors. There is a risk that our products may be diverted from our authorized distribution channels and sold on the “gray market” in ways that are not in accordance with our established agreements, controls, policies and procedures. Purchasers that acquire our products via the gray market or through other unauthorized channels may resell or otherwise use our products for purposes for which they were not intended or that may be contrary to our ethical, legal and regulatory obligations. Organizations may also purchase counterfeit or substandard products, including products that have been altered, mishandled or damaged, or purchase used products presented as new, each of which could result in damage to property or persons. These situations could have a material adverse effect on our reputation and business and operating results.
A prolonged disruption of our or our third parties’ manufacturing operations could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition to leveraging an outsourcing model for certain manufacturing operations, we also rely on our internal manufacturing operations located in the United States, Ireland, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia. A prolonged disruption at, or inability to utilize, one or more of our or our third parties’ manufacturing facilities, loss of raw materials or damage to our or our third parties’ manufacturing equipment for any reason, including due to natural or man-made disasters, civil unrest or other events outside of our control, such as widespread outbreaks of illness, or the failure to maintain our labor force at one or more of these facilities, may disrupt our operations, delay production, shipments and revenue and result in us being unable to timely satisfy customer demand. As a result, we could forgo revenue opportunities, potentially lose market share and damage our customer relationships, all of which could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our future success depends upon our ability to execute our business strategy, continue to innovate, improve our existing products, design, develop, produce and market new products, and identify and enter new markets.
Our future success significantly depends on our ability to execute our business strategy, continue to innovate, improve our existing products, and design, develop, produce and market innovative new products and system-level solutions, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or artificial intelligence technology. Product design, development, innovation and enhancement is often a complex, time-consuming and costly process involving significant investment in research and development with no assurance of return on investment. There can be no assurance that we will be able to develop and introduce new and improved products in a timely or efficient manner or that new and improved products, if developed, will achieve market acceptance. Our products generally must conform to various evolving and sometimes competing industry standards, which may adversely affect our ability to compete in certain markets or require us to incur significant costs. In addition, our customers generally impose very high quality and reliability standards on our products, which often change and may be difficult or costly to satisfy. Any inability to satisfy customer quality and reliability standards or comply with industry standards and technical requirements may adversely affect demand for our products and our results of operations.
Our growth is also dependent on our ability to identify and penetrate new markets where we have limited experience yet require significant investments, resources and technological advancements in order to compete effectively, and there can be no assurance that we will achieve success in these markets. Further, there can be no assurance that the markets we serve and target based on our business strategy will grow in the future, that our existing and new products will meet the requirements of these markets, that our products, or the end-products in which our products are used, will achieve customer acceptance in these markets, that competitors will not force price reductions or take market share from us or that we can achieve or maintain adequate gross margins or profits in these markets.
Our future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share are difficult to predict and may materially fluctuate.
Our future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share are difficult to predict and may be materially affected by a number of factors, including:
•the effects of adverse economic conditions in the markets in which we sell our products, including inflationary pressures, which has resulted, and may continue to result, in increased interest rates, fuel prices, wages and other costs;
•changes in customer demand or order patterns for our products or for end products that incorporate our products;
•the timing, delay, reduction or cancellation of significant customer orders and our ability to manage inventory;
•our ability to accurately forecast distributor demand for our products;
•future distributor pricing credits or stock rotation rights;
•our ability to effectively manage our cost structure in both the short term and over a longer duration;
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•changes in geographic, product or customer mix;
•changes in our effective tax rates or new or revised tax legislation in the United States, Ireland or worldwide;
•the effects of issued, threatened or retaliatory government sanctions, trade barriers or economic restrictions; changes in law, regulations or other restrictions, including executive orders; and changes in import and export regulations, including restrictions on exports to certain companies or to third parties that do business with such companies, export classifications, or duties and tariffs, including with respect to China;
•the timing of new product announcements or introductions by us, our customers or our competitors and the market acceptance of such products;
•pricing decisions and competitive pricing pressures;
•fluctuations in manufacturing yields, adequate availability of wafers and other raw materials, and manufacturing, assembly and test capacity;
•the ability of our third-party suppliers, subcontractors and manufacturers to supply us with sufficient quantities of raw materials, products and components;
•a decline in infrastructure spending by foreign governments, including China;
•a decline in the U.S. government defense budget, changes in spending or budgetary priorities, a prolonged U.S. government shutdown or delays in contract awards;
•a decline in our backlog;
•our ability to recruit, hire, retain and motivate adequate numbers of engineers and other qualified employees to meet the demands of our customers;
•our ability to generate new design opportunities and win competitive bid selection processes;
•the increasing costs of providing employee benefits worldwide, including health insurance, retirement and pension plan contributions and other retirement benefits;
•our ability to utilize our manufacturing facilities at efficient levels;
•fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;
•litigation-related costs or product liability, warranty and indemnity claims, including those not covered by our suppliers or insurers;
•the difficulties inherent in forecasting future operating expense levels, including with respect to costs associated with labor, utilities, transportation and raw materials;
•the costs related to compliance with increasing worldwide complex government regulations and legal standards and requirements, including those related to ESG matters;
•new accounting pronouncements or changes in existing accounting standards and practices; and
•the effects of public health emergencies, civil unrest, natural disasters or other severe weather events, widespread travel disruptions, security risks, terrorist activities, international conflicts and other events beyond our control.
In addition, the semiconductor market has historically been cyclical and subject to significant economic upturns and downturns. Our business and certain of the end markets we serve are also subject to rapid technological changes and material fluctuations in demand based on end-user preferences. There can be no assurance that products stocked in our inventory will not be rendered obsolete before we ship them or that we will be able to design, develop and produce products in a timely fashion to accommodate changing customer demand.
As a result of these and other factors, we may experience material fluctuations in future revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share on a quarterly or annual basis. Our historical financial performance and results of operations should not be relied upon as indicators of future performance or results. In addition, if our revenue, gross margins, operating results, net income and earnings per share results or expectations do not meet the expectations of securities analysts or investors, the market price of our common stock may decline.
We may not be able to compete successfully in markets within the semiconductor industry in the future.
We face intense competition in the semiconductor industry, and we expect this competition to increase in the future, including from companies located outside of the United States. Competition is generally based on innovation, design, quality and reliability of products, product performance, features and functionality, product pricing, availability and capacity, technological service and support and the availability of integrated system solutions, with the relative importance of these factors varying among products, markets and customers. Many companies have sufficient financial, manufacturing, technical, sales and marketing resources to develop and market products that compete with our products. Some of our competitors may
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have more advantageous supply or development relationships with our current and potential customers or suppliers. Our competitors also include both emerging companies selling specialized products in markets we serve and companies outside of the United States, including entities associated with well-funded efforts by foreign governments to create indigenous semiconductor industries. From time to time, governments around the world may provide incentives or make other investments that could benefit and give competitive advantages to our competitors. For example, in August 2022, the United States government enacted the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 to provide financial incentives to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Government incentives, including any that may be offered in connection with the CHIPS Act, may not be available to us on acceptable terms or at all. If our competitors can benefit from such government incentives and we cannot, it could strengthen our competitors' relative position and have a material adverse effect on our business. Existing or new competitors may develop products or technologies that more effectively address the demands of our customers and markets with enhanced performance, features and functionality, lower power requirements, greater levels of integration or lower cost. In addition, as we seek to expand our business, including the design and production of products and services for developing and emerging markets, we may encounter increased competition from our current and new competitors. Increased competition in certain markets has resulted in and may continue to result in declining average selling prices, reduced gross margins and loss of market share in those markets. There can be no assurance that we will be able to compete successfully in the future against existing or new competitors, or that our operating results will not be adversely affected by increased competition. In addition, the semiconductor industry has experienced significant consolidation over the past several years. Consolidation among our competitors could lead to a changing competitive landscape, which could negatively impact our competitive position and market share and harm our results of operations.
If we are unable to recruit or retain our key personnel, our ability to execute our business strategy will be adversely affected.
Our continued success depends to a significant extent upon the recruitment, retention and effective succession of our key personnel, including our leadership team, management and technical personnel, particularly our experienced engineers. The competition for these employees is intense and the labor market is tight. The loss of key personnel or the inability to attract, timely hire and retain key employees with critical technical skills to achieve our strategy, including as a result of changes to immigration policies, could cause business disruptions, increased expenses to address any disruptions and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
We believe that a critical contributor to our success to date has been our corporate culture, which we have built to foster innovation, teamwork and employee satisfaction. As we grow, including from the integration of employees and businesses acquired in connection with previous or future acquisitions, we may find it difficult to maintain important aspects of our corporate culture, which could negatively affect our ability to retain and recruit personnel who are essential to our future success.
We do not maintain any key person life insurance policy on any of our officers or other employees. The loss of one or more of our key employees, and any failure to have in place and execute an effective succession plan for key executives, could seriously harm our business and results of operations.
Our customers typically do not make long-term product purchase commitments, and incorrect forecasts or reductions, cancellations or delays in orders for our products could adversely affect our operating results.
We typically do not have sales contracts with our customers that include long-term product purchase commitments. In certain markets where end-user demand may be particularly volatile and difficult to predict, some customers place orders that require us to manufacture product and have it available for shipment, even though the customer is unwilling to make a binding commitment to purchase all, or even any, of the product. In other instances, we manufacture product based on non-binding forecasts of customer demands, which may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly or annual basis and at times may prove to be inaccurate. Additionally, our U.S. government contracts and subcontracts may be funded in increments over a number of government budget periods and typically can be terminated by the government for its convenience. As a result, we may incur inventory and manufacturing costs in advance of anticipated sales, and we are subject to the risk of lower than expected orders or cancellations of orders, leading to a sharp reduction of sales and backlog. Further, if orders or forecasts for products that meet a customer’s unique requirements are canceled or unrealized we may be left with an inventory of unsaleable products, causing potential inventory write-offs, and hindering our ability to recover our costs. The foregoing risks may be exacerbated in times of macroeconomic uncertainty, including as a result of rising inflation, high interest rates, bank failures and slower economic growth or recession. Incorrect forecasts, or reductions, cancellations or delays in orders for our products, could adversely affect our operating results.
Our operating results are dependent on the performance of independent distributors.
A significant portion of our sales are through independent global and regional distributors that are not under our control. These independent distributors generally represent product lines offered by several companies and thus could reduce their sales efforts for our products or they could terminate their representation of us. We generally do not require letters of credit from our
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distributors, including our largest distributor, and are not protected against accounts receivable default or declarations of bankruptcy by these distributors. Our inability to collect open accounts receivable could adversely affect our operating results. Termination of a significant distributor or a group of distributors, whether at our initiative or the distributor’s initiative or through consolidation in the distribution industry, could disrupt our business, and if we are unable to find suitable replacements with the appropriate scale and resources, our operating results could be adversely affected.
We are required to estimate the effects of returns and allowances provided to distributors and record revenue at the time of sale to the distributor. If our estimates of such credits and rights are materially understated, it could cause subsequent adjustments that negatively impact our revenues and gross profits in a future period.
Our semiconductor products are complex and we may be subject to warranty, indemnity or product liability claims, which could result in significant costs and damage to our reputation and adversely affect customer relationships, the market acceptance of our products and our operating results.
Semiconductor products are highly complex and may contain defects that affect their quality or performance. Failures in our products and services or in the products of our customers could result in damage to our reputation for reliability and increase our legal or financial exposure to third parties. Certain of our products and services, including those that may incorporate, or are based upon, software or artificial intelligence technology, could also contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs and errors, which could also result in significant data losses, security breaches and theft of intellectual property. We generally warrant that our products will meet their published specifications, and that we will repair or replace defective products, for one year from the date title passes from us to the customer. We invest significant resources in the testing of our products; however, if any of our products contain security vulnerabilities, defects, bugs or errors, we may be required to incur additional development and remediation costs pursuant to warranty and indemnification provisions in our customer contracts and purchase orders. These problems may divert our technical and other resources from other product development efforts and could result in claims against us by our customers or others, including liability for costs and expenses associated with product defects, including recalls, which may adversely impact our reputation and operating results. We may also be subject to customer intellectual property indemnity claims. Our customers have on occasion been sued, and may be sued in the future, by third parties alleging infringement of intellectual property rights, or damages resulting from use of our products. Those customers may seek indemnification from us under the terms and conditions of our sales contracts with them. In certain cases, our potential indemnification liability may be significant.
Further, we sell to customers in industries such as automotive (including autonomous vehicles), aerospace, defense and healthcare, where failure of the systems in which our products are integrated could cause damage to property or persons. We may be subject to product liability claims if our products, or the integration of our products, cause system failures. Any product liability claim, whether or not determined in our favor, could result in significant expense, divert the efforts of our technical and management personnel, and harm our business. In addition, if any of our products contain defects, or have reliability, quality or compatibility problems not capable of being resolved, our reputation may be damaged, which could make it more difficult for us to sell our products to customers and which could also adversely affect our operating results.
The fabrication of integrated circuits is highly complex and precise, and our manufacturing processes utilize a substantial amount of technology. Minute impurities, contaminants in the manufacturing environment, difficulties in the fabrication process, defects in the masks used in the wafer manufacturing process, manufacturing equipment failures, wafer breakage or other factors can cause a substantial percentage of wafers to be rejected or numerous dice on each wafer to be nonfunctional. While we have significant expertise in semiconductor manufacturing, it is possible that some processes could become unstable. This instability could result in manufacturing delays and product shortages, which could have a material adverse effect on our operating results.
Risk Related to Acquisitions and Strategic Transactions
Our acquisition of Maxim involves a number of risks that could adversely affect our business, financial condition and operating results, and we may not realize the financial and strategic goals we anticipate.
In August 2021, we completed our acquisition of Maxim, which we refer to as the acquisition or the merger. The ultimate success of the merger will depend on, among other things, the ability to continue to combine the two businesses in a manner that facilitates growth opportunities. Further, there are a large number of processes, policies, procedures, operations, technologies and systems that must continue to be integrated in connection with the ongoing integration of Maxim’s business. The combined company has and may continue to incur ongoing restructuring, integration and other costs associated with combining the operations of the two companies in connection with the merger. It is possible that the ongoing integration process could result in the loss of customers, the disruption of ongoing businesses, inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies, unexpected integration issues, higher than expected integration costs and an overall integration process that takes longer than originally anticipated and actual growth, if achieved, may be lower than what we expect and may take longer to achieve than anticipated. There can be no assurances that the two businesses can be integrated successfully in a way
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that maximizes the combined business to the fullest extent. If we are not able to successfully achieve our objectives, the benefits of the merger may not be fully realized or may take longer to achieve than expected.
To remain competitive, we may need to invest in or acquire other companies, purchase or license technology from third parties, or enter into other strategic transactions in order to introduce new products or enhance our existing products.
An element of our business strategy involves expansion through the acquisitions of businesses, assets, products or technologies that allow us to complement our existing product offerings, diversify our product portfolio, expand our market coverage, increase our engineering workforce, expand our technical skill sets or enhance our technological capabilities. We may not be able to find businesses that have the technology or resources we need and, if we find such businesses, we may not be able to invest in, purchase or license the technology or resources on commercially favorable terms or at all. Acquisitions, investments and technology licenses are challenging to complete for a number of reasons, including difficulties in identifying potential targets, the cost of potential transactions, competition among prospective buyers and licensees, the need for regulatory approvals, and difficulties related to integration efforts. In addition, investments in companies are subject to a risk of a partial or total loss of our investment. Both in the United States and abroad, governmental regulation of acquisitions, including antitrust and other regulatory reviews and approvals, has become more complex, increasing the costs and risks of undertaking and consummating significant acquisitions. In order to finance a potential transaction, we may need to raise additional funds by issuing securities or borrowing money. We may not be able to obtain financing on favorable terms, and the sale of our stock may result in the dilution of our existing shareholders or the issuance of securities with rights that are superior to the rights of our common shareholders.
Acquisitions also involve a number of challenges and risks, including:
•diversion of management’s attention in connection with both negotiating the transaction and integrating the acquired assets and businesses;
•difficulty or delay integrating acquired technologies, operations, systems, infrastructure and personnel with our existing businesses;
•strain on managerial and operational resources as management oversees larger or more complex operations;
•future funding requirements for acquired companies, including research and development costs, employee compensation and benefits, and operating expenses, which may be significant;
•servicing significant debt that may be incurred in connection with acquisitions;
•potential loss of key employees;
•exposure to unforeseen liabilities or regulatory compliance issues of acquired companies;
•higher than expected or unexpected acquisition or integration costs;
•difficulty realizing expected cost savings, operating synergies and growth prospects of an acquisition in a timely manner or at all; and
•increased risk of costly and time-consuming legal proceedings.
If we are unable to successfully address these risks, we may not realize some or all of the expected benefits of our acquisitions, which may have an adverse effect on our business strategy, plans and operating results.
Risks Related to Cyber, Intellectual Property, Legal and Regulatory
Our computer systems and networks may be subject to attempted security breaches and other cyber incidents and a significant disruption in, or breach in security of, our information technology systems or certain products could materially and adversely affect our business or reputation.
We rely on information technology systems throughout our company to keep financial records and customer data, process orders, manage inventory, coordinate shipments to customers, maintain confidential and proprietary information, assist in semiconductor engineering and other technical activities and operate other critical functions such as Internet connectivity, network communications and email. In addition, we provide our confidential and proprietary information to our strategic partners in certain cases, who may maintain such information on their information technology systems. Our security measures or those of our third-party service providers or strategic partners may not detect or prevent security breaches, cyberattacks, defects, bugs or errors. Further, geopolitical tensions or conflicts may escalate the volume and sophistication of cyberattacks, thereby making it more difficult to detect, mitigate and defend against them. We and our third-party service providers or strategic partners may be subject to security breaches of information technology systems or certain products caused by viruses, illegal break-ins or hacking, sabotage, other cyberattacks or acts of vandalism by third parties or our employees or contractors. In the event of a breach, our operations may be disrupted, our proprietary information or that of our employees, contractors, partners, customers, suppliers or other third parties may be misappropriated, and we could be exposed to potential liability,
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litigation, and regulatory action, as well as the loss of existing or potential customers, damage to our reputation and other financial loss. In addition, the cost and operational consequences of responding to breaches and implementing remediation measures could be significant.
Our information technology systems and those of our third-party service providers and strategic partners may also be susceptible to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to power outages, hardware failures, telecommunication failures, user errors, catastrophes or other unforeseen events. If we were to experience a prolonged disruption in the information technology systems that involve our internal communications or our interactions with customers or suppliers, it could result in the loss of sales and customers and significant incremental costs, which could adversely affect our business.
We may be unable to adequately protect our proprietary intellectual property rights, which may limit our ability to compete effectively.
Our future success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our intellectual property. We primarily rely on patent, mask work, copyright, trademark and trade secret laws, as well as nondisclosure agreements, information security practices and other methods, to protect our proprietary information, technologies and processes. Despite our efforts to protect our intellectual property, it is possible that competitors or other unauthorized third parties may obtain or disclose our confidential information, reverse engineer or copy our technologies, products or processes, make unlicensed copies or engage in unapproved distributions of our technology for unauthorized uses, or otherwise misappropriate our intellectual property. Moreover, the laws of foreign countries in which we design, manufacture, market and sell our products may afford little or no effective protection of our intellectual property.
There can be no assurance that the claims allowed in our issued patents will be sufficiently broad to protect our technology. In addition, any of our existing or future patents may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented. As such, any rights granted under these patents may not prevent others from exploiting our proprietary technology. We may not be able to obtain foreign patents or pending applications corresponding to our U.S. patents and applications. Even if patents are granted, we may not be able to effectively enforce our rights. If our patents and mask works do not adequately protect our technology, or if our registrations expire prior to end of life of our products, our competitors may be able to offer products similar to ours. Our competitors may also be able to develop similar technology independently or design around our patents.
We generally enter into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants and strategic partners. We also try to control access to and distribution of our technologies, documentation and other proprietary information. Despite these efforts, internal or external parties may attempt to copy, disclose, obtain or use our products or technology without our authorization. Also, former employees may seek employment with our business partners, customers or competitors, and may improperly use our proprietary information at their employer.
If we fail to comply with U.S. and foreign laws related to privacy, data security and data protection, it could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are or may become subject to a variety of laws and regulations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), China’s Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), or California’s Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) regarding privacy, data protection and data security. These laws and regulations are continuously evolving and developing. The scope and interpretation of the laws that are or may be applicable to us are often uncertain and may be conflicting, particularly with respect to foreign laws.
In particular, there are numerous U.S. federal, state, and local laws and regulations and foreign laws and regulations regarding privacy and the collection, sharing, use, processing, disclosure, and protection of personal data. Such laws and regulations often vary in scope, may be subject to differing interpretations, and may be inconsistent among different jurisdictions. For example, the GDPR and PIPL include operational requirements for companies that receive or process personal data of residents of the European Union or China, as applicable, that are broader and more stringent than those in many other jurisdictions around the world. The GDPR includes significant penalties for non-compliance, and China’s PIPL imposes additional operational requirements relating to processing personal information and provides comprehensive penalty and enforcement mechanisms. In the United States, California enacted the CCPA that requires covered companies to provide additional disclosures and data rights to data subjects, including employees. The CCPA went into effect on January 1, 2020. The California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), which will become enforceable in March 2024, expands the CCPA and establishes the California Privacy Protection Agency to enforce Californians’ privacy rights under the CCPA. Since the CCPA was enacted, other states, including Virginia and Colorado, have enacted or are in the process of enacting comprehensive privacy schemes.
The costs of compliance with, and other burdens imposed by, the GDPR, CCPA and similar laws may limit the use and adoption of our products and services and require us to incur substantial compliance costs, which could have an adverse impact on our business. Further, our product offerings in the digital healthcare solutions space, which include the collection and
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processing of sensitive personal information, subject us to heightened requirements under data privacy laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Given that the scope, interpretation and application of these laws and regulations are often uncertain and may be in conflict across jurisdictions, it is possible that these obligations may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent from one jurisdiction to another and may conflict with other rules or our practices. Any failure or perceived failure by us or third-party service providers to comply with our privacy or security policies or privacy-related legal obligations, or any compromise of security that results in the unauthorized release or transfer of personal data, may result in governmental enforcement actions, litigation or negative publicity, and could have an adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.
We are occasionally involved in litigation, administrative proceedings, and regulatory proceedings, which could be costly to resolve and could require us to redesign products, pay significant royalties or fines or refrain from engaging in specific conduct.
From time to time, we are involved in various legal, administrative and regulatory proceedings, claims, demands and investigations relating to our business, including inquiries from and discussions with government entities regarding the compliance of our contracting and sales practices with laws and regulations, which may result in claims with respect to commercial, product liability, intellectual property, cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, antitrust, breach of contract, employment, class action, whistleblower, mergers and acquisitions and other matters. We could also be subject to litigation or arbitration disputes arising under our contractual obligations, customer indemnity, warranty or product liability claims, or other matters that could lead to significant costs and expenses as we defend those claims or pay damage awards. For example, in March 2022, a putative class action was filed in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware against us and the former directors of Maxim as described in Part I, Item 3, “Legal Proceedings.”
Further, the semiconductor industry is characterized by frequent claims and litigation involving patent and other intellectual property rights. Other companies or individuals have obtained patents covering a variety of semiconductor designs and processes, and we might be required to obtain licenses under some of these patents or be precluded from making and selling infringing products, if those patents are found to be valid and infringed by us. In the event a third party makes a valid intellectual property claim against us and a license is not available to us on commercially reasonable terms, or at all, we could be forced either to redesign or to stop production of products incorporating that intellectual property, and our operating results could be materially and adversely affected. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our patents or other of our intellectual property rights or to defend us against claims of infringement.
These matters can be time-consuming, divert management’s attention and resources and cause us to incur significant expenses. Allegations made in the course of regulatory or legal proceedings may also harm our reputation, regardless of whether there is merit to such claims. Because litigation and the outcome of regulatory proceedings are inherently unpredictable, our business, financial condition or operating results could be materially affected by one or more of these proceedings, claims, demands or investigations. There can be no assurance that we are adequately insured to protect against all claims and potential liabilities, and we may elect to self-insure with respect to certain matters. An adverse outcome in litigation or arbitration could have a material adverse effect on our financial position or on our operating results or cash flows.
Environmental, social and governance matters may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations, and damage our brand and reputation.
There is an increasing focus from regulators, investors, customers, employees and potential talent, as well as other stakeholders, concerning ESG matters, including climate change and sustainability, human rights, support for local communities, Board of Directors and employee diversity, human capital management, employee health and safety practices, product quality, worker rights, supply chain management and corporate governance and transparency. If our ESG practices fail to meet the expectations of investors, customers, employees or other stakeholders’ evolving standards, our reputation, brand and employee retention may be negatively impacted, and our customers and suppliers may be unwilling to continue to do business with us. Current and prospective investors are increasingly utilizing ESG data to inform their decisions, including investment and voting decisions, using a multitude of evolving score and rating frameworks. Further, customers utilize ESG data to inform their purchasing decisions. Additionally, public interest and legislative and regulatory pressure related to companies’ ESG practices, including those related to sourcing practices, carbon emissions and human rights protections, continue to grow. This will require us to align our programs to such expectations and disclose an increasing amount of information and data to illustrate our position and progress and to support our customers to comply with regulations and other requirements. If we do not adapt our strategy or execution quickly enough to meet evolving regulatory requirements or the expectations of our investors, customers, employees, regulators or other stakeholders, or if our ESG disclosures, including data input, processing and reporting, are incomplete or inaccurate, our business, financial condition, results of operations, brand and reputation could be adversely affected.
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We are subject to environment, health and safety standards and hazards which have the potential to adversely affect our business, increase our expenses and adversely affect our reputation.
Our industry is subject to EHS requirements and laws, particularly those that control and restrict the sourcing, use, transportation, emission, discharge, storage and disposal of certain substances and materials and those that help promote the health and safety of our employees and the communities in which we operate. For certain facilities, we are required to obtain environmental permits from governmental authorities for our operations, which may limit or restrict our operations. In addition, our operations may be interrupted or restricted by the phase-out or ban of certain substances, materials or processes, which may impact the sourcing, supply and pricing of materials used in manufacturing our products. Further, public attention to environmental and social responsibility remains high, and our customers routinely include stringent environmental and other standards in their contracts with us. Changes in EHS laws, regulations or customer requirements may require us to invest in equipment or make manufacturing process or material changes, all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
In addition, we use hazardous and other regulated materials that subject us to risks of strict liability for damages caused by potential or actual releases of such materials. Any failure to control such materials adequately or to comply with existing or future EHS statutory or regulatory standards, requirements or contractual obligations could result in any of the following, each of which could have a material adverse effect on our business and operating results:
•liability for damages and remediation;
•the imposition of regulatory penalties and civil and criminal fines;
•the suspension or termination of the development, manufacture, sale or use of certain of our products;
•changes to our manufacturing processes or a need to substitute materials that may cost more or be less available;
•damage to our reputation; or
•increased expenses associated with compliance.
If we fail to comply with government contracting regulations, we could suffer a loss of revenue or incur price adjustments or other penalties.
Some of our revenue is derived from contracts with agencies of the United States government and subcontracts with its prime contractors. As a United States government contractor or subcontractor, we are subject to federal contracting regulations, including the Federal Acquisition Regulations, which govern the allowability of costs incurred by us in the performance of United States government contracts. Certain contract pricing is based on estimated direct and indirect costs, which are subject to change. Additionally, the United States government is entitled after final payment on certain negotiated contracts to examine all of our cost records with respect to such contracts and to seek a downward adjustment to the price of the contract if it determines that we failed to furnish complete, accurate and current cost or pricing data in connection with the negotiation of the price of the contract. Further, United States government contracts contain provisions and are subject to laws and regulations that may give the United States government rights and remedies not typically found in commercial contracts, including certain intellectual property rights and restrictions on future business.
In connection with our United States government business, we are subject to evolving procurement rules and regulations, as well as government audits and to review and approval of our policies, procedures, and internal controls for compliance with procurement regulations and applicable laws, such as the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification. In certain circumstances, if we do not comply with the terms of a government contract or with regulations or statutes, we could be subject to downward contract price adjustments or refund obligations or could in extreme circumstances be assessed civil and criminal penalties or be debarred or suspended from obtaining future contracts for a specified period of time. Any such suspension or debarment or other sanction could have an adverse effect on our business and reputation.
Under some of our government subcontracts, we are required to maintain secure facilities and to obtain security clearances for personnel involved in performance of the contract, which can be time consuming and costly. If we are unable to comply with these requirements, or if personnel critical to our performance of these contracts are unable to obtain or maintain their security clearances, we may be unable to perform these contracts or compete for other projects of this nature, which could adversely affect our revenue.
Damage to our reputation can damage our business.
Our reputation is a critical factor in our relationships with customers, employees, governments, suppliers and other stakeholders. Our failure to address, or the appearance of our failure to address, issues that give rise to reputational risk, including those described in this Risk Factors section, could significantly harm our reputation and our brands.We may be subject to reputational risks and our brand loyalty may decline if others adopt the same or confusingly similar marks in an effort to misappropriate and profit on our brand name and do not provide the same level of quality as is delivered by our solutions and
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services. It may also limit our ability to be seen as an employer of choice when competing for highly skilled employees and repairing our reputation and brands may be difficult, time-consuming, and expensive. To the extent we fail to respond quickly and effectively to address corporate and brand crises, the ensuing negative public reaction could significantly harm our reputation and our brands, which could lead to increases in litigation claims and asserted damages or subject us to regulatory actions or restrictions. If we fail to maintain, enhance and protect our brands, if we incur excessive expenses in this effort or if customers or potential customers are confused by others’ trademarks, our business, operating results and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.
Increases in our effective tax rate, exposure to additional tax liabilities, or substantial changes in domestic or international corporate tax policies, regulations or guidance may adversely impact our results of operations.
Our effective tax rate reflects the applicable tax rate in effect in the various tax jurisdictions around the world where our income is earned. Our effective tax rate for the fiscal year ended October 28, 2023 was below the U.S. federal statutory rate of 21%. This is primarily due to lower statutory tax rates applicable to our operations in the foreign jurisdictions in which we earn income.
A number of factors may increase our future effective tax rate, including: new or revised tax laws or legislation or the interpretation of such laws or legislation by governmental authorities; increases in tax rates in various jurisdictions; variation in the mix of jurisdictions in which our profits are earned and taxed; deferred taxes arising from basis differences in investments in foreign subsidiaries; any adverse resolution of ongoing tax audits or adverse rulings from taxing authorities worldwide; changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; adjustments to income taxes upon finalization of various tax returns; increases in expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including executive compensation subject to the limitations of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code and amortization of assets acquired in connection with strategic transactions; decreased availability of tax deductions for stock-based compensation awards worldwide; and changes in available tax credits. Any significant increase in our future effective tax rate could adversely impact our net income during future periods.
Compliance with tax legislation may require the collection of information not regularly produced by us, and therefore necessitate the use of estimates in our Consolidated Financial Statements and the exercise of significant judgment in accounting for its provisions. As regulations and guidance evolve with respect to tax legislation, and as more information is gathered and analyzed, our results may differ from previous estimates and may materially affect our Consolidated Financial Statements.
We are also subject to laws and regulations in various jurisdictions that determine how much profit has been earned and when it is subject to taxation in that jurisdiction. In the United States, for example, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) imposes a 15% book minimum tax on corporations with three-year average annual adjusted financial statement income exceeding $1 billion. We do not believe that the IRA will materially impact our effective tax rate. Corporate tax reform, anti-base-erosion rules and tax transparency continue to be high legislative or regulatory priorities in many jurisdictions. Changes in laws and regulations regarding these matters, including those that align to or are associated with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's Base Erosion and Profit Shifting Actions Plans, could impact the jurisdictions where we are deemed to earn income, which could in turn adversely affect our tax liability and results of operations.
Risks Related to Financial Markets, Indebtedness and Capital Return
We have substantial existing indebtedness and the ability to incur significant additional indebtedness, which could limit our operations and our use of our cash flow and negatively impact our credit ratings.
As of October 28, 2023, we had approximately $6.9 billion in outstanding indebtedness, including $0.5 billion of short-term commercial paper. In addition, we had the ability to incur approximately $2.0 billion of additional indebtedness in direct borrowings under our outstanding commercial paper facility based on amounts available under our unsecured revolving credit facility that were not being used to backstop our outstanding commercial paper balance. Our leverage could have negative consequences, including increasing our vulnerability to adverse economic and industry conditions, limiting our ability to obtain additional financing and limiting our ability to acquire new products and technologies through strategic acquisitions. Further, on October 5, 2021, we issued $500 million aggregate principal amount of floating rate senior notes (Floating Rate Notes). Our Floating Rate Notes and our net interest expense is exposed to changes in market interest rates and will increase as market interest rates rise. We may also incur additional debt, including debt with variable interest rates, in the future, which would exacerbate these risks.
Our ability to make payments of principal and interest on our indebtedness when due depends upon our future operating performance, which may be impacted by general economic conditions, industry cycles and other factors beyond our control. If we are unable to service or refinance our debt, we may be required to divert funds that would otherwise be invested in growing our business operations or returned to shareholders, repatriate earnings as dividends from foreign locations with potential negative tax consequences, or sell selected assets. Such measures might not be sufficient to enable us to service our debt, which could negatively impact our financial results. In addition, we may not be able to obtain any such financing, refinancing or
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complete a sale of assets on economically favorable terms. In the case of financing or refinancing, favorable interest rates will depend on conditions in the debt capital markets. In addition, if our credit ratings are downgraded or put on watch for a potential downgrade, the applicable interest rate on borrowings under our current revolving credit facility and commercial paper issuances may rise and our ability to obtain additional financing or refinance our existing debt may be negatively affected.
Restrictions in our revolving credit facility and outstanding debt instruments may limit our activities.
Our current revolving credit facility and outstanding debt instruments impose, and future debt instruments to which we may become subject may impose, restrictions that limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit us, including to undertake certain transactions, to create certain liens on our assets and to incur certain subsidiary indebtedness. Our ability to comply with these financial restrictions and covenants is dependent on our future performance, which is subject to prevailing economic conditions and other factors, including factors that are beyond our control such as changes in technology, government regulations and the level of competition in our markets. In addition, our revolving credit facility requires us to maintain compliance with specified financial ratios. If we breach any of the covenants under our revolving credit facility, the indentures governing our outstanding senior unsecured notes, or any future debt instruments to which we may become subject and do not obtain appropriate waivers, then, subject to applicable cure periods, our outstanding indebtedness thereunder could be declared immediately due and payable and we may be restricted from further borrowing under our revolving credit facility.
We may not meet expectations or targets in connection with our “green” financing arrangements, which could harm our reputation and business.
From time to time, we may enter into “green” financing arrangements that require us to use proceeds for environmental sustainability purposes or have targets related to environmental sustainability. For example, we entered into a revolving credit agreement on June 23, 2021, which, as amended, contains a sustainability-linked pricing component, which provides for interest rate and facility fee reductions or increases based on meeting or missing targets related to environmental sustainability, specifically greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy usage. For calendar year 2022, we were within the threshold range for greenhouse gas emissions and exceeded the target threshold for renewable energy usage related to this sustainability-linked pricing component. On October 5, 2021, we issued $750 million sustainability-linked senior notes (Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes). Our Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes initially bear interest at a rate of 1.7% per annum and are subject to an increase of an additional 30 basis points per annum from April 1, 2026 to their maturity on October 1, 2028 unless the Sustainability Performance Target (as defined in the Sustainability-Linked Senior Notes) has been satisfied. Failing to use the net proceeds under green financing arrangements that satisfies investor criteria and expectations regarding environmental impact or achieve targets related to environmental sustainability under such financing arrangements could result in reputational harm and our business and operating results could be negatively impacted.
If we are not able to meet our U.S. cash requirements, it may be necessary for us to consider repatriation of foreign earnings, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
We carry outside basis differences in certain of our subsidiaries, primarily arising from acquisition accounting adjustments and certain undistributed earnings that are considered indefinitely reinvested. We intend to reinvest these funds in our international operations, and our current plans do not demonstrate a need to repatriate these earnings to fund our U.S. cash requirements. We require a substantial amount of cash in the United States for operating requirements, stock repurchases, cash dividends and acquisitions. If we are not able to meet our U.S. cash requirements through operations, borrowings under our current revolving credit facility, issuances under our commercial paper program, future debt or equity offerings or other sources of cash obtained at an acceptable cost, it may be necessary for us to consider repatriation of earnings that are indefinitely reinvested, and we may be required to pay additional taxes under current tax laws, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition.
General Risk Factors
Our results of operations could be affected by natural disasters or other catastrophic events in the locations in which we operate.
We, like many companies in the semiconductor industry, rely on supplies, services, internal manufacturing capacity, wafer fabrication foundries and other subcontractors in locations around the world that are susceptible to natural disasters and other significant disruptions. Earthquakes, fires, tsunamis, flooding, public health emergencies or other catastrophic events may disrupt local semiconductor-related businesses and adversely affect manufacturing capacity, availability and cost of key raw materials, utilities and equipment, and availability of key services, including transport of our products worldwide. Our insurance may not adequately cover losses resulting from such disruptions. Any prolonged inability to utilize one of our manufacturing facilities, or those of our subcontractors or third-party wafer fabrication foundries, as a result of fire, flood, natural disaster, unavailability of utilities or otherwise, could result in a temporary or permanent loss of customers for affected products, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. In addition, global
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climate change may result in certain natural disasters or other severe weather events occurring more frequently or with greater intensity, such as drought, wildfires, storms, sea-level rise, extreme temperatures and flooding, and could disrupt the availability of water necessary for the operation of our fabrication facilities. The long-term effects of climate change on the global economy and the semiconductor industry in particular are unclear, but could be severe.
The extent to which the novel strain of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations is uncertain.
The COVID-19 pandemic created significant worldwide uncertainty, volatility and economic disruption and impacted our workforce and operations, the operations of our customers, those of our respective vendors and suppliers and the global capital markets. During the course of the pandemic, many of the countries in which we operate took and may continue to take measures to address the pandemic, which at times has resulted and may continue to result in disruptions at some of our manufacturing operations and facilities, including restrictions on our access to facilities. We may also be required to take actions as may be required by government authorities or that we determine are in the best interests of our employees, customers, partners, and suppliers, which may cause disruption to our business. The COVID-19 pandemic could also cause further disruption in our supply chain and customer demand, and could adversely affect the ability of our customers to perform, including in making timely payments to us, which could further impact our business, financial condition and results of operations. To the extent the COVID-19 pandemic adversely affects our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, it may also heighten many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section.
Our stock price may be volatile.
The market price of our common stock may be volatile, as it may be significantly affected by factors including:
•global economic conditions generally;
•crises in global credit, debt and financial markets;
•actual or anticipated fluctuations in our revenue and operating results;
•changes in financial estimates or other statements made by securities analysts or others in analyst reports or other publications, or our failure to perform in line with those estimates or statements or our published guidance;
•financial results and prospects of our customers;
•U.S. and foreign government actions, including with respect to trade, travel, export and taxation;
•changes in market valuations of other semiconductor companies;
•rumors and speculation in the press, investment community or on social media about us, our customers or other companies in our industry;
•announcements by us, our customers or our competitors of significant new products, technical innovations, material transactions, acquisitions or dispositions, litigation, capital commitments, including share repurchases and dividend policies, or revised earnings estimates;
•departures of key personnel;
•alleged noncompliance with laws, regulations or ethics standards by us or any of our employees, officers or directors; and
•negative media publicity targeting us or our suppliers, customers or competitors.
The stock market has historically experienced volatility, especially within the semiconductor industry, that often has been unrelated to the performance of particular companies, such as the response to rising inflation and increasing interest rates. These market fluctuations may cause our stock price to fall regardless of our operating results.
Our directors and executive officers periodically buy or sell shares of our common stock in the market, including pursuant to Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. Regardless of the individual's reasons for such purchases or sales, securities analysts and investors could view such transactions as positive or negative indicators and our stock price could be adversely affected as a result.
ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS
None.
ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY
Not applicable.
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ITEM 2. PROPERTIES
Manufacturing and other operations are conducted in several locations worldwide. The following tables provide certain information about our significant general offices and manufacturing facilities:
Properties Approximate
Owned: Use Total Sq. Ft.
Camas, WA Wafer fabrication 105,000 sq. ft.
Lease
Properties Approximate Termination
Leased: Use Total Sq. Ft. (fiscal year) Renewals
(1)Leases on the land used for this facility expire in 2054 through 2057.
In addition to the properties listed in the above tables, we also own or lease a number of other facilities in various locations in the United States and internationally that are used for manufacturing, engineering, sales and marketing and administration activities. Leases for these leased facilities expire at various dates through the year 2039. We do not anticipate experiencing significant difficulty in retaining occupancy of any of our facilities through lease renewals prior to expiration or through month-to-month occupancy, or in replacing them with equivalent facilities. For information concerning our obligations under all operating leases, see Note 9, Leases, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
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ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
From time to time in the ordinary course of our business, various claims, charges and litigation are asserted or commenced against us arising from, or related to, among other things, contractual matters, patents, trademarks, personal injury, environmental matters, product liability, insurance coverage, employment or employee benefits. As to such claims and litigation, we can give no assurance that we will prevail. We do not believe that any current legal matters will have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows. For information regarding material pending legal proceedings in which we are involved, see Note 10, Commitments and Contingencies of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES
Not applicable.
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PART II
ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Our common stock is listed on The Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol ADI. The number of holders of record of our common stock at November 17, 2023 was 2,316. This number does not include shareholders for whom shares are held in a “nominee” or “street” name. On October 27, 2023, the last reported sales price of our common stock on The Nasdaq Global Select Market was $160.57 per share.
On November 20, 2023, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.86 per outstanding share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on December 14, 2023 to all shareholders of record at the close of business on December 4, 2023 and is expected to total approximately $426.8 million. We currently expect quarterly dividends to continue in future periods, although they remain subject to determination and declaration by our Board of Directors. The payment of future dividends, if any, will be based on several factors, including our financial performance, outlook and liquidity.
Information regarding our equity compensation plans and the securities authorized for issuance thereunder is set forth in Item 12 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
The table below summarizes the activity related to stock repurchases for the three months ended October 28, 2023. We have an ongoing authorization, originally approved by our Board of Directors in 2004, and subsequently amended, to repurchase shares of our common stock in open market or negotiated transactions. As of October 28, 2023, the Company had repurchased a total of approximately 205.3 million shares of its common stock for approximately $14.5 billion under our share repurchase program. An additional $2.1 billion remains available for repurchase of shares under the current authorized program. Future repurchases of common stock will be dependent upon our financial position, results of operations, outlook, liquidity and other factors we deem relevant.
_______________________________________
(1)Includes 166,076 shares withheld by us from employees to satisfy employee tax obligations upon vesting of restricted stock units/awards granted to our employees under our equity compensation plans.
(2)The average price paid for shares in connection with vesting of restricted stock units/awards are averages of the closing stock price at the vesting date which is used to calculate the number of shares to be withheld.
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Comparative Stock Performance Graph
The following graph compares cumulative total shareholder return on our common stock since November 3, 2018 with the cumulative total return of the Standard & Poor’s (S&P) 500 Index and the S&P Semiconductors Index. This graph assumes the investment of $100 on November 3, 2018 in our common stock, the S&P 500 Index and the S&P Semiconductors Index and assumes all dividends are reinvested. Measurement points are the last trading day for each respective fiscal year.
ITEM 6. RESERVED
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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (all tabular amounts in thousands except per share amounts)
The following discussion includes results of operations and financial condition for the fiscal year ended October 28, 2023 (fiscal 2023) and the fiscal year ended October 29, 2022 (fiscal 2022) and year-over-year comparisons between fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022. For discussion on results of operations and financial condition for fiscal 2022 and the fiscal year ended October 30, 2021 (fiscal 2021) and year-over-year comparisons between fiscal 2022 and fiscal 2021, please refer to Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Part II, Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2022 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 22, 2022. Our fiscal year is the 52-week or 53-week period ending on the Saturday closest to the last day in October. Fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 were 52-week fiscal periods.
Results of Operations
Overview
Net income as a % of revenue 26.9 % 22.9 %
Revenue Trends by End Market
The following table summarizes revenue by end market. The categorization of revenue by end market is determined using a variety of data points including the technical characteristics of the product, the “sold to” customer information, the "ship to" customer information and the end customer product or application into which our product will be incorporated. As data systems for capturing and tracking this data and our methodology evolves and improves, the categorization of products by end market can vary over time. When this occurs, we reclassify revenue by end market for prior periods. Such reclassifications typically do not materially change the sizing of, or the underlying trends of results within, each end market.
Revenue % ofTotalRevenue (1) Y/Y% Revenue % ofTotalRevenue (1)
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(1)The sum of the individual percentages may not equal the total due to rounding.
Revenue increased 2% in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 primarily as a result of broad-based demand for our products sold into the Industrial end market, namely aerospace and defense and instrumentation, as well as the Automotive end market, namely cabin electronics and battery management systems. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in revenue in the Consumer end market primarily due to weakening market trends and a decrease in revenue in the Communications end market due to the timing of infrastructure deployment cycles.
Revenue by Sales Channel
The following table summarizes revenue by sales channel. We sell our products globally through a direct sales force, third party distributors, independent sales representatives and via our website. Distributors are customers that buy products with the intention of reselling them. Direct customers are non-distributor customers and consist primarily of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Other customers include the U.S. government, government prime contractors and certain commercial customers for which revenue is recorded over time.
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Revenue % ofTotalRevenue (1) Revenue % ofTotalRevenue (1)
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(1)The sum of the individual percentages may not equal the total due to rounding.
As indicated in the table above, the percentage of total revenue sold via each channel has remained relatively consistent in the periods presented, but can fluctuate from time to time based on end customer demand.
Revenue Trends by Geographic Region
Revenue by geographic region, based upon the geographic location of the distributors or OEMs who purchased the Company's products, for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 was as follows:
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(1)The sum of the individual percentages may not equal the total due to rounding.
In all periods presented, the predominant regions comprising “Rest of North and South America” are Canada and Mexico; the predominant regions comprising “Europe” are Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands; and the predominant regions comprising “Rest of Asia” are Taiwan, Malaysia, South Korea and Singapore.
Total revenue increased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 due to the revenue trends discussed above, partially offset by weaker customer demand in China and Rest of Asia primarily due to deteriorating macroeconomic conditions in those regions.
Gross Margin
Gross margin percentage in fiscal 2023 increased by 130 basis points compared to fiscal 2022. Fiscal 2022 included $271.4 million of additional cost of goods sold that did not repeat in fiscal 2023 related to a nonrecurring fair value adjustment recorded to inventory. This increase in gross margin percentage was partially offset by lower utilization of our factories due to decreasing customer demand during fiscal 2023.
Research and Development (R&D)
R&D expenses as a % of revenue 13 % 14 %
R&D expenses decreased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 primarily as a result of lower employee related variable compensation expenses, partially offset by higher salary and benefit expenses.
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R&D expenses as a percentage of revenue will fluctuate from year-to-year depending on the amount of revenue and the success of new product development efforts, which we view as critical to our future growth. We expect to continue the development of innovative technologies and processes for new products. We believe that a continued commitment to R&D is essential to maintain product leadership with our existing products as well as to provide innovative new product offerings.
Selling, Marketing, General and Administrative (SMG&A)
SMG&A expenses as a % of revenue 10 % 11 %
SMG&A expenses increased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022, primarily as a result of higher employee related salary and benefit expenses and discretionary spending, partially offset by lower variable compensation expenses and acquisition-related transaction costs.
Amortization of Intangibles
Amortization expenses as a % of revenue 8 % 8 %
Amortization expenses decreased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022, primarily as a result of a portion of our acquired intangible assets becoming fully amortized during fiscal 2023.
Special Charges, Net
Special charges, net as a % of revenue 1 % 2 %
Special charges, net decreased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022, primarily due to increased charges recorded in fiscal 2022 related to our Global Repositioning Actions offset by $160.7 million of charges recorded in fiscal 2023 primarily related to $114.0 million recorded for our plan committed to during the three months ended October 28, 2023, to reorganize our business (the Q4 2023 Plan). The Q4 2023 Plan, consisting of voluntary and involuntary reductions-in-force, and other cost-savings initiatives, was commenced to adjust our cost structure and business activities to better align with weaker market demand and continued economic uncertainty in our end markets, as well as make certain strategic shifts in our workforce necessary to achieve our long-term vision. See Note 5, Special Charges, Net, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for more information.
Operating Income
Operating income as a % of revenue 31.1 % 27.3 %
The increase in operating income in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily the result of a $344.7 million increase in gross margin, a $113.8 million decrease in special charges, net, a $53.0 million decrease in amortization expenses and a $40.3 million decrease in R&D expenses, partially offset by a $7.4 million increase in SMG&A expenses, as more fully described above under the headings Gross Margin, Special Charges, Net, Amortization of Intangibles, Research and Development (R&D) and Selling, Marketing, General and Administrative (SMG&A).
Nonoperating Expense (Income)
The year-over-year increase in nonoperating expense in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily the result of
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higher interest expense related to our debt obligations and lower net gains from other investments, partially offset by higher interest income.
Provision for (Benefit From) Income Taxes
Effective income tax rate 8.1 % 11.3 %
Our effective tax rates for fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 were below the U.S. statutory rate of 21% due to lower statutory tax rates applicable to our operations in the foreign jurisdictions in which we earn income. For fiscal 2023 and fiscal 2022 our pretax income was primarily generated in Ireland at a tax rate of 12.5%. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 also included the effects of the mandatory capitalization and amortization of research and development expenses which began in fiscal 2023 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. The mandatory capitalization requirement decreased our effective tax rate primarily by increasing the foreign-derived intangible income deduction. Our effective tax rate for fiscal 2023 was also impacted by a discrete income tax benefit recorded of $81.7 million resulting from the approval granted by the Joint Committee on Taxation of our federal corporate income tax relief claim which reduced the amount of transition tax owed under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
See Note 12, Income Taxes, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further discussion.
Net Income
Net income, as a % of revenue 26.9 % 22.9 %
The increase in net income in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was a result of a $544.4 million increase in operating income and a $56.8 million decrease in provision for income taxes, partially offset by a $35.2 million increase in nonoperating expense, as more fully described above under the headings Operating Income, Provision for (Benefit From) Income Taxes and Nonoperating (Income) Expense.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
At October 28, 2023, our principal source of liquidity was $958.1 million of cash and cash equivalents, of which approximately $201.1 million was held in the United States and the balance of our cash and cash equivalents was held outside the United States in various foreign subsidiaries. We manage our worldwide cash requirements by, among other things, reviewing available funds held by our foreign subsidiaries and the cost effectiveness by which those funds can be accessed in the United States. We do not expect current regulatory restrictions or taxes on repatriation to have a material adverse effect on our overall liquidity, financial condition or results of operations. Our cash and cash equivalents consist of highly liquid investments with maturities of three months or less, including money market funds. We maintain these balances with counterparties with high credit ratings, and continually monitor the amount of credit exposure to any one issuer and diversify our investments in order to minimize our credit risk.
We believe that our existing sources of liquidity and cash expected to be generated from future operations, together with existing and anticipated available short- and long-term financing, will be sufficient to fund operations, capital expenditures, research and development efforts and dividend payments (if any) in the immediate future and for at least the next twelve months.
Fiscal Year
Net cash provided by operating activities as a % of revenue 39 % 37 %
The following changes contributed to the net change in cash and cash equivalents from fiscal 2022 to fiscal 2023.
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Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities is net income adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in assets and liabilities.The increase in cash provided by operating activities during fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily a result of higher net income adjusted for noncash items offset by changes in working capital.
Investing Activities
Investing cash flows generally consist of capital expenditures and cash used for acquisitions. The increase in cash used for investing activities during fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily the result of an increase in cash used for capital expenditures.
Financing Activities
Financing cash flows generally consist of payments of dividends to shareholders, repurchases of common stock, issuance and repayment of debt and proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock pursuant to employee equity incentive plans.The decrease in cash used for financing activities during fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily the result of the net proceeds from the issuance of commercial paper notes during fiscal 2023 and lower debt repayments, partially offset by higher common stock repurchases.
Working Capital
Fiscal Year
Days sales outstanding (1) 48 50
Days cost of sales in inventory (1) 125 106
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(1)We use the average of the current year and prior year ending net accounts receivable and ending inventory balance in our calculation of days sales outstanding and days cost of sales in inventory, respectively. Cost of sales amounts used in the calculation of days cost of sales in inventory include accounting adjustments related to amortization of developed technology intangible assets acquired and depreciation related to the write-up of fixed assets to fair value as a result of the acquisition of Maxim.
The decrease in accounts receivable for fiscal 2023 compared to fiscal 2022 was primarily the result of variations in the timing of collections and billings and decreased revenue levels in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 as compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2022.
Inventory increased in fiscal 2023 as compared to fiscal 2022, primarily as a result of our efforts to balance manufacturing production, demand and inventory levels. Our inventory levels are impacted by our need to support forecasted sales demand and variations between those forecasts and actual demand.
Current liabilities increased to $3.2 billion at October 28, 2023 from $2.4 billion recorded at the end of fiscal 2022, primarily due to increases in commercial paper notes and current debt, partially offset by lower accrued liabilities.
Revolving Credit Facility
Our Third Amended and Restated Revolving Credit Agreement, dated as of June 23, 2021, with Bank of America N.A. as administrative agent and the other banks identified therein as lenders, which was subsequently amended on December 20, 2022 and July 24, 2023 (as amended, the Revolving Credit Agreement) provides for a five year unsecured revolving credit facility in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $2.5 billion (subject to certain terms and conditions).
We may borrow under this revolving credit facility in the future and use the proceeds for repayment of existing indebtedness, stock repurchases, acquisitions, capital expenditures, working capital and other lawful corporate purposes. The terms of the Revolving Credit Agreement impose restrictions on our ability to undertake certain transactions, to create certain liens on assets and to incur certain subsidiary indebtedness. In addition, the Revolving Credit Agreement contains a consolidated leverage ratio covenant of total consolidated funded debt to consolidated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) of not greater than 3.5 to 1.0. As of October 28, 2023, we were in compliance with these covenants. See Note 13, Revolving Credit Facility, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our revolving credit facility.
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Debt
As of October 28, 2023, we had approximately $6.4 billion of carrying value outstanding on our senior notes. The difference in the carrying value of the debt and the principal is due to the unamortized discount and issuance fees and other adjustments on these instruments. The indentures governing certain of our debt instruments contain covenants that may limit our ability to: incur, create, assume or guarantee any debt or borrowed money secured by a lien upon a principal property; enter into sale and lease-back transactions with respect to a principal property; and consolidate with or merge into, or transfer or lease all or substantially all of our assets to, any other party. As of October 28, 2023, we were compliant with these covenants. See Note 14, Debt of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information on our outstanding debt.
Commercial Paper Program
During fiscal 2023, we established a commercial paper program under which we may issue short-term, unsecured commercial paper notes in amounts up to a maximum aggregate face amount of $2.5 billion outstanding at any time, with maturities of up to 397 days from the date of issuance. As of October 28, 2023, we had $547.2 million of outstanding borrowings under the commercial paper program recorded in the Consolidated Balance Sheet. We intend to use the net proceeds of the commercial paper program for general corporate purposes, including without limitation, repayment of indebtedness, stock repurchases, acquisitions, capital expenditures and working capital.
Stock Repurchase Program
Our common stock repurchase program has been in place since August 2004. Since inception, our Board of Directors has authorized us to repurchase $16.7 billion of our common stock under the program, which includes the $8.5 billion authorization approved by the Board of Directors on August 25, 2021. Under the program, we may repurchase outstanding shares of our common stock from time to time in the open market and through privately negotiated transactions. Unless terminated earlier by resolution of our Board of Directors, the repurchase program will expire when we have repurchased all shares authorized under the program.
As of October 28, 2023, $2.1 billion remained available for repurchase under the current authorized program. The repurchased shares are held as authorized but unissued shares of common stock. We also repurchase shares in settlement of employee tax withholding obligations due upon the vesting of restricted stock units/awards or the exercise of stock options. Future repurchases of common stock will be dependent upon our financial position, results of operations, outlook, liquidity and other factors we deem relevant.
Capital Expenditures
Net additions to property, plant and equipment were $1.3 billion in fiscal 2023 as we invested to enhance our global resiliency. We expect capital expenditures for fiscal 2024 to be between approximately $600.0 million and $800.0 million. These capital expenditures will be funded with a combination of cash on hand and cash expected to be generated from future operations, together with existing and anticipated available short- and long-term financing.
Dividends
On November 20, 2023, our Board of Directors declared a cash dividend of $0.86 per outstanding share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on December 14, 2023 to all shareholders of record at the close of business on December 4, 2023 and is expected to total approximately $426.8 million. We currently expect quarterly dividends to continue in future periods, although they remain subject to determination and declaration by our Board of Directors. The payment of future dividends, if any, will be based on several factors, including our financial performance, outlook and liquidity.
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Contractual Obligations
The table below summarizes our material contractual obligations in specified periods as of October 28, 2023:
Payment due by period
Less than More than
(thousands) Total 1 Year 1-3 Years 3-5 Years 5 Years
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(1)Debt obligations are assumed to be held to maturity.
(2)Tax obligation relates to the one-time tax on deemed repatriated earnings under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and includes a reduction resulting from the approval granted by the Joint Committee on Taxation of our federal corporate income tax relief claim which reduced the amount of transition tax owed.
(3)Certain of our operating lease obligations include escalation clauses. These escalating payment requirements are reflected in the table.
(4)We have supplier commitments for the purchase of materials and supplies in advance or with minimum purchase quantities.
As of October 28, 2023, our total liabilities associated with uncertain tax positions was $186.2 million, which are included in non-current income taxes payable in our Consolidated Balance Sheets contained in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Due to the complexity associated with our tax uncertainties, we cannot make a reasonably reliable estimate of the period in which we expect to settle the non-current liabilities associated with these uncertain tax positions. Therefore, we have not included these uncertain tax positions in the above contractual obligations table.
New Accounting Pronouncements