ADVFN Logo ADVFN

We could not find any results for:
Make sure your spelling is correct or try broadening your search.

Trending Now

Toplists

It looks like you aren't logged in.
Click the button below to log in and view your recent history.

Hot Features

Registration Strip Icon for discussion Register to chat with like-minded investors on our interactive forums.

TCM Telit Communications Plc

229.00
0.00 (0.00%)
10 May 2024 - Closed
Delayed by 15 minutes
Share Name Share Symbol Market Type Share ISIN Share Description
Telit Communications Plc LSE:TCM London Ordinary Share GB00B06GM726 ORD 1P
  Price Change % Change Share Price Bid Price Offer Price High Price Low Price Open Price Shares Traded Last Trade
  0.00 0.00% 229.00 229.00 229.50 0.00 01:00:00
Industry Sector Turnover Profit EPS - Basic PE Ratio Market Cap
0 0 N/A 0

Telit Communications PLC Full year results (3667G)

17/03/2020 7:00am

UK Regulatory


Telit Communications (LSE:TCM)
Historical Stock Chart


From May 2019 to May 2024

Click Here for more Telit Communications Charts.

TIDMTCM

RNS Number : 3667G

Telit Communications PLC

17 March 2020

The information communicated in this announcement is inside information for the purposes of Article 7 of Regulation 596/2014.

Telit Communications PLC

Full year results

London, 17 March 2020 - Telit Communications PLC ("Telit", "the Group", AIM: TCM), a global enabler of the Internet of Things (IoT), has published its financial results for the full year ending 31 December 2019.

Paolo Dal Pino, Chief Executive Officer of Telit , commented: " 2019 saw significant improvement in our results thanks to Telit's positive transformation in recent years. We continued to refocus our business towards industrial IoT products and solutions as well as to optimise our operations and cost base. The benefits of these initiatives are visible in our 2019 performance and will bear further fruit in the future. The sale of our automotive business in February was an important milestone in this strategy and following the disposal we are now in a strong financial position to address any extraordinary challenges.

Our progress in transforming Telit has also helped prepare the business for addressing the COVID-19 situation. Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and we have implemented remote working initiatives to allow our team to maintain service levels while minimising risks. Our year to date trading has not been materially affected in terms of customer demand, while supply chain constraints experienced early in the quarter at our electronics manufacturing partner in China are being resolved rapidly. Demand from customers is in line with our expectations at this stage, but we cannot estimate how long the crisis around Covid-19 will last or what impact it will have on the market. This could affect future demand from customers. We are monitoring the situation closely and are taking all necessary actions to minimise the impact on our full year targets of any supply chain pressures or changes in customer demand.

Our drive to become a leading end-to-end IoT provider has been and will continue to be powered by key developments such as our award-winning software suite oneEDGE, which enables enterprises to successfully execute their digital transformation. We will continue to build on the momentum of recent years with the help of our employees around the world. We remain confident in our ability to continue to deliver improved operational and financial performance. "

Financial Highlights(1)

-- Group revenues, excluding automotive business revenues, (sold in February 2019), up by 8. 3 % to $382.8 million (2018: $35 3.4 million)

o Total Group revenues, including two months' contribution from the automotive business, were $392.5 million (2018: $427.5 million, including full year revenue from automotive business)

o IoT Cloud and connectivity revenues up by 20.2% to $41.0 million (2018: $34.1 million), driven by a strong performance of both the connectivity and the IoT platforms businesses

-- Adjusted EBITDA up 26.9% to $38.2 million (2018: $30.1 million), with $15.3 million of R&D capitalisation (2018: $25.3 million)

-- Operating profit (EBIT) of $63. 6 million includes $54.5 million related to the capital gain from the sale of the automotive business(2) (2018: operating loss $33.4 million). Adjusted EBIT of $16 . 9 million (2018: $2.3 million).

-- Profit before tax of $59 . 9 million (2018: loss $39.8 million). Adjusted profit before tax $ 13 . 2 million (2018: loss $4.1 million).

-- Basic earnings per share of 3 6 . 0 cents (2018: loss per share 27.9 cents). Adjusted earnings per share

of 12.5   cents (2018: loss per share 3.8 cents). 

-- Profit in cash(3) of $11.7 million (2018: loss $3.6 million), substantial improvement of $15.3 million in 2019 reflecting the focus on cash generation

   --      Net cash at 31 December 2019 of $48.2 million (31 December 2018: Net debt of $34.0 million) 

-- Cash flow generated from operating activities, before movement in working capital of $34.6 million (2018: $14.8 million)

Operational Highlights

-- Successful completion of the sale of the automotive business, including finalisation of the working capital adjustment

   --      Implementation of cost optimisation plan with full effect to be realised in 2020 
   --      Execution of first live 5G testing for industrial grade 5G product 

-- Further investment in OneEdge, integrated hardware and services offering designed to enable enterprises to manage IoT integration and scalability

-- Introduction of new Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) cellular modules based on Qualcomm(R) 9205, ME910G1 and ME310G1

   --      Extension of SimWISE, embedded sim technology into Telit's 2G, LTE-M and NB-IoT modules 

-- New production agreement with a tier 1 contract manufacturer in Vietnam with mass production expected to start in the second quarter of 2020

1 For the definition of 'Adjusted' figures and reconciliation from IFRS financial results to adjusted

financial results please refer to Note   4 
   2   Please refer to Note 6 

3 Profit (loss) in cash defined as Adj. EBITDA less capitalisation of internally generated assets and less acquisition of tangible and intangible assets net of proceeds from disposal of assets .

Enquiries:

 
Telit Communications PLC                         Tel: +44 203 289 
 Paolo Dal Pino, Chief Executive Officer          3831 
 Yariv Dafna, Finance Director & President 
 
finnCap (Nomad and Broker)                       Tel: +44 20 7220 
 Henrik Persson/Giles Rolls (corporate finance)   0500 
 Tim Redfern / Richard Chambers (ECM) 
 
FinElk                                           Tel: +44 20 7631 
                                                  8618 
Robin Haddrill/ Cornelia Schnepf 
 

About Telit

Telit (AIM: TCM), is a global leader in Internet of Things (IoT) enablement, with an extensive portfolio of wireless connectivity modules, platforms and virtual cellular IoT operator services, empowering hundreds of millions of connected 'things' to date, and trusted by thousands of direct and indirect customers, globally. With nearly two decades of IoT innovation experience, Telit continues to redefine the boundaries of digital business, by delivering secure, integrated end-to-end IoT solutions for many of the world's largest brands, including enterprises, OEMs, system integrators and service providers across all industries, enabling their pursuit of enterprise digital transformation.

# # #

Copyright (c) 2020 Telit Communications PLC. All rights reserved. Telit, Telit OneEdge and all associated logos are trademarks of Telit Communications PLC in the United States and other countries. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Chairman's statement

I am delighted to report on behalf of Telit's Board of Directors that 2019 was a good year for the Group, in which we delivered a strong financial and operational performance. Telit's management is continuing to optimise the Group's strategy and to pursue further cost reductions. We are confident that we can create long-term value by exploiting the numerous opportunities we face as a global leader in the IoT market.

In February 2019, Telit completed the sale of its automotive business for $105 million, subject to working capital adjustment. The sale has provided the Group with the financial flexibility to accelerate the integration of its IoT products and services businesses. Following the sale, the Group is now focused solely on the industrial IoT market, the main driver of digital transformation for enterprises. Telit is committed to maintaining and growing its leading position in the IoT products market, increasing the value and differentiation of its products by leveraging the combination of modules and IoT services and ensuring the better utilisation of its sales force.

Telit's end-to-end model allows connected devices to become more efficient and user friendly, with software playing a key role in simplifying an enterprise's approach to IoT. This integrated business model enables Telit to leverage its combined offering of modules, connectivity and IoT platform and portal.

Return of Capital

Following the sale of the automotive business and subsequent repayment of most of the Company's borrowings and reflecting the strong financial performance of the business during the year, at 31 December 2019 the Company had net cash of $48.2 million. While seasonal fluctuations mean the cash position can vary materially during the course of the year, the Board nevertheless is considering the possibility of returning cash to shareholders if market circumstances mean that it is prudent to do so. To give the Board flexibility in this regard, the Board proposes to seek approval at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting to be given authority to make market purchases of the Company's shares for up to 10% of the outstanding shares or up to $20 million. Subject to any unforeseen material events, and in particular to the potential impact Covid-19 may have on Telit's business, the Board intends and expects to execute the repurchase programme during the balance of 2020. Further details will be announced in due course.

Board

In May 2019, Paolo Dal Pino and I were appointed as the Group's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman respectively. At the AGM in June 2019, one director was not re-elected to the Board and in July another director resigned after moving to Australia. Following these changes, we strengthened the Board with two new appointments. In August 2019 Marco Patuano was appointed as an independent non-executive director and chairman of the Audit Committee and in October 2019 Anthony Dixon was appointed as an independent non-executive director. Additionally, Gil Sharon assumed the role of senior independent non-executive director in August 2019. The Board now comprises five independent non-executive directors (including the chairman) and two executive directors.

I am confident the Board as currently constituted has the skills and experience to strengthen further Telit's corporate governance and to reinforce its leading position in the global industrial IoT market.

   FCA   Investigation 

In December 2018, we informed shareholders that the FCA had expanded the scope of the investigation originally announced on 27 March 2018. The expanded scope is focused on the accuracy of both Telit's trading update of 25 April 2017 and the reasons given for the placing announced on 4 May 2017 and completed on 5 May 2017. The Group has cooperated fully with the FCA in its enquiries to date and will continue to do so with the objective of bringing this matter to a conclusion as swiftly as possible.

The Board of Directors of Telit has changed entirely since the events in question.

People

Most importantly, on behalf of both the Board and our shareholders, I would like to thank all our employees and managers worldwide for the commitment and dedication they have continually demonstrated throughout the year. Their efforts, particularly in a time of significant change for the Company, are reflected in Telit's strong performance in 2019 and in our confident outlook for the future, despite current market uncertainties.

Simon Duffy

Chairman

Chief Executive Officer's statement

I am pleased to report that in 2019 Telit made great progress towards our strategy of:

   --      refocusing the business on industrial IoT products and solutions; 

-- investing further in OneEdge, our integrated hardware and services offering, which was launched this year;

-- appointment of new contract manufacturer outside China to increase scalability and reduce operational risks;

-- optimising our structure to be more focused on growth, improved profitability and cash generation;

   --      delivering healthy growth with double digit revenue growth for IoT services. 

For the full year 2019, we reported significant progress in the Group's financial performance, with revenue and profitability growing across segments.

W e saw a slight improvement in our overall gross margin, which was an important objective, growing to 32.9% in 2019 compared to 2018 (32.6%). Whilst this improvement is mainly due to the automotive sale, we are focussed on improving this further. Following the move to a profit in cash in the second half of 2018, we saw further improvement in the profit in cash in 2019, from a loss for the full year 2018 of $3.6 million to a profit of $11.7 million.

Since I took on the role of CEO, I further aligned the management team to the fundamentals of our core business. This included optimisation of our operational structure, better integration of our products and services, reshaping our go-to-market strategy and a focus on improved profitability and cash generation.

Our renewed emphasis on the core business of industrial IoT products and services was the main reason for the disposal of the automotive division. The transaction closed at the end of February 2019 and is an important milestone in executing our strategy. It frees up considerable internal resources, provides significant cash inflow and the financial flexibility to accelerate the integration of our hardware products and IoT services and provides additional financial resources to expand our supply chain and direct purchasing plans.

Strategy

Telit is a key player in the industrial IoT market and has already become a leading end-to-end IoT provider enabling enterprises to successfully execute their digital transformation.

We are focused on products and connected devices that help us develop and maintain our leading position in the IoT market and are increasingly expanding into integrated and value-added software and services.

We believe in end-to-end solutions: connected devices must become more efficient and user friendly, with software playing a key role in simplifying an enterprise's approach to IoT. Our integrated business approach enables us to focus on synergies, leveraging our combined offering of modules (cellular and short range), the IoT connectivity and the IoT platform and portal.

We have identified the industrial IoT market as the main driver of the digital transformation for enterprises. We are committed to maintaining and growing our leading position in the IoT products market and increasing the value and differentiation of our products.

The digital transformation of public and private enterprises globally, in which everything becomes connected, presents a significant opportunity to us. Enterprises are increasingly realising the benefits of collecting the right information and processing it into actionable data that can be transmitted and acted upon. Efficient and intelligent data processing allows companies to solve both legacy issues and ones they may not have thought of before.

Telit is at the forefront of this digital transformation, providing the critical ingredients to fulfil the need for real time data from the physical world. These include the following components:

-- IoT Products . A diversified portfolio of modules that allow "things" to be connected using the best available and most suitable technology (Cellular, GNSS, Wi-Fi and BT/BLE) for the applications being developed. Our products provide a significant reduction in time-to-market and total cost of ownership for customers. The Group markets its IoT products to a broad range of market segments including asset tracking, health care, security, telematics, point of sale, wearables, telemetry, industry, energy and smart metering. In order to cater to such diverse industries, Telit continues to develop a wide range of cellular products from low bandwidth 2G and NB-IoT to high category LTE and 5G modules.

-- IoT Connectivity services . These allow scaling and global deployments of customers' IoT solutions with a single point of contact. We deliver the ease of a single bill and dedicated 24/7 IoT support services at competitive rates, without the need for in-house experts, mapping and contracting separately with multiple global MNOs. The Group continues to invest in and develop its IoT connectivity business, which covers all customer connectivity needs and provides a recurring revenue stream for Telit. We expect an increase in the number of customers adding connectivity services with the integration of SimWISE into more of our products.

-- IoT Platform services. Telit's IoT platform is an industrial grade suite of software that provides device management, connectivity management, and application enablement, which allows for the creation and management of IoT applications, from standalone applications such as metering and asset tracking to more robust Industry 4.0 / Industrial IoT (IIoT) and factory automation solutions. The platform is designed to enable customers to manage their IoT deployments through a single IoT portal which facilitates interaction with MNOs, dash boarding tools, security and administration as well as tying in with our modules in the field. The portal is a significant tool to manage any IoT deployment efficiently, save costs, be flexible and solve issues remotely. We expect to increase the attach rate of services sold to our product's customer with our OneEdge solutions.

These three components allow Telit to enable fast deployment of IoT solutions with complete life cycle management (long and short-range connectivity devices, global data plans and IoT platform), both in the traditional IoT verticals such as asset tracking, logistics, remote industrial monitoring, automated utility meter reading, telematics, mobile health devices, and for the fast-growing enterprise market.

Operational overview

I n February 2019 we completed the sale of our automotive business, including finalising the working capital adjustment upon completion and as previously described. Following the closing of the sale, Telit's financial debts mainly consists of governmental loans provided to the Group's Italian subsidiary.

The disposal of the automotive business saw the Group's subsidiary in Belgium and its wholly owned subsidiary in France, being sold, together with three newly incorporated subsidiaries in Germany, Israel and Korea as part of the reorganisation. The automotive business represented approximately 17% of Telit's revenue in 2018. For further information see Note 6.

In 2019, we also continued our reorganisation and optimisation programme in order to stabilise our gross margin and improve overall profitability and cash generation. Our achievements in this regard include:

-- We further focused on our 4G portfolio, including low category as well as high category, including a 5G development programme to complete the high category portfolio. Our first 5G product which will address the demand for high bandwidth products including applications like gateway and routers is expected to be certified in the first quarter of 2020.

-- Our IoT connectivity business continued to grow and improved profitability highlighting the growing demand for dedicated IoT connectivity services, and the scalability achieved in this business. The Group continues to develop more flexible and cost-effective solutions including investment in MVNO licence and core network as well as further investment in IoT modules with iSIM. These investments will allow us to bring to market in 2020, new connectivity solutions which will enable us to better compete on global projects with large scale.

-- We completed the reorganisation of our non-cellular business and closed R&D centres in high cost areas transferring the knowledge to lower-cost sites such as India, Italy and Korea.

-- The integration of the hardware and services businesses is progressing well: the launch of OneEdge in 2019 has been a success, winning five awards to date.

-- We signed an agreement with a tier 1 contract manufacturer in Vietnam in order to reduce supply chain risks and increase the overall competitiveness of our product cost.

We are pleased to see the benefits of our cost saving initiatives coming through in 2019 and future years.

R&D and investment

We continue to invest across our range of products and services, including the development of our software suite - "oneEDGE" - which enables solutions for a new generation of Telit cellular LPWA IoT modules. With integrated, secure, easy-to-use tools, it dramatically simplifies design, deployment and management of IoT products and solutions, enabling a leap ahead into the new 5G super-connected world. Combined with Telit's iSIM solution SimWISE, these technologies solve long-standing challenges related to integration, scalability, security and management.

We have developed best in class products for our customers and will continue to be an innovative global leader for IoT solutions.

Telit's investments in the last few years include not only the development of each of the solutions mentioned above but also, increasingly, the integration of the different components in order to transform our products and services into a cohesive solution which is ready to connect and send data. Telit integration is designed to simplify all aspects of IoT implementation for customers and save them time and money, reducing risks and speeding up time to market by simplifying deployment.

Impact of Covid-19 coronavirus

Telit's supply chain includes a several contract manufacturers that support its production requirements. One of the Group's suppliers in China resumed partial operations in early February 2020, following the government mandated extended closure for the Chinese New Year holiday period. The remainder of the Group's suppliers restarted production fully during February 2020. Consequently, the Group is currently facing minimal impact to its production plan but will continue to work with its suppliers and customers closely to avoid any disruption.

Demand from customers is in line with expectation at this stage, but we cannot estimate how long the crisis around the Covid-19 will last and the impact on the market, which could also affect future demand from customers.

Due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, Telit has asked some of its employees work from home as a safety precaution. In the last 2 years, Telit already certified core business operations under the international standards of ISO 22301 and ISO 27001. As part of the implementation of these standards, we created and adjusted technological solutions to support seamless business operations and allow business as usual. Telit continuously invests in its business processes and guidelines to minimise risks and maintain service levels for our customers. To that end, Telit maintains a robust remote access network architecture to support our staff for remote working. Telit confirms that these processes worked as intended, verifying our infrastructure and business continuity standards.

Outlook

The IoT market remains fast growing and dynamic and Telit remains well positioned to capitalise on growth opportunities in this market. The Board is fully committed to delivering value and growth for the business as a leading enabler in the industrial IoT space.

Building on the progress made over the last two years, and subject to the wider market disruptions cause by Covid-19, we are confident that our operational and financial performance in 2020 will continue to improve and we are well positioned to deliver another year of growing profit and cash. We are clearly mindful of risks to our business, including those related to COVID-19 that might affect us in the short term, but our business will benefit both from the addition of OneEdge and from new offerings within the cloud & connectivity business. In view of this and seeing the benefits of the hard work of recent years, the Board is confident in the Group's prospects for the future.

Paolo Dal Pino

Chief Executive Officer

FINANCE DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT

I am pleased to report that in 2019 Telit achieved significant improvement in its financial results based on revenue growth, a reduction in operating costs and the sale of the automotive business. In 2019 we improved the Group's overall profitability and efficiency while maintaining our future potential development and growth.

Financial results 1F

 
                                         2019     2018    Change   Change 
                                                                      % 
                                          $M       $M       $M 
 
 Revenues                               392.5    427.5    (35.0)   (8.2%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Gross profit                           129.3    139.2    (9.9)    (7.1%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Gross margin                           32.9%    32.6% 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Other operating incomes                 3.4      1.9      1.5      78.9% 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Research and development expenses      (46.7)   (73.0)   (26.3)   (36.0%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Selling and marketing expenses         (48.2)   (59.1)   (10.9)   (18.4%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 General and administrative expenses    (25.9)   (26.0)   (0.1)    (0.4%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Exceptional expenses related 
  to restructuring                      (1.0)    (10.8)   (9.8)    (90.7%) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Other exceptional items                 52.7    (5.5)     58.2 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Adjusted EBITDA                         38.2     30.1     8.1      26.9% 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Profit (Loss) in cash                   11.7    (3.6)     15.3 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Operating income (EBIT)                 63.6    (33.4)    97.0 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Adjusted EBIT                           16.9     2.3      14.6    634.8% 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Profit (Loss) before tax                59.9    (39.8)    99.7 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Adjusted Profit (loss) before 
  tax                                    13.2    (4.1)     17.2 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Basic earnings (loss) per share 
  (cents)                                36.0    (27.9) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Diluted earnings (loss) per 
  share                                  35.7    (27.9) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Adjusted basic earnings per 
  share (cents)                          12.5    (3.8) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 Adjusted diluted earnings per 
  share (cents)                          12.4    (3.8) 
                                       -------  -------  -------  -------- 
 

Adjusted EBIT is defined as Earnings Before Interest, Tax, share based payment expenses, amortisation of acquired intangibles, impairment of internally generated development assets, other exceptional items, exceptional expenses related to restructuring and the profit on disposal of the automotive business. Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Adjusted EBIT plus depreciation and other amortisation. Profit/loss in cash is defined as Adjusted EBITDA less capitalisation of internally generated development assets less acquisition of tangible and intangible assets net of proceeds from disposal of assets, less lease payments. Adjusted profit / (loss) before tax is defined as Profit / (loss) before tax plus share based payment expenses, amortisation of acquired intangibles, other exceptional items, exceptional expenses relating to restructuring, impairment of internally generated assets and the profit on disposal of the automotive business.

Reconciliation between operational and adjusted operational results:

 
                    2019 reported   Exceptional     Impairment       Share      Amortisation       2019 
                          $M           items       of internally     based      of intangibles    adjusted 
                                         $M          generated      payment        acquired          $M 
                                                      assets        expenses          $M 
                                                        $M             $M 
 
 Revenues               392.5            -              -              -              -            392.5 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Gross profit           129.3            -              -              -              -            129.3 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Gross margin           32.9%                                                                      32.9% 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Other operating 
  income                 3.4             -              -              -              -             3.4 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Operating                                                                                        ( 115.5 
  expenses             (120.8)           -             1.3            2.0            2.0             ) 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Exceptional                          (51. 7 
  items                 51. 7            )              -            (0.3)            -            (0.3) 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Operating 
  income (EBIT)         63.6          (51.7)           1.3            1.7            2.0           16.9 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 Profit before 
  tax                   59.9          (51.7)           1.3            1.7            2.0           13.2 
                   --------------  ------------  ---------------  ----------  ----------------  ---------- 
 

Revenues

Group revenues, excluding the automotive business sold in February 2019, increased by 8. 3 % to $382.8 million (2018: $353.4 million), of which cloud and connectivity revenues were $41.0 million (2018: $34.1 million), an increase of 20.2%.

IoT products - revenue growth was driven by double digit growth in the America and APAC, while EMEA saw a smaller increase in revenue. We are well positioned to improve revenue growth in EMEA compared with the last few years based on the growing demand for LTE products in this region.

IoT services - The 20.2% increase in Cloud and connectivity revenues is encouraging, and we believe this trend will continue in the coming years. In the IoT connectivity business, we enjoyed another year of fast growth boosted by a strong performance in the US. We also saw faster than expected for revenue growth from IoT Platforms, resulting from the ramp up of certain projects and growth of several running projects.

Telit's activities in the IoT services business unit have grown in recent years and, although revenue results from this business unit still comprise about 10% of the Group's revenue, it contributed 19.3% of the gross profit and represents an important growth engine for the future.

 
                                 2019    2018 
                                  $m      $m       Change 
 Americas (1)                    194.1   176.1    10. 2 % 
                                ------  -------  -------- 
 EMEA (2)                        114.2   112. 8   1. 2 % 
                                ------  -------  -------- 
                                                  15 . 5 
 APAC (3)                        74. 5   64.5      % 
                                ------  -------  -------- 
 Total (excluding automotive)    382.8   35 3.4   8. 3 % 
                                ------  -------  -------- 
 Automotive (4)                  9.7     74.1     (86.9%) 
                                ------  -------  -------- 
 

(1) Americas - remains our biggest region with revenues growing in line with our expectation. The overall demand for LTE products continued to grow, driven by additional certifications of our CAT-1 and CAT-M1 products and the major US carriers plans to focus exclusively on LTE. We believe Telit is in a good position to continue to grow revenue in this market at a higher rate than the overall growth of the Group.

(2) EMEA- revenues increased slightly and below our expectations. EMEA continues to be impacted by cellular technology stagnation but we have started to see growing low category LTE deployment ramping up and we expect this to improve growth in this region.

(3) APAC- revenues increased significantly and slightly above our expectation mainly as a result of a faster deployment of several projects in the region.

(4) Automotive- In 2019 reflect from 1 January to 27 February 2019.

Operating segments are reported in a manner consistent with the internal reporting provided to the chief operating decision-maker in the Group. The chief operation decision-maker, who is responsible for allocating resources and assessing performance of the operating segments and makes strategic decisions, has been identified as the CEO. Segment performance is evaluated based on operating profit or loss, as presented below:

 
 2019                                           Cloud & 
                                              Connectivity 
                              IoT Products      services     Consolidated 
                             -------------  --------------  ------------- 
                                   $M             $M              $M 
                             -------------  --------------  ------------- 
 Revenue 
 External sales:                     351.5            41.0          392.5 
                             =============  ==============  ============= 
 
 Result 
 Gross profit                        104.3            25.0          129.3 
 Gross margin                        29.7%           60.9%          32.9% 
 Segment EBIT                         27.2             0.6           27.8 
                                      7.7%            1.4% 
                             =============  ============== 
 Unallocated expenses 
  (1)                                                              (18.7) 
                                                            ------------- 
 Capital Gain (automotive 
  disposal)                                                          54.5 
                                                            ------------- 
 Operating profit                                                    63.6 
 
 
 
 2018                                       Cloud & 
                                          Connectivity 
                          IoT Products      services     Consolidated 
                         -------------  --------------  ------------- 
                               $M             $M              $M 
                         -------------  --------------  ------------- 
 Revenue 
 External sales                  393.4            34.1          427.5 
                         =============  ==============  ============= 
 
 Result 
 Gross profit                    118.5            20.7          139.2 
 Gross margin                    30.1%           60.6%        32. 6 % 
 Segment EBIT                      7.4        ( 13.9 )        ( 6.5 ) 
                                1. 9 %         (40.8%) 
                         =============  ============== 
 Unallocated expenses 
  (1)                                                        ( 26.9 ) 
                                                        ------------- 
                                                               ( 33.4 
 Operating loss                                                     ) 
 
 

(1) Unallocated expenses principally including general and administrative expenses such as directors' compensation, salaries of certain senior executives, professional fees and other expenses which cannot be directly allocated to one of the segments.

Gross profit and gross margin

Gross profit was $129.3 million (2018: $139.2 million), a decline of 7.1%, due to the decline in revenue related to the automotive business. Excluding the automotive business, gross profit increased by 3.0%.

The Group's gross margin improved slightly to 32.9% (2018: 32.6%). The improvement from 2018 was below our expectations caused by an increase in the cost of goods sold due to shortage of certain components which contributed to extra costs, and by an additional write off of inventory, following the discontinuation of a product line. Whilst we are expecting LTE product margins to further improve and cloud and connectivity to grow faster and thereby improve the overall margin, we expect the future gross margins to remain in the low thirties.

Operating expenses

   --      Gross R&D expenses were as follows: 
 
                                           2019     2018 
                                            $m       $m 
 Gross research & development expenses 
  (1)                                     50.5     70.9 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Less -- capitalisation (2)               (15.3)   (25.3) 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Add -- amortisation                      10.2     17.2 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Add -- impairment                        1.3      10.2 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Research and development, net            46.7     73.0 
                                         -------  ------- 
 

(1) Gross research and development expenses declined by $20.4 million mainly due to the reduction of R&D resources that supported the automotive business that left at the completion date (approximately 50% of the saving) and the remainder is due to the impact of the implementation of our cost reduction plan.

(2) The amount capitalised in respect of internally generated development assets decreased by 39.5%. As a percentage of gross R&D expenses, it decreased from 35.7% in 2018 to 30.3% in 2019. The amount capitalised declined mainly due to the automotive divestment which had a higher capitalization rate for the automotive products. The capitalisation amounts in 2019 related mainly to the development of high category LTE products (including 5G) and to a new family of CAT-M1 and NB-IoT and the development of SimWISE and OneEDGE.

-- Selling and marketing expenses decreased by 18.5% to $48.2 million (2018: $59.1 million). The decrease derived from the divestment of the automotive business (approximately 40% of the saving) and the realisation of our cost saving plan.

-- General and administrative expenses decreased slightly to $25.9 million (2018: $26.0 million).

   --      Exceptional expenses related to restructuring: 

Following the review of the Group's activities, a restructuring plan was adopted in late 2017, implemented in 2018 and has been substantially completed in 2019 explaining the decrease in exceptional expenses related to restructuring from $10.8 million in 2018 to $1.0 million in 2019. In 2019 the costs related mainly to the closure of a R&D centre in the US and moving of the knowledge and activities to a lower cost centre.

   --      Other exceptional items: 
 
                                                2019     2018 
                                                  $m      $m 
                                              -------  ------ 
 Integration and transaction costs (1)          1.0      2.8 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Legal and other expenses related to FCA 
  investigation and related matters (2)         0.7      0.9 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Legal expenses related to BAMES (3)            0.1      1.3 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Other                                         ) 0.1(    0.5 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Sub- total                                     1.7      5.5 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Profit on disposal automotive business (4)    (54.5)     - 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 Total                                         (52.8)    5.5 
--------------------------------------------  -------  ------ 
 

(1) Mainly legal and other costs related to the automotive reorganisation and sale which was signed in 2018 and completed in February 2019.

(2) Costs related mainly to the ongoing FCA investigation and related matters the circumstances giving rise to which began in 2017.

(3) Costs related to defending the Group's position in the BAMES case (in 2018, including the settlement fees of approximately $1 million) .

   (4)   Profit on disposal of the automotive businesses, see note 6 

Finance costs, net

 
                                                   2019    2018 
                                                    $m      $m 
 Non-cash expenses related to effective rate 
  interest on preferred loan                       1.1     1.2 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Interest expense on bank loans and overdrafts 
  (1)                                              0.8     3.1 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Bank fees and other bank expenses                 1.1     1.2 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Exchange rate differences, net                    0.8     0.4 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Loss from forward currency contracts (2)          0.4     0.6 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Interest related to IFRS16 liabilities (3)        0.8      - 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Interest income                                  (1.2)   (0.1) 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 Total                                             3.8     6.4 
                                                 ------  ------ 
 

(1) Interest expenses related to loans and overdrafts decreased by $2.3 million, due to repayment of HSBC and BHI loans in February 2019.

(2) Due to the uncertainty around the Euro currency, the company entered into a hedging arrangement to protect the operating costs denominated in Euro - as the Euro currency against the USD was lower than expected, the hedging arrangement resulted in a loss.

(3) According to IFRS 16, the finance cost is charged to profit or loss over the lease term so as to produce a constant period rate of interest on the remaining balance of the liability.

Profitability

We measure our profitability based on adjusted figures to eliminate exceptional items and share based payment charges. The adjusted EBIT and PBT exclude:

   --      a share-based payment charge of $1.7 million (2018: $5.7 million); 
   --      restructuring costs of $1.0 million (2018: $10.8 million); 
   --      capital gain of $54.5 million related to the sale of the automotive business; 
   --      other exceptional expenses of $ 1.7 million (2018: $5.5 million); 
   --      impairment of capitalised development assets of $1.3 million (2018: $10.2 million); and 
   --      amortisation of acquired intangible assets of $2.0 million (2018: $3.4 million). 

The profit in cash is defined as Adjusted EBITDA less R&D capitalisation less capital expenditures net of proceeds on disposal. In 2019 profit in cash was $11.7 million, a significant improvement over the $3.6 million loss in cash of 2018.

Adjusted EBIT was $16.9 million (2018: $2.3 million). The operating profit was $63. 6 million (2018: loss of $33.4 million). Excluding the profit on disposal automotive business, the improvement in operating profit was $42.5 million mainly driven by the decrease of $ 37 . 3 million in the operating expenses.

Adjusted EBITDA increased to $38.2 million (2018: $30.1 million) - considering similar level of R&D capitalisation, the improvement in adjusted EBITDA would be $18.1 million.

Adjusted profit before tax increased to $13.2 million (2018: loss of $4.1 million). Net profit for the year was $47.4 million (2018: loss of $36.4 million). Adjusted net profit for the year was $16.4 million (2018: loss of $4.9 million).

Adjusted basic earnings per share were 12.5 cents and diluted earnings per share were 12.4 cents (2018: loss per share 3.8 cents). Basic earnings per share were 36.0 cents and diluted earnings per share were 35.7 cents (2018: basic and diluted loss per share was 27.9 cents).

Net cash (debt) and cash flow

The net cash (debt) was comprised as the following:

 
                                           2019     2018 
                                             $m       $m 
 Cash and cash equivalent and deposits     81.9     35.3 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Less -- working capital borrowing        (3.9)    (39.2) 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Less -- preferred and governmental 
  loans                                   (28.0)   (28.1) 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Less -- Mortgage loan                    (1.8)    (2.0) 
                                         -------  ------- 
 Net Cash (Debt)                           48.2    (34.0) 
                                         -------  ------- 
 

Following the improvement in the overall financial performance, cash flow provided from operating activities before movements in working capital was $34.6 million (2018: $14.8 million). The total cash provided from operating activities was $14.0 million (2018: $25.8 million), reflecting increased working capital employed in the TSA and for the set-up of the new manufacturing site, the impact of direct purchasing of materials which will contribute to improvement in gross margin.

Cash flow provided from investing activity was $73.4 million (2018: cash used $33.7 million). The positive cash flow is due to the cash received from the divestment of the automotive business in 2019, offset by the capital and capitalised development expenditure.

Cash flow used in financing activity was $39.6 million (2018: cash from $2.2 million). This is mainly related to the repayment of the HSBC and Bank Hapoalim loans in February 2019, utilising the funds received from the sale of the automotive business.

Internally generated development assets, net

As at 31 December 2019, the net amount of internally generated development assets decreased by $30.3 million to $37.0 million (2018: $67.3 million). The split of the net assets by technology is as follows:

 
 Technology       Internally generated       Internally generated        Change (*) 
                   development assets,        development assets,       year over year 
                  net as at 31 December      net as at 31 December 
                          2019                       2018 
                    $'m           %            $'m           %          $'m        % 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
 
 LTE (4G &                                                                        ( 48 
  5G)              25.1          68%          47.9          71%        (22.8)      %) 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
                                                                       ( 6.2 
 3 G                0.4           1%           6.6          10%           )      (94%) 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
 Other IoT 
  Modules           8.5          23%           8.1          12%         0.4       5 % 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
 IoT Services       3.0           8%           4.7           7%        (1.7)     (36%) 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
 31 December       37.0          100%         67.3          100%       (30.3)    (45%) 
               ------------  -----------  ------------  -----------  ---------  ------- 
 

(*) during 2019, we divested as part of the automotive sale approximately $33.1 million of capitalised R&D assets

The net assets that are in the development phase, before being amortised, are 35% of the total R&D assets (2018 37%) and consist of the following products:

 
 Technology       Net assets        Weighted         Net assets        Internally generated 
                   started to        average        in development          development 
                  be amortised     of remaining      process (not           assets, net 
                                     years to       amortised yet)       as at 31 December 
                                   be amortised                                2019 
                 $'m       %                        $'m        %         $'m           % 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 
 LTE (4G & 
  5G)            16.6     69%          3.7          8.5       67%        25.1         68% 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 3 G             0.1       0%          3.2          0.3       2%         0.4          1% 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 Other IoT 
  Modules        4.5      19%          3.8          4.0       31%        8.5          23% 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 IoT Services    3.0      12%          1.4          0.0       0%         3.0          8% 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 31 December 
  2019           24.2     100%         3.1         12.8      100%        37.0        100% 
               -------  -------  --------------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------- 
 

Total equity

The increase in net shareholders' equity from $86.5 million as at 31 December 2018 to $134.3 million as at 31 December 2019 is mainly attributed to the improved net profit that include in 2019 a substantial capital gain from the sale of the automotive business.

Key Indicators

The Board and management have several indicators to measure Telit's financial and operational performance . Among all indicators which management defines, the following are the key indicators used to measure growth and profitability.

Revenues

2019 $392.5 million ($382.8 excluding automotive)

2018 $427.5 million ($353.4 excluding automotive)

IoT Products Revenues

2019 $351.5 million ($341.8 excluding automotive)

2018 $393.4 million ($319.3 excluding automotive)

Cloud & Connectivity Revenues

   2019                                                     $41.0 million 
   2018                                                     $34.1 million 

Gross Profit

   2019                                                     $129.3 million 
   2018                                                     $139.2 million 

Adjusted EBITDA

   2019                                                     $38.2 million 
   2018                                                     $30.1 million 

Profit (loss) in cash(4)

   2019                                                     $11.7 million 
   2018                                                     ($3.6) million 

(4) Profit (loss) in cash defined as Adj. EBITDA less capitalisation of internally generated assets and less acquisition of tangible and intangible assets net of proceeds from disposal of assets

Yariv Dafna

Finance Director & President

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

 
                                                      2019         2018 
                                                                ---------- 
                                                      $'000        $'000 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Revenue                                               392,537     427,483 
 Cost of sales                                     ( 263 ,277)   (288,310) 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Gross profit                                          129,260     139,173 
 
 Other operating income                                  3,399       1,903 
 Research and development expenses                    (46,687)    (72,985) 
 Selling and marketing expenses                       (48,194)    (59,139) 
 General and administrative expenses                  (25,849)    (25,973) 
 Exceptional expenses related to restructuring         (1,051)   (10,842) 
 Profit on disposal of the automotive business          54,472           - 
 Other exceptional items                               (1,728)     (5,545) 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Operating profit (loss)                                63,622    (33,408) 
 
 Operating profit (loss)                                63,622    (33,408) 
 Profit on disposal of the automotive business        (54,472)           - 
 Exceptional expenses related to restructuring           1,051      10,842 
 Other exceptional items                                 1,728       5,545 
 Share based payment charges                             1,688       5,715 
 Impairment of internally generated development 
  assets                                                 1,316      10,238 
 Amortisation of intangible assets acquired              1,996       3,381 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Adjusted EBIT (*)                                      16,929       2,313 
------------------------------------------------  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Finance income                                          1,212         147 
 Finance costs                                         (4,965)     (6,552) 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 Profit (loss) before income taxes                      59,869    (39,813) 
 
                                                      (12, 469 
 Tax (expense) credit                                        )       3,453 
 
 Net profit (loss)                                     47, 400    (36,360) 
                                                  ------------  ---------- 
 
 
 

* Adjusted EBIT is a Company specific non-GAAP measure which excludes share based payment charges, exceptional expenses related to restructuring, impairment of internally generated development assets, other exceptional items amortisation of intangible assets acquired and the profit on disposal of the automotive business. The Group's management believes that non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors to evaluate operating results and profitability for financial and operational decision-making purposes and to provide comparability between the companies in this sector, as they eliminate non-cash and other exceptional items.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (continued)

 
                                                2019       2018 
                                              --------  --------- 
                                                $'000     $'000 
                                              --------  --------- 
 
 
 Net Profit (loss)                             47, 400   (36,360) 
 
   Other comprehensive loss 
   Items to be reclassified in subsequent 
   periods to profit and loss: 
 Foreign currency translation differences      (1,021)    (5,352) 
 Items not to be reclassified in subsequent 
  periods to profit and loss: 
 Remeasurement loss on defined benefit 
  plan, net of tax                                (49)        (4) 
                                              --------  --------- 
 
 Total other comprehensive loss                (1,070)    (5,356) 
                                              --------  --------- 
 Total comprehensive income (loss) for 
  the year                                      46,330   (41,716) 
                                              ========  ========= 
 
 
 
 
 Basic earnings (loss) per share (in USD 
  cents)                                             36.0        (27.9) 
                                             ============  ============ 
 Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in 
  USD cents)                                         35.7        (27.9) 
                                             ============  ============ 
 Basic weighted average number of equity 
  shares                                      131,507,097   130,446,810 
                                             ============  ============ 
 Diluted weighted average number of equity 
  shares                                      132,674,790   130,446,810 
                                             ============  ============ 
 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION

 
                                       2019         2018 
                                      -----------  --------- 
                                       $'000        $'000 
                                      -----------  --------- 
 ASSETS 
 Non-current assets 
 Intangible assets                         64,052     97,012 
 Property, plant and 
  equipment                                27,153     23,101 
 Other long-term assets                     1,179      1,456 
 Deferred tax asset                        2, 507     19,043 
                                          94, 891    140,612 
                                      -----------  --------- 
 Current assets 
 Inventories                               14,966     27,187 
 Trade receivables                         83,351     99,550 
 Other trade receivables                   23,309          - 
 Income tax receivables                     1,494        759 
 Other current assets                      15,332     15,531 
 Deposits - restricted 
  cash                                        646        345 
 Cash and cash equivalents                 81,304     35,006 
                                      -----------  --------- 
                                          220,402    178,378 
 Total assets                             315,293    318,990 
                                      ===========  ========= 
 
 LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY 
 Shareholders' equity 
 Share capital                              2,176      2,165 
 Share premium account                     49,935     49,778 
 Other reserve                            (2,746)    (2,727) 
 Translation reserve                   (19, 070 )   (18,049) 
 Retained earnings                      104 , 054     55,319 
 Total equity                             134,349     86,486 
                                      -----------  --------- 
 
 Non-current liabilities 
 Long term borrowings                      23,999     24,092 
 Post-employment benefits                   2,230      2,771 
 Deferred tax liabilities                     626      1,451 
 Long term lease liabilities                6,326          - 
 Provisions                                 1,952      1,373 
                                           35,133     29,687 
                                      -----------  --------- 
 Current liabilities 
 Short-term borrowings                      9,782     45,238 
 Trade payables                          95 , 887    120,824 
 Provisions                                 1,239      2,254 
 Income tax payables                        2,893      2,836 
 Short term lease liabilities               3,848          - 
 Accruals and other 
  current liabilities                      32,162     31,665 
                                      -----------  --------- 
                                          145,811    202,817 
                                      -----------  --------- 
 Total equity and liabilities             315,293    318,990 
                                      ===========  ========= 
 
 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOW

 
                                                          2019         2018 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
                                                          $'000        $'000 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 CASH FLOWS - OPERATING ACTIVITIES 
 Profit / (Loss) for the year                                47, 400   (36,360) 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 
 Adjustments for: 
    Depreciation of property, plant and equipment              9,546      8,905 
    Amortisation of intangible assets                         13,720     23,428 
    Impairment of intangible assets                            1,316     11,829 
    Profit on disposal of the automotive business           (54,472)          - 
    (Gain) Loss on sale of property, plant and 
     equipment                                                 (238)        294 
    Increase in provision for post-employment 
     benefits                                                    231      (362) 
    Change in long term provisions, net                        (362)        501 
    Finance costs, net                                         3,523      6,405 
    Tax income / (expense)                                   12, 469    (3,453) 
    Share-based payment charge, net                            1,467      3,659 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 Operating cash flows before movements in 
  working capital:                                            34,600     14,846 
    Increase in trade and other receivables                 (13,702)      (326) 
    Decrease / (Increase) in other current assets              (453)      2,007 
    Decrease /(Increase) in inventories                       11,426    (4,238) 
                                                          ( 17 , 211 
    (Decrease) / Increase in trade payables                        )     16,744 
    Increase / (Decrease) in other current liabilities         2,416        481 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 Cash from operations                                        17 ,076     29,514 
 Income tax paid                                             (2,068)       (10) 
 Interest received                                             1,212        142 
                                                           ( 2 , 247 
 Interest paid                                                     )    (3,880) 
 Net cash from operating activities                           13,973     25,766 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 
 CASH FLOWS - INVESTING ACTIVITIES 
 Acquisition of property, plant and equipment                (4,642)    (8,296) 
 Acquisition of intangible assets                            (2,824)      (869) 
 Proceeds from sale of property, plant and 
  equipment                                                      199        762 
 Capitalised development expenditure                        (15,289)   (25,300) 
 Proceeds from sale of subsidiary, net of 
  cash deal costs                                             96,292          - 
 (Increase) / Decrease in restricted cash 
  deposits                                                     (311)         28 
 Net cash from / (used in) investing activities               73,425   (33,675) 
                                                         -----------  --------- 
 
 CASH FLOWS - FINANCING ACTIVITIES 
 Proceeds from exercise of share options                         168            - 
 Short-term borrowings, net                                 (20,682)        6,895 
 Repayment of lease liabilities                              (3,924)            - 
 Proceeds from long term borrowings                            7,047        4,616 
 Repayment of long term borrowings                          (22,218)      (9,326) 
 Net cash from / (used in) financing activities             (39,609)        2,185 
                                                         -----------  ----------- 
 Increase / (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents          47 ,789      (5,724) 
 Cash and cash equivalents - balance at beginning 
  of year                                                     35,006       41,908 
                                                            ( 1,49 1 
 Effect of exchange rate differences                               )      (1,178) 
                                                         -----------  ----------- 
 Cash and cash equivalents - balance at end 
  of year                                                     81,304       35,006 
                                                         ===========  =========== 
 
 
 

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

Year ended 31 December 2019

 
                                        Share 
                              Share      premium  Other     Translation  Retained 
                               capital   Account   reserve   reserve      earnings    Total 
                              --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
                              $'000     $'000     $'000     $'000        $'000      $'000 
                              --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
 Balance at 1 January 
  2019                        2,165     49,778    (2,727)   (18,049)     55,319     86,486 
 Issue of shares              11          157            -            -  -          168 
 
 Total comprehensive 
  income/(loss) for the 
  year 
 Net profit for the year             -         -         -            -  4 7400,      47,400 
Total other comprehensive                                                            (1, 070 
 income                              -         -         -      (1,021)  (49)              ) 
                              --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
Total comprehensive 
 income/(loss) for the                                          (1, 021 
 year                                -         -         -            )  47, 351     46, 330 
                              --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
 
 Disposal of the automotive                                                            ( 102 
  business                    -                -      (19)            -  ( 83 )            ) 
 
 Transactions with owners 
  : 
 Share-based payment 
  charge                             -         -         -            -  1,467         1,467 
 Balance at 31 December                                        (19, 070  104 , 
  2019                           2,176    49,935   (2,746)            )   054       134, 349 
                              ========  ========  ========  ===========  =========  ======== 
 
 

Year ended 31 December 2018

 
                                       Share 
                             Share      premium  Other     Translation  Retained 
                              capital   Account   reserve   reserve      earnings    Total 
                             --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
                             $'000     $'000     $'000     $'000        $'000      $'000 
                             --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
 Balance at 1 January 
  2018                          2,165    49,778   (2,727)     (12,697)     88,024   124,543 
 Total comprehensive 
  income/(loss) for the 
  year 
 Net loss for the year              -         -         -            -   (36,360)  (36,360) 
Total other comprehensive 
 income                             -         -         -      (5,352)        (4)   (5,356) 
                             --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
Total comprehensive 
 income/(loss) for the 
 year                               -         -         -      (5,352)   (36,364)  (41,716) 
                             --------  --------  --------  -----------  ---------  -------- 
 
 Transactions with owners 
  : 
 Share-based payment 
  charge                            -         -         -            -      3,659     3,659 
 Balance at 31 December 
  2018                          2,165    49,778   (2,727)     (18,049)     55,319    86,486 
                             ========  ========  ========  ===========  =========  ======== 
 
 

NOTES TO THE PRELIMINARY ANNOUNCEMENT

1. This financial information is consistent with the consolidated financial statements of the group, for the year ended 31 December 2019. The Group's consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as adopted by the EU.

2. The financial information set out above does not constitute Telit's statutory accounts for the years ended 31 December 2019 or 2018. Statutory accounts for 2019 will be delivered to the Registrar of Companies. The auditors have reported on the 2019 and 2018 statutory accounts; their reports were (i) unqualified, (ii) did not include references to any matters to which the auditors drew attention by way of emphasis without qualifying their reports and (iii) did not contain statements under section 498 (2) or 498 (3) of the Companies Act 2006.

   3.   Going concern 

In assessing going concern, the Board has considered the risks related to (a) the level of demand for the Group's products which may also affect the possibility of utilising some of these facilities since they depend upon the level of sales in specific markets and in some instances to specific customers; (b) the fluctuations in the exchange rate and thus the consequence for the cost of the Group's raw materials; (c) the continuity of supply from key suppliers; and (d) the company's budgets and forecasts in current market environments.

The Board has also carefully reviewed the Group's budget for 2020 and its medium-term plans, including the new risk related to the Covid 19 Virus. The Directors are mindful that the Group operates in the IoT sector which remains a rapidly growing industry subject to ongoing change in technological and competitive landscape.

After making enquiries, the directors are confident that the Company and the Group have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future and accordingly, continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.

4. Reconciliation of operating profit, profit before tax and net profit to the adjusted figures:

EBITDA is not a financial measure defined by IFRS as a measurement of financial performance and may not be comparable to other similarly-titled indicators used by other companies. Adjusted EBIT, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted profit before tax and profit in cash are provided as additional information only and should not be considered as a substitute for operating profit/loss (EBIT) or net cash provided by operating activities.

-- Adjusted EBIT is defined as Earnings Before Interest, Tax, share based payment expenses, amortisation of acquired intangibles, impairment of internally generated development assets, other exceptional items, exceptional expenses related to restructuring and the profit on disposal of the automotive business;

-- Adjusted EBITDA is defined as Adjusted EBIT plus depreciation and other amortisation; Profit/loss in cash is defined as Adjusted EBITDA less capitalisation of internally generated development assets less acquisition of tangible and intangible assets net of proceeds from disposal of assets, less lease payments;

-- Adjusted profit / (loss) before tax is defined as Profit / (loss) before tax plus share based payment expenses, amortisation of acquired intangibles, other exceptional items, exceptional expenses relating to restructuring, impairment of internally generated assets and the profit on disposal of the automotive business;

-- Adjusted net profit / (loss) for the year is defined as net profit / (loss) for the year plus share based payment expenses, amortisation of acquired intangibles, other exceptional items, exceptional expenses related to restructuring, impairment of internally developed assets and the profit on disposal of the automotive business less deferred tax (credit) / expense.

The Group's management believes that these non-GAAP measures provide useful information to investors to evaluate operating results and profitability for financial and operational decision-making purposes and to provide comparability between the companies in this sector, as they eliminate non-cash items and other exceptional items, which are not inherent to the business. Consequently, Adjusted EBIT, Adjusted EBITDA, profit / (loss) in cash, Adjusted profit / (loss) before tax and Adjusted net profit / (loss) for the year are presented in addition to the reported results.

 
                                                  201 9      201 8 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
                                                  $'000      $'000 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
 Operating profit (loss)- EBIT                    63,622     (33,408) 
 Share-based payments                             1,688      5,715 
 Exceptional expenses related to restructuring    1,051      10,842 
 Impairment of internally developed 
  assets                                          1,316      10,238 
 Other exceptional items                          (52,744)   5,545 
 Amortisation of intangibles assets 
  acquired                                        1,996      3,381 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
 Adjusted EBIT                                    16,929     2,313 
 Depreciation and other amortisation              21,270     27,770 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
 Adjusted EBITDA                                  38,199     30,083 
 Capitalisation of internally generated 
  development assets                              (15,289)   (25,300) 
 IFRS 16 (Rental costs)                           (3,897)    - 
 Acquisition of tangible and intangible 
  assets, net of proceeds from disposal 
  of assets                                       (7,266)    (8,402) 
 Profit (loss) in cash                            11,747     (3,619) 
                                                 =========  ========= 
 
 Profit (loss) before tax                         59,869     (39,813) 
 Share-based payments                             1,688      5,715 
 Exceptional expenses related to restructuring    1,051      10,842 
 Impairment of internally developed 
  assets                                          1,316      10,238 
 Other exceptional items                          (52,744)   5,545 
 Amortisation of intangibles acquired             1,996      3,381 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
 Adjusted profit (loss) before tax                13,176     (4,092) 
                                                 =========  ========= 
 
 Net profit (loss) for the year                   47,400     (36,360) 
 Share-based payments                             1,688      5,715 
 Exceptional expenses related to restructuring    1,051      10,842 
 Impairment of internally developed 
  assets                                          1,316      10,238 
 Other exceptional items                          (52,744)   5,545 
 Amortisation of intangibles acquired             1,996      3,381 
 Deferred tax change                              15,713     (4,268) 
                                                 ---------  --------- 
 Adjusted net profit (loss) for the 
  year                                            16,420     (4,907) 
                                                 =========  ========= 
 
 
   5.      Net cash (debt) position 
 
                                    2019       2018 
                                 ---------  --------- 
                                   $ '000     $ '000 
                                 ---------  --------- 
 
 Cash and cash equivalents          81,304     35,006 
 Restricted cash deposits              646        337 
 Working capital borrowing (1)     (3,934)   (24,442) 
 Long term loans (2)               (3,352)   (20,033) 
 Governmental loans (3)           (24,676)   (22,862) 
 Mortgage loan (4)                 (1,819)    (1,993) 
 Net cash (debt)                    48,169   (33,987) 
                                 =========  ========= 
 

(1) Credit facilities used for working capital of up to EUR10,5 million bear average interest at a rate of 0.85%.

(2) Long term loans from banks in Italy (2018: $3.4 million) with an interest rate of Euribor 6 months plus 5.50%, repayable in 6 semi-annual instalments that will commence in December 2020. The 2018 balance includes $16.6 million loans from HSBC which were fully repaid in February 2019.

(3) Representing preferential long term loans (i) of $14.5 million with fixed-rate of 0.5% and repayable in 14 semi-annual instalments that commenced in December 2016, supported by the Italian MISE (Ministry of Economic Development) to develop an innovative platform for the application of M2M technologies and, (ii) $10.1 million with a fixed-rate of 0.80% and repayable in 16 semi-annual instalments that commenced in December 2019, supported by the Ministry of Trade and Commerce in Italy, provided in connection with the Group's business development program in Italy. These loans are initially recognised at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost.

(4) Representing a preferential rate loan of EUR3.5 million received in 2011 from a regional fund in Italy provided in connection with the Group's acquisition of the campus used for the Company's main R&D facility in Trieste, Italy. The mortgage loan is denominated in Euro, attracts interest at a rate of 80% of Euribor 6 months, with a minimum interest rate of 0.85%, and is repayable over 30 semi-annual instalments that commenced in July 2012. The loan is initially recognised at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost.

The directors believe that the credit facilities and loans as at year end will remain available to the Group for in the foreseeable future and that therefore the Group will be able to continue to fund its operations from these credit facilities.

   6.      Sale of automotive business 

-- On 13 July 2018, Telit Communications PLC agreed to sell its automotive business (Automotive transaction) to TUS International Limited ("TUS") for a total consideration of $105.0 million subject to working capital adjustments. On 27 February 2019 the sale was completed with a cash payment of $67.5 million and a short-term vendor loan of $38.5 million which was later repaid in full on 15 April 2019. The net amount received after the working capital adjustment was $106.6 million.

-- As of 27 February 2019, the net book value of the net assets, including working capital items, of the disposed business units was $44.1 million including intangible assets of $34.7 million.

-- On 30 October 2019 Telit and TUS agreed on the final adjustment to the net consideration which resulted in a total adjustment of $1.6 million that was added to the purchase price of $105 million and resulted in a final profit on disposal before tax of $54.5 million.

 
                                          $'000 
                                         --------- 
    Consideration receivable              106,576 
    Carrying amount of net assets sold    (43,985) 
    Transaction cost                      (8,119) 
    Profit from disposal before tax       54,472 
 

-- Telit agreed to provide certain transitional services, mainly for IT and production management services to Titan, pursuant to a transition service agreement (TSA). At 31 December 2019, the account receivable balance under the TSA was $23.5 million, out of which $1.2 million was overdue. After ongoing discussions with TUS and Titan, and after reducing the overdue amount, Telit agreed, in early 2020 to extend the TSA beyond February 2020 and amend the terms and conditions of the TSA to better secure the collection of the outstanding amounts, including obtaining a guarantee from TUS and its parent.

   7.       Tax 

-- In May 2019, Telit Brazil received an infraction notice from the Sao Paulo state tax authority regarding alleging failure to collect and remit indirect taxes ICMS for FY 2016-2017 under the ICMS-ST substitution rule. Telit timely filed its defence arguments in the first level administrative process. In October, the first-level Administrative Court ruled in favour of the state, as expected, and upheld the assessments made by the tax authority. Later that month, Telit Brazil filed an appeal to a second-level Administrative Court and is awaiting judgement. Where appropriate, decisions from Administrative Courts may be subject to review by a Court of Law. The total potential liability for this claim is approximately $4.2 million consisting of the underlying ICMS claim (approximately $2.1 million), interest (approximately $432 thousands) and penalties (approximately $1.7 million). Based on professional advice and the relevant facts, the Group believes, that it has strong arguments in favour of the tax treatment applied. Accordingly, no provision has been made for this claim.

-- In December 2019, culminating the second stage of a tax audit, the Group affiliates Telit Wireless Solutions Ltd. and Telit Wireless Services Ltd. received tax assessments from the Israeli Tax Authorities for FY 2013 and FY 2013-2016 respectively. These assessments relate to the rate of amortization of certain intangible assets and the treatment of the utilization losses to offset taxable income. With respect to the amortization of intangibles, the Group recognizes that this is an uncertain tax position, and, as such, has provided for an adjustment of the rate of amortization for the relevant tax years. With respect to the utilization of losses, the potential additional tax charge to the Group is approximately $3 million. The Group has timely filed an appeal with the Tel Aviv Circuit Court, and considers, based on professional advice and the particular facts, that it has strong arguments against the disallowance of the losses. Accordingly, no provision has been made for this amount.

   8.      Post balance sheet events 

Following the disclosure in the 2018 annual report, in early 2020 the company managed to settle the following claims:

-- Claims filed by M2M Solutions LLC ("M2M") - In January 2020 the parties signed a settlement agreement for an immaterial amount and the claim was dismissed.

-- Claim filed by Koninklijke KPN N.V., ("KPN") - In January 2020 the parties reached a settlement agreement according to which Telit purchased a license until 31 December 2021 and the claim was dismissed. The cost of the license has no material impact on Group results.

-- Mutual claims between Telit Wireless Services Ltd. ("Telit Ltd.") and Ingeniorsfirman Sjoberg AB, a foreign Swedish Company ("Ingeniorsfirman") - As part of the preliminary hearing took place in January 2020, the parties reached a settlement approved by the court according to which Telit LTD will receive certain immaterial amounts and the mutual claims will be dismissed.

This information is provided by RNS, the news service of the London Stock Exchange. RNS is approved by the Financial Conduct Authority to act as a Primary Information Provider in the United Kingdom. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@lseg.com or visit www.rns.com.

END

FR MZGMFGVVGGZZ

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 17, 2020 03:00 ET (07:00 GMT)

1 Year Telit Communications Chart

1 Year Telit Communications Chart

1 Month Telit Communications Chart

1 Month Telit Communications Chart

Your Recent History

Delayed Upgrade Clock