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CEVA(CEVA) - 2025 Q1 - Earnings Call Transcript
CEVACEVA(US:CEVA)2025-05-07 13:32

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for the quarter was $24.2 million, an increase of 10% year over year from $22.2 million [15] - Licensing revenue increased by 32% to $15 million, representing 62% of total revenues, compared to $11.4 million in the same quarter last year [15] - Royalty revenue decreased by 14% to $9.2 million, accounting for 38% of total revenue, down from $10.7 million in the same quarter last year [16] - GAAP net loss for the first quarter was $3.3 million, with a diluted loss per share of $0.14, compared to a net loss of $5.4 million and a diluted loss per share of $0.23 in the same quarter last year [18] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Licensing revenue was $15 million, with 11 deals concluded in the quarter, including strategic agreements in connectivity, sensing, and edge AI [6][15] - WiFi royalty revenue grew by 183% year over year, driven by a shift towards WiFi 6, which commands a higher average selling price (ASP) compared to previous generations [12][20] - Shipments of Bluetooth units were 233 million, up 15% from 202 million in the first quarter of the previous year [19] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Shipments by CEVA licensees during the first quarter totaled 420 million units, up 13% from the first quarter of the previous year [19] - Consumer IoT market shipments increased by 19% year over year, while industrial IoT shipments rose by 26% [19] - The company anticipates sequential growth in royalties due to the seasonality and expansion of CEVA-powered 5G smartphone modems [21] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to continue innovating for customers, deepen technology leadership, and build a strong future royalty stream while managing expenses [13] - CEVA is focused on expanding its market share in wireless communication IP and diversifying its royalty customer base [3][21] - The company is adopting a more cautious outlook for the rest of the year, lowering 2025 revenue guidance from a high single-digit range to a low single-digit range for growth over 2024 annual revenues [22] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management noted that while there is no direct impact from tariffs, the indirect impact on consumer demand has increased uncertainty [22] - The company remains optimistic about the long-term potential of its royalty business despite a decline in overall revenue [11] - Management expressed confidence in navigating short-term volatility while focusing on being the IP partner of choice for smart edge devices [13] Other Important Information - The company reported a GAAP operating loss of $4.4 million, down from a loss of $5 million in the same quarter a year ago [17] - Total gross operating expenses for the first quarter were at the low end of guidance at $25.1 million [16] - The company has a cash balance of approximately $158 million as of the end of the first quarter [20] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you say whether the ADAS win was with a tier one supplier? - Management confirmed that the design win was with a tier one supplier that has secured OEM customers, and it will be part of their next-generation platform [26][27] Question: Is there a similar increase in ASPs with WiFi 7 as seen with WiFi 6? - Management indicated that there is expected to be a significant uplift in ASPs as customers transition from WiFi 6 to WiFi 7, similar to the previous transition [28][30] Question: What competitive environment surrounded the ADAS win? - Management explained that the market is migrating to more advanced models using vision transformers, which require power-efficient solutions with low latency, areas where their technology excels [36] Question: Was the softness in the low-end smartphone market related to tariffs? - Management clarified that the softness was due to supply chain issues and not directly related to tariffs, and they expect a ramp-up in the second quarter [42][44] Question: Is there any impact on the licensing environment due to macro uncertainties? - Management stated that while there is cautious sentiment among customers, they have not seen a decrease in their licensing pipeline [76] Question: Are WiFi royalty units ramping up similarly to Bluetooth? - Management expressed optimism about the ramp-up of WiFi royalty units, noting that many customers are successfully integrating WiFi 6 technology into production [78]