Himax(US:HIMX)2025-11-06 14:00Financial Performance - Third quarter revenue was $199.2 million, representing a sequential decline of 7.3%, which outperformed the guidance range of a 12.0%-7.0% decline, primarily driven by better-than-expected sales for automotive IC and T-CON product lines [4][5] - Gross margin was 13.2%, in line with guidance of around 13% [5] - Q3 profits per diluted ADS were $0.006, substantially exceeding the guidance range of a loss of $0.02-$0.04 [5][10] - Operating loss was $0.6 million, representing a negative operating margin of 0.3%, compared to 8.4% in the previous quarter [10] - Cash balance as of September 13, 2025, was $278.2 million, down from $332.8 million in the previous quarter [11] Business Line Performance - Revenue from large display driver ICs was $19.0 million, a decline of 23.6% from the previous quarter, accounting for 9.5% of total revenues [5][6] - Revenue from small and medium-sized display driver segments totaled $141.0 million, reflecting a slight decline of 2.4% [5][6] - Automotive driver sales increased single-digit quarter-over-quarter, indicating resilient underlying demand despite global softness in automotive sales [6][15] - Non-driver sales reached $39.2 million, a 13.7% decrease from the previous quarter [7][8] Market Data - The automotive display IC business accounted for over 50% of total revenues, with demand visibility remaining low as customers maintain lean inventory levels [15][25] - Himax holds a solid 40% market share in traditional DDIC and remains a key supplier for both legacy and next-generation automotive display applications [26][28] Company Strategy and Industry Competition - Himax is focusing on expanding into emerging areas beyond display ICs, including ultra-low-power AI, CPO, and smart glasses, which are expected to become new growth drivers [15][18] - The company maintains a leadership position in automotive display ICs, with a strong pipeline of design wins and ongoing innovation in display technologies [16][26] Management Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed optimism about the automotive business outlook for the next few years, backed by leading technology offerings and comprehensive customer coverage [15][16] - The automotive market is showing signs of bottoming out, but a strong recovery is not anticipated next year, with expectations of a mild recovery [50][51] - Management highlighted the importance of diversifying the supply chain in response to customer requests for geographical diversification [51] Other Important Information - Third quarter operating expenses increased by 34.2% from the previous quarter, primarily due to annual bonus compensation [8][9] - The company is actively engaged in R&D for new technologies, including WiseEye AI and CPO, with expectations for significant revenue contributions starting in 2027 [18][49] Q&A Session Summary Question: Why is the EPS guidance for Q4 conservative despite better revenue and gross margin guidance? - Management explained that the conservative EPS guidance is due to an income tax adjustment and higher R&D expenses scheduled for Q4 [42][43] Question: What is the timeline for meaningful revenue from the CPO business? - Management indicated that while they expect to be ready for volume production in 2026, significant revenue contributions are anticipated starting in 2027 [46][49] Question: What is the outlook for automotive market products in 2026? - Management believes the automotive market is showing signs of bottoming out but does not anticipate a strong recovery next year, budgeting for a mild recovery [50][51]