Digital projector revenue grows 15% year-over-year in 2015

SAN JOSE, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 4, 2016 — Pixelworks, Inc. (NASDAQ: PXLW), an innovative provider of video display processing technology enabling the highest quality viewing experience for displays of all sizes, today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 31, 2015.

Revenue for the full year 2015 was $59.5 million, compared to $60.9 million in 2014. Revenue from chips sold into the digital projector market increased 15% year-over-year, and the Company recorded its first revenue from video processors for mobile devices in the second half of 2015. Offsetting the contributions from sales into the digital projector and mobile device markets was a decrease in sales of chips into the television and panel markets as well as significantly lower licensing revenue compared to 2014.

For the fourth quarter 2015, revenue was $13.5 million, compared to $16.6 million in the prior quarter and $15.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014. The sequential decline in revenue was primarily driven by a weaker demand environment in China and emerging markets for the Company’s projector chips.

On a GAAP basis, gross profit margin in the fourth quarter of 2015 was 50.6%, compared to 50.0% in the third quarter of 2015 and 50.0% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Fourth quarter 2015 GAAP operating expenses were $9.7 million, compared to $9.5 million in the previous quarter and $10.2 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.

For the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company recorded a GAAP net loss of $3.2 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to a GAAP net loss of $1.2 million, or $0.05 per share, in the third quarter of 2015 and GAAP net loss of $2.8 million, or $0.12 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2014.

On a non-GAAP basis, fourth quarter 2015 gross profit margin was 50.9%, compared to 50.2% in the third quarter of 2015 and 50.3% in the fourth quarter of 2014. Fourth quarter 2015 gross profit margin increased compared to the prior periods due to a more favorable mix of chips sold into the digital projector market during the quarter. Fourth quarter 2015 operating expenses on a non-GAAP basis were $8.8 million, compared to $8.5 million in the previous quarter and $8.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.

For the fourth quarter of 2015, the Company recorded a non-GAAP net loss of $2.2 million, or $0.08 per share, compared to a non-GAAP net loss of $0.2 million, or $0.01 per share, in the third quarter of 2015 and non-GAAP net loss of $1.4 million, or $0.06 per share, in the fourth quarter of 2014. Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2015 was a negative $0.9 million, compared to a positive $0.9 million in the previous quarter and a negative $0.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“Fourth quarter results were within the range of guidance; however, our core digital projection business was impacted by the weaker macro environment, especially in the emerging markets. Despite recent headwinds, digital projection revenue grew 15% in 2015 as a result of strong market share gains,” said Stephen Domenik, Pixelworks’ interim CEO. “In our mobile business, we made further progress throughout the year on customer validation and early market adoption, as demonstrated by production shipments of Iris chips in support of ASUS’ flagship ZenPad tablet.

“Although we expect revenue in the first quarter to reflect greater than normal seasonality in our digital projection business, we are beginning to see early signs of improvement from customers and have growing confidence that we will return to growth in the second quarter. Our outlook for mobile remains promising, as we look to further leverage our first-mover advantage.”

The Company will discuss the details of its business outlook for the first quarter of 2016 during its conference call scheduled for today, February 4, 2016, at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Conference Call Information

Pixelworks will host a conference call today at 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time, which can be accessed by calling 877-359-9508 and using passcode 26299806. A Web broadcast of the call can be accessed by visiting the Company's investor page at www.pixelworks.com. For those unable to listen to the live Web broadcast, it will be archived for approximately 30 days. A replay of the conference call will also be available through Thursday, February 11, 2016, and can be accessed by calling 855-859-2056 and using passcode 26299806.

About Pixelworks, Inc.

Pixelworks creates, develops and markets video display processing technology for digital video applications that demand the very highest quality images. At design centers around the world, Pixelworks engineers constantly push video performance to keep manufacturers of consumer electronics and professional displays worldwide on the leading edge. The company is headquartered in San Jose, CA.

For more information, please visit the company’s Web site at www.pixelworks.com .