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Synergetics Reports Higher Net Income for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal 2010

^{Published on 2010-10-12 13:25:26 - Market Wire}
 

Oa™FALLON, Mo.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Synergetics USA, Inc. (NASDAQ: SURG), a medical device company that designs, manufactures, and markets innovative microsurgical devices for ophthalmic and neurosurgical applications, today reported higher net income for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended July31,2010. The Company reported fourth quarter 2010 net income increased to $1.0million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared with $87,000, or $0.00 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2009, and net income rose to $5.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, in fiscal 2010 compared with $1.6 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in fiscal 2009.

"Our research and development ('R&D') activities were realigned last year to focus on those projects with the most revenue potential"

aWe made substantial progress in improving the profitability of Synergetics in fiscal 2010 and reported the highest operating income and net income in our companya™s history,a stated Dave Hable, President and CEO of Synergetics USA, Inc. aOur sales did not keep pace with our growth in net income due to lower sales of neurosurgery products during the transition from our direct sales force to our marketing partners and to lower sales of capital equipment products compared with fiscal 2009. These factors were more than offset by the growth in net income due to higher sales of disposable products across all major product lines and our continued focus on lean manufacturing to reduce costs. We are very positive about growing neurosurgery sales in the future through our marketing partners due to their greater penetration of both domestic and international markets.

aOur cash flows from operations, excluding one-time events, rose to $7.4 million in fiscal 2010 compared with $0.5million in fiscal 2009,a continued Mr. Hable. aWe used our improved cash flow to invest in key research and development projects and reduce our debt. We paid down over $9 million in debt with the assistance of $21.4million in net funds received in the Alcon settlement and $1.5 million from the sale of the assets related to the Omni^® product line to Stryker during fiscal 2010. We expect our strong balance sheet to accelerate our growth as we invest in development of new vitreoretinal and intracranial microsurgery products and pursue other market opportunities,a continued Mr. Hable.

Fourth Quarter Results

Fourth quarter 2010 sales were $13.1 million compared with $13.9 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. The decrease in fourth quarter sales from last year was due primarily to lower sales of capital equipment products and to lower sales arising from the transition of the majority of our neurosurgery direct sales to our marketing partners.

• Ophthalmic sales rose 12.2% to $8.6 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 compared with $7.7million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. The growth in ophthalmic sales benefited from higher volume of disposable products and expansion into international markets.
• Total neurosurgical sales, including sales to marketing partners, were $2.3 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 compared with $3.6 million for the same period in 2009. Direct neurosurgical sales declined to $0.4million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 compared with $3.6million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, primarily due to the transition of neurosurgical sales to marketing partners. Neurosurgical sales to our marketing partners totaled $1.9 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Codman began selling Synergeticsa™ proprietary disposable bipolar forceps in domestic markets effective December 1, 2009, and expanded sales to international markets effective February1,2010. Stryker began selling disposable ultrasonic tips and tubing sets effective April 1, 2010. .

• Total OEM sales were $2.1 million compared with $2.5 million in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. There were no sales to Alcon in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010. Sales to Alcon are expected to begin in fiscal 2011.

aWe expect our sales to gain momentum in fiscal 2011 due to the expanded distribution network through our marketing partners,a continued Mr. Hable. aWe have partnered with Codman and Stryker, leading companies in the neurosurgical field, to market our products in domestic and international markets. We remain positive about building our market share in the neurosurgical markets with these new agreements. In addition, we expect sales to Alcon to ramp up in fiscal 2011 while leveraging our direct ophthalmic distribution network to build market share.a

Gross profit for the fourth quarter totaled $7.5 million, or 57.7% of sales, compared with $7.1 million, or 51.0% of sales, in the fourth quarter of 2009. Gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 increased approximately 6.7percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009, primarily due to improved product mix and lower costs arising from the Companya™s lean manufacturing initiatives. The 2009 resultsincluded a one-time inventory write-down of $826,000 that was included in the 2009 cost of sales and reduced gross profit margin by 5.9% of sales.

Operating income for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2010 was $1.5 million compared with $176,000 in the fourth quarter last year. The increase in operating income benefited from lower manufacturing costs and lower sales and marketing expenses as sales of neurosurgery products were transitioned to marketing partners compared with the fourth quarter of the prior year.

aOur research and development ('R&D') activities were realigned last year to focus on those projects with the most revenue potential,a noted Mr.Hable. aAs a result, we reduced the number of projects so that our R&D resources are more focused on key product initiatives and bringing products more quickly to market. We have a number of exciting products underdevelopment for the vitreoretinal and intracranial microsurgery markets that have the potential of broadening our sales base and extending our product lines.a

Selling and marketing expenses were down $762,000 in the fourth quarter of 2010 to $2.8 million compared with $3.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2009. The decrease is due primarily to a 10% reduction in the workforce, including the majority of the Companya™s direct neurosurgical sales force. Neurosurgical sales were transitioned to external partners that had greater sales and marketing resources. The realignment was part of Synergeticsa™ strategy to increase profitability by eliminating a substantial portion of commercial expenses associated with the direct distribution of neurosurgical products.

Fourth quarter 2010 net income increased to $1.0 million, or $0.04 per diluted share, compared with net income of $87,000, or $0.00 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2009. The growth in net income benefited from an improvement in gross profit and lower sales and marketing expenses compared with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. The 2009 results included a tax benefit of $46,000 compared with a $425,000 provision for income taxes in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Fiscal Year Results

Total net sales for fiscal year 2010 were $52.1 million, down 1.7% compared with $53.0 million in fiscal 2009. The decline in sales was due primarily to lower sales arising from the transition of the majority of our neurosurgery direct sales to our marketing partners and to lower sales of capital equipment products.

Net income for fiscal 2010 rose to $5.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared with $1.6million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in fiscal 2009. The fiscal 2009 results included a charge of $975,000, or $0.03 per diluted share, primarily related to a write-down of inventory. The 2010 results included a one-time gain of $817,000 from the sale of the assets related to the Omni^® product line to Stryker and $2.4 million in settlement gain from Alcon.

• Total ophthalmic sales rose 5.7% to $31.7 million for fiscal 2010 compared with $30.0 million in fiscal 2009. The growth in ophthalmic sales benefited from the sales of disposable products.
• Total neurosurgical sales, including sales to marketing partners, were down 11.4% to $12.4 million for fiscal 2010 compared with $14.0 million for fiscal 2009. Direct neurosurgical sales fell $5.8 million, or 41.5%, to $8.2 million in fiscal 2010 compared to fiscal 2009. This decline in neurosurgical sales was the result of the transition from direct sales to Codman and Stryker under newly-signed marketing partner agreements. Sales to our domestic marketing partners comprised $4.2million of sales in fiscal 2010, partially offsetting the loss in neurosurgery sales.
• Total OEM sales were down 7.7% to $7.9 million compared with $8.5 million in fiscal 2009.

Conference Call Information

Synergetics USA, Inc. will host a conference call on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time. The toll free dial-in number to listen and participate live on this call is (800) 447-0521, confirmation code 27847003. For callers outside the U.S., the number is (847) 413-3238. Participants are encouraged to email questions to [ investorinfo@synergeticsusa.com ]. The conference call will also be simulcast live at [ http://www.synergeticsusa.com ]. An online replay will be available on the Companya™s website for approximately 30 days.

About Synergetics USA, Inc.

Through continuous improvement and development of our people, our mission is to design, manufacture and marketinnovative microsurgical instruments, capital equipment, accessories and disposables of the highest quality in order to assist and enable surgeons who perform microsurgery around the world to provide a better quality of life for their patients.

Synergetics USA, Inc. (the aCompanya) is a leading supplier of precision microsurgery instrumentation. The Companya™s primary focus is on the microsurgical disciplines of ophthalmology and neurosurgery. Our distribution channels include a combination of direct and independent sales organizations and important strategic alliances withmarket leaders. The Companya™s product lines focus upon precision engineered, microsurgical, hand-held instruments and the delivery of various energy modalities for the performance of lessinvasive microsurgery including: (i) laser energy, (ii) ultrasonic energy, (iii) radio frequency energy forelectrosurgery and lesion generation and (iv)visible light energy for illumination, and where applicable, simultaneous infusion (irrigation) of fluids into the operative field. The Companya™s website address is [ http://www.synergeticsusa.com ].

Forward-Looking Statements

Some statements in this release may be aforward-looking statementsa for the purposes of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.In some cases forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as abelieve,a aexpect,a aanticipate,a aplan,a apotential,a acontinuea or similar expressions.Such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties, and there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.These factors, risks and uncertainties are discussed in the Companya™s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended July31, 2010, as updated from time to time in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.The Company is not responsible for updating the information contained in this press release beyond the published date, or for changes made to this document by wire services or Internet services.