Axcelis Technologies, Inc. announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2023.
Highlights include:
- Record full year revenue, operating profit and EPS, enabling the Company to surpass its $1.1 billion revenue model.
- Continued strong growth from the Purion Power Series™ product line.
- Significant increase in Purion™ installed base drove record CS&I revenue.
- Year-end systems backlog of $1.2 billion.
For the full year 2023, the Company reported revenue of $1.13 billion, compared with $920 million for the full year 2022, an increase of 23% and a company record. Systems revenue for the year was $883.6 million, compared to $692.1 million in 2022, an increase of 28%, also a company record.
Operating profit was $265.8 million in 2023, compared to $212.4 million in 2022, a 25% increase and a company record. Net income for the year was $246.3 million with diluted earnings per share of $7.43, compared to net income of $183.1 million and diluted earnings per share of $5.46 in 2022, resulting in a 35% net income year over year increase. Gross margin for the year was 43.5%, compared to 43.7% in 2022.
The Company reported fourth quarter revenue of $310.3 million, compared to $292.3 million for the third quarter of 2023. Operating profit for the quarter was $79.1 million, compared to $71.7 million for the third quarter. Net income for the quarter was $71.1 million, or $2.15 per diluted share, compared to $65.9 million, or $1.99 per diluted share in the third quarter. Gross margin for the quarter was 44.4%, unchanged from the third quarter. The fourth quarter ended with bookings of $235.5 million and a systems backlog of $1.2 billion.
President and CEO Russell Low commented, “2023 was another outstanding year for Axcelis. As a result of strong execution by the Axcelis team and robust demand for the Purion Power Series product family, we achieved 23% year-over-year revenue growth during an industry downturn. We have developed a large and diverse customer base in the power market, and we continue to win business from new customers as well as expand our product footprint with existing customers. We believe that the mature process technology and memory segments, two markets in which Axcelis is well-positioned, will recover in the second half of the year, enabling strong growth in 2025.”
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jamie Coogan said, “We are extremely pleased with our 2023 results, and excited about our future growth. Our revenue and earnings per share finished above our revised guidance, and we ended the quarter with robust cash flow and a strong balance sheet. As we look to 2024, we will continue to make investments in R&D while managing expenses, setting us up to achieve our $1.3 billion revenue model in 2025.”
For the first quarter ending March 31, 2024, Axcelis expects revenues of approximately $242 million. First quarter operating profit is forecast to be approximately $45 million with earnings per diluted share of around $1.22. Gross margin in the first quarter is expected to be approximately 43.5%, and for the full year we expect it to improve year over year but could fluctuate quarter to quarter. We expect full year 2024 revenue to be similar to 2023, with revenue weighted toward the second half.
Original – Axcelis Technologies