QC
QUICKLOGIC Corp (QUIK)·Q3 2019 Earnings Summary
Executive Summary
- Q3 FY2019 revenue was $2.16M, down 38% year over year and up 3% sequential; non-GAAP gross margin was 48.9% and non-GAAP EPS was $(0.03) .
- Management cut FY2019 revenue outlook to $10.4M ±$0.3M and guided Q4 revenue to $3.0M ±10% with non-GAAP GM ~60% ±3%; reductions driven by customer pushouts in hearables (Amazon AVS), eFPGA licensing and military shipments .
- CEO outlined catalysts starting early 2020: a mega-cap partner IoT dev platform on EOS S3, TV remote-control design wins with Atmosic/Retune DSP, Nations Technologies eFPGA win, and expanding SensiML SaaS customers (26 at Q3, seven Fortune 500) .
- Management targets non-GAAP operating breakeven by end of Q1 2020 and breakeven/profit in Q2 2020; breakeven requires ~$6M quarterly revenue and GM above low 60% with OpEx near ~$4.0–$4.2M .
What Went Well and What Went Wrong
What Went Well
- Japanese smartphone OEM broadened integration: first phone launched in August; EOS S3 pre-production shipped for three additional models targeted before year-end, pointing to ramp in 2020 (“we have now shipped pre-production orders… three additional phones… total number of models to four”) .
- Strategic ecosystem wins: Atmosic and Retune DSP partnerships yielding two voice-enabled TV remote control design wins with several hundred-thousand unit potential in 2020; Nations Technologies selected ArcticPro eFPGA for next-gen low-power IoT SoC .
- SensiML momentum: 26 customers at Q3 (up from 12 in Q2, three in Q1); majority industrial use cases with longer, more predictable revenue stream (“SensiML closed Q3 with a total of 26 customers… seven… Global Fortune 500”) .
What Went Wrong
- FY outlook cut: revenue reduced by ~$3M vs prior plan due to pushes in hearables (Amazon AVS software change and Amazon’s own TWS launch, -$1.1M), eFPGA license (-$0.75M), military (-$0.4M), and SensiML conversions (-$0.5M) .
- Q3 revenue mix headwinds: mature products fell to $1.1M (vs $2.0M LY) and display bridge declines weighed; non-GAAP net loss widened to $3.52M despite cost controls .
- SensiML conversion delays: evaluation-to-SaaS timelines longer than anticipated, pushing some revenue into 2020; management hired a director of software sales to accelerate closures .
Financial Results
Segment breakdown:
Revenue by geography:
KPIs:
Notes on non-GAAP adjustments and impact: Q3 non-GAAP excludes stock-based compensation (CoR $15k, R&D $521k, SG&A $212k) and equipment write-off; GM uplift ~0.7 percentage points from GAAP to non-GAAP .
Guidance Changes
Earnings Call Themes & Trends
Management Commentary
- CEO on FY outlook reset and path to breakeven: “Currently, our fiscal 2019 guidance is for total revenue of $10.4 million plus or minus $300,000… we should be close to non-GAAP operating income breakeven at the end of Q1 2020, and we anticipate being breakeven or profitable in Q2 2020.” .
- On hearables delay drivers: “Amazon has released their own proprietary voice software… customers… wait for the integration… Amazon releasing their own TWS headphones… resulted in $1.1 million in lower revenue.” .
- On mega-cap platform initiative: “We have signed an agreement… to jointly develop… an IoT development platform… EOS S3 as the host processor… launch thousands of low-cost development kits… before the end of Q1 2020.” .
- On Alibaba/Pingtogue (C-Sky) inclusion: “We are the only eFPGA company included in their recently announced template SoC, codenamed Swordless… targeted for tape out in 2020.” .
- CFO on Q4 guide details: “Revenue guidance… $3.0 million, plus or minus 10%… non-GAAP gross margin… approximately 60% ±3%… non-GAAP operating expenses… ~$4.2 million ±$300,000… non-GAAP net loss… ~$2.4 million, or $0.02 per share.” .
Q&A Highlights
- Breakeven math clarified: ~$6M quarterly revenue with GM above low 60% and OpEx at similar levels to Q4 guide (about $4.2M) to reach non-GAAP operating breakeven .
- eFPGA revenue cadence: licensing revenue “couple of million” range in 2020; royalties likely begin 2021 given program timelines .
- Japanese smartphone volumes: below earlier unit expectations by “a few hundred thousand”; four phones on track for 2019, next wave in 2020 .
- Hearables dynamics: AVS free software adoption and Amazon’s own TWS increased near-term delays, but management expects broader OEM white-label activity .
- SensiML conversions: customers remain engaged; new software release and push to use QuickLogic dev kits to speed evaluation; dedicated SaaS/AI sales lead hired .
Estimates Context
- Wall Street consensus (S&P Global) for Q3 2019 EPS and revenue was unavailable due to data access limits at the time of this analysis; we attempted retrieval but hit the daily limit (“Daily Request Limit… Exceeded”). As a result, we cannot formally benchmark Q3 actuals vs consensus and note this unavailability explicitly [GetEstimates error].
Key Takeaways for Investors
- FY2019 reset and Q4 guide reflect temporary customer timing issues; near-term numbers are weak, but mix should inflect in Q1/Q2 2020 on SaaS/eFPGA/IP and consumer launches .
- The mega-cap EOS S3 platform and Alibaba/Pingtogue template inclusion are strategic catalysts that can scale developer adoption and drive higher-margin IP/SaaS revenue; watch for kits launch by Q1 2020 and license agreements in 2020 .
- Hearables remain strategic; AVS integration and Amazon’s own product altered timing but expanded market validation—expect OEM white-label ramp in 1H20 .
- Japanese OEM adoption is broadening across phone models, with feature phone ramp potential in 2020; this supports EOS S3 unit volumes and revenue diversification .
- Military mature products should recover into 2020, smoothing seasonality versus consumer-oriented businesses .
- Cash position of $24.8M with revolver provides runway; Q4 cash usage $2.8–$3.2M and minimal burn targeted by Q1, breakeven Q2—reduces financing risk; NASDAQ listing compliance monitored via potential reverse split .
- Trading implications: near-term weakness and guidance cut could pressure shares; 2020 catalysts (mega-cap platform, remote controls, eFPGA licenses, SensiML conversions) are key to rerating—focus on evidence of Q1/Q2 revenue acceleration and GM >60% to validate breakeven trajectory .
Appendix: Documents Read
- Q3 2019 Form 8-K and press release with full tables and non-GAAP reconciliations .
- Q3 2019 earnings call transcript (full) –.
- Q2 2019 Form 8-K and press release –; Q2 2019 earnings call transcript –.
- Q1 2019 Form 8-K and press release –; Q1 2019 earnings call transcript –.
No other Q3 2019 press releases were found in the specified window [ListDocuments none].