ChipMOS REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2015 RESULTS

(PRNewswire) —

HSINCHU, Taiwan, March 10, 2016 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --

Full Year 2015 Highlights (as compared to the Full Year 2014):

Net Revenue of US$606.0 Million Compared to US$671.1 Million
Gross Profit of US$126.1 Million Compared to US$159.3 Million
Gross Margin of 20.8% Compared to 23.7%
Net Earnings of US$1.05 Per Basic Common Share and US$1.04 Per Diluted Common Share Compared to US$1.72 Per Basic Common Share and US$1.68 Per Diluted Common Share. 2015 Net Earnings Per Common Share Were Offset by Approximately US$0.20 Due to the Negative Impact in 4Q 2015 of An Additional US$2.0 million in Expenses Primarily Related to the Proposed Merger of ChipMOS Bermuda and ChipMOS Taiwan; and The Accrual of An Additional US$6.1 million In Income Tax Expense from Unappropriated Earnings at ChipMOS Taiwan.
Completed Merger of ChipMOS Taiwan and ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp.
Reached Agreement to Merge ChipMOS Bermuda with ChipMOS Taiwan.
Generated US$164.6 Million Cash from Operations
Used US$44.3 million in the repurchase of ChipMOS Bermuda and ChipMOS Taiwan Shares.
Authorized New ChipMOS Taiwan 15 Million-Share Repurchase Program in February 2016.
Reduced Debt by US$4.6 Million in 2015.
Paid Dividend of US$25.6 million to ChipMOS Taiwan Minority Shareholders and Dividend of US$0.14 Per Share in ChipMOS Bermuda
Invested US$111.1 Million in CapEx in 2015
Reached Strategic Agreement for Tsinghua Unigroup to Invest Approximately NT$12.0 billion (Approximately US$366.0 Million) in ChipMOS Taiwan, With 99.3% of the Shares Voted in Favor of the Private Placement, Representing Approximately 88.7% of the Total Shares Outstanding in ChipMOS Taiwan on Jan. 28, 2016.

ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Bermuda) LTD. ("ChipMOS" or the "Company") (Nasdaq: IMOS), an industry leading provider of outsourced semiconductor assembly and test services ("OSAT"), today reported unaudited consolidated financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2015. All U.S. dollar figures in this release are based on the exchange rate of NT$32.79 against US$1.00 as of December 31, 2015.

Net revenue for the fourth quarter of 2015 was NT$4,755.0 million or US$145.0 million, a decrease of 1.5% from NT$4,827.1 million or US$147.2 million in the third quarter of 2015 and a decrease of 18.0% from NT$5,796.4 million or US$176.8 million for the same period in 2014. This is better than the high-end of the Company's guidance, which called for revenue to decrease approximately 4% to 9%, as compared to the third quarter of 2015, and as compared to the typical 10% seasonal decline for the same period.

Net income for the fourth quarter of 2015 was NT$65.9 million or US$2.0 million, and NT$2.42 or US$0.07 per basic common share and NT$2.38 or US$0.07 per diluted common share, as compared to net income for the third quarter of 2015 of NT$454.4 million or US$13.9 million, and NT$16.11 or US$0.49 per basic common share and NT$15.85 or US$0.48 per diluted common share, and compared to net income in the fourth quarter of 2014 of NT$589.1 million or US$18.0 million, and NT$20.31 or US$0.62 per basic common share and NT$19.88 or US$0.61 per diluted common share. Fourth quarter of 2015 net earnings per common share were offset by approximately US$0.20 due to the negative impact of an additional US$2.0 million in expenses primarily related to the proposed merger of ChipMOS Bermuda and ChipMOS Taiwan; and the accrual of an additional US$6.1 million in income tax expense from unappropriated earnings at ChipMOS Taiwan.

Net revenue for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 was NT$19,869.4 million or US$606.0 million, a decrease of 9.7% from NT$22,005.1 million or US$671.1 million for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014. Net income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2015 was NT$970.1 million or US$29.6 million, and NT$34.49 or US$1.05 per basic and NT$33.95 or US$1.04 per diluted common share, compared to net income for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 was NT$1,663.2 million or US$50.7 million, and NT$56.33 or US$1.72 per basic and NT$54.99 or US$1.68 per diluted common share. Full year 2015 net earnings per common share were offset by approximately US$0.20 due to the negative impact in the fourth quarter of an additional US$2.0 million in expenses primarily related to the proposed merger of ChipMOS Bermuda and ChipMOS Taiwan; and the accrual of an additional US$6.1 million in income tax expense from unappropriated earnings at ChipMOS Taiwan.

The unaudited consolidated financial results of ChipMOS for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2015 included the financial results of ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES INC. ("ChipMOS Taiwan"), ChipMOS U.S.A., Inc., and ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (BVI) LTD. and its wholly-owned subsidiary ChipMOS TECHNOLOGIES (Shanghai) LTD ("ChipMOS Shanghai").

S.J. Cheng, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ChipMOS, said, "We accomplished a great deal in 2015, as we executed in a very challenging market, with macro economic weakness pressuring the semiconductor industry worldwide. Our leadership in LCD drivers provided some relief as we continued to capture LCD driver assembly and testing volumes. As we look forward, we are more optimistic about 2016. We expect to see an improvement in the LCD driver market, led by the ongoing maturation of the 4K2K opportunity, along with an improvement in macro conditions. There is a dramatic multiplier effect, whereby 4K2K TVs require significantly higher driver content per TV, with 4K2K sets requiring over 2X as many LCD drivers as a typical HD TV. We are also optimistic about the healthier channel inventory of the DRAM and smartphone markets, which will help a recovery in 2016. So, overall, our core business fundamentals remain strong with leadership positions and improving market trends. The other major catalyst for us in 2016 will be the structural initiatives we have been working so diligently on. First and foremost, this includes ChipMOS Bermuda and ChipMOS Taiwan reaching an agreement to merge. The potential benefits to our Company and shareholders are compelling, with the streamlined group structure allowing us to further reduce operating costs and to achieve a more efficient tax structure. We are pleased with the progress we have made to date on both the Taiwan and U.S. sides to meet regulatory and disclosure requirements for the potential merger. We expect to have a shareholder meeting later in the second quarter of 2016, with an internal target of closure in the third quarter of 2016 if everything moves forward without delays. This latest phase of the ongoing streamlining of our group structure follows the successful completion of the merger of our two subsidiaries, ChipMOS Taiwan and ThaiLin Semiconductor Corp., on June 17 , 2015. Finally, we are pleased to have reached a milestone strategic agreement for Tsinghua Unigroup to invest approximately NT$12.0 billion (approximately US$366.0 million ) in ChipMOS Taiwan. This would serve as a cornerstone in our longer-term growth plan, providing invaluable financial and strategic resources, including established partners to work with in the rapidly evolving domestic China market. While the proposed investment requires approval by Taiwanese regulators, shareholders have already voted, with an overwhelming 99.3% of the shares voted in favor of the private placement, representing approximately 88.7% of the total shares outstanding in ChipMOS Taiwan."

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