form8k.htm



 
 
 
UNITED STATES
 
 
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
 
Washington, D.C. 20549
 
 
FORM 8-K
 

CURRENT REPORT
 
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
 


Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):  December 4, 2007


 
AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware
001-33261
95-2705790
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
(Commission File Number)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
______________________
 
 
181 W. Huntington Drive, Suite 202
   
Monrovia, CA
 
91016
(Address of Principal Executive Offices)
 
(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (626) 357-9983 

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions (see General Instruction A.2. below):
 
 
¨
Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)
 
 
¨
Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)
 
 
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange ct (17 CFR 240.14d-2(B))
 
 
¨
Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c)) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4c))
 

 




 
Item 2.02.
Results of Operations and Financial Condition
 

On December 4, 2007, AeroVironment, Inc. issued a press release announcing second quarter financial results for the period ending October 27, 2007, a copy of which is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
 
The information in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the exhibit, is furnished pursuant to Item 2.02 and shall not be deemed “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, nor shall it be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, except as shall be expressly set forth by specific reference in such filing.

In addition to historic information, this report, including the exhibit, contains forward-looking statements regarding events, performance and financial trends. Various factors could affect future results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the forward-looking statements. Some of those factors are identified in the exhibit, and in our periodic reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 9.01.
Financial Statements and Exhibits
 

(d)           Exhibits.
 
The following exhibit is filed herewith:
 
Exhibit
Number                      Description
 
                                  99.1  
    Press release issued by AeroVironment, Inc., dated December 4, 2007.
 

 



SIGNATURE
 
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
 

 
                                                                        AEROVIRONMENT, INC.
 

 
Date:           December 4, 2007                                                                                            ; By:     /s/ Timothy E. Conver     
                              Timothy E. Conver
                                      Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer
 


 


pressrelease.htm
 

 


AeroVironment, Inc. Announces Fiscal 2008 Second Quarter Results


MONROVIA, CA, December 4, 2007 — AeroVironment, Inc. (AV) (NASDAQ: AVAV), a leader in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and efficient electric energy systems, today reported financial results for its fiscal second quarter ended October 27, 2007.  

“Growth in our UAS and PosiCharge segments reflects ongoing customer confidence in the value delivered by our solutions and the effective execution of our plans,” said Tim Conver, chairman, chief executive officer and president of AV. “Our team continues to deliver positive results both in core businesses and in new product development. Raven and Wasp are our key small UAS supporting programs of record. The number of these systems deployed around the world continues to increase as they regularly provide cost-effective force protection where they are employed. The receipt of a $57 million base development contract for the Global Observer stratospheric persistent platform, with options for additional aircraft totaling $51 million, represented a major achievement during the quarter that shows market endorsement of another AV innovation and positions us for further growth.”

FISCAL 2008 SECOND QUARTER RESULTS
Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $53.7 million, an increase of 19%, over revenue of $45.2 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2007. The increase in revenue was the result of increased sales in AV’s UAS segment of $8.7 million, or 23%, and in its PosiCharge Systems segment of $0.7 million, or 16%, which was partially offset by a decrease in its Energy Technology Center segment of $0.9 million, or 34%.

Gross margin for the quarter was $18.9 million, or 35% of revenue, compared to $17.8 million, or 39% of revenue, in the same quarter last year.  The higher gross margin reflects the growth in revenue, partially offset by lower gross margin rates.

Income from operations for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $6.6 million, a decrease of $1.3 million, or 17%, from second quarter fiscal 2007 income from operations of $7.9 million. The decrease in income from operations was caused by higher selling, general and administrative (SG&A) expense of $1.8 million and higher research and development (R&D) expense of $0.6 million, partially offset by increased gross margin of $1.1 million.

Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $5.2 million, an increase of $0.3 million, or 6%, over second quarter fiscal 2007 net income of $4.9 million.  Earnings per share for the second quarter of fiscal 2008 was $0.24 per diluted share, a decrease of $0.07 per diluted share over second quarter of fiscal 2007 earnings per share of $0.31 per diluted share.

FISCAL 2008 YEAR-TO-DATE RESULTS
Revenue for the first six months of fiscal 2008 was $102.9 million, an increase of 34%, over revenue of $76.7 million in the comparable period of fiscal 2007. The increase in revenue was the result of increased sales in AV’s UAS segment of $25.6 million, or 41%, and in its PosiCharge Systems segment of $1.1 million, or 12%, which was partially offset by lower sales in its Energy Technology Center segment of $0.6 million, or 13%.

Gross margin for the first six months of fiscal 2008 was $35.8 million, or 35% of revenue, compared to $29.8 million, or 39% of revenue, for the same six months last year.  The higher gross margin reflects the growth in revenue, partially offset by lower gross margin rates.

Income from operations for the first six months of fiscal 2008 was $11.4 million, an increase of $1.5 million, or 15%, over the same six months of fiscal 2007 income from operations of $9.9 million. The growth in income from operations was caused by increased gross margin of $6.0 million, which was partially offset by higher SG&A expense of $3.4 million and higher R&D expense of $1.1 million.

Net income for the first six months of fiscal 2008 was $9.0 million, an increase of $2.7 million, or 44%, over the same six months of fiscal 2007 net income of $6.3 million.  Earnings per share for the first six months of fiscal 2008 was $0.42 per diluted share, an increase of $0.02 per diluted share over the first six months of fiscal 2007 earnings per share of $0.40 per diluted share.

BACKLOG
As of October 27, 2007, funded backlog (unfilled firm orders for which funding is currently appropriated to AV under a customer contract) was $66.3 million compared to $60.9 million as of April 30, 2007.

FISCAL 2008 — OUTLOOK FOR THE FULL YEAR
For fiscal year 2008 AV maintains its guidance of revenue growth of between 20% and 25% over fiscal year 2007, with an operating income margin of between 12% and 14%.  The foregoing estimates are forward-ooking and reflect management’s view of current and future market conditions, including certain assumptions with respect to our ability to obtain and retain government contracts, changes in the demand for our products and services, activities of competitors and changes in the regulatory environment. Investors are reminded that actual results may differ materially from these estimates. 
 
CONFERENCE CALL
In conjunction with this release, AeroVironment, Inc. will host a conference call today, Tuesday, December 4, 2007, at 1:30 pm Pacific Time that will be broadcast live over the Internet. Timothy E. Conver, chairman, chief executive officer and president, Stephen C. Wright, chief financial officer, and Steven A. Gitlin, director of investor relations, will host the call.

4:30 PM ET
3:30 PM CT
2:30 PM MT
1:30 PM PT

The conference call may be accessed by dialing (800) 320-2978 (U.S.) or (617) 614-4923 (international) five to ten minutes prior to the start time to allow for registration. The passcode for the call is 24655609.
 
Investors with Internet access may access the live audio webcast via the Investor Relations section of the AeroVironment, Inc. website, http://investor.avinc.com.  Please allow fifteen minutes prior to the call to download and install any necessary audio software.  An audio replay of the event will be archived on the Investor Relations page of the Company’s web site, at http://investor.avinc.com for a period of one year.
 
A digital replay of the call will be available on Tuesday, December 4 at approximately 3:30 p.m. Pacific Time through Tuesday, December 11 at 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time.  Dial (888) 286-8010 and enter the passcode 87972643 to access the digital replay.  International callers should dial (617) 801-6888 and enter the same passcode number.

ABOUT AEROVIRONMENT, INC. (AV)
Building on a history of technological innovation, AV designs, develops, produces, and supports an advanced portfolio of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and efficient electric energy systems.  The company's small UAS are used extensively by agencies of the U.S. Department of Defense and increasingly by allied military services to provide situational awareness to tactical operating units through real-time, airborne reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition.  AV’s PosiCharge® fast charge systems eliminate battery changing for electric industrial vehicles in factories, airports, and distribution centers.  More information about AV is available at www.avinc.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, any statement that may predict, forecast, indicate or imply future results, performance or achievements, and may contain words such as “believe,” “anticipate,” “expect,” “estimate,” “intend,” “project,” “plan,” or words or phrases with similar meaning. Forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, forecasts and assumptions that involve risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, economic, competitive, governmental and technological factors outside of our control, that may cause our business, strategy or actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.   Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, reliance on sales to the U.S. government; changes in the supply and/or demand and/or prices for our products; the activities of competitors; failure of the markets in which we operate to grow; failure to expand into new markets; changes in significant operating expenses, including components and raw materials; failure to develop new products; changes in the regulatory environment; and general economic and business conditions in the United States and elsewhere in the world. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K and our most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We do not intend, and undertake no obligation, to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
 
 
- Financial Tables Follow -
  






AeroVironment, Inc.
Consolidated Statements of Income (Unaudited)
(In thousands except share and per share data)

 
 
Three Months  
 
Six months ended
 
October 27,
 
October 28,
 
October 27,
 
October 28,
 
2007
 
2006
 
2007
 
2006
Revenue:
             
    Product sales
$
34,042
  $
30,968
  $
63,726
  $
54,812
    Contract services
 
19,659
   
14,221
   
39,179
   
21,934
   
53,701
   
45,189
   
102,905
   
76,746
Cost of sales:
                     
    Product sales
 
20,611
   
18,249
   
38,902
   
32,550
    Contract services
 
14,163
   
9,170
   
28,239
   
14,440
   
34,774
   
27,419
   
67,141
   
46,990
Gross margin
 
18,927
   
17,770
   
35,764
   
29,756
Research and development
 
3,802
   
3,180
   
8,102
   
7,021
Selling, general and administrative
 
8,573
   
6,735
   
16,299
   
12,867
Income from operations
 
6,552
   
7,855
   
11,363
   
9,868
Other income
                     
   Interest income
 
1,143
   
141
   
2,122
   
347
Income before income taxes
 
7,695
   
7,996
   
13,485
   
10,215
Provision for income taxes
 
2,531
   
3,102
   
4,477
   
3,956
Net income
$
5,164
  $
4,894
  $
9,008
  $
6,259
Earnings per share data:
                     
       Basic
$
0.26
  $
0.36
  $
0.47
  $
0.46
       Diluted
$
0.24
  $
0.31
  $
0.42
  $
0.4
Weighted average shares outstanding:
                     
       Basic
 
19,652,095
   
13,620,154
   
19,279,094
   
13,564,438
       Diluted
 
21,346,349
   
15,584,150
   
21,218,731
   
15,528,435







Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Information
(in thousands)
 
Selected Consolidated Balance Sheet Information
 
October 27, 2007
 
April 30, 2007
 
 (Unaudited)
   
Cash and cash equivalents
$
14,283
  $
20,920
Short-term investments
 
92,400
   
88,325
Accounts receivable, net
 
26,034
   
7,691
Unbilled receivables and retentions
 
12,837
   
26,494
Inventory, net
 
12,704
   
14,015
Total assets
 
177,550
   
168,177
Stockholders’ equity
 
155,853
   
136,423
Shares issued and outstanding
 
20,081,738
   
18,875,957
 
 


Reportable segment results are as follows:
  (in thousands)
 

 
Three Months Ended
 
Six Months Ended
 
October 27,
   
October 28,
 
October 27,
   
October 28,
 
2007
   
2006
 
2007
   
2006
 
  (Unaudited)
 
(Unaudited)
Revenue:
 
   
 
 
 
   
 
   UAS
$
46,604
    $
37,875
  $
88,477
    $
62,858
   PosiCharge
 
5,236
     
4,515
   
10,594
     
9,458
   Energy Technology Center
 
1,861
     
2,799
   
3,834
     
4,430
       Total
$
53,701
    $
45,189
  $
102,905
    $
76,746
Gross margin:
                         
   UAS
$
16,910
    $
14,516
  $
31,001
    $
23,787
   PosiCharge
 
1,402
     
1,821
   
3,347
     
3,761
   Energy Technology Center
 
615
     
1,433
   
1,416
     
2,208
       Total
$
18,927
    $
17,770
  $
35,764
    $
29,756
 
 
 
###
 
Contact:
Steven Gitlin
Director of Investor Relations
AeroVironment, Inc
+1 (626) 357-9983
ir@avinc.com
 
Mark Collinson
CCG Investor Relations and Strategic Communication
For AeroVironment, Inc.
+1 (310) 477-9800, ext. 117
mark.collinson@ccgir.com