KLIC Q1 Earnings Call: Management Restructures Amid Revenue Miss and Macro Uncertainty

Semiconductor production equipment company Kulicke & Soffa (NASDAQ: KLIC) fell short of the market’s revenue expectations in Q1 CY2025, with sales falling 5.9% year on year to $162 million. Next quarter’s revenue guidance of $145 million underwhelmed, coming in 0.5% below analysts’ estimates. Its non-GAAP loss of $0.52 per share was significantly below analysts’ consensus estimates.

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StockStory’s Take

Kulicke and Soffa’s first quarter results were primarily shaped by a strategic decision to discontinue the electronics assembly equipment business, as well as ongoing macroeconomic and industry uncertainties. Management pointed to reduced demand in Southeast Asia, particularly from automotive and industrial customers, as a significant contributor to the revenue shortfall, while also highlighting gains in Ball Bonding utilization rates in China and Taiwan. CEO Fusen Chen described the EA exit as essential for aligning the business with long-term semiconductor technology trends and improving future profitability.

Looking forward, management expects near-term market hesitation to persist, driven by trade dynamics and cautious customer spending, especially in capital equipment. CFO Lester Wong explained that revenue guidance for next quarter reflects continued order weakness in Southeast Asia, but noted improving utilization in other Asian regions could eventually support capacity growth. Management remains focused on advancing its Ball, Wedge, Thermo-Compression, and Advanced Dispense solutions, projecting incremental opportunities as industry demand recovers.

Key Insights from Management’s Remarks

Kulicke and Soffa’s leadership attributed the quarter’s performance to a combination of restructuring actions and evolving industry dynamics. The main factors impacting financial results and operations were:

• Electronics Assembly Business Exit: Management announced plans to discontinue the electronics assembly equipment business, citing the need to focus on core technologies that align with future semiconductor assembly trends. The company will retain aftermarket support for existing customers but expects the full wind-down to be completed by the first half of next year.
• Market-Specific Weakness: Revenue declines were most pronounced in Southeast Asia, where automotive and industrial sector hesitation limited anticipated seasonal momentum. CEO Fusen Chen said, “The slowdown was due to concern regarding the potential and unknown impact for auto and the industrial industry from our customers.”
• Technology Portfolio Focus: Kulicke and Soffa emphasized ongoing investment in Ball, Wedge, and Thermo-Compression bonding, as well as new Advanced Dispense and Vertical Wire solutions. These areas are positioned to address high-volume and advanced packaging transitions across memory, logic, and power semiconductor applications.
• Product Launches and Customer Engagement: The company introduced its ATPremier MEM Plus for stacked DRAM packaging and a new Sonotrode-enabled pin welding system for power semiconductors. Management reported increasing customer interest, with some new memory products potentially reaching production in 2026.
• Macro and Trade Headwinds: Persistent global trade uncertainty, particularly tariffs, led to order delays and more conservative capacity planning among customers, despite high utilization rates in some regions. CFO Lester Wong noted, “Unique geopolitical and trade dynamics have created near-term order hesitation in certain capital equipment markets.”

Drivers of Future Performance

Management expects the coming quarters to remain challenging as customers navigate trade-related uncertainties and delay capital spending, but highlighted several product segments and regional trends that could influence recovery and growth.

• Advanced Packaging Demand: Kulicke and Soffa is prioritizing development in Vertical Wire, Thermo-Compression, and Advanced Dispense technologies, which management believes are well-positioned for emerging logic and memory packaging needs, especially as chip complexity increases.
• Utilization Rates and Capacity Additions: While utilization rates in China and Taiwan have reached levels that could trigger new equipment purchases, management cautioned that customers remain hesitant until there is more clarity on tariffs and macroeconomic conditions.
• Restructuring and Margin Focus: The exit from the electronics assembly business is expected to improve through-cycle margins and align operating expenses with core growth areas, but there may be residual restructuring costs over the next year as the wind-down is completed.

Top Analyst Questions

• Krish Sankar (TD Cowen): Asked about the drivers behind the Southeast Asia slowdown and outlook beyond the next quarter. CEO Fusen Chen attributed weakness to auto and industrial market uncertainty and expects potential improvement later in the year, depending on clarity in trade policy.
• Krish Sankar (TD Cowen): Inquired about Thermo-Compression Bonding (TCB) exposure in memory versus logic. Management said TCB progress is focused on logic with growing emphasis on memory, anticipating more tangible results by 2026.
• Tom Diffely (D.A. Davidson): Requested details on the revenue and profitability of the discontinued EA business. CFO Lester Wong provided figures showing annual revenue of $25–30 million and gross profit of $7–11 million, with the wind-down expected to conclude by the first half of next year.
• Charles Shi (Needham & Co.): Questioned the apparent difference in utilization and order trends between Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Management explained that higher utilization in Taiwan is offset by customer caution, while Southeast Asia’s auto-oriented customer base is more directly affected by trade uncertainty.
• Dave Duley (Steelhead Securities): Sought clarification on utilization rates and the timing and impact of new memory packaging products. Management reported China utilization above 80%, and expects Vertical Wire and TCB technologies to generate meaningful contributions starting in 2026.

Catalysts in Upcoming Quarters

Going forward, the StockStory team will monitor (1) the pace of recovery in Southeast Asia’s automotive and industrial demand, (2) progress on new product adoption—especially in Vertical Wire and Thermo-Compression for next-generation memory and logic packaging, and (3) early signs of customer order normalization as trade dynamics and tariff clarity improve. The successful wind-down of the electronics assembly business and realization of restructuring benefits will also be closely watched as indicators of margin improvement.

Kulicke and Soffa currently trades at a forward P/E ratio of 20×. Should you load up, cash out, or stay put? The answer lies in our free research report.

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