Item 2.02. Results of Operations and Financial Condition
On November 4, 2009, QUALCOMM Incorporated ("Qualcomm" or the "Company")
issued a press release regarding the Company's financial results for its fourth
fiscal quarter and fiscal year ended September 27, 2009. The full text of the
Company's press release is attached hereto as Exhibit 99.1.
The attached press release presents pro forma financial information that is
used by management (i) to evaluate, assess and benchmark the Company's operating
results on a consistent and comparable basis, (ii) to measure the performance
and efficiency of the Company's ongoing core operating businesses, including the
Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, Qualcomm Technology Licensing and Qualcomm Wireless
& Internet segments and (iii) to compare the performance and efficiency of these
segments against each other and against competitors outside the Company. Pro
forma measurements of the following financial data are used by the Company's
management: revenues, research and development (R&D) expenses, selling, general
and administrative (SG&A) expenses, total operating expenses, operating income
(loss), net investment income (loss), income (loss) before income taxes,
effective tax rate, net income (loss), diluted earnings (loss) per share,
operating cash flow and free cash flow. Management is able to assess what it
believes is a more meaningful and comparable set of financial performance
measures for the Company and its business segments by using pro forma
information. As a result, management compensation decisions and the review of
executive compensation by the Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors
focus primarily on pro forma financial measures applicable to the Company and
its business segments.
Pro forma information used by management, as presented in the attached press
release, excludes the Qualcomm Strategic Initiatives (QSI) segment, certain
estimated share-based compensation, certain tax items and acquired in-process
R&D. The QSI segment is excluded because the Company expects to exit its
strategic investments at various times, and the effects of fluctuations in the
value of such investments are viewed by management as unrelated to the Company's
operational performance. Estimated share-based compensation, other than amounts
related to share-based awards granted under a bonus program that may result in
the issuance of unrestricted shares of the Company's common stock, is excluded
because management views such share-based compensation as unrelated to the
Company's operational performance. Moreover, it is generally not an expense that
requires or will require cash payment by the Company. Further, share-based
compensation related to options is affected by factors that are subject to
change, including the Company's stock price, stock market volatility, expected
option life, risk-free interest rates and expected dividend payouts in future
years. Certain tax items that were recorded in reported earnings in each fiscal
year presented but were unrelated to the fiscal year in which they were recorded
are excluded in order to provide a clearer understanding of the Company's
ongoing pro forma tax rate and after tax earnings. The Company decided to
include the benefit of the retroactive extension of the federal research and
development tax credit in pro forma results starting in fiscal 2009 because it
recurs with relative frequency and would have been included in the Company's pro
forma results for the prior year if it had been reenacted in the prior fiscal
year. Acquired in-process R&D is excluded because such expense is viewed by
management as unrelated to the operating activities of the Company's ongoing
core businesses.
The attached press release presents free cash flow, defined as net cash
provided by operating activities less capital expenditures, to facilitate an
understanding of the amount of cash flow generated that is available to grow the
Company's business and to create long-term shareholder value. The Company
believes that this presentation is useful in evaluating its operating
performance and financial strength. In addition, management uses this measure to
evaluate the Company's performance, to value the Company and to compare its
operating performance with other companies in the industry.
The non-GAAP pro forma financial information presented in the attached press
release should be considered in addition to, not as a substitute for, or
superior to, financial measures calculated in accordance
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with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP). In addition, "pro forma"
is not a term defined by GAAP, and, as a result, the Company's measure of pro
forma results might be different than similarly titled measures used by other
companies. Reconciliations between GAAP results and pro forma results are
presented in the attached press release.
Item 9.01. Exhibits.
Exhibit
No. Description
99.1 November 4, 2009 Press Release by QUALCOMM Incorporated
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