Qualcomm faces 15% headcount cuts and possible breakup
The re-alignment plan is essentially an exercise in cutting back to find the core value creation in a company that has become, it could be argued, flabby with success achieved in earlier years. It includes aggressive plans to cut $1.4 billion in annual spending including a $300 million reduction in share-based compensation grants to executives and to increase the capital returned to shareholders.
The plan was announced alongside the company’s third quarter fiscal 2015, financial results which showed a significant drop in profit and in revenue compared with the same quarter a year before.
The announcement has come after lobbying from JANA Partners LLC, an activist shareholding company that is also a significant Qualcomm stockholder. It also comes amid signs that growth in the smartphone market where Qualcomm is a leading semiconductor supplier is flattening off. Qualcomm is also being attacked in that market by Chinese and Taiwanese fabless semiconductor suppliers.
A further negative long-term indicator for Qualcomm is that geographical regions either have or are considering taking Qualcomm to court over the terms and conditions of its IP licensing. Qualcomm was the original developer of CDMA communications technology, which is present in 3G and 4G communications standards.
Qualcomm said it had struck a deal with JANA Partners under which Mark McLaughlin and Tony Vinciquerra have been added to the board of directors and that a third director, to be approved by JANA, will also join.
"We are right-sizing our cost structure and focusing our investments around the highest return opportunities while reaffirming our intent to return significant capital to stockholders and refreshing our board of directors," said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, in a statement.
Next: Cutting costs by 15 percent
One the key steps is to reduce annual costs from fiscal 2015 levels of $7.3 billion by approximately $1.1 billion, approximately 15 percent. This will be done through a series of targeted reductions including employees and temporary workers and increasing the percentage of Qualcomm’s workforce in lower-cost regions of the world.
The strategic review includes possible sale of businesses and other possible strategic and financial alternatives, the company said. The review is expected to be completed by the end of the calendar year.
In addition to a previously announced $10 billion stock repurchase program Qualcomm now intends to return to share holders 75 percent of free cash flow through increased dividends and further stock repurchases.
For its third fiscal quarter 2015, Qualcomm announced revenues of $5.8 billion, down 14 percent compared with $6.8 billion in the same quarter a year before. The company announced a net profit of $1.2 billion, slightly over half the profit of $2.1 billion announced for the same quarter a year before.
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
