ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Statements contained in this Form 10-Q or statements incorporated by reference from documents we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission may contain forward-looking statements that are based on our management’s expectations, estimates, projections, beliefs and assumptions in accordance with information currently available to our management. Forward-looking statements should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part 1, Item 1 of this report. This discussion contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements include information concerning our possible or assumed future results of operations, business strategies, technology developments, new products and services, financing and investment plans, competitive position, industry and regulatory environment, effects of acquisitions, growth opportunities and the effects of competition. Forward-looking statements include statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “could,” “seek,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “will,” “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms.
Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent our management’s beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this filing. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from our expectations include:
| • | future demand for renewable energy including solar energy solutions; |
| • | changes to net metering policies or the reduction, elimination or expiration of government subsidies and economic incentives for on-grid solar energy applications; |
| • | changes in the U.S. trade environment, including the imposition of import tariffs; |
| • | federal, state, and local regulations governing the electric utility industry with respect to solar energy; |
| • | changes in tax laws, tax treaties, and regulations or the interpretation of them, including the Inflation Reduction Act; |
| • | the retail price of electricity derived from the utility grid or alternative energy sources; |
| • | interest rates and supply of capital in the global financial markets in general and in the solar market specifically; |
| • | competition, including introductions of power optimizer, inverter and solar photovoltaic (“PV”) system monitoring products by our competitors; |
| • | developments in alternative technologies or improvements in distributed solar energy generation; |
| • | historic cyclicality of the solar industry and periodic downturns; |
| • | product quality or performance problems in our products; |
| • | our ability to forecast demand for our products accurately and to match production with demand; |
| • | our dependence on ocean transportation to timely deliver our products in a cost-effective manner; |
| • | our dependence upon a small number of outside contract manufacturers and limited or single source suppliers; |
| • | capacity constraints, delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, and costs of our contract manufacturers and availability of components; |
| • | delays, disruptions, and quality control problems in manufacturing; |
| • | shortages, delays, price changes, or cessation of operations or production affecting our suppliers of key components; |
| • | existing and future responses to and effects of Covid-19; |
| • | business practices and regulatory compliance of our raw material suppliers; |
| • | performance of distributors and large installers in selling our products; |
| • | disruption in our global supply chain and rising prices of oil and raw materials as a result of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine may adversely affect our business; |
| • | our customers’ financial stability, creditworthiness, and debt leverage ratio; |
| • | our ability to retain key personnel and attract additional qualified personnel; |
| • | our ability to effectively design, launch, market, and sell new generations of our products and services; |
| • | our ability to maintain our brand and to protect and defend our intellectual property; |
| • | our ability to retain, and events affecting, our major customers; |
| • | our ability to manage effectively the growth of our organization and expansion into new markets; |
| • | our ability to integrate acquired businesses; |
| • | fluctuations in global currency exchange rates; |
| • | unrest, terrorism, or armed conflict in Israel; |
| • | macroeconomic conditions in our domestic and international markets, as well as inflation concerns, rising interest rates and recessionary concerns; |
| • | consolidation in the solar industry among our customers and distributors; |
| • | our ability to service our debt; and |
| • | the other factors set forth under “Item 1A. Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and subsequent reports on Form 10-Q and in other documents we file from time to time with the SEC that disclose risks and uncertainties that may affect our business. |
The preceding list is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all of our forward-looking statements. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that future results, levels of activity, performance and events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Overview
We are a leading provider of an optimized inverter solution that has changed the way power is harvested and managed in a solar photovoltaic, known as PV systems. Our direct current or DC optimized inverter system maximizes power generation at the individual PV module level while lowering the cost of energy produced by the solar PV system, for improved return on investment, or ROI. Additional benefits of the DC optimized inverter system include comprehensive and advanced safety features, improved design flexibility, and improved operating and maintenance, or O&M with module-level and remote monitoring. Our future ready SolarEdge energy hub inverter which supports, among other things, connection to a DC-coupled battery for full or partial home backup, and optional connection to the SolarEdge smart EV charger. The typical SolarEdge optimized inverter system consists of power optimizers, inverters, a communication device which enables access to a cloud-based monitoring platform and in many cases, additional smart energy management solutions. Our solutions address a broad range of solar market segments, from residential solar installations to commercial and small utility-scale solar installations.
Since introducing the optimized inverter solution in 2010, SolarEdge has expanded its activity to other areas of smart energy technology, both through organic growth and through acquisitions. SolarEdge now offers energy solutions which include not only residential, commercial and small utility scale PV systems but also product offerings in the areas of energy storage systems or ESS and backup including our own SolarEdge home battery, electric vehicle or EV components and charging capabilities, home energy management, grid services and virtual power plants or VPPs, lithium-ion batteries and uninterrupted power supply, known as UPS solutions. In June 2022, we decided to discontinue our stand-alone UPS related activities and that the developed technologies will be integrated in solar products as uninterrupted power supply becomes required or relevant.
In the third quarter of 2020, we began commercial shipments to the U.S. from our manufacturing facility in the North of Israel, “Sella 1”. The proximity of Sella 1 to our R&D team and labs, enables us to accelerate new product development cycles as well as define equipment and manufacturing processes of newly developed products which can then be adopted by our contract manufacturers world-wide. During the second quarter of 2021, Sella 1 reached full manufacturing capacity. In May 2022, we announced the opening of “Sella 2”, a 2GWh Li-Ion cell factory in Korea. The new factory is intended to help the Company meet the growing global demand for Li-Ion cells and batteries, specifically in the ESS and e-Mobility markets. Sella 2 is currently in testing phase, with ramp-up expected to initiate during the fourth quarter of 2022.
We are a leader in the global module-level power electronics or MLPE market. As of September 30, 2022, we have shipped approximately 101.0 million power optimizers, 4.2 million inverters and 94.1 thousand residential batteries. Over 2.9 million installations, many of which may include multiple inverters, are currently connected to, and monitored through, our cloud-based monitoring platform. As of September 30, 2022, we have shipped approximately 36.9 GW of our DC optimized inverter systems and approximately 731.7 MW of our residential batteries.
Our revenues for the three months ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 were $836.7 million and $526.4 million, respectively. Gross margin for the three months ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 was 26.5% and 32.8%, respectively. Net income for the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $24.7 million and $53.0 million, respectively.
Our revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 were $2,219.6 million and $1,412.0 million, respectively. Gross margin for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, and 2021 was 26.3% and 33.2%, respectively. Net income for the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 was $73.0 million and $128.2 million, respectively.
Global Circumstances Influencing our Business and Operations
Covid-19 Impact & Response
Covid-19 continued to present challenges on our operations and business in 2021, primarily, operational challenges which we reported on continuously in 2021. Due to the worldwide growing trend in availability and administration of vaccines against Covid-19, many restrictions that were placed during the pandemic were gradually lifted by governments across the globe. However, the future impact of the Covid-19 pandemic remains highly uncertain. Resurgences of Covid-19 cases and the emergence of new variants may adversely impact our results of operations. For example, in the second quarter of 2022, the mandatory government shutdowns resulting from the increase in Covid-19 cases in Shanghai, that were eased in the beginning of the third quarter of 2022, led to delays in our scheduled shipments from the Shanghai port. Our first priority continues to be to protect and support our employees while maintaining company operations and support of our customers with as few disruptions as possible. We follow the guidance issued by applicable local authorities and health officials in each region in which we do business, including in our headquarters located in Israel.
While we have not experienced any new disruptions resulting directly from Covid-19 in the third quarter of 2022, the pandemic and general global economic conditions continue to present challenges to our operations and business. In the third quarter of 2022, we experienced and expect to continue to experience in the fourth quarter of 2022, continued disruptions to our logistics supply chain caused by constraints in the global transportation system including limited availability of local ground transportation coupled with congestion in shipping ports and industry-wide component shortages. These factors have impacted our ability to accurately plan and forecast the delivery of our products to customers and have also increased the total shipping time and cost of ocean freight for components and finished goods. Moreover, industry-wide component shortages require our R&D teams to focus their attention on manufacturing and production design workarounds solutions which can impact our ability to meet our plans to roll out new innovative products and services. Our operation team is working tirelessly to mitigate the impact of the disruptions described above.
Impact of Ukraine’s Conflict on the Energy Landscape
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia, which started in early 2022, and the sanctions and other measures imposed in response to this conflict have increased the level of economic and political uncertainty. While we do not have any meaningful business in Russia or Ukraine and we do not have physical assets in these countries, this conflict has, and is likely to continue to have, a multidimensional impact on the global economy, the energy landscape in general and the global supply chain. On one hand, in the first nine months of 2022, rising global interest in becoming less dependent on gas and oil led to higher demand for our products. On the other hand, the conflict further adversely affected the prices of raw materials arriving from Eastern Asia and resulted in an increase in gas and oil prices. Furthermore, various shipment routes were adversely impacted by the conflict resulting in increased shipment lead times and shipping costs for our products. While the impact of this conflict cannot be predicted at this time, the circumstances described above may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Our revenues for the third quarter 2022 of $836.7 million, represent continued growth from revenues of $727.8 million in the second quarter of 2022.
Inflation Reduction Act
In August 2022, the U.S. government enacted the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”), which includes several incentives intended to promote clean energy, battery and energy storage, electrical vehicles, and other solar products and is expected to impact our business and operations. As part of such incentives the IRA, will among other things, extend the investment tax credit (“ITC”) for residential solar installations through 2034 and for commercial installations through 2024 and is therefore expected to increase the demand for solar products. The IRA is expected to further incentivize residential and commercial solar customers and developers due to the inclusion of a tax credit for qualifying energy projects of up to 30%. Since these regulations are new and are still pending administrative guidance from the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department we will be examining the benefits that may be available to us, such as the availability of tax credits for domestic manufacturers, in the coming months. To the extent that tax benefits or credits may be available to competing technology and not to our technology, our business could be adversely disadvantaged.
Key Operating Metrics
In managing our business and assessing financial performance, we supplement the information provided by the financial statements with other operating metrics. These operating metrics are utilized by our management to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business and formulate projections. We use metrics relating to shipments (inverters, power optimizers, residential batteries and megawatts shipped1) to evaluate our sales performance and to track market acceptance of our products. We use metrics relating to monitoring (systems monitored) to evaluate market acceptance of our products and usage of our solution.
We provide the “megawatts shipped” metric, which is calculated based on inverter nameplate capacity shipped, to show adoption of our system on a nameplate capacity basis. Nameplate capacity shipped is the maximum rated power output capacity of an inverter and corresponds to our financial results in that higher total nameplate capacities shipped are generally associated with higher total revenues. However, revenues increase with each additional unit, not necessarily each additional MW of capacity sold. Accordingly, we also provide the “inverters shipped”, “power optimizers shipped” and "residential batteries shipped" operating metrics.
| | Three Months Ended September 30, 2022 | | | Nine Months Ended September 30, 2022 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | |
Inverters shipped | | | 264,515 | | | | 230,849 | | | | 704,018 | | | | 592,300 | |
Power optimizers shipped | | | 6,123,479 | | | | 4,699,443 | | | | 17,062,684 | | | | 13,445,523 | |
Megawatts shipped1 | | | 2,703 | | | | 1,903 | | | | 7,349 | | | | 5,237 | |
Megawatts shipped - residential batteries | | | 321 | | | | 11 | | | | 671 | | | | 11 | |
1 Excluding residential batteries, based on the aggregate nameplate capacity of inverters shipped during the applicable period. Nameplate capacity is the maximum rated power output capacity of an inverter as specified by the manufacturer.
Results of Operations
The results of operations presented below should be reviewed in conjunction with the condensed consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this report.
The following table sets forth selected consolidated statements of income data for each of the periods indicated.
| | Three Months Ended September 30, | | | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Revenues | | $ | 836,723 | | | $ | 526,404 | | | $ | 2,219,577 | | | $ | 1,411,950 | |
Cost of revenues | | | 614,722 | | | | 353,843 | | | | 1,635,976 | | | | 943,123 | |
Gross profit | | | 222,001 | | | | 172,561 | | | | 583,601 | | | | 468,827 | |
Operating expenses: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Research and development | | | 69,659 | | | | 55,666 | | | | 210,855 | | | | 155,307 | |
Sales and marketing | | | 42,726 | | | | 29,383 | | | | 117,017 | | | | 85,752 | |
General and administrative | | | 27,933 | | | | 21,098 | | | | 82,483 | | | | 60,317 | |
Other operating expenses (income), net | | | (2,724 | ) | | | — | | | | 1,963 | | | | 1,350 | |
Total operating expenses | | | 137,594 | | | | 106,147 | | | | 412,318 | | | | 302,726 | |
Operating income | | | 84,407 | | | | 66,414 | | | | 171,283 | | | | 166,101 | |
Financial expense, net | | | (33,025 | ) | | | (5,751 | ) | | | (52,785 | ) | | | (13,591 | ) |
Other income | | | 7,533 | | | | — | | | | 7,533 | | | | — | |
Income before income taxes | | | 58,915 | | | | 60,663 | | | | 126,031 | | | | 152,510 | |
Income taxes | | | 34,172 | | | | 7,615 | | | | 53,081 | | | | 24,294 | |
Net income | | | 24,743 | | | | 53,048 | | | | 72,950 | | | | 128,216 | |
Comparison of three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021
Revenues
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Revenues | | | 836,723 | | | | 526,404 | | | | 310,319 | | | | 59.0 | % | | | 2,219,577 | | | | 1,411,950 | | | | 807,627 | | | | 57.2 | % |
Revenues increased by $310.3 million, or 59.0%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to (i) an increase in the number of inverters and power optimizers sold, with significant growth in revenues coming from Europe and the U.S.; and (ii) an increase of $161.4 million related to the number of residential batteries sold mainly in Europe and the U.S. Revenues from outside of the U.S. comprised 69.9% of our revenues in the three months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to 64.1% in the three months ended September 30, 2021.
The number of power optimizers recognized as revenues increased by approximately 1.4 million units, or 30.1%, from approximately 4.7 million units in the three months ended September 30, 2021 to approximately 6.1 million units in the three months ended September 30, 2022. The number of inverters recognized as revenues increased by approximately 25.4 thousand units, or 11.0%, from approximately 231.7 thousand units in the three months ended September 30, 2021 to approximately 257.1 thousand units in the three months ended September 30, 2022. In the three months ended September 30, 2022, we recognized approximately 363.0 megawatts of residential batteries as revenues compared to a negligible amount in the three months ended September 30, 2021.
Our blended Average Selling Price or ASP per watt for solar products excluding residential batteries is calculated by dividing solar revenues, excluding revenues from the sale of residential batteries, by the name plate capacity of inverters shipped. Our blended ASP per watt for solar products shipped excluding residential batteries decreased by $0.022, or 8.8%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021. The decrease in blended ASP per watt is mainly attributed to the depreciation of the Euro and other currencies against the U.S. Dollar which, coupled with our increased sales in Europe, accelerated this effect as well as the increase in the sale of commercial products in Europe and the U.S. out of our total solar product mix that are characterized with lower ASP per watt.
This decrease in blended ASP per watt was partially offset by price increases that went into effect gradually during 2022 as well as by a relatively higher number of other solar products shipped compared to the number of inverters shipped, which increased our total solar revenues but did not impact the watt amount used for calculating the ASP per watt.
Revenues increased by $807.6 million, or 57.2%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to (i) an increase in the number of inverters and power optimizers sold, with significant growth in revenues coming from Europe and the U.S; and (ii) an increase of $316.8 million related to the number of residential batteries sold mainly in Europe and the U.S. Revenues from outside of the U.S. comprised 62.7% of our revenues in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to 62.6% in the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
The number of power optimizers recognized as revenues increased by approximately 3.6 million units, or 26.8%, from approximately 13.4 million units in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to approximately 17.0 million units in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. The number of inverters recognized as revenues increased by approximately 105.8 thousand units, or 17.9%, from approximately 591.9 thousand units in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to approximately 697.7 thousand units in the nine months ended September 30, 2022. In the nine months ended September 30, 2022, we recognized approximately 660.8 megawatts of residential batteries as revenues compared to a negligible amount in the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Our ASP per watt for solar products excluding residential batteries is calculated by dividing the solar revenues by the name plate capacity of inverters shipped. Our blended ASP per watt for solar products shipped excluding residential batteries decreased by $0.005, or 2.1%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021. The decrease in blended ASP per watt is mainly attributed to the depreciation of the Euro and other currencies against the U.S. Dollar which, coupled with our increased sales in Europe accelerated this effect as well as the increase in the sale of commercial products in Europe and the U.S., out of our total solar product mix that are characterized with lower ASP per watt.
This decrease in blended ASP per watt was partially offset by price increases that went into effect gradually during the second half of 2021 and continued in 2022 as well as a relatively higher number of other solar products shipped compared to the number of inverters shipped, which increased our total solar revenues but did not impact the watt amount used for calculating the ASP per watt.
Cost of Revenues and Gross Profit
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Cost of revenues | | | 614,722 | | | | 353,843 | | | | 260,879 | | | | 73.7 | % | | | 1,635,976 | | | | 943,123 | | | | 692,853 | | | | 73.5 | % |
Gross profit | | | 222,001 | | | | 172,561 | | | | 49,440 | | | | 28.7 | % | | | 583,601 | | | | 468,827 | | | | 114,774 | | | | 24.5 | % |
Cost of revenues increased by $260.9 million, or 73.7%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in the volume of products sold and the increase in the unit cost of components used in the manufacturing of our products; |
| • | a significant increase in shipment and logistic costs in an aggregate amount of $25.4 million due to (i) an increase in shipment rates; and (ii) an increase in volumes shipped; |
| • | an increase in other production costs of $17.8 million, which is mainly attributed to charges from our contract manufacturers due to manufacturing disruptions related to global supply constraints, increased logistics costs resulting from transportation disruptions and the mobilization of components between our different manufacturing sites and ramp up costs associated with our new contract manufacturing site in Mexico; |
| • | an increase in warranty expenses and warranty accruals of $13.7 million associated primarily with an increase in the number of products in our install base as well as an increase in costs related to the different elements of our warranty expenses which include the cost of the products, shipment and other related expenses; |
| • | an increase in custom duties of $5.0 million attributed to higher tariff charges due to an increase in volumes sold; and |
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $4.8 million related to the expansion of our production, operations, and support headcount which grew in parallel to our growing install base worldwide. |
Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased from 32.8% in the three months ended September 30, 2021 to 26.5% in the three months ended September 30, 2022 as a result of the factors summarized above.
Cost of revenues increased by $692.9 million, or 73.5%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in the volume of products sold and an increase in the unit cost of components used in the manufacturing of our products; |
| • | a significant increase in shipment and logistic costs in an aggregate amount of $92.8 million due to (i) an increase in shipment rates; and (ii) an increase in volumes shipped; |
| • | an increase in warranty expenses and warranty accruals of $54.9 million associated primarily with an increase in the number of products in our install base as well as an increase in costs related to the different elements of our warranty expenses which include the cost of the products, shipment and other related expenses; |
| • | an increase in other production costs of $54.8 million, which is mainly attributed to charges from our contract manufacturers due to manufacturing disruptions related to global supply constraints, increased logistics costs resulting from transportation disruptions, mobilization of components between our different manufacturing sites as well as ramp up costs associated with our new contract manufacturing site in Mexico; |
| • | an increase in custom duties of $19.2 million attributed to higher tariff charges due to an increase in volumes sold and the manufacture of a higher portion of our products for the U.S. in China; and; |
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $15.0 million related to the expansion of our production, operations, and support headcount which grew in parallel to our growing install base worldwide. |
Gross profit as a percentage of revenue decreased from 33.2% in the nine months ended September 30, 2021 to 26.3% in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as a result of the factors summarized above.
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Operating Expenses:
Research and Development
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Research and development | | | 69,659 | | | | 55,666 | | | | 13,993 | | | | 25.1 | % | | | 210,855 | | | | 155,307 | | | | 55,548 | | | | 35.8 | % |
Research and development costs increased by $14.0 million or 25.1%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $9.8 million resulting from an increase in our research and development headcount as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation. The increase in headcount reflects our continued investment in enhancements of existing products as well as research and development expenses associated with bringing new products to the market; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to other overhead costs in an amount of $2.4 million; and |
| • | an increase in depreciation expenses of property and equipment in an amount of $1.4 million. |
These increases were partially offset by a decrease in expenses related to consultants and sub-contractors in an amount of $1.0 million.
Research and development costs increased by $55.5 million or 35.8%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $43.0 million resulting from an increase in our research and development headcount as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation. The increase in headcount reflects our continued investment in enhancements of existing products as well as research and development expenses associated with bringing new products to the market; |
| • | a decrease in reimbursement of costs, related to research and development activities performed by SolarEdge e-Mobility in an amount of $4.2 million; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to other overhead costs in an amount of $4.2 million; |
| • | an increase in depreciation expenses of property and equipment in an amount of $3.9 million; and |
| • | an increase in expenses related to material consumption in the manufacturing of prototypes during our development process in an amount of $2.2 million. |
These increases were partially offset by a decrease in expenses related to consultants and sub-contractors in an amount of $4.3 million.
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Sales and Marketing
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Sales and marketing | | | 42,726 | | | | 29,383 | | | | 13,343 | | | | 45.4 | % | | | 117,017 | | | | 85,752 | | | | 31,265 | | | | 36.5 | % |
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $13.3 million, or 45.4%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $10.3 million as a result of an increase in headcount supporting our growth in all geographies, as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to marketing activities by $1.3 million due to the renewal of marketing activities, exhibitions and shows, which were cancelled or postponed in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions; and |
| • | an increase in expenses related to travel in an amount of $0.8 million. |
Sales and marketing expenses increased by $31.3 million, or 36.5%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $21.8 million as a result of an increase in headcount supporting our growth in all geographies, as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to marketing activities by $4.2 million due to the renewal of marketing activities, exhibitions and shows, which were cancelled or postponed in 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions; and |
| • | an increase in expenses related to travel in an amount of $2.1 million. |
General and Administrative
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
General and administrative | | | 27,933 | | | | 21,098 | | | | 6,835 | | | | 32.4 | % | | | 82,483 | | | | 60,317 | | | | 22,166 | | | | 36.7 | % |
General and administrative expenses increased by $6.8 million, or 32.4%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022 compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $5.2 million resulting from an increase in our general and administrative headcount, as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to consultants and sub-contractors in an amount of $1.0 million; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to overhead costs in an amount of $0.6 million; and |
| • | an increase in expenses related to doubtful debt in an amount of $0.5 million. |
These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $1.7 million related to a provision for legal claims.
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General and administrative expenses increased by $22.2 million, or 36.7%, in the nine months ended months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase in personnel-related costs of $17.7 million resulting from an increase in our general and administrative headcount, as well as salary expenses associated with annual merit increases and employee equity-based compensation; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to consultants and sub-contractors in an amount of $4.3 million; |
| • | an increase in expenses related to overhead costs in an amount of $1.7 million; and |
| • | an increase in expenses related to doubtful debt in an amount of $1.5 million; |
These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $5.2 million related to a provision for legal claims.
Other operating expenses (income), net
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Other operating expenses (income), net | | | (2,724 | ) | | | — | | | | (2,724 | ) | | | (100.0 | )% | | | 1,963 | | | | 1,350 | | | | 613 | | | | 45.4 | % |
Other operating income, was $2.7 million, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, primarily due to:
| • | an increase of $1.6 million in income related to the discontinuation of our UPS related activities and the sale of assets related to these activities. |
| • | an increase of $1.1 million in income related to the sale of property, plant and equipment; and |
Other operating expenses, net, increased by $0.6 million, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase of $4.0 million in expenses related to write-offs of goodwill and intangible assets related to the discontinuation of our UPS related activities; and |
| • | a decrease of $0.9 million in income related to a payment made to us from an escrow account with regards to a working capital adjustment in connection with the Kokam acquisition. |
These increases were partially offset by:
| • | a decrease of $1.6 million in expenses related to write-offs of property, plant and equipment; |
| • | an increase of $1.6 million in income related to the discontinuation of our UPS related activities and the sale of assets related to these activities; and |
| • | an increase of $1.1 million in income related to the sale of property, plant and equipment. |
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Financial expense, net
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Financial expense, net | | | (33,025 | ) | | | (5,751 | ) | | | (27,274 | ) | | | 474.2 | % | | | (52,785 | ) | | | (13,591 | ) | | | (39,194 | ) | | | 288.4 | % |
Financial expenses, net increased by $27.3 million, or 474.2%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase of $28.3 million in expenses related to foreign exchange fluctuations, mainly due to the strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against the Euro, the British pound sterling (GBP) and the Australian dollar (AUD) . |
| • | an increase of $2.1 million in expenses related to hedging transactions. |
These increases were partially offset by an increase of $3.5 million in interest income and accretion (amortization) of discount (premium) on marketable securities.
Financial expenses, net increased by $39.2 million, or 288.4%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to:
| • | an increase of $39.4 million in expenses related to foreign exchange fluctuations, mainly due to the strengthening of the U.S. Dollar against the Euro, the New Israeli Shekel, the GBP and the AUD. |
| • | an increase of $2.6 million in expenses related to hedging transactions. |
These increases were partially offset by an increase of $4.9 million in interest income and accretion (amortization) of discount (premium) on marketable securities.
Please refer to the section entitled "Foreign Currency Exchange Risk" under Item 3 of this report for additional information.
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Other income
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Other income | | | 7,533 | | | | — | | | | 7,533 | | | | 100.0 | % | | | 7,533 | | | | — | | | | 7,533 | | | | 100.0 | % |
Other income increased by 7,533, or 100.0%, in the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the three and nine months ended September 30, 2021 due to the sale of our investment in a privately-held company.
Income taxes
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Income taxes | | | 34,172 | | | | 7,615 | | | | 26,557 | | | | 348.7 | % | | | 53,081 | | | | 24,294 | | | | 28,787 | | | | 118.5 | % |
Income taxes increased by $26.6 million, or 348.7%, in the three months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to an increase of $25.6 million in current tax expenses mainly attributed to the change to Section 174 of the U.S Internal Revenue Code, which became effective on January 1, 2022. The change eliminates the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and requires taxpayers to amortize them over five years (if generated from a US entity) and fifteen years (if generated from non-U.S. entities).This change to section 174 as well as lower tax benefits relating to stock-based compensation resulted in an increase in the Company’s taxable income and Global Intangible Low Taxed Income (“GILTI”) tax.
Income taxes increased by $28.8 million, or 118.5%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to an increase of $25.9 million in current tax expenses mainly attributed to the change to Section 174 of the U.S Internal Revenue Code, which became effective on January 1, 2022. The change eliminates the option to deduct research and development expenditures currently and requires taxpayers to amortize them over five years (if generated from a US entity) and fifteen years (if generated from non-U.S. entities). This change to section 174 as well as lower tax benefits relating to stock-based compensation resulted in an increase in the Company’s taxable income and GILTI tax.
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Net Income
| | Three months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | | | Nine months ended September 30, 2022 to 2021 | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | Change | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Net income | | | 24,743 | | | | 53,048 | | | | (28,305 | ) | | | (53.4 | )% | | | 72,950 | | | | 128,216 | | | | (55,266 | ) | | | (43.1 | )% |
As a result of the factors discussed above, net income decreased by $28.3 million, or 53.4% in the three months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2021.
As a result of the factors discussed above, net income decreased by $55.3 million, or 43.1% in the nine months ended September 30, 2022 as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
The following table shows our cash flows from operating activities, investing activities, and financing activities for the stated periods:
| | Three Months Ended September 30, | | | Nine Months Ended September 30, | |
| | 2022 | | | 2021 | | | 2022 | | | 2021 | |
| | (In thousands) | |
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities | | | 5,558 | | | | 61,784 | | | | (80,016 | ) | | | 124,552 | |
Net cash used in investing activities | | | (54,581 | ) | | | (61,961 | ) | | | (380,514 | ) | | | (397,959 | ) |
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | | | (1,271 | ) | | | 1,774 | | | | 647,135 | | | | (19,432 | ) |
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | | | (50,294 | ) | | | 1,597 | | | | 186,605 | | | | (292,839 | ) |
As of September 30, 2022, our cash and cash equivalents were $678.3 million. This amount does not include $891.4 million invested in available-for-sale marketable securities and $1.6 million invested in restricted bank deposits. Our principal uses of cash are for funding our operations, capital expenditures, other working capital requirements and other investments. As of September 30, 2022, we have open commitments for capital expenditures in an amount of approximately $69.2 million. These commitments mainly reflect purchases of automated assembly lines and other machinery related to our manufacturing and operations. We also have purchase obligations in the amount of $1,639.2 million related to raw materials and commitments for the future manufacturing of our products.
We believe our cash and cash equivalents, and available-for-sale marketable securities will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs for at least the next 12 months as well as in the longer term, including the self-funding of our capital expenditure and operational commitments.
Operating Activities
Operating cash flows consists primarily of net income adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in assets and liabilities. Cash used in operating activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was $80.0 million as compared to $124.6 million cash provided by operating cash flows in the nine months ended September 30, 2021, mainly due to extended shipping times to customers which extended the period of time between payment to our vendors and delivery to and collection from our customers, a significant increase in inventory procurement in response to increased demand for our products, including increased purchasing of battery cells for our residential storage solution, and, increased safety stocks intended to mitigate supply chain disruptions, all of which resulted in unfavorable changes in working capital in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, which was partially offset by higher net income adjusted for certain non-cash items. The Company returned to cash generation from operating activities in the second and third quarters of 2022.
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Investing Activities
Investing cash flows consist primarily of capital expenditures, investment in, sales and maturities of available for sale marketable securities, investment and withdrawal of bank deposits and restricted bank deposits, cash used for acquisitions and cash provided by the sale of equity investments. Cash used for investing activities decreased by $17.4 million in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily driven by a $53.7 million decrease in purchases of available-for-sale marketable securities, net, a $16.6 million decrease in an investment in a privately-held company and $24.2 million increase from sale of an investment in a privately-held company. This decrease in cash used for investing activities was partially offset by a $50.0 million decrease in cash provided by withdrawal from bank deposits and restricted bank deposits as well as an increase of $31.0 million in capital expenditures, net.
Financing Activities
Financing cash flows consisted primarily of the issuance and repayment of short-term and long-term debt and proceeds from the sale of shares of common stock in a public offering and employee equity incentive plans. Cash provided by financing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2022, was $647.1 million compared to $19.4 million cash used in financing activities in the nine months ended September 30, 2021, primarily due to a $650.5 million increase in cash provided by the issuance of common stock, net through a secondary public offering, and a decrease of $16.1 million in repayment of bank loans.
Secondary public offering
On March 17, 2022, we offered and sold 2,300,000 shares of the Company’s common stock at a public offering price of $295.00 per share. The net proceeds to the Company after underwriters' discounts and commissions and offering costs were $650,526. We intend to use the proceeds from the public offering for general corporate purposes, which may include acquisitions. See Note 11b to our condensed consolidated financial statements for more information.
ITEM 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
We are exposed to market risk in the ordinary course of our business. Market risk represents the risk of loss that may impact our financial position due to adverse changes in financial market prices and rates. Our market risk exposure is primarily a result of fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates, customer concentrations, and interest rates. We do not hold or issue financial instruments for trading purposes.
Foreign Currency Exchange Risk
Approximately 59.5% and 57.1% of our revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2022, and 2021, respectively, were earned in non U.S. dollar denominated currencies, principally the Euro. Our expenses are generally denominated in the currencies in which our operations are located, primarily the U.S. dollar, New Israeli Shekel ("NIS"), Euro, and to a lesser extent, the South Korean Won ("KRW"). Our NIS denominated expenses consist primarily of personnel and overhead costs. Our consolidated results of operations and cash flows are, therefore, subject to fluctuations due to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and may be adversely affected in the future due to changes in foreign exchange rates. A hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates between the Euro and the U.S. dollar would increase or decrease our net income by $85.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022. A hypothetical 10% change in foreign currency exchange rates between the NIS and the U.S. dollar would increase or decrease our net income by $32.8 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2022.
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For purposes of our consolidated financial statements, local currency assets and liabilities are translated at the rate of exchange to the U.S. dollar on the balance sheet date and local currency revenues and expenses are translated at the exchange rate as of the date of the transaction or at the average exchange rate to the U.S. dollar during the reporting period.
To date, we have used derivative financial instruments, specifically foreign currency forward contracts and put and call options, to manage exposure to foreign currency risks by hedging portions of the anticipated payroll payments denominated in NIS. These derivative instruments are designated as cash flow hedges.
In addition, we also entered into derivative financial instruments to hedge the Company’s exposure to currencies other than the U.S. dollar, mainly forward contracts to sell Euro and AUD for U.S. dollars. These derivative instruments are not designated as cash flow hedges.
Concentrations of Major Customers
Our trade accounts receivables potentially expose us to a concentration of credit risk with our major customers. As of September 30, 2022 and 2021, two major customers accounted for approximately 27.7% and 29.1% of our consolidated trade receivables balance, respectively. For the three months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021, two major customers accounted for approximately 27.4% and 28.1% of our total revenues, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30, 2022 and 2021 one and two major customers accounted for approximately 20.1% and 28.3% of our total revenues, respectively. We currently do not foresee a credit risk associated with these receivables.
Commodity Price Risk
We are subject to risk from fluctuating market prices of certain commodity raw materials, including copper, which are used in our products. Prices of these raw materials may be affected by supply restrictions or other market factors from time to time, and we do not enter into hedging arrangements to mitigate commodity risk. Significant price changes for these raw materials could reduce our operating margins if we are unable to recover such increases from our customers, and could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures.
Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures pursuant to Rule 13a-15 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), as of September 30, 2022. In designing and evaluating the disclosure controls and procedures, management recognized that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving the desired control objectives. In addition, the design of disclosure controls and procedures must reflect the fact that there are resource constraints and that management is required to apply its judgment in evaluating the benefits of possible controls and procedures relative to their costs.
Based on that evaluation, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective and operating to provide reasonable assurance that information we are required to disclose in reports that we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized, and reported within the time periods specified in SEC rules and forms, and to provide reasonable assurance that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 13a-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the third fiscal quarter of 2022 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
PART II. OTHER INFORMATION.
ITEM 1. Legal Proceedings
On July 28, 2022, we were served with a complaint by Ampt LLC filed with the International Trade Commission (the “Commission”) pursuant to Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended and the District Court for the District of Delaware alleging patent infringement against the Company and its subsidiary SolarEdge Technologies Ltd. On October 24, 2022, the complaint filed in the District Court of Delaware was administratively stayed until the Commission's action is resolved. We believe that we have meritorious defenses to the complaints and intend to vigorously defend against them.
In the normal course of business, we may from time to time be named as a party to various legal claims, actions and complaints (including as a result of initiating such legal claims, action or complaints on behalf of the Company), including the matters described in Item 3 – “Legal Proceedings” of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the period ended December 31, 2021 and subsequent quarterly filings. It is impossible to predict with certainty whether any resulting liability from any such legal claims, actions or complaints would have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
In addition to the other information set forth in this report, you should carefully consider the risk factor set forth below and the risk factors as described in Part I, Item 1A, ”Risk Factors”, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021.
Inflation Reduction Act of 2022
On August 16, 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (the “IRA”) was signed into federal law. The IRA provides for, among other things, certain incentives, including certain tax credits, intended to promote clean energy. Given that the IRA is a complex new piece of legislation, additional guidance on the regulatory treatment of the IRA is expected from the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Treasury Department. It is currently uncertain the extent to which our products will qualify for such incentives. Any unfavorable regulatory treatment, or guidance, including any tax benefits being made available to competing technology and not to our technology, could adversely impact our business and financial condition.
ITEM 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds.
None
ITEM 3. Defaults upon Senior Securities.
None
ITEM 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.
ITEM 5. Other Information
None
Index to Exhibits
Exhibit No. | | Description | | Incorporation by Reference |
| | | | Filed with this report. |
| | | | Filed with this report. |
| | | | Filed with this report. |
| | | | Filed with this report. |
101 | | The following financial statements from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022, formatted in Inline XBRL: (i) Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income, (iii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iv) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity, (v) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (vi) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements | | Filed with this report. |
104 | | The cover page from the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2022 formatted in Inline XBRL | | Included in Exhibit 101 |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
| |
| Zvi Lando |
| Chief Executive Officer |
| (Principal Executive Officer) |
| |
| |
| |
| (Principal Financial Officer) |
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