EXFO Reports Third-Quarter Results for Fiscal 2013

QUEBEC CITY, CANADA, June 26, 2013 — EXFO Inc. (NASDAQ: EXFO; TSX: EXF) reported today financial results for the third quarter ended May 31, 2013.

Sales reached US$58.9 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to US$59.5 million in the third quarter of 2012 and US$62.6 million in the second quarter of 2013.

Bookings attained US$61.8 million in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 for a book-to-bill ratio of 1.05 compared to US$57.5 million in the same period last year and US$53.4 million in the second quarter of 2013.

Gross margin* amounted to 61.7% of sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to 60.4% in the third quarter of 2012 and 62.2% in the second quarter of 2013. IFRS net loss in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 totaled US$0.9 million, or US$0.01 per share, compared to a net loss of US$3.7 million, or US$0.06 per share, in the same period last year and net earnings of US$39,000, or US$0.00 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2013.

IFRS net loss in the third quarter of 2013 included US$1.5 million in after-tax amortization of intangible assets, US$0.4 million in stock-based compensation costs and a foreign exchange gain of US$0.3 million.

Adjusted EBITDA** totaled US$3.1 million, or 5.3% of sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to -US$0.5 million, or -0.8% of sales, in the third quarter of 2012 and US$4.4 million, or 7.1% of sales, in the second quarter of 2013.

"Although we increased bookings 7% year-over-year and 16% sequentially in the third quarter, our financial performance clearly ended below our expectations," said Germain Lamonde, EXFO's Chairman, President and CEO. "Network operator spending remained muted in the telecom industry with bookings soft in EMEA and uneven in Asia-Pacific, while rather strong in the Americas based on 4G/LTE and 100G deployments. Given market uncertainty, we reduced our SG&A and net R&D expenses by $7.5 million after nine months into fiscal 2013 —despite normal salary increases and inflation — without sacrificing the growth engine of the company. I am confident that our enhanced competitive position, sharpened market focus and newly launched products will combine with strong industry fundamentals to deliver robust revenue growth and profitability in the near future." Selected Financial Information (In thousands of US dollars)

Selected Financial Information 
(In thousands of US dollars)

Operating Expenses

Selling and administrative expenses totaled US$22.0 million, or 37.4% of sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to US$23.6 million, or 39.7% of sales, in the same period last year and US$23.1 million, or 36.9% of sales, in the second quarter of 2013.

Gross research and development expenses amounted to US$13.8 million, or 23.4% of sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to US$15.6 million, or 26.2% of sales, in the third quarter of 2012 and US$14.1 million, or 22.6% of sales, in the second quarter of 2013.

Net R&D expenses totaled US$11.6 million, or 19.7% of sales, in the third quarter of fiscal 2013 compared to US$13.2 million, or 22.1% of sales, in the same period last year and US$12.0 million, or 19.1% of sales, in the second quarter of 2013.

Third-Quarter Highlights

• Growth. EXFO's bookings improved 7.4% year-over-year and 15.8% quarter-over-quarter to US$61.8 million in the third quarter. Bookings strengthened particularly in the United States in the last month of the quarter. EXFO's top customer accounted for 6.6% of sales in the third quarter, while the top three represented 15.7%. Bookings progressed particularly in EXFO's wireless and high-speed optical product lines. 
• Profitability. EXFO delivered adjusted EBITDA of US$3.1 million in the third quarter of 2013 compared to -US$0.5 million in the same period last year. The company also generated US$1.3 million in cash flows from operating activities. EXFO continues to maintain a tight control on expenses, while core technologies related to the Brix Networks acquisition became fully amortized in April.
• Innovation. Altogether, EXFO has released 13 new products or major enhancements since the beginning of the fiscal year, including significant features in its Protocol product line in which innovation is largely driven by ongoing software releases. New product introductions garnered strong traction in the market, especially with tier-1 wireless operators.

Business Outlook

EXFO forecasts sales between US$58.0 million and US$63.0 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, while IFRS net earnings are expected to range between US$0.00 and US$0.04 per diluted share. Net earnings include US$0.03 per share in after-tax amortization of intangible assets and stock-based compensation costs.

This guidance was established by management based on existing backlog as of the date of this press release, seasonality, expected bookings for the remaining of the quarter, as well as exchange rates as at May 31, 2013.

About EXFO

Listed on the NASDAQ and TSX stock exchanges, EXFO is among the leading providers of next-generation test and service assurance solutions for wireline and wireless network operators and equipment manufacturers in the global telecommunications industry. The company offers innovative solutions for the development, installation, management and maintenance of converged, IP fixed and mobile networks—from the core to the edge. Key technologies supported include 3G, 4G/LTE, IMS, Ethernet, OTN, FTTx, VDSL2, ADSL2+ and various optical technologies accounting for more than 35% of the portable fiber-optic test market. EXFO has a staff of approximately 1700 people in 25 countries, supporting more than 2000 telecom customers worldwide. For more information, visitwww.EXFO.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, and we intend that such forward-looking statements be subject to the safe harbors created thereby. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical information or statements of current condition. Words such as may, will, expect, believe, anticipate, intend, could, estimate, continue, or the negative or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events and circumstances are considered forward-looking statements. They are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in forward-looking statements due to various factors including macro-economic uncertainty and/or recession (including our ability to quickly adapt cost structures with anticipated levels of business and our ability to manage inventory levels with market demand); capital spending and network deployment levels in the telecommunications industry; future economic, competitive, financial and market conditions; limited visibility with regards to customer orders and the timing of such orders; fluctuating exchange rates; consolidation in the global telecommunications test and service assurance industry and increased competition among vendors; concentration of sales; timely release and market acceptance of our new products and other upcoming products; our ability to successfully integrate our acquired and to-be-acquired businesses; our ability to successfully expand international operations; and the retention of key technical and management personnel. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments and risks, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Other risk factors that may affect our future performance and operations are detailed in our Annual Report, on Form 20-F, and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities commissions. We believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information currently available to us, but we cannot assure you that the expectations will prove to have been correct. Accordingly, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. These statements speak only as of the date of this document. Unless required by law or applicable regulations, we undertake no obligation to revise or update any of them to reflect events or circumstances that occur after the date of this document.

Non-IFRS Measures

EXFO provides non-IFRS measures (gross margin* and adjusted EBITDA**) as supplemental information regarding its operational performance. The company uses these measures for the purposes of evaluating historical and prospective financial performance, as well as performance relative to competitors. These measures also help EXFO to plan and forecast future periods as well as to make operational and strategic decisions. EXFO believes that providing this information, in addition to IFRS measures, allows investors to see the company's results through the eyes of management, and to better understand historical and future financial performance.

The presentation of this additional information is not prepared in accordance with IFRS. Therefore, the information may not necessarily be comparable to that of other companies and should be considered as a supplement to, not a substitute for, the corresponding measures calculated in accordance with IFRS.

* Gross margin represents sales less cost of sales, excluding depreciation and amortization.

** Adjusted EBITDA represents net earnings (loss) before interest, income taxes, depreciation of property, plant and equipment, amortization of intangible assets, restructuring charges, stock-based compensation costs and foreign exchange gain.

The following table summarizes the reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA to IFRS net earnings (loss), in thousands of US dollars:

Adjusted EBITDA

Click here to download the Consolidated Financial Statements (PDF)