corresp
Diodes Incorporated
15660 North Dallas Parkway
Suite 850
Dallas, TX 75248
Phone Number: 972-385-2810
Fax Number: 972-385-2315
August 28, 2008
VIA EDGAR AND OVERNIGHT MAIL
Mr. Gary Todd
Reviewing Accountant
Mail Stop 6010
Division of Corporation Finance
Securities and Exchange Commission
450 Fifth Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20549-0306
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Diodes, Incorporated
Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2007
Filed February 29, 2008
Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2008
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
Filed August 11, 2008 |
Dear Mr. Todd:
This letter sets forth the responses of Diodes Incorporated (the Company) to the comments of
the staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the Staff) of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (the Commission) received by letter dated August 14, 2008, with respect to the above
referenced filings.
For the convenience of the Staff, the Company has set forth below the text of each of the
Staffs comments included in the Comment Letter followed by the Companys response.
Form 10-K for the Year Ended December 31, 2007
Controls and Procedures, page 48
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We note that management has concluded that disclosure controls and procedures are
effective to provide assurance that material information relating to the Company
(including its consolidated subsidiaries) require to be included in this report is made
known to them. The language that
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is currently included after the word effective in your disclosure appears to be
superfluous, since the meaning of disclosure controls and procedures is established
by Rule 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act. However, if you do not wish to eliminate this
language, please revise future filings so that the language that appears after the word
effective is substantially similar in all material respects to the language that
appears in the entire two-sentence definition of disclosure controls and procedures
set forth in Rule 13a-15(e). |
Response:
In its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended June 30, 2008, the Company
conformed its statement concerning the conclusions of its principal executive and principal
financial officers regarding the effectiveness of its disclosure controls and procedures to Rule
13a-15(e). The Company intends to use this formulation in future filings.
Financial Statements
Note 8 Bank Credit Agreements and Long-Term Debt, page 70
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We note that you have disclosed $68 million in available credit facilities. The
table of credit facilities lists only $58.1 million in unused and available credit in
three facilities. As there appear to be no borrowings against these facilities, in future
filings please reconcile the difference between the two amounts. |
Response:
In future filings, the Companys disclosure will be revised to include any necessary
reconciliations.
Note 13 Income Taxes, page 74
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In future filings please disclose the amount of domestic and foreign pre-tax
accounting income. Refer to Rule 4-08(h) of Regulation S-X. |
Response:
In future filings, the Companys disclosure will be revised to disclose the amount of domestic and
foreign pre-tax accounting income.
Note 13 Income Taxes, page 74
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4. |
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In future filings please disclose the aggregate dollar and per share effects of the
tax holidays described in this footnote. Refer to SAB Topic 11-C. |
Response:
In future filings, the Companys disclosure will be revised to disclose the aggregate dollar and
per share effects of the tax holidays.
Form 10-Q as of June 30, 2008
Note E, Fair Value Measurements, page 12
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In future filings, please clarify the disclosures for your auction rate securities by
explaining the pricing models and significant assumptions used in the valuation, such as
discount rates, interest rates, illiquidity adjustments, and other significant
assumptions. Please describe the inputs and the information used to develop the inputs.
Refer to paragraph 32 of SFAS 157. |
Response:
In future filings, the Companys disclosure will be revised to disclose significant assumptions
used in the valuation. Please see the Companys response to Comment number 6 for information
regarding the inputs and a proposed disclosure to be used in future filings.
Form 10-Q as of June 30, 2008
Note E, Fair Value Measurements, page 12
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As a related matter, please explain to us how you determined the fair value of the
auction rate securities as of June 30, 2008. In that regard, tell us how you considered
and weighted the various sources of information cited in the paragraph beginning: Due to
the lack of observable market quotes on our $320.7 million ARS portfolio... on page 13.
Also, clarify the nature of the third party information considered and the modeling
techniques and assumptions applied. |
Response:
The Company has engaged the services of an independent third party to assist the Company in valuing
its ARS portfolio. As such, the Company considered the speech given by Stephanie L. Hunsaker,
Associate Chief Accountant, Division of Corporation Finance U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission
at the 2007 AICPA National Conference on Current SEC and PCAOB Developments related to consents and
experts. The Company does not view the third party as an independent valuation firm or expert as
contemplated in this speech. The Company notes that the speech states that the rationale for naming
an expert in the report is because management is referring to the use of an expert, and may be
transferring some, or perhaps all, of the responsibility for an item in their financial statements.
This is not the case in relation to the fair value of the Companys ARS portfolio. The Company
takes full accountability for the fair value of
its ARS portfolio and the utilization of the
third party is one source of information in its fair
value process. The Company will remove references to the independent third party valuation firm in
its future filings with the Commission. In determining the fair value of the ARS portfolio, the
Company considered the following as its main inputs in valuing the ARS portfolio:
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relevant future market conditions; |
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underlying financial condition and credit quality of the issuer and bond insurer; |
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the percent of the ARS portfolio that is guarantied by the Family Education Loan
Program; |
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maturity of the ARS; and |
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market activity of similar securities. |
The Company intends to replace the paragraph beginning with Due to lack of observable market
quotes on our $320.7 million ARS portfolio... with the following in future filings:
Due to lack of observable market quotes on our $320.7 million ARS portfolio, the fair value
measurements have been estimated using Level 3 inputs. The fair value was based on factors that
reflect assumptions market participants would use in pricing, including, among others: relevant
future market conditions including those that are based on the expected cash flow streams, the
underlying financial condition and credit quality of the issuer and bond insurer, the percent of
the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) guaranty, and the maturity of the securities,
as well as the market activity of similar securities. The valuation of our ARS investment portfolio
is subject to uncertainties that are difficult to predict and the future actual market prices may
differ materially (see Note F Short-term and Long-term Investments).
Form 10-Q as of June 30, 2008
Note E, Fair Value Measurements, page 12
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In future filings please disclose the maximum contractual default rate and the
current interest rate on the auction rate securities as the end of each period and clarify
whether interest is being collected currently. |
Response:
In future filings, the Companys disclosure will be revised to include the maximum contractual
default rate and current interest rate on the auction rate securities as of the end of the period
and the current status of interest being collected.
Note M Business Acquisitions, page 22
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With respect to Zetex, you indicate that you have engaged a third party to perform a
comprehensive independent valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed.
Please tell us about the nature and extent of the
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third partys involvement in your decision-making process associated with the
referenced valuation. While in future filings you (management) may elect to take full
responsibility for valuing the assets and the liabilities of the acquired entity, if
you choose to continue to refer to the expert in any capacity, you may need to name the
independent valuation firm in future 1934 Act filings. In addition, please note that
if you intend to incorporate your Form 10-K by reference into any registration
statement, you may also need to include the consent of the independent valuation firm
as an exhibit to the registration statement. |
Response:
The Company has engaged the services of an independent third party valuation firm to assist it in
determining the valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in conjunction with the
Zetex acquisition. The information provided by the independent third party valuation firm will be
considered by the Company in determining the final purchase price allocation, but will not be the
sole basis for the allocation. As stated in the response to Comment number 6, the Company notes
that the speech given by Stephanie L. Hunsaker states that the rationale for naming an expert in
the report is because management is referring to the use of an expert, and may be transferring
some, or perhaps all, of the responsibility for an item in their financial statements. This is not
the case in determining the fair value used to allocate the purchase price. The Company will take
full accountability for the fair value used to allocate the purchase price and the utilization of
the third party is one source of information in its fair value process. Accordingly, while the
Company will consider the information provided by the independent third party valuation firm, it
will not rely solely upon that which was provided. The Companys intent was to describe the
diligence of its valuation process and not to have the independent third party valuation firm act
as an expert with respect to the Companys valuation of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed
in conjunction with the Zetex acquisition. The Company will remove references to the independent
third party valuation firm in its future filings with the Commission. As the result of the
foregoing, the Company believes it will not be required to obtain a written consent from the
independent third party valuation firm as an exhibit to any such registration statement.
Note N Long-term Borrowings Margin Loan, page 23
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Tell us and in the future filings please disclose why you believe that the margin
loan will not be called within the next twelve months. Please also clarify the basis in
GAAP for classification as long-term. |
Response:
The Company intended to fund the acquisition of Zetex by liquidating part of its ARS portfolio,
which is held in an UBS account. Due to the failure of the Dutch auctions, the Company was unable
to liquidate its ARS and entered into an irrevocable Standby Letter of Credit (Letter of Credit)
with UBS for $165 million. In connection with the
acquisition of Zetex, the Company drew $165 million on the Letter of Credit creating a margin loan.
The margin loan is secured by the ARS portfolio, which is classified as a non-current asset.
There are no scheduled principal payments and the margin loan does not contain covenants. The
Company believes the margin loan will be available to the Company as long as the ARS are illiquid
and believes that the likelihood of UBS calling the margin loan within the next twelve months is
remote.
The margin loan has no maturity date and is tied to the Companys ARS portfolio, which is
classified as non-current assets. The Company analyzed circumstances to a subjective acceleration
clause in a long-term credit agreement in accordance with FASB Technical Bulletin 79-3, Subjective
Acceleration Clauses in Long-Term Debt Agreements (TB No. 79-3). TB No. 79-3 states that in some
situations long-term debt subject to acceleration clauses should be reclassified as current
liabilities, while in other situations the reclassification to current liability would not be
required where the likelihood of the acceleration is remote.
The Company also took into consideration Accounting Research Bulletin No. 43 (ARB 43), Chapter
3A, paragraph 7, as amended by FASB Statement No. 158, Employers Accounting for Defined Benefit
Pension and Other Postretirement Plans (FAS 158), which states The term current liabilities is
used principally to designate obligations whose liquidation is reasonably expected to require the
use of existing resources properly classifiable as current assets, or the creation of other current
liabilities. The source of repayment, if the margin loan was to be called, would be for UBS to
charge the Companys ARS portfolio, which are non-current assets.
In addition, UBS has reached a tentative settlement agreement with the Commission and various state
regulators. Under the terms of the agreement, UBS will provide the following to the Company:
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Allow the Company to redeem its ARS portfolio at par value beginning June 30, 2010. |
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Any outstanding borrowing on the Companys margin loan at June 30, 2010 will be paid
off with redeemed ARS first. |
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Between now and June 30, 2010, the Company can borrow up to 75% of the market value of
the ARS portfolio. |
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The interest rate on the margin loan will be equal to the amount of interest income
earned on the collateralized ARS, thus netting to zero interest expense for the margin
loan. This net cost lending on the margin loan will go into effect on September 2, 2008. |
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The Company will continue to earn interest income on the non-collateralized ARS
balance. |
The above terms of the settlement agreement further support the Companys belief that the
likelihood of the acceleration of the margin loan is remote.
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
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We see disclosure of non-GAAP measures of adjusted net income and adjusted earnings
per share in a bullet point at the beginning of the earnings release. When presenting a
non-GAAP measure you should present the comparable GAAP measure with equal or greater
prominence. Please refer to S-K Item 10(e)(i) and appropriately revise future earnings
releases. |
Response:
In future earnings releases, the Companys disclosure will present each GAAP measure with equal or
greater prominence to any comparable non-GAAP measure.
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
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Under Adjusted Net Income you indicate that net income is adjusted solely for
stock-based compensation and restructuring costs. In future earnings releases please also
clarify the nature of the Other Adjustments included in the reconciling table below the
narrative. |
Response:
In future earnings releases, the Company will ensure that all adjusted net income items are
included in the disclosure language.
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
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Your non-GAAP financial measures of adjusted net income and adjusted net earnings per
share appear to eliminate operating costs that are or could be recurring, such as
stock-based compensation. Accordingly, please tell us and in future earnings releases
disclose why you believe your non-GAAP financial measures provide investors with a better
depiction of the Companys operating results and a more informed baseline for modeling
future earnings expectations. Please also tell us and in future earnings releases
disclose why you believe that the non-GAAP measures enable investors to more thoroughly
evaluate our current performance as compared to past performance and why you believe that
the non-GAAP measures provide investors with a more informed baseline for modeling the
Companys future financial performance. |
Response:
The Companys response to Comment number 12 is included in the response to Comment number 13. In
addition, in future filings, the Company will not include items of a recurring nature, such as
stock-based compensation. Please see the proposed
changes to the Adjusted Net Income paragraph included in the response to Comment number 13.
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
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As a related matter, since your measures of adjusted net income and adjusted earnings
per share exclude recurring operating costs, such as stock compensation, please expand
future releases to disclose the following: |
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the manner in which management uses the non-GAAP measure to conduct or evaluate
its business; |
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the economic substance behind managements decision to use such a measure; |
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the material limitations associated with the use of the non-GAAP financial
measure as compared to the use of the most directly comparable GAAP financial
measure; |
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the manner in which management compensates for these limitations when using the
non-GAAP financial measures; and, |
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the substantive reason why management believes the non-GAAP financial measure
provides useful information to investors. |
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Please ensure that your disclosures are specific to the actual measures disclosed and
used by management. Refer to S-K Item 10(e)(i) and Question 8 to the Frequently Asked
Questions Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial measures. Your response should show
us how you intend to apply this comment. |
Response:
The Company intends to include the following sample disclosure to its earnings releases in the
future:
ADJUSTED NET INCOME
This measure consists of generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP, net income, which is
then adjusted solely for the purpose of adjusting for restructuring costs and other adjustments, as
discussed below. Excluding the restructuring costs and the other adjustments provides investors
with a better depiction of the Companys operating results and provides a more informed baseline
for modeling future earnings expectations. We exclude the above items to evaluate our operating
performance, to develop budgets, determine incentive compensation awards and to manage cash
expenditures. Presentation of the above non-GAAP measures allows investors to review the Companys
results of operations from the same view point as our management and Board of Directors. We have
historically provided similar non-GAAP financial measures to provide inventors an enhanced
understanding of our operations, facilitate investors analysis and comparisons
of our current and past results of operations and provide insight into the prospects of our future
performance. We also believe that the non-GAAP measures are useful to investors because they
provide additional information that research analysts use to evaluate semiconductor companies.
These non-GAAP measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with
GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results and may differ from
measures used by other companies. We recommend a review of net income on both a non-GAAP basis and
GAAP basis be performed to get a comprehensive view of our results. We provide a reconciliation of
adjusted net income to GAAP net income below.
Detail of non-GAAP adjustments:
Restructuring The Company has recorded various restructuring charges to reduce our cost
structure to enhance operating effectiveness and improve profitability. These restructuring
activities impacted different functional areas of our operations in different locations and were
undertaken to meet specific business objectives in light of the facts and circumstances at the time
of each restructuring event. These charges include costs related to the consolidation of our analog
wafer probe and final test operations from Hsinchu, Taiwan to our manufacturing facilities in
Shanghai, China which primarily consisted of termination and severance costs and impairment of
fixed assets. These restructuring charges are excluded from managements assessment of our
operating performance. We believe that the exclusion of the non-recurring restructuring charges
provides investors an enhanced view of the cost structure of our operations and facilitates
comparisons with the results of other periods that may not reflect such charges or may reflect
different levels of such charges.
Other Adjustments The Company incurred a one-time non-cash currency hedge loss related to the
Zetex acquisition. This currency hedge loss is excluded from managements assessment of our
operating performance. We believe that the exclusion of the non-recurring currency hedge loss
provides investors an enhanced view of the one-time other adjustments that the Company may incur
from time to time and facilitates comparisons with the results of other periods that may not
reflect such charges.
ADJUSTED EARNINGS PER SHARE
This non-GAAP financial measure is the portion of the Companys GAAP net income assigned to each
share of stock, excluding restructuring costs and other adjustments, as described above. Excluding
the restructuring costs adjustments and the other adjustments provides a more informed baseline for
modeling future earnings expectations as described in further detail above. This non-GAAP measure
should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with GAAP, but should not be
considered a substitute for or superior to GAAP results and may differ from measures used by other
companies. We recommend a review of diluted EPS on both a non-GAAP basis and GAAP basis be
performed to get a comprehensive view of our results. Information on how these share calculations
are made is below.
Form 8-K dated August 7, 2008
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It appears that you have disclosed EBITDA as a measure of performance as opposed to a
measure of liquidity. Please tell us why you believe it is appropriate in your
circumstances to present EBITDA as a measure of performance, including how you use this
measure in evaluating the performance of your business. In that regard, EBITDA excludes
certain recurring expenses, accordingly, please also explain how your disclosures consider
the guidance from Questions 8 and 15 to the Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Use
of Non-GAAP Financial measures. |
Response:
The Company believes EBITDA provides useful information regarding its performance because it
isolates the operating results without regard to its financing methods, capital structure or the
historical cost basis of its assets. As a result, this measure provides investors with a helpful
tool for comparing the operating performance of the Company with the performance of other companies
that have utilized different financing methods, have different capital structures and different
operating assets. In addition, by removing the arbitrary and sometimes subjective judgments that
are incorporated into calculating depreciation and amortization, such as useful lives, residual
values or the varying methods of depreciation, EBITDA provides a better sense of the operating
performance of the Company, particularly considering the life spans of some of its operating
assets. In addition, the Company has consistently been requested to provide such information to
investors, analysts and lending institutions in extending credit. Therefore, the Company believes
that the EBITDA measure is a useful tool for analyzing the underlying performance of the Company.
The Company does not believe its use of EBITDA should be confused with cash flow measurements
provided in a cash flow statement. All cash outlays and inflows, including purchases of property,
plant and equipment, advances on line of credit and proceeds and repayments of long-term debt
should be considered when evaluating the liquidity of the Company. Since these items are excluded
from the Companys EBITDA calculations, the Company does not believe it is reasonable to consider
EBITDA a liquidity measurement. Additionally, as uncertainties in the credit and capital markets
continue, the liquidity of the Companys ARS portfolio is uncertain, which is a major factor in its
financial flexibility. The ARS portfolio has never been included the Companys EBITDA calculation,
confirming that it would not be fairly used as a liquidity measure.
After reviewing Question 8 to Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the Use of Non-GAAP Financial
Measures, the Company intends to use the following sample disclosure in describing EBITDA in its
future earnings releases (the primary changes are underlined):
EBITDA represents earnings before net interest expense, income tax provision, depreciation and
amortization. Our management believes EBITDA is useful to investors
because it is frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties,
such as financial institutions in extending credit, in evaluating companies in our industry
and provides further clarity on our profitability. In addition, our management uses
EBITDA, along with other GAAP measures, in evaluating our operating performance compared to that of
other companies in our industry because the calculation of EBITDA generally eliminates the effects
of financing, operating in different income tax jurisdictions, and accounting
effects of capital spending, including the impact of our asset base, which can differ depending
on the book value of assets and the accounting methods used to compute depreciation and
amortization expense. EBITDA is not a recognized measurement under generally accepted
accounting principles, or GAAP, and when analyzing our operating performance, investors should use
EBITDA in addition to, and not as an alternative for, income from operations and net income, each
as determined in accordance with GAAP. Because not all companies use identical calculations, our
presentation of EBITDA may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies.
Furthermore, EBITDA is not intended to be a measure of free cash flow for our managements
discretionary use, as it does not consider certain cash requirements such as a tax and debt service
payments.
The Company believes that it has addressed Question 15 to Frequently Asked Questions Regarding the
Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures as it reconciles EBITDA to net income as presented on the
Companys consolidated condensed statements of income.
The Company acknowledges that:
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The Company is responsible for the adequacy and accuracy of the disclosure in the
filing; |
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Staff comments or changes to disclosure in response to Staff comments do not foreclose
the Commission from taking any action with respect to the filing; and, |
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The Company may not assert Staff comments as a defense in any proceeding initiated by
the Commission or any person under the federal securities laws of the United States. |
Should you or any member of the Staff have any questions regarding the Companys responses to the
Staffs comments set forth above, or should any member of the Staff need any additional
information, please do not hesitate to call the undersigned at (805) 446-4800 at your convenience.
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Very truly yours,
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/s/ Carl Wertz
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Carl Wertz |
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Chief Financial Officer
Diodes Incorporated |
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