Mentor Graphics Issues First Quarter Fiscal Year 2008 Guidance: Raises Annual Guidance
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Mentor Graphics Issues First Quarter Fiscal Year 2008 Guidance: Raises Annual Guidance

WILSONVILLE, Ore.—(BUSINESS WIRE)—April 13, 2007— Mentor Graphics Corporation (NASDAQ: MENT) today announced guidance for fiscal quarter ending April 30, 2007, the first quarter of Fiscal 2008. At the beginning of calendar 2007, the company changed its fiscal year to the twelve months ending January 31 and, accordingly, had a one-month 2007 transition period. At that time, the company stated that until completion of the accounting close for that period, the company would not provide quarterly guidance. The company has now substantially completed its accounting close for the one-month period ended January 31, 2007 and is in a position to provide guidance for first quarter and full fiscal year 2008.

The company expects revenue of about $187 million, GAAP earnings per share of approximately $.01 to $.03 and non-GAAP earnings per share of approximately $.08 to $.10 for the fiscal quarter ending April 30, 2008. Based on the strong bookings growth through the first quarter, the company is also raising its full fiscal year 2008 revenue guidance to approximately $844 million, with GAAP earnings per share of approximately $.75 and non-GAAP earnings per share of approximately $1.01.

Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

Mentor Graphics management evaluates and makes operating decisions using various performance measures. In addition to our GAAP results, we also consider adjusted gross margin, operating margin and net income (loss), which we refer to as non-GAAP gross margin, operating margin and net income (loss), respectively. These non-GAAP measures are derived from the revenues of our product, maintenance and services business operations and the costs directly related to the generation of those revenues, such as cost of revenue, research and development, sales and marketing and general and administrative expenses, that management considers in evaluating our ongoing core operating performance. These non-GAAP measures exclude amortization of purchased intangible assets, merger and acquisition charges, special charges, equity plan-related compensation expenses and charges and gains which management does not consider reflective of our core operating business.

Purchased intangible assets consist primarily of purchased technology, backlog, trade names, customer relationships and employment agreements. Merger and acquisition charges represent in-process research and development charges related to products in development that had not reached technological feasibility at the time of acquisition. Special charges consist of post-acquisition rebalance costs including severance and benefits, excess facilities and asset-related charges, and also include strategic reallocations or reductions of personnel resources. Equity plan-related compensation expenses represent the fair value of all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, as required under SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), "Share-Based Payment" (SFAS 123R). For purposes of comparability across other periods and against other companies in our industry, non-GAAP net income (loss) is adjusted by the amount of additional taxes or tax benefit that the company would accrue using a normalized effective tax rate applied to the non-GAAP results.

In certain instances our GAAP results of operations may not be profitable when our corresponding non-GAAP results are profitable or vice versa. The number of shares on which our non-GAAP EPS is calculated may therefore differ from the GAAP presentation due to the anti-dilutive effect of stock options in a loss situation.

Non-GAAP gross margin, operating margin and net income (loss) are supplemental measures of our performance that are not required by, or presented in accordance with, GAAP. Moreover, they should not be considered as an alternative to any performance measure derived in accordance with GAAP, or as an alternative to cash flow from operating activities or as a measure of our liquidity. We present non-GAAP gross margin, operating margin and net income (loss) because we consider them to be important supplemental measures of our operating performance and profitability trends, and because we believe they give investors useful information on period-to-period performance as evaluated by management.

Management excludes from its non-GAAP measures certain recurring items to facilitate its review of the comparability of the company's core operating performance on a period-to-period basis because such items are not related to the company's ongoing core operating performance as viewed by management.

Management considers our core operating performance to be that which can be affected by our managers in any particular period through their management of the resources that affect our underlying revenue and profit generating operations during that period. Management uses this view of its operating performance for purposes of comparison with its business plan and individual operating budgets and allocation of resources. Additionally, when evaluating potential acquisitions, management excludes the items described above from its consideration of target performance and valuation. More specifically management adjusts for the excluded items for the following reasons:

-- Amortization charges for our purchased intangible assets are inconsistent in amount and frequency and are significantly impacted by the timing and magnitude of the company's acquisition transactions. We therefore consider our operating results without these charges when evaluating our core performance. Generally, the most significant impact to inter-period comparability of the company's net income (loss) is in the first twelve months following the acquisition.

-- Special charges are primarily severance related and are due to the company's reallocation or reduction of personnel resources driven by modifications of business strategy or business emphasis and by assimilation of acquired businesses. These costs are originated based on the particular facts and circumstances of business decisions and can vary in size. Special charges also include excess facility and asset-related restructuring charges. These charges are not specifically included in the company's annual operating plan and related budget due to the rapidly changing technology and competitive environment in our industry. We therefore exclude them when evaluating our managers' performance internally.

-- Merger and acquisition charges are in-process R&D charges, which are largely disregarded as acquisition decisions are made and which often result in charges that vary significantly in size and amount. Management excludes these charges when evaluating the impact of an acquisition transaction and our ongoing performance.

-- Management supplementally considers performance without the impact of stock-based compensation charges and believes this information is useful to investors to compare our performance to prior periods before SFAS 123R and to the performance of other companies in our industry who present non-GAAP results adjusted to exclude stock compensation expense. We view stock-based compensation as a key element of our employee retention and long-term incentives, not as an expense that should be an element of evaluating core operations in any given period. We therefore exclude these charges for purposes of evaluating our core performance.

-- Income tax expense (benefit) is adjusted by the amount of additional tax expense or benefit that we would accrue if we used non-GAAP results instead of GAAP results in the calculation of our tax liability, taking into consideration the company's long-term tax structure. We use a normalized effective tax rate of 17%, which reflects the weighted average tax rate applicable under the various tax jurisdictions in which the company operates. This non-GAAP weighted average tax rate is subject to change over time for various reasons, including changes in the geographic business mix and changes in statutory tax rates.

Non-GAAP net income (loss) also facilitates comparison with other companies in our industry, which use similar financial measures to supplement their GAAP results. However, non-GAAP net income (loss) has limitations as an analytical tool, and you should not consider this measure in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our results as reported under GAAP. In the future the company expects to continue to incur expenses similar to the non-GAAP adjustments described above and exclusion of these items in our non-GAAP presentation should not be construed as an inference that these costs are unusual, infrequent or non-recurring. Some of the limitations in relying on non-GAAP net income (loss) are:

-- Amortization of purchased intangibles, though not directly affecting our current cash position, represents the loss in value as the technology in our industry evolves, is advanced or is replaced over time. The expense associated with this loss in value is not included in the non-GAAP net income (loss) presentation and therefore does not reflect the full economic effect of the ongoing cost of maintaining our current technological position in our competitive industry, which is addressed through our research and development program.

-- The company regularly engages in acquisition and assimilation activities as part of its ongoing business and therefore we will continue to experience special charges and merger and acquisition charges on a regular basis. These costs also directly impact available funds of the company.

-- The company's stock option and stock purchase plans are important components of our incentive compensation arrangements and will be reflected as expenses in our GAAP results for the foreseeable future under SFAS 123R.

-- The company's income tax expense (benefit) will be ultimately based on its GAAP taxable income and actual tax rates in effect, which often differ significantly from the 17% rate assumed in our non-GAAP presentation.

-- Other companies, including other companies in our industry, may calculate non-GAAP net income (loss) differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.

About Mentor Graphics

Mentor Graphics Corporation (Nasdaq: MENT) is a world leader in electronic hardware and software design solutions, providing products, consulting services and award-winning support for the world's most successful electronics and semiconductor companies. Established in 1981, the company reported revenues for fiscal year 2006 of over $800 million and employs approximately 4,250 people worldwide. Corporate headquarters are located at 8005 S.W. Boeckman Road, Wilsonville, Oregon 97070-7777. World Wide Web site: www.mentor.com/

Statements in this press release regarding the company's guidance for future periods constitute "forward-looking" statements based on current expectations within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company or industry results to be materially different from any results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, among others, the following: (i) reductions in spending on the company's products by its customers due to cyclical downturns; (ii) the company's ability to successfully offer products and services that compete in the highly competitive EDA industry; (iii) discounting of products and services by competitors, which could force the company to lower its prices or offer other more favorable terms to customers; (iv) changes in accounting or reporting rules or interpretations, limitations on repatriation of earnings; (v) the impact of tax audits by the IRS or other taxing authorities, or changes in tax laws, regulations or enforcement practices where the company does business; (vi) effects of the increasing volatility of foreign currency fluctuations on the company's business and operating results; (vii) effects of unanticipated shifts in product mix on gross margin; (viii) effects of customer seasonal purchasing patterns and the timing of significant orders may negatively or positively impact the company's quarterly results of operations; and (ix) weakness in the US or other economies, all as may be discussed in more detail under the heading "Risk Factors" in the company's most recent Form 10-K or Form 10-Q. Given these uncertainties, prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. In addition, statements regarding guidance do not reflect potential impacts of mergers or acquisitions that have not been announced or closed as of the time the statements are made. Mentor Graphics disclaims any obligation to update any such factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to any of the forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments. MENTOR GRAPHICS CORPORATION UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP EARNINGS PER SHARE GUIDANCE
The types of non-GAAP adjustments reflected below are consistent with
 those applied by the Company in reporting its performance on a non-
 GAAP basis for historical periods. For discussion of the reasons the
 Company presents such adjustments and considers non-GAAP net income
 to be a useful supplemental performance measure, and of the
 limitations on non-GAAP performance measures, see Discussion of Non-
 GAAP Financial Measures above.

The following table reconciles the estimates of specific items
 excluded from GAAP earnings per share in the calculation of expected
 non-GAAP earnings per share for the periods shown below:


                                               ------------- ---------
                                                  Q1 2008     FY 2008
                                               ------------- ---------
Diluted GAAP net earnings per share            $ .01 to .03     $0.75
Non-GAAP Adjustments:
 Amortization of purchased intangible assets
  (1)                                                  0.04      0.10
 Amortization of other identified intangible
  assets (2)                                           0.02      0.06
 Stock-based compensation (3)                          0.03      0.16
 Income tax effects (4)                               (0.02)    (0.06)
                                               ------------- ---------
Non-GAAP net income                            $ .08 to .10     $1.01
                                               =======================

----------------------------------------------------------------------

(1) Excludes amortization of purchased intangible assets acquired in
     20 separate acquisition transactions. Purchased intangible assets
     are amortized over two to five years. The guidance for 2008 does
     not assume any new acquisition transactions.

(2) Excludes amortization of other identified intangible assets
     including trade names, employment agreements and customer
     relationships acquired in 14 separate acquisition transactions.
     Other identified intangible assets are amortized over two to five
     years.

(3) Excludes equity plan-related compensation expense recognized in
     accordance with SFAS 123R, Share-Based Payment.

(4) Non-GAAP income tax expense adjustment is based upon the
     assumption of a normalized effective rate of 17% on non-GAAP
     income (loss) before income taxes and tax effect on non-GAAP
     adjustments.


Contact:

Mentor Graphics
Ryerson Schwark, 503-685-1462
Public and Investor Relations Director
Email Contact
or
Dennis Weldon, 503-685-1462
Investor Relations and Business Development Director
Email Contact