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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
 ________________________________________
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
ý
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the fiscal year ended June 26, 2016
or
¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
 
For the transition period from              to             
Commission file number 0-21154
__________________________________________ 
CREE, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
North Carolina
 
56-1572719
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
 
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
 
 
4600 Silicon Drive
Durham, North Carolina
 
27703
(Address of principal executive offices)
 
(Zip Code)
(919) 407-5300
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class
 
Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.00125 par value
 
The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Preferred Stock Purchase Rights
 
The NASDAQ Stock Market LLC
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
None
__________________________________________ 
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ¨    No  ý
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files).    Yes  ý    No  ¨
Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  ¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large accelerated filer
ý
Accelerated filer
¨
 
 
 
 
Non-accelerated filer
¨  (Do not check if a smaller reporting company)
Smaller reporting company
¨
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ¨    No  ý
The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of December 24, 2015, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $2,821,982,837 (based on the closing sale price of $27.96 per share).
The number of shares of the registrant’s Common Stock, $0.00125 par value per share, outstanding as of August 22, 2016 was 100,850,243.
__________________________________________ 
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the definitive Proxy Statement to be delivered to shareholders in connection with the Annual Meeting of Shareholders to be held October 26, 2016 are incorporated by reference into Part III.


Table of Contents

CREE, INC.
FORM 10-K
For the Fiscal Year Ended June 26, 2016
INDEX
 
 
Page
Part I
 
 
Item 1.
 
 
 
Item 1A.
 
 
 
Item 1B.
 
 
 
Item 2.
 
 
 
Item 3.
 
 
 
Item 4.
 
 
 
Part II
 
 
Item 5.
 
 
 
Item 6.
 
 
 
Item 7.
 
 
 
Item 7A.
 
 
 
Item 8.
 
 
 
Item 9.
 
 
 
Item 9A.
 
 
 
Item 9B.
 
 
 
Part III
 
 
Item 10.
 
 
 
Item 11.
 
 
 
Item 12.
 
 
 
Item 13.
 
 
 
Item 14.
 
 
 
PART IV
 
 
Item 15.
 
 

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Forward-Looking Information
Information set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K contains various “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). All information contained in this report relative to future markets for our products and trends in and anticipated levels of revenue, gross margins and expenses, as well as other statements containing words such as “believe,” “project,” “may,” “will,” “anticipate,” “target,” “plan,” “estimate,” “expect” and “intend” and other similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to business, economic and other risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Any forward-looking statements we make are as of the date made, and except as required under the U.S. federal securities laws and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), we have no duty to update them if our views later change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the date of this Annual Report. Examples of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical performance and any forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, those described in “Risk Factors” in Item 1A of this Annual Report.


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PART I

Item 1. Business

Overview
Cree, Inc. (Cree, we, our, or us) is a leading innovator of lighting-class light emitting diode (LED) products, lighting products and wide bandgap semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications. Our products are targeted for applications such as indoor and outdoor lighting, video displays, transportation, electronic signs and signals, power supplies, inverters and wireless systems. As discussed more fully below, we operate in three reportable segments: Lighting Products, LED Products and Power and RF Products.
Our lighting products primarily consist of LED lighting systems and bulbs. We design, manufacture and sell lighting fixtures and lamps for the commercial, industrial and consumer markets.
Our LED products consist of LED components, LED chips and silicon carbide (SiC) materials. Our LED products enable our customers to develop and market LED-based products for lighting, video screens and other industrial applications.
In addition, we develop, manufacture and sell power and RF devices based on wide bandgap semiconductor materials such as SiC and gallium nitride (GaN). Our power products are made from SiC and provide increased efficiency, faster switching speeds and reduced system size and weight over comparable silicon-based power devices. Our RF devices are made from GaN and provide improved efficiency, bandwidth and frequency of operation as compared to silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs).
As discussed more fully below in “Recent Developments,” on July 13, 2016, we executed a definitive agreement to sell our Power and RF Products segment and certain related portions of our SiC materials and gemstones business included in our LED Products segment to Infineon Technologies AG (Infineon).
The majority of our products are manufactured at our production facilities located in North Carolina, Wisconsin and China. We also use contract manufacturers for certain products and aspects of product fabrication, assembly and packaging. We operate research and development facilities in North Carolina, California, Wisconsin, India, Italy and China (including Hong Kong).
Cree, Inc. is a North Carolina corporation established in 1987 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina. For further information about our consolidated revenue and earnings, please see our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Recent Developments
On July 13, 2016, we executed an Asset Purchase Agreement (the APA) with Infineon. The transaction, which was approved by both our Board of Directors and Infineon’s Supervisory Board, is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and governmental approvals.
Pursuant to the APA, we will sell to Infineon, and Infineon will (i) purchase from us (a) the assets comprising our Power and RF Products segment, including manufacturing facilities and equipment, inventory, intellectual property rights, contracts, real estate, and the outstanding equity interests of Cree Fayetteville, Inc, one of our wholly-owned subsidiaries, and (b) certain non-LED related portions of our SiC materials and gemstones business included within our LED Products segment (we refer to the business that we are selling, collectively, as our Wolfspeed Business) and (ii) assume certain liabilities related to the Wolfspeed business. We will retain certain liabilities associated with the Wolfspeed business arising prior to the closing of the transaction. Infineon is expected to hire most of our approximately 545 Wolfspeed employees either at the closing of the transaction or following a transition period.
The purchase price for the Wolfspeed business will be $850 million in cash, which is subject to certain adjustments. In connection with the transaction, we will also enter into certain ancillary and related agreements with Infineon, including (i) an intellectual property assignment and license agreement, which will assign to Infineon certain intellectual property that we own and license to Infineon certain additional intellectual property that we own, (ii) a transition services agreement, which is designed to ensure a smooth transition of the Wolfspeed business to Infineon, and (iii) a wafer supply agreement, pursuant to which we will supply Infineon with silicon carbide wafers and silicon carbide boules for a transitional period of time.
The APA contains customary representations, warranties and covenants, including covenants to cooperate in seeking regulatory approvals, as well as our agreement to not compete with the Wolfspeed business for five years following the closing of the transaction and to indemnify Infineon for certain damages that Infineon may suffer following the closing of the transaction.

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Infineon’s obligation to purchase the Wolfspeed business is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions set forth in the APA, including regulatory approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and certain similar non-U.S. regulations, the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and other customary closing conditions. The APA provides for customary termination rights of the parties and also provides that in the event the APA is terminated for certain specified regulatory-related circumstances, Infineon may be required to pay us a termination fee ranging from $12.5 million to $42.5 million.

Reportable Segments
Our three reportable segments are:
Lighting Products
LED Products
Power and RF Products

Reportable segments are components of an entity that have separate financial data that the entity’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) regularly reviews when allocating resources and assessing performance. Our CODM is the Chief Executive Officer.

For financial results by reportable segment, please refer to Note 14, “Reportable Segments,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Products by Reportable Segment
Lighting Products Segment
Lighting Products revenue was $889.1 million, $906.5 million, and $706.4 million, representing 55%, 55%, and 43% of our revenue for the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. Lighting Products gross profit was $238.2 million, $235.5 million and $197.3 million and gross margin was 27%, 26% and 28% for the fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Our Lighting Products segment primarily consists of LED lighting systems and bulbs. We design, manufacture and sell lighting systems for indoor and outdoor applications, with our primary focus on LED lighting systems for the commercial, industrial and consumer markets. Lighting products are sold to distributors, retailers and direct to customers. Our portfolio of lighting products is designed for use in settings such as office and retail space, restaurants and hospitality, schools and universities, manufacturing, healthcare, airports, municipal, residential, street lighting and parking structures, among other applications.
LED Products Segment
LED Products revenue was $610.8 million, $602.1 million and $833.7 million representing 38%, 37%, and 51% of revenue for the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. LED Products gross profit was $212.4 million, $190.9 million and $381.0 million and gross margin was 35%, 32% and 46% for the fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Our LED Products segment includes LED chips, LED components and SiC materials.
LED Chips
Our LED chip products include blue and green LED chips based on GaN and related materials. LED chips or die are solid state electronic components used in a number of applications and are currently available in a variety of brightness levels, wavelengths (colors) and sizes. We use our LED chips in the manufacturing of our LED components. Customers use our blue and green LED chips in a variety of applications including video screens, gaming displays, function indicator lights and automotive backlights, headlamps and directional indicators. Customers may also combine our blue LED chips with phosphors to create white LEDs, which are used in various applications for indoor and outdoor illumination and backlighting, full-color display screens, liquid crystal display (LCD) backlighting, white keypads and the camera flash function.
LED Components
Our LED components include a range of packaged LED products, from our XLamp® LED components and LED modules for lighting applications to our high-brightness LED components.
Our XLamp LED components and LED modules are designed to meet a broad range of market needs for lighting applications including general illumination (both indoor and outdoor applications), portable, architectural, signal and transportation lighting.

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We use our XLamp LED components in our own lighting products. We also sell XLamp LED components externally to customers and distributors for use in a variety of products, primarily for lighting applications.
Our high-brightness LED components consist of surface mount (SMD) and through-hole packaged LED products. Our SMD LED component products are available in a full range of colors designed to meet a broad range of market needs, including video, signage, general illumination, transportation, gaming and specialty lighting. Our through-hole packaged LED component products are available in a full range of colors primarily designed for the signage market and provide users with color and brightness consistency across a wide viewing area.
SiC Materials
Our SiC materials are targeted for customers who use them to manufacture products for RF, power switching, gemstones and other applications. Corporate, government and university customers also buy SiC materials for research and development directed at RF and high power devices. We sell our SiC materials in bulk form, as a bare wafer and with SiC or GaN epitaxial films.
Power and RF Products Segment
Power and RF Products revenue was $116.7 million, $123.9 million, and $107.5 million, representing 7%, 8% and 6% of our revenue for the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. Power and RF Products gross profit was $56.1 million, $67.8 million and $60.7 million and gross margin was 48%, 55% and 56% for the fiscal years 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.
Our Power and RF Products segment includes power devices and RF devices.
Power Devices
Our SiC-based power products include Schottky diodes, SiC metal semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and SiC power modules at various voltages. Our power products provide increased efficiency, faster switching speeds and reduced system size and weight over comparable silicon-based power devices. Power products are sold primarily to customers and distributors for use in power supplies used in computer servers, solar inverters, uninterruptible power supplies, industrial power supplies and other applications. We are working to develop additional and improved SiC-based power device solutions to expand the potential uses and applications for our products.
RF Devices
Our RF products include a variety of GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), which are optimized for military, telecom and other commercial applications. Our RF devices are made from SiC and GaN and provide improved efficiency, bandwidths and frequency of operation as compared to silicon or GaAs. We also provide custom die manufacturing for GaN HEMTs and MMICs that allow a customer to design its own custom RF circuits to be fabricated by us, or have us design and fabricate products that meet their specific requirements.

Financial Information about Geographic Areas of Customers and Assets
We derive a significant portion of our revenue from product sales to international customers. For information concerning geographic areas of our customers and geographic information concerning our long-lived assets, please see Note 14, “Reportable Segments,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. International operations expose us to risks that are different from operating in the United States, including foreign currency translation and transaction risk, risk of changes in tax laws, application of import/export laws and regulations and other risks described further in Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” of this Annual Report.

Research and Development
We invest significant resources in research and development. Our research and development activity includes efforts to:
increase the quality, performance and diameter of our substrate and epitaxial materials;
continually improve our manufacturing processes;
develop brighter, more efficient and lower cost LED chip and component products;
create new, and improve existing, LED components;
improve existing LED lighting products and develop new LED lighting systems and related controls; and
develop higher power diodes/switches and higher power/linearity RF devices.

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When our customers participate in funding our research and development programs, we recognize the amount funded as a reduction of research and development expenses to the extent that our customers’ funding does not exceed our respective research and development costs. Research and development expenses were $168.8 million, $182.8 million and $181.4 million for the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. For further information about our research and development, see “Research and Development” in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."

Sales and Marketing
We continue to make investments to expand our sales, marketing, technical applications support, and distribution capabilities to sell our lighting products and further enable new and existing customers to implement LED and power technology into their products. We also continue to make investments to promote and build market awareness of the Cree brand. Our sales, marketing and technical applications teams include personnel throughout North America, Asia and Europe.

Customers
We have historically had a few key customers who represented more than 10% of our consolidated revenue. In fiscal 2016, revenue from Arrow Electronics, Inc. (Arrow) accounted for 10% of our total consolidated revenue. In fiscal 2015, revenue from Arrow and The Home Depot, Inc. (Home Depot) accounted for 12% and 11% of our total consolidated revenue, respectively. In fiscal 2014, revenue from Arrow and Home Depot accounted for 13% and 11% of our total consolidated revenue. Arrow is a customer of our LED Products and Power and RF Products segments. Home Depot is a customer of our Lighting Products segment. For further discussion regarding customer concentration, please see Note 15, “Concentrations of Risk,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. The loss of any large customer could have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

Distribution
A substantial portion of our products are sold to distributors. Distributors stock inventory and sell our products to their own customer base, which may include: value added resellers, manufacturers who incorporate our products into their own manufactured goods and ultimate end users of our products. We also utilize third-party sales representatives who generally do not maintain a product inventory; instead, their customers place orders directly with us or through distributors. We also sell a portion of our products through retailers, which stock inventory and sell our products directly to consumers.

Seasonality
Our Lighting Products segment historically has experienced, and in the future may experience, seasonally lower lighting fixture sales due to winter weather, impacting our fiscal second and third quarters. In addition, the retail lighting industry has historically had seasonally lower sales of light bulbs in the summer, which has impacted our fiscal fourth quarter and which may impact our fiscal first quarter. Our LED Products segment historically has experienced, and in the future may experience, seasonally lower sales during our fiscal third quarter due to the Chinese New Year holiday.  Our Power and RF Products segment is not generally subject to seasonality.
Our sales also vary based on other factors such as customer demand and government regulation.
If anticipated sales or shipments do not occur when expected, our results of operations for that quarter, and potentially for future quarters, may be adversely affected.
Backlog
Our backlog at June 26, 2016, the last day of our 2016 fiscal year, was approximately $181.7 million, compared with a backlog of approximately $238.4 million at June 28, 2015, the last day of our 2015 fiscal year. Because of the generally short cycle time between order and shipment and occasional customer changes in delivery schedules or cancellation of orders (which at times may be made without significant penalty), we do not believe that our backlog, as of any particular date, is necessarily indicative of actual net revenue for any future period.  Additionally, our June 26, 2016 backlog contained $45.0 million of research contracts signed with the U.S. Government, for which approximately $33.7 million had not been appropriated as of the last day of fiscal 2016.  Our June 28, 2015 backlog contained $29.5 million of research contracts signed with the U.S. Government, for which approximately $17.6 million was not appropriated as of the last day of fiscal 2015. Our backlog could be adversely affected if

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the U.S. Government exercises its rights to terminate our government contracts or does not appropriate and allocate all of the funding contemplated by the contracts.
Sources of Raw Materials
We depend on a number of suppliers for certain raw materials, components and equipment used in manufacturing our products, including certain key materials and equipment used in critical stages of our manufacturing processes. We generally purchase these limited source items pursuant to purchase orders and have limited guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers. Our suppliers, located around the world, can be subject to many constraints limiting supply that are beyond our control. We believe our current supply of essential materials is sufficient to meet our needs. However, shortages have occurred from time to time and could occur again.
Competition by Reportable Segment
Our success depends on our ability to keep pace with the evolving technology standards of the industries we serve. These industries are characterized by rapid technological change, frequent introduction of new products, short product life cycles, changes in end user and customer requirements, and a competitive pricing environment. The evolving nature of these industries may render our existing or future products obsolete, noncompetitive or unmarketable. Any of these developments could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.
Lighting Products Segment
Our Lighting Products segment currently faces competition from traditional lighting fixture companies, lamp manufacturers and from non-traditional companies focused on LED lighting systems including fixtures and lamps. Lighting companies such as Acuity Brands, Inc., the Cooper Lighting division of Eaton Corporation plc, General Electric Company, Hubbell Incorporated, Philips and OSRAM are the main competitors in this market, but there are also many small and medium sized lighting competitors. Increasingly, other start-up companies are also beginning to emerge in the LED lighting markets in which we compete.
Our LED lighting products compete against traditional lighting products that use incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, ceramic metal halide, high pressure sodium or other lighting technologies. Our LED lighting products compete against traditional lighting products based upon superior energy savings, extended life, improved lighting quality and lower total cost of ownership. We also compete with LED-based products from traditional and non-traditional lamp and fixture companies, some of which are customers for our LED chips and LED components. Our products compete on the basis of color quality and consistency, superior light output, reduced energy consumption, brand, customer service and lower total cost of ownership.


LED Products Segment
Our LED Products segment’s primary competitors are Nichia Corporation (Nichia), OSRAM Opto Semiconductors GmbH (OSRAM), Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Philips), and Samsung LED Company (Samsung).
LED Chips
The primary competition for our LED chip products comes from companies that manufacture and/or sell nitride-based LED chips. We consider Nichia to be a competitor because it sells LED chips to a select number of LED packaging companies and it sells packaged LEDs that most often compete directly with packaged LEDs made and sold by our chip customers. We believe, based on industry information, that Nichia currently has the largest market share for nitride-based LEDs.
There are many other LED chip producers who sell blue, green and white LED chip products, including OSRAM, Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd., Epistar Corporation, and Sanan Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. These competitors make products for a variety of applications in a range of performance levels that compete directly with our LED chip products.
Overall, we believe that performance, price and strength of intellectual property are the most significant factors to compete successfully in the nitride LED market. We believe our products are well positioned to meet the market performance requirements; however, there is significant pricing pressure from a number of competitors, including new companies based in China. We continually strive to improve our competitive position by developing brighter and higher performing LED chips while focusing on lowering costs.
LED Components
The market for lighting class LED components is concentrated primarily in indoor and outdoor commercial lighting; specialty lighting, including torch lamps (flashlights); color changing architectural lighting; signs and signals; and transportation. Nichia, OSRAM, Lumileds Holding B.V. and Samsung are the main competitors in these markets. These companies sell LED components

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that compete indirectly with our target customers for LED chips and compete directly with our XLamp LED components and LED modules. There are a large number of other companies, primarily based in Asia, that offer products designed to compete both directly and indirectly with our LED components in lighting and other applications. We are positioning our XLamp LED components and LED modules to compete in this market based on performance, price and usability.
Our high-brightness LED components compete with a larger number of companies around the world in a variety of applications including signage, video, transportation, gaming and specialty lighting. We are positioning our high-brightness LED components to compete in this market based on performance, price, availability and usability.
SiC Materials
We have continued to maintain our well-established leadership position in the sale of SiC bulk material, SiC wafer and SiC and GaN epitaxy products.  As the market adoption of the technology increases enabling greatly improved performance levels of the power device designs by our customer base, we are experiencing increased competition from companies such as Dow Corning, II-VI Advanced Materials, SiCrystal and Nippon Steel.  We believe our leading technology and leveraged production scale position us to supply high yield wafers in volume to the device manufacturers in the market.
Power and RF Products Segment
Power Devices
Our SiC-based power devices compete with SiC power semiconductor solutions offered by Infineon, Microsemi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rohm Co. Ltd. and STMicroelectronics, Inc. Our products also compete with existing semiconductor devices offered by a variety of manufacturers.  Our power products compete in the power semiconductor market on the basis of performance and reliability.
RF Devices
Our RF devices compete with M/A-COM Technology Solutions Inc., Microsemi Corporation, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Sumitomo Electric Device Innovations, Inc. and Qorvo, Inc. which all offer GaN RF products that compete directly with our GaN HEMT products. Our products also compete with a variety of companies offering silicon and GaAs-based products. Our products compete in the RF semiconductor market on the basis of reliability, performance, design predictability and overall system price.
Patents and Other Intellectual Property Rights
We believe it is important to protect our investment in technology by obtaining and enforcing intellectual property rights, including rights under patent, trademark, trade secret and copyright laws. We seek to protect inventions we consider significant by applying for patents in the United States and other countries when appropriate. We have also acquired, through license grants, purchases and assignments, rights to patents on inventions originally developed by others. As of June 26, 2016, we owned or were the exclusive licensee of 1,821 issued U.S. patents and approximately 2,978 foreign patents with various expiration dates extending up to 2040. We do not consider our business to be materially dependent upon any one patent, and we believe our business will not be materially adversely affected by the expiration of any one patent. For proprietary technology that is not patented, we generally seek to protect the technology and related know-how and information as trade secrets by keeping confidential the information that we believe provides us with a competitive advantage. We attempt to create strong brands for our products and promote our products through trademarks that distinguish them in the market. We may license our customers to use our trademarks in connection with the sale of our products, and we monitor for the proper and authorized use of our marks.
Licensing activities and lawsuits to enforce intellectual property rights, particularly patent rights, are a common aspect of the semiconductor, LED and lighting industries, and we attempt to ensure respect for our intellectual property rights through appropriate actions. The breadth of our intellectual property rights and the extent to which they can be successfully enforced varies across jurisdictions. We both make and receive inquiries regarding possible patent infringements and possible violations of other intellectual property rights in the normal course of business. Depending on the circumstances, we may seek to negotiate a license or other acceptable resolution. If we are unable to achieve a resolution by agreement, we may seek to enforce our rights or defend our position through litigation. Patent litigation in particular is expensive and the outcome is often uncertain. We believe that the strength of our portfolio of patent rights is important in helping us resolve or avoid such disputes with other companies in our industry.
Environmental Regulation
We are subject to a variety of federal, state and local provisions regulating the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relating to the protection of the environment. These include statutory and regulatory provisions under which we are responsible for the management of hazardous materials we use and the disposition of hazardous wastes resulting from our manufacturing processes. Failure to comply with such provisions could result in fines and other liabilities to the government or

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third parties, injunctions requiring us to suspend or curtail operations or other remedies, and could have a material adverse effect on our business.
Working Capital
For a discussion of our working capital practices, see “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations."
Employees
As of June 26, 2016, we employed 6,237 regular full and part-time employees. We also employ individuals on a temporary full-time basis and use the services of contractors as necessary. Certain of our employees in various countries outside of the United States are subject to laws providing representation rights.
Available Information
Our website address is www.cree.com. We make available free of charge through our website our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, including Interactive Data Files, and Current Reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to these reports, as soon as reasonably practicable after we electronically file such material with, or furnish such material to, the SEC. These reports may be accessed from our website by following the links under “Investors,” then “SEC Filings.” The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC. We have no duty to update or revise any forward-looking statements in this Annual Report or in other reports filed with the SEC, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless we are required to do so by law. A copy of this Annual Report and our other reports is available without charge upon written request to Investor Relations, Cree, Inc., 4600 Silicon Drive, Durham, North Carolina 27703.

Item 1A. Risk Factors
Described below are various risks and uncertainties that may affect our business. If any of the risks described below actually occurs, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.
Our operating results are substantially dependent on the development and acceptance of new products.
Our future success may depend on our ability to develop new, higher performing and lower cost solutions for existing and new markets and for customers to accept those solutions. We must introduce new products in a timely and cost-effective manner, and we must secure production orders for those products from our customers. The development of new products is a highly complex process, and we have in some instances experienced delays in completing the development and introduction of new products, , which impacted our results for our fiscal third quarter and beyond. Our research and development efforts are aimed at solving increasingly complex problems, and we do not expect that all of our projects will be successful. The successful development, introduction and acceptance of new products depend on a number of factors, including the following:
achievement of technology breakthroughs required to make commercially viable devices;
the accuracy of our predictions for market requirements;
our ability to predict, influence and/or react to evolving standards;
acceptance of our new product designs;
acceptance of new technology in certain markets;
the availability of qualified research and development personnel;
our timely completion of product designs and development;
our ability to develop repeatable processes to manufacture new products in sufficient quantities, with the desired specifications and at competitive costs;
our ability to effectively transfer products and technology from development to manufacturing;
our customers’ ability to develop competitive products incorporating our products; and

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market acceptance of our products and our customers’ products.
If any of these or other similar factors becomes problematic, we may not be able to develop and introduce new products in a timely or cost-effective manner.
We operate in industries that are subject to significant fluctuation in supply and demand and ultimately pricing that affects our revenue and profitability.
The LED lighting industry is in the relatively early stages of adoption and is characterized by constant and rapid technological change, rapid product obsolescence and price erosion, evolving standards, short product life-cycles and fluctuations in product supply and demand. The LED industry has experienced significant fluctuations, often in connection with, or in anticipation of, product cycles and changes in general economic conditions. As the markets for our products mature, additional fluctuations may result from variability and consolidations within the industry’s customer base. These fluctuations have been characterized by lower product demand, production overcapacity, higher inventory levels and increased pricing pressure. These fluctuations have also been characterized by higher demand for key components and equipment used in, or in the manufacture of, our products resulting in longer lead times, supply delays and production disruptions.
We have experienced these conditions in our business and may experience such conditions in the future, which could have a material negative impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition. For example, in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015, we commenced a restructuring plan for our LED business that reduced excess capacity and overhead as well as increased reserves as the result of a more aggressive pricing environment. The restructuring activity ended in the second quarter of fiscal 2016.
In addition, as we diversify our product offerings and as pricing differences in the average selling prices among our product lines widen, a change in the mix of sales among our product lines may increase volatility in our revenue and gross margin from period to period.
We face significant challenges managing our growth as the market adopts LEDs for general lighting.
Our potential for growth depends significantly on the adoption of LEDs within the general lighting market and our ability to affect this rate of adoption. In order to manage our growth and business strategy effectively relative to the uncertain pace of adoption, we must continue to:
expand the capability of information systems to support a more complex business;
maintain, expand and purchase adequate manufacturing facilities and equipment, as well as secure sufficient third-party manufacturing resources, to meet customer demand;
manage an increasingly complex supply chain that has the ability to scale to maintain a sufficient supply of raw materials and deliver on time to our manufacturing facilities or our third party manufacturing facilities;
expand research and development, sales and marketing, technical support, distribution capabilities, manufacturing planning and administrative functions;
manage organizational complexity and communication;
expand the skills and capabilities of our current management team;
add experienced senior level managers;
attract and retain qualified employees; and
adequately maintain and adjust the operational and financial controls that support our business.

We are also increasingly dependent on information technology to enable us to improve the effectiveness of our operations and to maintain financial accuracy and efficiency. For example, the implementation of a new information technology platform at our Racine operations in our 2016 fiscal third quarter led to service interruptions that resulted in lower commercial lighting orders and revenues during that quarter and beyond. Allocation and effective management of the resources necessary to successfully implement, integrate, train personnel and sustain this new platform will remain critical to ensure that we are not subject to transaction errors, processing inefficiencies, loss of customers, business disruptions or loss of or damage to intellectual property through security breach in the near term. Additionally, we face these same risks if we fail to allocate and effectively manage the resources necessary to build, implement, upgrade, integrate and sustain appropriate technology infrastructure over the longer term.

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While we intend to focus on managing our costs and expenses, over the long term we expect to invest to support our growth and may have additional unexpected costs. Such investments take time to become fully operational, and we may not be able to expand quickly enough to exploit targeted market opportunities. In addition to our own manufacturing capacity, we are increasingly utilizing contract manufacturers and original design manufacturers (ODMs) to produce our products for us. There are also inherent execution risks in starting up a new factory or expanding production capacity, whether one of our own factories or that of our contract manufacturers or ODMs, that could increase costs and reduce our operating results, including design and construction cost overruns, poor production process yields and reduced quality control.
In connection with our efforts to cost-effectively manage our growth, we have also increasingly relied on contractors for production capacity, logistics support and certain administrative functions including hosting of certain information technology software applications. If our contract manufacturers, ODMs or other service providers do not perform effectively, we may not be able to achieve the expected cost savings and may incur additional costs to correct errors or fulfill customer demand. Depending on the function involved, such errors may also lead to business disruption, processing inefficiencies, the loss of or damage to intellectual property through security breach, or an impact on employee morale. Our operations may also be negatively impacted if any of these contract manufacturers, ODMs or other service providers do not have the financial capability to meet our growing needs.
We are subject to a number of risks associated with the proposed sale of the Wolfspeed business, and these risks could adversely impact our operations, financial condition and business.
On July 13, 2016, we executed an APA with Infineon to sell the Wolfspeed business. We are subject to a number of risks associated with this transaction, including risks associated with:
the failure to obtain, on a timely basis or at all, the regulatory approvals required to complete the transaction without the imposition of conditions that may cause the parties to abandon the transaction, or the failure to satisfy, on a timely basis or at all, the other closing conditions set forth in the APA;
the disruption to and uncertainty in our business and our relationships with our customers, including attempts by our customers to renegotiate their relationships with us or decisions by our customers to defer or delay purchases from us;
the diversion of our management’s attention away from the operation of the businesses we are retaining;
difficulties in hiring, retaining and motivating key personnel during this process or as a result of uncertainties generated by this process or any developments or actions relating to it;
our incurrence of significant transaction costs in connection with the transaction, regardless of whether it is completed;
the restrictions on and obligations with respect to our business set forth in the APA and, following closing, the transition services agreement and the wafer supply agreement;
the separation of the Wolfspeed business from the businesses we are retaining and the operation of our retained businesses without the Wolfspeed business;
any required payments of indemnification obligations under the APA for retained liabilities and breaches of representations, warranties or covenants;
fluctuations in our market value, including the depreciation in our market value if the transaction is not completed or the failure of the transaction, even if completed, to increase our market value;
failure to realize the full purchase price anticipated under the APA;
As a result of these risks, we may be unable to complete the transaction or realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction, including the total amount of cash we expect to realize. Our failure to complete the transaction or realize the anticipated benefits of the transaction would adversely impact our operations, financial condition and business and could limit our ability to pursue strategic transactions or engage in stock repurchases.
If we are unable to effectively develop, manage and expand our sales channels for our products, our operating results may suffer.
We have expanded into business channels that are different from those in which we have historically operated as we grow our business and sell more lighting and LED products. Lighting sales agents have in the past and may in the future choose to drop our product lines from their portfolios to avoid losing access to our competitors’ lighting products, resulting in a disruption in the

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project pipeline and lower than targeted sales for our lighting products. Lighting sales agents have the ability to shift business to different suppliers within their product portfolios based on a number of factors, including customer service and new product availability. We sell a portion of our lighting products through retailers who may alter their promotional pricing or inventory strategies, which could impact our targeted sales of these products. If we are unable to effectively penetrate these channels or develop alternate channels to ensure our products are reaching the intended customer base, our financial results may be adversely impacted. In addition, if we successfully penetrate or develop these channels, we cannot guarantee that customers will accept our products or that we will be able to manufacture and deliver them in the timeline established by our customers.
We sell a substantial portion of our products to distributors. We rely on distributors to develop and expand their customer base as well as anticipate demand from their customers. If they are not successful, our growth and profitability may be adversely impacted. Distributors must balance the need to have enough products in stock in order to meet their customers’ needs against their internal target inventory levels and the risk of potential inventory obsolescence. The risks of inventory obsolescence are especially relevant to technological products. The distributors’ internal target inventory levels vary depending on market cycles and a number of factors within each distributor over which we have very little, if any, control. Distributors also have the ability to shift business to different manufacturers within their product portfolios based on a number of factors, including new product availability and performance.
We typically recognize revenue on products sold to distributors when the item is shipped and title passes to the distributor (sell-in method). Certain distributors have limited rights to return inventory under stock rotation programs and have limited price protection rights for which we make estimates. We evaluate inventory levels in the distribution channel, current economic trends and other related factors in order to account for these factors in our judgments and estimates. As inventory levels and product return trends change, we may have to revise our estimates and incur additional costs, and our gross margins and operating results could be adversely impacted.
The markets in which we operate are highly competitive and have evolving technical requirements.
The markets for our products are highly competitive. In the LED market, we compete with companies that manufacture and sell LED chips and LED components. In the lighting market, we compete with companies that manufacture and sell traditional and LED lighting products, many of which have larger and more established sales channels. Competitors continue to offer new products with aggressive pricing, additional features and improved performance. Competitive pricing pressures remain a challenge and continue to accelerate the rate of decline of our sales prices, particularly in our LED Products segment. Aggressive pricing actions by our competitors in our lighting business could reduce margins if we are not able to reduce costs at an equal or greater rate than the sales price decline.
With the growth potential for LEDs, we will continue to face increased competition in the future across our businesses. If the investment in capacity exceeds the growth in demand, such as exists in the current LED market, the LED market is likely to become more competitive with additional pricing pressures. Additionally, new technologies could emerge or improvements could be made in existing technologies that may also reduce the demand for lighting and LEDs in certain markets. There are also new technologies, such as organic LEDs (OLEDs), which could potentially reduce LED demand for backlighting, potentially impacting the overall LED market.
As competition increases, we need to continue to develop new products that meet or exceed the needs of our customers. Therefore, our ability to continually produce more efficient, higher brightness and lower cost LEDs and lighting products that meet the evolving needs of our customers will be critical to our success. Competitors may also try to align with some of our strategic customers. This could lead to lower prices for our products, reduced demand for our products and a corresponding reduction in our ability to recover development, engineering and manufacturing costs. Any of these developments could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Our results of operations, financial condition and business could be harmed if we are unable to balance customer demand and capacity.
As customer demand for our products changes, we must be able to adjust our production capacity to meet demand. We are continually taking steps to address our manufacturing capacity needs for our products. If we are not able to increase or decrease our production capacity at our targeted rate or if there are unforeseen costs associated with adjusting our capacity levels, we may not be able to achieve our financial targets. In addition, as we introduce new products and change product generations, we must balance the production and inventory of prior generation products with the production and inventory of new generation products, whether manufactured by us or our contract manufacturers, to maintain a product mix that will satisfy customer demand and mitigate the risk of incurring cost write-downs on the previous generation products, related raw materials and tooling.

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Due to the proportionately high fixed cost nature of our business (such as facility costs), if demand does not materialize at the rate forecasted, we may not be able to scale back our manufacturing expenses or overhead costs to correspond to the demand.  This could result in lower margins and adversely impact our business and results of operations.  Additionally, if product demand decreases or we fail to forecast demand accurately, our results may be adversely impacted due to higher costs resulting from lower factory utilization, causing higher fixed costs per unit produced. Further, we may be required to recognize impairments on our long-lived assets or recognize excess inventory write-off charges, as we did in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015. We may in the future be required to recognize excess capacity charges, which would have a negative impact on our results of operations.
In addition, our efforts to improve quoted delivery lead-time performance may result in corresponding reductions in order backlog. A decline in backlog levels could result in more variability and less predictability in our quarter-to-quarter net revenue and operating results.
If our products fail to perform or fail to meet customer requirements or expectations, we could incur significant additional costs, including costs associated with the recall of those items.
The manufacture of our products involves highly complex processes. Our customers specify quality, performance and reliability standards that we must meet. If our products do not meet these standards, we may be required to replace or rework the products. In some cases, our products may contain undetected defects or flaws that only become evident after shipment. Even if our products meet standard specifications, our customers may attempt to use our products in applications for which they were not designed or in products that were not designed or manufactured properly, resulting in product failures and creating customer satisfaction issues.
We have experienced product quality, performance or reliability problems from time to time and defects or failures may occur in the future. If failures or defects occur, they could result in significant losses or product recalls due to:
costs associated with the removal, collection and destruction of the product;
payments made to replace product;
costs associated with repairing the product;
the write-down or destruction of existing inventory;
insurance recoveries that fail to cover the full costs associated with product recalls;
lost sales due to the unavailability of product for a period of time;
delays, cancellations or rescheduling of orders for our products; or
increased product returns.

A significant product recall could also result in adverse publicity, damage to our reputation and a loss of customer or consumer confidence in our products. We also may be the target of product liability lawsuits or regulatory proceedings by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and could suffer losses from a significant product liability judgment or adverse CPSC finding against us if the use of our products at issue is determined to have caused injury or contained a substantial product hazard.
We provide warranty periods ranging from 90 days to 10 years on our products. The standard warranty on nearly all of our new LED lighting products, which now represent the majority of our revenue, is 10 years. Although we believe our reserves are appropriate, we are making projections about the future reliability of new products and technologies, and we may experience increased variability in warranty claims. Increased warranty claims could result in significant losses due to a rise in warranty expense and costs associated with customer support.
Global economic conditions could materially adversely impact demand for our products and services.
Our operations and performance depend significantly on worldwide economic conditions. Uncertainty about global economic conditions could result in customers postponing purchases of our products and services in response to tighter credit, unemployment, negative financial news and/or declines in income or asset values and other macroeconomic factors, which could have a material negative effect on demand for our products and services and, accordingly, on our business, results of operations or financial condition. For example, any economic and political uncertainty caused by the United Kingdom's impending exit from the European Union may negatively impact demand for our products.

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Additionally, our international sales are subject to variability as our selling prices become less competitive in countries with currencies that are declining in value against the U.S. Dollar and more competitive in countries with currencies that are increasing in value against the U.S. Dollar. In addition, our international purchases can become more expensive if the U.S. Dollar weakens against the foreign currencies in which we are billed.
We rely on a number of key sole source and limited source suppliers and are subject to high price volatility on certain commodity inputs, variations in parts quality, and raw material consistency and availability.
We depend on a number of sole source and limited source suppliers for certain raw materials, components, services and equipment used in manufacturing our products, including key materials and equipment used in critical stages of our manufacturing processes. Although alternative sources generally exist for these items, qualification of many of these alternative sources could take up to six months or longer. Where possible, we attempt to identify and qualify alternative sources for our sole and limited source suppliers.
We generally purchase these sole or limited source items with purchase orders, and we have limited guaranteed supply arrangements with such suppliers. Some of our sources can have variations in attributes and availability which can affect our ability to produce products in sufficient volume or quality. We do not control the time and resources that these suppliers devote to our business, and we cannot be sure that these suppliers will perform their obligations to us. Additionally, general shortages in the marketplace of certain raw materials or key components may adversely impact our business. In the past, we have experienced decreases in our production yields when suppliers have varied from previously agreed upon specifications or made other modifications we do not specify, which impacted our cost of revenue.
Additionally, the inability of our suppliers to access capital efficiently could cause disruptions in their businesses, thereby negatively impacting ours. This risk may increase if an economic downturn negatively affects key suppliers or a significant number of our other suppliers. Any delay in product delivery or other interruption or variation in supply from these suppliers could prevent us from meeting commercial demand for our products. If we were to lose key suppliers, if our key suppliers were unable to support our demand for any reason or if we were unable to identify and qualify alternative suppliers, our manufacturing operations could be interrupted or hampered significantly.
We rely on arrangements with independent shipping companies for the delivery of our products from vendors and to customers both in the United States and abroad. The failure or inability of these shipping companies to deliver products or the unavailability of shipping or port services, even temporarily, could have a material adverse effect on our business. We may also be adversely affected by an increase in freight surcharges due to rising fuel costs and added security.
In our fabrication process we consume a number of precious metals and other commodities, which are subject to high price volatility. Our operating margins could be significantly affected if we are not able to pass along price increases to our customers. In addition, production could be disrupted by the unavailability of the resources used in production such as water, silicon, electricity and gases. Future environmental regulations could restrict supply or increase the cost of certain of those materials.
We depend on a limited number of customers, including distributors and retailers, for a substantial portion of our revenue, and the loss of, or a significant reduction in purchases by, one or more of these customers could adversely affect our operating results.
We receive a significant amount of our revenue from a limited number of customers, including distributors and retailers, one of which represented 10% of our consolidated revenue in fiscal 2016. Most of our customer orders are made on a purchase order basis, which does not generally require any long-term customer commitments. Therefore, these customers may alter their purchasing behavior with little or no notice to us for various reasons, including developing, or, in the case of our distributors, their customers developing, their own product solutions; choosing to purchase or distribute product from our competitors; incorrectly forecasting end market demand for their products; or experiencing a reduction in their market share in the markets for which they purchase our products. In the case of retailers, these customers may alter their promotional pricing; increase promotion of competitors' products over our products; or reduce their inventory levels; all of which could negatively impact our financial condition and results of operations. If our customers alter their purchasing behavior, if our customers’ purchasing behavior does not match our expectations or if we encounter any problems collecting amounts due from them, our financial condition and results of operations could be negatively impacted.
Our results may be negatively impacted if customers do not maintain their favorable perception of our brand and products.
We have a developing brand with increasing value.  Maintaining and continually enhancing the value of this brand is critical to the success of our business.  Brand value is based in large part on customer perceptions.  Success in promoting and enhancing brand value depends in large part on our ability to provide high-quality products.  Brand value could diminish significantly due

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to a number of factors, including adverse publicity about our products (whether valid or not), a failure to maintain the quality of our products (whether perceived or real), the failure of our products or Cree to deliver consistently positive consumer experiences, the products becoming unavailable to consumers or consumer perception that we have acted in an irresponsible manner.  Damage to our brand, reputation or loss of customer confidence in our brand or products could result in decreased demand for our products and have a negative impact on our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Variations in our production could impact our ability to reduce costs and could cause our margins to decline and our operating results to suffer.
All of our products are manufactured using technologies that are highly complex. The number of usable items, or yield, from our production processes may fluctuate as a result of many factors, including but not limited to the following:
variability in our process repeatability and control;
contamination of the manufacturing environment;
equipment failure, power outages, fires, flooding, information or other system failures or variations in the manufacturing process;
lack of consistency and adequate quality and quantity of piece parts, other raw materials and other bill of materials items;
inventory shrinkage or human errors;
defects in production processes (including system assembly) either within our facilities or at our suppliers; and
any transitions or changes in our production process, planned or unplanned.
In the past, we have experienced difficulties in achieving acceptable yields on certain products, which has adversely affected our operating results. We may experience similar problems in the future, and we cannot predict when they may occur or their severity.
In some instances, we may offer products for future delivery at prices based on planned yield improvements or increased cost efficiencies from other production advances. Failure to achieve these planned improvements or advances could have a significant impact on our margins and operating results.
In addition, our ability to convert volume manufacturing to larger diameter substrates can be an important factor in providing a more cost effective manufacturing process. If we are unable to make this transition in a timely or cost effective manner, our results could be negatively impacted.
If we fail to evaluate and execute strategic opportunities successfully, our business may suffer.

In addition to the planned divestiture of the Wolfspeed business, from time to time, we evaluate strategic opportunities available to us for product, technology or business transactions, such as business acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, divestitures, or spin-offs. If we choose to enter into such transactions, we face certain risks including:
the failure of an acquired business, investee or joint venture to meet our performance expectations;
identification of additional liabilities relating to an acquired business;
loss of existing customers of our current and acquired businesses due to concerns that new product lines may be in competition with the customers’ existing product lines;
difficulty integrating an acquired business's operations, personnel and financial and operating systems into our current business;
diversion of management attention;
difficulty separating the operations, personnel and financial and operating systems of a spin-off or divestiture from our current business;
uncertainty of the financial markets or circumstances that cause conditions that are less favorable and/or different than expected; and

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expenses incurred to complete a transaction may be significantly higher than anticipated.
We may not be able to adequately address these risks or any other problems that arise from our prior or future acquisitions, investments, joint ventures, divestitures or spin-offs. Any failure to successfully evaluate strategic opportunities and address risks or other problems that arise related to any such business transaction could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
As a result of our continued expansion into new markets, we may compete with existing customers who may reduce their orders.
Through acquisitions and organic growth, we continue to expand into new markets and new market segments. Many of our existing customers who purchase our LED products develop and manufacture products using those chips and components that are offered into the same lighting markets. As a result, some of our current customers perceive us as a competitor in these market segments. In response, our customers may reduce or discontinue their orders for our LED products. This reduction in or discontinuation of orders could occur faster than our sales growth in these new markets, which could adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
Our revenue is highly dependent on our customers’ ability to produce, market and sell more integrated products.
Our revenue in our LED Products and Power and RF Products segments depends on getting our products designed into a larger number of our customers’ products and in turn, our customers’ ability to produce, market and sell their products. For example, we have current and prospective customers that create, or plan to create, lighting systems using our LED components. Even if our customers are able to develop and produce LED lighting products or products that incorporate our power and RF products, there can be no assurance that our customers will be successful in marketing and selling these products in the marketplace.
The adoption of or changes in government and/or industry policies, standards or regulations relating to the efficiency, performance, use or other aspects of lighting could impact the demand for our products.
The adoption of or changes in government and/or industry policies, standards or regulations relating to the efficiency, performance or other aspects of LED lighting may impact the demand for our products. Demand for our products may also be impacted by changes in government and/or industry policies, standards or regulations that discourage the use of certain traditional lighting technologies. These constraints may be eliminated or delayed by legislative action, which could have a negative impact on demand for our products. For example, on December 31, 2015 Energy Star announced its release of Energy Star Lamps V2.0 specification that will replace V1.2 on January 2, 2017. Our ability and the ability of our competitors to meet these new requirements could impact competitive dynamics in the market.
If governments, their agencies or utilities reduce their demand for our products or discontinue or curtail their funding, our business may suffer.
Changes in governmental budget priorities could adversely affect our business and results of operations.  U.S. and foreign government agencies have purchased products directly from us and products from our customers, and U.S. government agencies have historically funded a portion of our research and development activities.  When the government changes budget priorities, such as in times of war or financial crisis, or reallocates its research and development spending to areas unrelated to our business, our research and development funding and our product sales to government entities and government-funded customers are at risk.  For example, demand and payment for our products and our customers’ products may be affected by public sector budgetary cycles, funding authorizations or utility rebates. Funding reductions or delays could negatively impact demand for our products. If government or utility funding is discontinued or significantly reduced, our business and results of operations could be adversely affected. 
We are exposed to fluctuations in the market value of our investment portfolio and in interest rates, and therefore, impairment of our investments or lower investment income could harm our earnings.
We are exposed to market value and inherent interest rate risk related to our investment portfolio. We have historically invested portions of our available cash in fixed interest rate securities such as high-grade corporate debt, commercial paper, municipal bonds, certificates of deposit, government securities and other fixed interest rate investments. The primary objective of our cash investment policy is preservation of principal. However, these investments are generally not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation insured and may lose value and/or become illiquid regardless of their credit rating.
From time to time, we have also made investments in public and private companies that engage in complementary businesses. For example, during fiscal 2015 we made an investment in Lextar Electronics Corporation (Lextar), a public company in Taiwan.

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An investment in another company is subject to the risks inherent in the business of that company and to trends affecting the equity markets as a whole. Investments in publicly held companies are subject to market risks and, like our investment in Lextar, may not be liquidated easily. As a result, we may not be able to reduce the size of our position or liquidate our investments when we deem appropriate to limit our downside risk. Should the value of any such investments we hold decline, the related write-down in value could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. For example, the value of our Lextar investment declined from the date of our investment in December 2014 through the end of fiscal 2016 with variability between quarters, and may continue to decline in the future. As required by Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X, we have filed Lextar’s financial statements, prepared by Lextar and audited by its independent public accounting firm, as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 as an exhibit to this Annual Report.
Our operations in foreign countries expose us to certain risks inherent in doing business internationally, which may adversely affect our business, results of operations or financial condition.
We have operations, manufacturing facilities and contract manufacturing arrangements in foreign countries that expose us to certain risks. For example, fluctuations in exchange rates may affect our revenue, expenses and results of operations as well as the value of our assets and liabilities as reflected in our financial statements. We are also subject to other types of risks, including the following:
protection of intellectual property and trade secrets;
tariffs, customs, trade sanctions, trade embargoes and other barriers to importing/exporting materials and products in a cost effective and timely manner, or changes in applicable tariffs or custom rules;
timing and availability of export licenses;
rising labor costs;
disruptions in or inadequate infrastructure of the countries where we operate;
difficulties in collecting accounts receivable;
difficulties in staffing and managing international operations;
the burden of complying with foreign and international laws and treaties; and
the burden of complying with and changes in international taxation policies.
In some instances, we have received and may continue to receive incentives from foreign governments to encourage our investment in certain countries, regions or areas outside of the United States. In particular, we have received and may continue to receive such incentives in connection with our operations in Asia, as Asian national and local governments seek to encourage the development of the technology industry. Government incentives may include tax rebates, reduced tax rates, favorable lending policies and other measures, some or all of which may be available to us due to our foreign operations. Any of these incentives could be reduced or eliminated by governmental authorities at any time or as a result of our inability to maintain minimum operations necessary to earn the incentives. Any reduction or elimination of incentives currently provided for our operations could adversely affect our business and results of operations. These same governments also may provide increased incentives to or require production processes that favor local companies, which could further negatively impact our business and results of operations.
Changes in regulatory, geopolitical, social, economic, or monetary policies and other factors, including those which may result from the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, if any, may have a material adverse effect on our business in the future, or may require us to exit a particular market or significantly modify our current business practices. Abrupt political change, terrorist activity and armed conflict pose a risk of general economic disruption in affected countries, which could also result in an adverse effect on our business and results of operations. For example, the results of the United Kingdom’s referendum on whether to remain a part of the European Union have created political and economic uncertainty not only in the United Kingdom, but in many European countries in which we do business. If the referendum is passed into law, there could be further uncertainty as the United Kingdom determines the future terms of its relationship with the European Union.

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In order to compete, we must attract, motivate and retain key employees, and our failure to do so could harm our results of operations.
Hiring and retaining qualified executives, scientists, engineers, technical staff and sales personnel is critical to our business, and competition for experienced employees in our industry can be intense. As a global company, this issue is not limited to the United States, but includes our other locations such as Europe and China. For example, there is substantial competition in China for qualified and capable personnel, particularly experienced engineers and technical personnel, which may make it difficult for us to recruit and retain qualified employees. Also, within Huizhou, China, there are other large companies building manufacturing plants that will likely compete for qualified employees. If we are unable to staff sufficient and adequate personnel at our China facilities, we may experience lower revenue or increased manufacturing costs, which would adversely affect our results of operations.
To help attract, motivate and retain key employees, we use benefits such as stock-based compensation awards. If the value of such awards does not appreciate, as measured by the performance of the price of our common stock or if our stock-based compensation otherwise ceases to be viewed as a valuable benefit, our ability to attract, retain and motivate employees could be weakened, which could harm our business and results of operations.
Litigation could adversely affect our operating results and financial condition.
We are often involved in litigation, primarily patent litigation. Defending against existing and potential litigation will likely require significant attention and resources and, regardless of the outcome, result in significant legal expenses, which could adversely affect our results unless covered by insurance or recovered from third parties. If our defenses are ultimately unsuccessful or if we are unable to achieve a favorable resolution, we could be liable for damage awards that could materially affect our results of operations and financial condition.
Where necessary, we may initiate litigation to enforce our patent or other intellectual property rights, which could adversely impact our relationship with certain customers. Any such litigation may require us to spend a substantial amount of time and money and could distract management from our day-to-day operations. Moreover, there is no assurance that we will be successful in any such litigation.
Our business may be impaired by claims that we, or our customers, infringe the intellectual property rights of others.
Vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights characterize our industry. These traits have resulted in significant and often protracted and expensive litigation. Litigation to determine the validity of patents or claims by third parties of infringement of patents or other intellectual property rights could result in significant legal expense and divert the efforts of our technical personnel and management, even if the litigation results in a determination favorable to us. In the event of an adverse result in such litigation, we could be required to:
pay substantial damages;
indemnify our customers;
stop the manufacture, use and sale of products found to be infringing;
incur asset impairment charges;
discontinue the use of processes found to be infringing;
expend significant resources to develop non-infringing products or processes; or
obtain a license to use third party technology.
There can be no assurance that third parties will not attempt to assert infringement claims against us, or our customers, with respect to our products. In addition, our customers may face infringement claims directed to the customer’s products that incorporate our products, and an adverse result could impair the customer’s demand for our products. We have also promised certain of our customers that we will indemnify them in the event they are sued by our competitors for infringement claims directed to the products we supply. Under these indemnification obligations, we may be responsible for future payments to resolve infringement claims against them.
From time to time, we receive correspondence asserting that our products or processes are or may be infringing patents or other intellectual property rights of others. If we believe the assertions may have merit or in other appropriate circumstances, we may take steps to seek to obtain a license or to avoid the infringement. We cannot predict, however, whether a license will be available;

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that we would find the terms of any license offered acceptable; or that we would be able to develop an alternative solution. Failure to obtain a necessary license or develop an alternative solution could cause us to incur substantial liabilities and costs and to suspend the manufacture of affected products.
There are limitations on our ability to protect our intellectual property.
Our intellectual property position is based in part on patents owned by us and patents licensed to us. We intend to continue to file patent applications in the future, where appropriate, and to pursue such applications with U.S. and certain foreign patent authorities.
Our existing patents are subject to expiration and re-examination and we cannot be sure that additional patents will be issued on any new applications around the covered technology or that our existing or future patents will not be successfully contested by third parties. Also, since issuance of a valid patent does not prevent other companies from using alternative, non-infringing technology, we cannot be sure that any of our patents, or patents issued to others and licensed to us, will provide significant commercial protection, especially as new competitors enter the market.
We periodically discover products that are counterfeit reproductions of our products or that otherwise infringe on our intellectual property rights. The actions we take to establish and protect trademarks, patents and other intellectual property rights may not be adequate to prevent imitation of our products by others, and therefore, may adversely affect our sales and our brand and result in the shift of customer preference away from our products. Further, the actions we take to establish and protect trademarks, patents and other intellectual property rights could result in significant legal expense and divert the efforts of our technical personnel and management, even if the litigation or other action results in a determination favorable to us.
We also rely on trade secrets and other non-patented proprietary information relating to our product development and manufacturing activities. We try to protect this information through appropriate efforts to maintain its secrecy, including requiring employees and third parties to sign confidentiality agreements. We cannot be sure that these efforts will be successful or that the confidentiality agreements will not be breached. We also cannot be sure that we would have adequate remedies for any breach of such agreements or other misappropriation of our trade secrets, or that our trade secrets and proprietary know-how will not otherwise become known or be independently discovered by others.
We may be required to recognize a significant charge to earnings if our goodwill or other intangible assets become impaired.
Goodwill and purchased intangible assets with indefinite lives are not amortized, but are reviewed for impairment annually and more frequently when events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable. We assess the recoverability of the unamortized balance of our finite-lived intangible assets when indicators of potential impairment are present. Factors that may indicate that the carrying value of our goodwill or other intangible assets may not be recoverable include a decline in our stock price and market capitalization and slower growth rates in our industry. The recognition of a significant charge to earnings in our consolidated financial statements resulting from any impairment of our goodwill or other intangible assets could adversely impact our results of operations.
We may be subject to confidential information theft or misuse, which could harm our business and results of operations.
We face attempts by others to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems on which we maintain proprietary and other confidential information. Our security measures may be breached as the result of industrial or other espionage actions of outside parties, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, and as a result, an unauthorized party may obtain access to our systems. Additionally, outside parties may attempt to access our confidential information through other means, for example by fraudulently inducing our employees to disclose confidential information. We actively seek to prevent, detect and investigate any unauthorized access, which sometimes occurs. We might be unaware of any such access or unable to determine its magnitude and effects. The theft and/or unauthorized use or publication of our trade secrets and other confidential business information as a result of such an incident could adversely affect our competitive position and the value of our investment in research and development could be reduced. Our business could be subject to significant disruption and we could suffer monetary or other losses.
We are subject to risks related to international sales and purchases.
We expect that revenue from international sales will continue to represent a significant portion of our total revenue. As such, a significant slowdown or instability in relevant foreign economies, including economic instability in Europe, or lower investments in new infrastructure could have a negative impact on our sales. We also purchase a portion of the materials included in our products from overseas sources.

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Our international sales and purchases are subject to numerous U.S. and foreign laws and regulations, including, without limitation, tariffs, trade sanctions, trade barriers, trade embargoes, regulations relating to import-export control, technology transfer restrictions, the International Traffic in Arms Regulation promulgated under the Arms Export Control Act, the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the anti-boycott provisions of the U.S. Export Administration Act. If we fail to comply with these laws and regulations, we could be liable for administrative, civil or criminal liabilities, and, in the extreme case, we could be suspended or debarred from government contracts or have our export privileges suspended, which could have a material adverse effect on our business.
International sales and purchases are also subject to a variety of other risks, including risks arising from currency fluctuations, collection issues and taxes. We have entered and may in the future enter into foreign currency derivative financial instruments in an effort to manage or hedge some of our foreign exchange rate risk. We may not be able to engage in hedging transactions in the future, and, even if we do, foreign currency fluctuations may still have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Our business may be adversely affected by uncertainties in the global financial markets and our or our customers’ or suppliers’ ability to access the capital markets.
Global financial markets continue to reflect uncertainty about a sustained global economic recovery. Given these uncertainties, there could be future disruptions in the global economy, financial markets and consumer confidence. If economic conditions deteriorate unexpectedly, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. For example, our customers, including our distributors and their customers, may experience difficulty obtaining the working capital and other financing necessary to support historical or projected purchasing patterns, which could negatively affect our results of operations.
Although we believe we have adequate liquidity and capital resources to fund our operations internally and under our existing line of credit, our inability to access the capital markets on favorable terms in the future, or at all, may adversely affect our financial performance. The inability to obtain adequate financing from debt or capital sources in the future could force us to self-fund strategic initiatives or even forego certain opportunities, which in turn could potentially harm our performance.
Changes in our effective tax rate may affect our results.
Our future effective tax rates may be affected by a number of factors including:
the jurisdiction in which profits are determined to be earned and taxed;
changes in government administrations, such as the Presidency and Congress of the U.S. as well as in the states and countries in which we operate;
changes in tax laws or interpretation of such tax laws and changes in generally accepted accounting principles;
the resolution of issues arising from tax audits with various authorities;
changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities;
adjustments to estimated taxes upon finalization of various tax returns;
increases in expenses not deductible for tax purposes, including impairment of goodwill in connection with acquisitions;
changes in available tax credits;
the recognition and measurement of uncertain tax positions;
the lack of sufficient excess tax benefits (credits) in our additional paid-in-capital pool in situations where our realized tax deductions for certain stock-based compensation awards (such as non-qualified stock options and restricted stock) are less than those originally anticipated; and
the repatriation of non-U.S. earnings for which we have not previously provided for U.S. taxes or any changes in legislation that may result in these earnings being taxed within the U.S., regardless of our decision regarding repatriation of funds.
Any significant increase or decrease in our future effective tax rates could impact net income (loss) for future periods. In addition, the determination of our income tax provision requires complex estimations, significant judgments and significant knowledge and experience concerning the applicable tax laws. To the extent our income tax liability materially differs from our income tax

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provisions due to factors, including the above, which were not anticipated at the time we estimated our tax provision, our net income (loss) or cash flows could be affected.
Failure to comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations worldwide could harm our business and results of operations.
The manufacturing, assembling and testing of our products require the use of hazardous materials that are subject to a broad array of environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. Our failure to comply with any of these applicable laws or regulations could result in:
regulatory penalties, fines, legal liabilities and the forfeiture of certain tax benefits;
suspension of production;
alteration of our fabrication, assembly and test processes; and
curtailment of our operations or sales.
In addition, our failure to manage the use, transportation, emission, discharge, storage, recycling or disposal of hazardous materials could subject us to increased costs or future liabilities. Existing and future environmental laws and regulations could also require us to acquire pollution abatement or remediation equipment, modify our product designs or incur other expenses, such as permit costs, associated with such laws and regulations. Many new materials that we are evaluating for use in our operations may be subject to regulation under existing or future environmental laws and regulations that may restrict our use of one or more of such materials in our manufacturing, assembly and test processes or products. Any of these restrictions could harm our business and results of operations by increasing our expenses or requiring us to alter our manufacturing processes.
Our results could vary as a result of the methods, estimates and judgments that we use in applying our accounting policies, including changes in the accounting standards to be applied.
The methods, estimates and judgments that we use in applying our accounting policies have a significant impact on our results (see “Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates” in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included in Part II, Item 7 of this Annual Report). Such methods, estimates and judgments are, by their nature, subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions, and factors may arise over time that lead us to change our methods, estimates and judgments. Changes in those methods, estimates and judgments could significantly affect our results of operations or financial condition.
Likewise, our results may be impacted due to changes in the accounting standards to be applied, such as the increased use of fair value measurement standards and changes in revenue recognition requirements.
Catastrophic events may disrupt our business.
A disruption or failure of our systems or operations in the event of a natural disaster, health pandemic, such as an influenza outbreak within our workforce, or man-made catastrophic event could cause delays in completing sales, continuing production or performing other critical functions of our business, particularly if a catastrophic event occurred at our primary manufacturing locations or our subcontractors' locations. Any of these events could severely affect our ability to conduct normal business operations and, as a result, our operating results could be adversely affected. There may also be secondary impacts that are unforeseeable as well, such as impacts to our customers, which could cause delays in new orders, delays in completing sales or even order cancellations.
Our stock price may be volatile.
Historically, our common stock has experienced substantial price volatility, particularly as a result of significant fluctuations in our revenue, earnings and margins over the past few years, and variations between our actual financial results and the published expectations of analysts. For example, the closing price per share of our common stock on the NASDAQ Global Select Market ranged from a low of $22.12 to a high of $32.44 during the 12 months ended June 26, 2016. If our future operating results or margins are below the expectations of stock market analysts or our investors, our stock price will likely decline.
Speculation and opinions in the press or investment community about our strategic position, financial condition, results of operations or significant transactions can also cause changes in our stock price. In particular, speculation around our market opportunities for energy efficient lighting may have a dramatic effect on our stock price, especially as various government agencies announce their planned investments in energy efficient technology, including lighting.

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We have outstanding debt which could materially restrict our business and adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations.
Our indebtedness consists of borrowings from our revolving line of credit. Our ability to pay interest and repay the principal for our indebtedness is dependent upon our ability to manage our business operations and generate sufficient cash flows to service such debt. There can be no assurance that we will be able to manage any of these risks successfully.
The level of outstanding debt under this line of credit may adversely affect our operating results and financial condition by, among other things:
increasing our vulnerability to downturns in our business, to competitive pressures and to adverse general economic and industry conditions;
requiring the dedication of an increased portion of our expected cash flows from operations to service our indebtedness, thereby reducing the amount of expected cash flow available for other purposes, including capital expenditures, research and development and stock repurchases;
limiting our flexibility in planning for, or reacting to, changes in our business and the industry in which we operate;
placing us at a competitive disadvantage compared to our peers that may have less indebtedness than we have by limiting our ability to borrow additional funds needed to operate and grow our business; and
increasing our interest expense if interest rates increase.
Our line of credit requires us to maintain compliance with certain financial ratios. In addition, our line of credit contains certain restrictions that could limit our ability to, among other things: incur additional indebtedness, dispose of assets, create liens on assets, make acquisitions or engage in mergers or consolidations, and engage in certain transactions with our subsidiaries and affiliates. These restrictions could limit our ability to plan for or react to changing business conditions, or could otherwise restrict our business activities and plans.
Our ability to comply with our loan covenants may also be affected by events beyond our control and if any of these restrictions or terms is breached, it could lead to an event of default under our line of credit. A default, if not cured or waived, may permit acceleration of our indebtedness. In addition, our lenders could terminate their commitments to make further extensions of credit under our line of credit. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we cannot be certain that we will have sufficient funds to pay the accelerated indebtedness or that we will have the ability to refinance accelerated indebtedness on terms favorable to us or at all.
Regulations related to conflict-free minerals may force us to incur additional expenses.
The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains provisions to improve transparency and accountability concerning the supply of minerals originating from the conflict zones of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries. As a result, in August 2012 the SEC established new annual disclosure and reporting requirements for those companies who may use “conflict” minerals mined from the DRC and adjoining countries in their products. Our most recent disclosure regarding our due diligence was filed in May 2016 for calendar year 2015. These requirements could affect the sourcing and availability of certain minerals used in the manufacture of our products. As a result, we may not be able to obtain the relevant minerals at competitive prices and there will likely be additional costs associated with complying with the due diligence procedures as required by the SEC. In addition, because our supply chain is complex, we may face reputational challenges with our customers and other stakeholders if we are unable to sufficiently verify the origins of all minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures, and we may incur additional costs as a result of changes to product, processes or sources of supply as a consequence of these requirements.
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not applicable.


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Item 2. Properties
The table below sets forth information with respect to our significant owned and leased facilities as of June 26, 2016. The sizes of the locations represent the approximate gross square footage of each site’s buildings.
 
 
 
Size (approximate gross square footage)
Location
Segment Utilization1
 
Total
 
Production
 
Facility
Services and
Warehousing
 
Administrative
Function
 
Housing /
Other
Owned Facilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Durham, NC
All
 
966,844

 
536,169

 
83,860

 
346,815

 

Research Triangle Park, NC
3
 
203,995

 
90,613

 
62,855

 
50,527

 

Racine, WI
1
 
802,845

 
160,000

 
418,000

 
224,845

 

Huizhou, China
2
 
808,488

 
332,271

 
101,105

 
41,764

 
333,348

Total owned
 
 
2,782,172

 
1,119,053

 
665,820

 
663,951

 
333,348

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Leased Facilities
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Durham, NC
1
 
189,430

 
15,200

 
167,584

 
6,646

 

Laredo, TX
1
 
100,545

 

 
97,545

 
3,000

 

Goleta, CA
1,2
 
25,623

 

 
1,882

 
23,741

 

Yorkville, WI
1
 
79,016

 

 
77,316

 
1,700

 

Fayetteville, AR
3
 
26,076

 
10,767

 

 
15,309

 
 
Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
1,2
 
63,670

 
20,672

 
24,998

 
18,000

 

Hong Kong
All
 
29,955

 

 

 
29,955

 

Misc. sales and support offices
All
 
59,661

 

 
9,976

 
49,685

 

Total leased
 
 
573,976

 
46,639

 
379,301

 
148,036

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total gross square footage
 
 
3,356,148

 
1,165,692

 
1,045,121

 
811,987

 
333,348

1 Segments listed in the “Segment Utilization” column above are identified as follows: 1) Lighting Products; 2) LED Products and 3) Power and RF Products.
In the United States, our corporate headquarters as well as our primary research and development and manufacturing operations are located at the Durham, North Carolina facilities that we own. These Durham facilities sit on 149 acres of land that we own. Our power and RF products are primarily produced at our owned manufacturing facility located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. This facility sits on 55 acres of land that we own. Domestically, our lighting products are primarily produced at our owned facility in Racine, Wisconsin, which sits on 33 acres of land that we own, and a leased facility in Durham, North Carolina.
LED products are produced at our owned manufacturing facilities located in Huizhou, Guangdong Province, China.  We also own dormitories for housing our Chinese employees near and adjacent to the owned manufacturing facilities.  The owned manufacturing facilities, dormitories, and support buildings are located on land that is leased from the Chinese government through two leases.  The first land lease is for twelve acres that expires in June 2057 and supports the manufacturing facilities. The second land lease is for five acres that expires in December 2082 and is used for dormitory buildings.
We also maintain sales and support offices, through our subsidiaries, in leased office premises in North America, Asia, and Europe. In addition, we lease a facility in Goleta, California that is used for research and development and administrative functions.
Item 3. Legal Proceedings
The information required by this item is set forth under Note 13, “Commitments and Contingencies,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report, and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures
Not applicable.

PART II

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Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
Common Stock Market Information
Our common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market and is quoted under the symbol CREE. There were 357 holders of record of our common stock as of August 22, 2016. The following table sets forth, for the quarters indicated, the high and low closing sales prices as reported by NASDAQ.
 
 
Fiscal 2016
 
Fiscal 2015
 
High
 
Low
 
High
 
Low
First Quarter

$27.56

 

$23.95

 

$52.83

 

$41.11

Second Quarter
28.16

 
22.12

 
41.42

 
27.28

Third Quarter
32.44

 
24.07

 
39.56

 
29.75

Fourth Quarter
30.14

 
22.43

 
35.90

 
27.00

We have never paid cash dividends on our common stock and do not anticipate that we will do so in the foreseeable future. Our credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association and other lenders party thereto, contains certain dividend distribution restrictions. Applicable state laws may also limit the payment of dividends. Our present policy is to retain earnings, if any, to provide funds to invest in our business.


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Stock Performance Graph
The following information in this Item 5 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is not deemed to be “soliciting material” or to be “filed” with the SEC or subject to Regulation 14A or 14C under the Exchange Act or to the liabilities of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, and will not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any filing under the Securities Act or the Exchange Act, except to the extent we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.
The following graph compares the cumulative total return on our common stock with the cumulative total returns of the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Electronic Components Index for the five-year period commencing June 26, 2011. The stock price performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Return*
Among Cree, Inc., the NASDAQ Composite Index and the NASDAQ Electronic Components Index
    
*    Assumes (1) $100 invested on June 26, 2011 in Cree, Inc. Common Stock, the NASDAQ Composite Index and the             NASDAQ Electronic Components Index and (2) the immediate reinvestment of all dividends.
    
cree062620_chart-16745.jpg
 
6/26/2011
 
6/24/2012
 
6/30/2013
 
6/29/2014
 
6/28/2015
 
6/26/2016
Cree, Inc.

$100.00

 

$72.00

 

$187.96

 

$142.76

 

$79.51

 

$68.29

NASDAQ Composite Index
100.00

 
110.21

 
131.57

 
172.15

 
201.17

 
184.18

NASDAQ Electronic Components Index
100.00

 
103.07

 
121.86

 
155.49

 
171.82

 
168.74


Sale of Unregistered Securities
There were no unregistered securities sold during fiscal 2016.

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Stock Repurchase Program
On June 18, 2015, our Board of Directors approved our fiscal 2016 stock repurchase program authorizing us to repurchase shares of common stock having an aggregate purchase price not exceeding $500 million for all purchases from June 29, 2015 through the expiration of the program on June 26, 2016. There were no shares repurchased under the stock repurchase program in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.
Since the inception of our stock repurchase program in January 2001 through June 26, 2016, we have repurchased 34.2 million shares of our common stock at an average price of $29.34 per share with an aggregate value of $1.0 billion. The repurchase program could be implemented through open market or privately negotiated transactions at the discretion of our management. 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data
The consolidated statement of (loss) income data set forth below with respect to the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016, June 28, 2015, and June 29, 2014 and the consolidated balance sheet data at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015 are derived from, and are qualified by reference to, the audited consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report and should be read in conjunction with those financial statements and notes thereto. The consolidated statement of income data for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2013 and June 24, 2012 and the consolidated balance sheet data at June 29, 2014, June 30, 2013, and June 24, 2012 are derived from audited consolidated financial statements not included herein.

Selected Consolidated Financial Data
(In thousands, except per share data)
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28, 2015*
 
June 29, 2014*
 
June 30, 2013*
 
June 24, 2012*
Consolidated Statement of Income Data1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Revenue, net

$1,616,627

 

$1,632,505

 

$1,647,641

 

$1,385,982

 

$1,164,658

Operating (loss) income
(10,471
)
 
(73,550
)
 
133,236

 
95,454

 
38,231

Net (loss) income
(21,536
)
 
(64,692
)
 
123,490

 
86,227

 
43,715

(Loss) earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.02

 

$0.74

 

$0.38

Diluted

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.00

 

$0.73

 

$0.38

Weighted average shares used in per share calculation:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
101,783

 
113,022

 
120,623

 
116,621

 
114,693

Diluted
101,783

 
113,022

 
122,914

 
117,979

 
115,225

 
 
 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28, 2015*
 
June 29, 2014*
 
June 30, 2013*
 
June 24, 2012*
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data1
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

$605,305

 

$713,191

 

$1,162,466

 

$1,023,915

 

$744,513

Working capital
933,708

 
1,053,464

 
1,467,236

 
1,308,355

 
1,015,104

Total assets
2,766,060

 
2,948,033

 
3,338,981

 
3,048,062

 
2,744,192

Total long-term liabilities
175,237

 
231,295

 
45,943

 
37,061

 
37,481

Total shareholders’ equity
2,367,824

 
2,461,952

 
2,986,383

 
2,803,590

 
2,557,534

1 Consolidated statement of income data and balance sheet data for fiscal year 2012 include Ruud Lighting from the date of its acquisition in the first quarter of fiscal 2012.
*As revised to reflect the correction of an immaterial error. For additional information, see Note 2, "Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies," included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.


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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Executive Summary
The following discussion is designed to provide a better understanding of our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, including a brief discussion of our business and products, key factors that impacted our performance and a summary of our operating results. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. Historical results and percentage relationships among any amounts in the financial statements are not necessarily indicative of trends in operating results for any future periods.

Overview
Cree, Inc. (Cree, we, our, or us) is a leading innovator of lighting-class light emitting diode (LED) products, lighting products and wide bandgap semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications. Our products are targeted for applications such as indoor and outdoor lighting, video displays, transportation, electronic signs and signals, power supplies, inverters and wireless systems.
Our lighting products primarily consist of LED lighting systems and bulbs. We design, manufacture and sell lighting fixtures and lamps for the commercial, industrial and consumer markets.
Our LED products consist of LED components, LED chips, and silicon carbide (SiC) materials. Our LED products enable our customers to develop and market LED-based products for lighting, video screens and other industrial applications.
In addition, we develop, manufacture and sell power and RF devices based on wide bandgap semiconductor materials such as SiC and gallium nitride (GaN). Our power products are made from SiC and provide increased efficiency, faster switching speeds and reduced system size and weight over comparable silicon-based power devices. Our RF devices are made from GaN and provide improved efficiency, bandwidth and frequency of operation as compared to silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs).
As discussed more fully below in “Business Outlook,” on July 13, 2016, we executed a definitive agreement to sell our Power and RF Products segment and certain related portions of our SiC materials and gemstones business included within our LED Products segment (which we collectively also refer to as our Wolfspeed business) to Infineon Technologies AG (Infineon).
The majority of our products are manufactured at our production facilities located in North Carolina, Wisconsin, and China. We also use contract manufacturers for certain products and aspects of product fabrication, assembly and packaging. We operate research and development facilities in North Carolina, California, Wisconsin, India, Italy and China (including Hong Kong).
Cree, Inc. is a North Carolina corporation established in 1987, and our headquarters are in Durham, North Carolina. For further information about our consolidated revenue and earnings, please see our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Reportable Segments
Our three reportable segments are:
Lighting Products
LED Products
Power and RF Products

Reportable segments are components of an entity that have separate financial data that the entity’s Chief Operating Decision Maker (CODM) regularly reviews when allocating resources and assessing performance. Our CODM is the Chief Executive Officer.
Our CODM does not review inter-segment transactions when evaluating segment performance and allocating resources to each segment, and inter-segment transactions are not included in our segment revenue disclosure. As such, total segment revenue is equal to our consolidated revenue.
Our CODM reviews gross profit as the lowest and only level of segment profit. As such, all items below gross profit in the Consolidated Statements of Income must be included to reconcile the consolidated gross profit to our consolidated (loss) income before income taxes.
For financial results by reportable segment, please refer to Note 14, “Reportable Segments,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.


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Industry Dynamics and Trends
There are a number of industry factors that affect our business which include, among others:
Overall Demand for Products and Applications using LEDs. Our potential for growth depends significantly on the continued adoption of LEDs within the general lighting market and our ability to affect this rate of adoption. Demand also fluctuates based on various market cycles, a continuously evolving LED industry supply chain, and evolving competitive dynamics in the market. These uncertainties make demand difficult to forecast for us and our customers.
Intense and Constantly Evolving Competitive Environment. Competition in the LED and lighting industries is intense. Many companies have made significant investments in LED development and production equipment. Product pricing pressures exist as market participants often undertake pricing strategies to gain or protect market share, increase the utilization of their production capacity and open new applications to LED-based solutions. To remain competitive, market participants must continuously increase product performance and reduce costs. To address these competitive pressures, we have invested in research and development activities to support new product development and to deliver higher levels of performance and lower costs to differentiate our products in the market.
Lighting Sales Channel Development. Commercial lighting is usually sold through lighting agents and distributors in the North American lighting market. The lighting agents typically have exclusive sales rights for a defined territory and are typically aligned with one large lighting company for a majority of their product sales. The size, quality and capability of the lighting agent has a significant effect on winning new projects and sales in a given geographic market. While these agents or distributors can sell other lighting products, the large traditional lighting companies have taken steps to prevent their channel partners from selling competing product lines. We are constantly working to improve the capabilities of our existing channel partners as well as develop new partners to improve our sales effectiveness in each geographic market.
Technological Innovation and Advancement. Innovations and advancements in LEDs and lighting continue to expand the potential commercial application for our products. However, new technologies or standards could emerge or improvements could be made in existing technologies that could reduce or limit the demand for our products in certain markets.
Intellectual Property Issues. Market participants rely on patented and non-patented proprietary information relating to product development, manufacturing capabilities and other core competencies of their business. Protection of intellectual property is critical. Therefore, steps such as additional patent applications, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, as well as other security measures are generally taken. To enforce or protect intellectual property rights, litigation or threatened litigation is common.

Fiscal 2016 Overview
The following is a summary of our financial results for the year ended June 26, 2016:
Our year-over-year revenue remained flat at $1.6 billion.
Gross margin increased to 30%. Gross profit increased by $13 million to $487 million.
Operating loss was $10 million in fiscal 2016 compared to operating loss of $74 million in fiscal 2015. Net loss per diluted share was $0.21 in fiscal 2016 compared to net loss per diluted share of $0.57 in fiscal 2015.
Combined cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments decreased to $0.6 billion at June 26, 2016 compared to $0.7 billion at June 28, 2015. Cash provided by operating activities was $203 million in fiscal 2016, compared to $181 million in fiscal 2015.
We spent $150 million to repurchase 5.8 million shares of our common stock.
Inventories increased to $304 million at June 26, 2016 compared to $281 million at June 28, 2015.
We spent $120 million on purchases of property and equipment in fiscal 2016 compared to $206 million in fiscal 2015.

29



Business Outlook
We announced Cree 3.0 during fiscal 2016 and updated our strategy to become a more focused LED lighting technology company. As part of this strategy, we outlined a plan to separate Wolfspeed through an initial public offering (IPO). The decision to sell the Wolfspeed business to Infineon, instead of continuing down the IPO path, speeds our transition to an LED lighting company while providing significant resources to accelerate our growth. Divesting Wolfspeed is expected to reduce short-term profits, but at the same time increase free cash flow. We believe this transaction will increase management focus on the core growth business and provide capital to support our mission to build a more valuable company.
We project that the markets for commercial LED lighting products will expand in fiscal 2017, while the consumer LED bulb and LED components market will remain highly competitive.
We are focused on the following goals to further support our transition to a more focused LED lighting company:
Complete the sale of our Wolfspeed business to Infineon.
Grow company revenue.
Grow commercial lighting revenue with the market, potentially adding to that growth through product line expansion and/or strategic acquisitions, and maintain consumer lighting revenue in a similar range while transitioning to a new generation LED bulb family.
Maintain LED revenue in a similar range through new product design wins to offset the competitive environment.
Improve operating margin.
Increase lighting margins through a combination of lower costs and higher value new products.
Maintain LED margins in a similar range by reducing product costs and increasing performance levels.
Manage company operating expenses to grow slower than revenue.
Continue to innovate in all of our businesses to differentiate our products in the market.
Improve the customer experience and service levels in all of our businesses.



30

Table of Contents

Results of Operations
The following table sets forth certain consolidated statement of (loss) income data for the periods indicated (in thousands, except per share amounts and percentages):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
Dollars
 
% of
Revenue
 
Dollars
 
% of
Revenue
 
Dollars
 
% of
Revenue
Revenue, net

$1,616,627

 
100
 %
 

$1,632,505

 
100
 %
 

$1,647,641

 
100
%
Cost of revenue, net
1,129,553

 
70
 %
 
1,158,586

 
71
 %
 
1,029,885

 
63
%
Gross profit
487,074

 
30
 %
 
473,919

 
29
 %
 
617,756

 
37
%
Research and development
168,848

 
10
 %
 
182,797

 
11
 %
 
181,382

 
11
%
Sales, general and administrative
283,052

 
18
 %
 
290,730

 
18
 %
 
268,460

 
16
%
Amortization or impairment of acquisition-related intangibles
28,732

 
2
 %
 
26,220

 
2
 %
 
31,988

 
2
%
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
16,913

 
1
 %
 
47,722

 
3
 %
 
2,690

 
0
%
Operating (loss) income
(10,471
)
 
(1
)%
 
(73,550
)
 
(5
)%
 
133,236

 
8
%
Non-operating (expense) income, net
(13,035
)
 
(1
)%
 
(10,389
)
 
(1
)%
 
13,295

 
1
%
(Loss) income before income taxes
(23,506
)
 
(1
)%
 
(83,939
)
 
(5
)%
 
146,531

 
9
%
Income tax (benefit) expense
(1,970
)
 
 %
 
(19,247
)
 
(1
)%
 
23,041

 
1
%
Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 
(1
)%
 

($64,692
)
 
(4
)%
 

$123,490

 
7
%
Basic (loss) earnings per share

($0.21
)
 
 
 

($0.57
)
 
 
 

$1.02

 
 
Diluted (loss) earnings per share

($0.21
)
 
 
 

($0.57
)
 
 
 

$1.00

 
 
LED Business Restructuring
In June 2015, our Board of Directors approved a plan to restructure the LED Products business. The restructuring reduced excess capacity and overhead in order to improve the cost structure moving forward. The primary components of the restructuring include the planned sale or abandonment of certain manufacturing equipment, facility consolidation and the elimination of certain positions. The restructuring activity ended in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. During fiscal 2016, we realized $18.8 million in LED restructuring charges, which were partially offset by a $1.1 million gain on the sale of long-lived assets related to the restructuring which were sold for a value in excess of their estimated net realizable value during fiscal 2016.
The following table summarizes the actual charges incurred (in thousands):
Capacity and overhead cost reductions
Amounts incurred through June 28, 2015
 
Amounts incurred during fiscal year 2016
 
Cumulative amounts incurred through June 26, 2016
 
Affected Line Item in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss)Income
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
$
42,716

 
$
15,506

 
$
58,222

 
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
Severance expense
2,019

 
264

 
2,283

 
Sales, general and administrative expenses
Lease termination and facility consolidation costs
1,246

 
3,079

 
4,325

 
Sales, general and administrative expenses
Increase in channel inventory reserves
26,479

 

 
26,479

 
Revenue, net
Increase in inventory reserves
11,091

 

 
11,091

 
Cost of revenue, net
  Total restructuring charges
$
83,551

 
$
18,849

 
$
102,400

 
 

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Table of Contents

Revenue
Revenue was comprised of the following (in thousands, except percentages):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Lighting Products
$
889,133

 
$
906,502

 
$
706,425

 
$
(17,369
)
 
(2
)%
 
$
200,077

 
28
 %
Percent of revenue
55
%
 
55
%
 
43
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LED Products
610,835

 
602,082

 
833,684

 
8,753

 
1
 %
 
(231,602
)
 
(28
)%
Percent of revenue
38
%

37
%

51
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Power and RF Products
116,659

 
123,921

 
107,532

 
(7,262
)
 
(6
)%
 
16,389

 
15
 %
Percent of revenue
7
%
 
8
%
 
6
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Total revenue

$1,616,627

 

$1,632,505

 

$1,647,641

 

($15,878
)
 
(1
)%
 

($15,136
)
 
(1
)%
Our consolidated revenue remained flat at $1.6 billion in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. Lighting Products revenue and Power and RF Products revenue decreased by 2% and 6%, respectively, while LED Products revenue increased by 1%. For the fiscal year ended 2015, our consolidated revenue also remained flat at $1.6 billion compared to fiscal 2014. Lighting Products revenue and Power and RF Products revenue increased by 28% and 15% respectively, while LED Products revenue decreased by 28%
Lighting Products Segment Revenue
Lighting Products revenue represented approximately 55%, 55%, and 43% of our total revenue for fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014 respectively. Lighting Products revenue was $889.1 million, $906.5 million, and $706.4 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014 respectively.
Lighting Products revenue decreased 2% to $889.1 million in fiscal 2016 from $906.5 million in fiscal 2015. This decrease was the result of lower consumer lighting sales which offset higher commercial lighting sales. The number of units sold decreased 22% in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 due to lower consumer bulb sales and a change in mix, which was partially offset by an increase in average selling prices (ASP). The ASP increased 26% in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 primarily due to a higher mix of commercial lighting fixtures, which have a higher ASP than our other lighting products.
Lighting Products revenue increased 28% to $906.5 million in fiscal 2015 from $706.4 million in fiscal 2014. This increase was the result of an overall increase in the number of units sold, partially offset by a reduction in ASP. The overall number of units sold increased 44% in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 primarily driven by LED bulb products due to increased market adoption of LED lighting products. The ASP decreased 11% in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 primarily due to a higher mix of lower priced LED bulb products.
LED Products Segment Revenue
LED Products revenue represented 38%, 37%, and 51% of our total revenue for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. LED Products revenue was $610.8 million, $602.1 million, and $833.7 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.
LED Products revenue increased 1% to $610.8 million in fiscal 2016 from $602.1 million in fiscal 2015. This increase was primarily the result of license revenue associated with new patent license agreements. Additionally, the overall number of units sold increased, partially offset by a reduction in ASP due to increased global competition for LED products which impacted both our LED chip and LED component product lines. The overall number of units sold increased 12% in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 and the ASP decreased 11% in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015.
LED Products revenue decreased 28% to $602.1 million in fiscal 2015 from $833.7 million in fiscal 2014. This decrease was the result of an overall decrease in the number of units sold and a reduction in ASP due to increased global competition for LED products which impacted both our LED chip and LED component product lines. The reduction in ASP includes the impact of the increase in channel inventory reserves pursuant to our restructuring plan discussed above. The overall number of units sold decreased 14% in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 and the ASP decreased 15% in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014.
Power and RF Products Segment Revenue
Power and RF Products revenue represented approximately 7%, 8%, and 6% of our total revenue for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. Power and RF Products revenue was $116.7 million, $123.9 million, and $107.5 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.

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Table of Contents

Power and RF Products revenue decreased 6% to $116.7 million in fiscal 2016 from $123.9 million in fiscal 2015. This decrease was primarily the result of a 17% decrease in the number of units sold, partially offset by a 4% increase in the ASP in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. The decrease in units sold was primarily the result of lower RF units sold. The increase in ASP was due to an increase in both power and RF product ASP resulting from a greater mix of higher priced power and RF products.
Power and RF Products revenue increased 15% to $123.9 million in fiscal 2015 from $107.5 million in fiscal 2014. This increase was primarily the result of increased market adoption of power products that resulted in an overall increase in the number of units sold due to increased demand for SiC based devices. The overall number of units sold increased 21% in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014.

Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Gross profit and gross margin were as follows (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Lighting Products gross profit
$
238,242

 
$
235,542

 
$
197,304

 
$
2,700

 
1
 %
 
$
38,238

 
19
 %
Lighting Products gross margin
27
%
 
26
%
 
28
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
LED Products
212,367

 
190,912

 
381,003

 
21,455

 
11
 %
 
(190,091
)
 
(50
)%
LED Products Gross Margin
35
%
 
32
%
 
46
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Power and RF Products gross profit
56,069

 
67,764

 
60,723

 
(11,695
)
 
(17
)%
 
7,041

 
12
 %
Power and RF Products gross margin
48
%
 
55
%
 
56
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Unallocated costs
(19,604
)
 
(20,299
)
 
(21,274
)

695

 
(3
)%
 
975

 
(5
)%
Consolidated gross profit

$487,074

 

$473,919

 

$617,756

 

$13,155

 
3
 %
 

($143,837
)
 
(23
)%
Consolidated gross margin
30
%
 
29
%
 
37
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our consolidated gross profit increased 3% to $487.1 million in fiscal 2016 from $473.9 million in fiscal 2015. Our consolidated gross margin increased to 30% in fiscal 2016 from 29% in fiscal 2015. Our consolidated gross profit decreased 23% to $473.9 million in fiscal 2015 from $617.8 million in fiscal 2014. Our consolidated gross margin decreased to 29% in fiscal 2015 from 37% in fiscal 2014.
Lighting Products Segment Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Lighting Products gross profit was $238.2 million, $235.5 million, and $197.3 million in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. Lighting Products gross margin was 27%, 26%, and 28% in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.
Lighting Products gross profit increased 1% to $238.2 million in fiscal 2016 from $235.5 million in fiscal 2015. Lighting Products gross margin increased to 27% in fiscal 2016 from 26% in fiscal 2015. Lighting Products gross profit and gross margin increased due to a more favorable mix of commercial lighting fixtures and the benefit of factory cost reductions.
Lighting Products gross profit increased 19% to $235.5 million in fiscal 2015 from $197.3 million in fiscal 2014, due to growth in LED lighting products sales as discussed above. Lighting Products gross margin decreased to 26% in fiscal 2015 from 28% in fiscal 2014, primarily due to lower LED bulb margins resulting from a more competitive pricing environment.
LED Products Segment Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Our LED Products gross profit was $212.4 million, $190.9 million, and $381.0 million in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. LED Products gross margin was 35%, 32%, and 46% in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.
LED Products gross profit increased 11% to $212.4 million in fiscal 2016 from $190.9 million in fiscal 2015, and LED Products gross margin increased to 35% in fiscal 2016 from 32% in fiscal 2015. LED Products gross profit and gross margin increased due to higher license revenue and higher units sold, partially offset by lower pricing. In fiscal 2015, LED Products gross profit and gross margin were negatively impacted by increases in channel inventory reserves and inventory reserves pursuant to our restructuring plan, as well as lower factory utilization resulting from lower demand and our targeted actions in the latter half of fiscal 2015 to reduce inventory balances for our LED Products segment.
LED Products gross profit decreased 50% to $190.9 million in fiscal 2015 from $381.0 million in fiscal 2014, and LED Products gross margin decreased to 32% in fiscal 2015 from 46% in fiscal 2014. LED Products gross profit and gross margin decreased during fiscal 2015 due to lower units sold, lower pricing, increases in channel inventory reserves and inventory reserves pursuant

33

Table of Contents

to our restructuring plan, as well as lower factory utilization resulting from lower demand and our targeted actions in the latter half of fiscal 2015 to reduce inventory balances for our LED Products segment.
Power and RF Products Segment Gross Profit and Gross Margin
Power and RF Products gross profit was $56.1 million, $67.8 million, and $60.7 million in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. Power and RF Products gross margin was 48%, 55%, and 56% in fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively.
Power and RF Products gross profit decreased 17% to $56.1 million in fiscal 2016 from $67.8 million in fiscal 2015. Power and RF Products gross margin decreased to 48% in fiscal 2016 from 55% in fiscal 2015. Power and RF Products gross profit and gross margin decreased primarily due to costs associated with new product ramp ups related to new customer sales and changes in product mix.
Power and RF Products gross profit increased 12% to $67.8 million in fiscal 2015 from $60.7 million in fiscal 2014 primarily due to higher revenue. Power and RF Products gross margin decreased to 55% in fiscal 2015 from 56% in fiscal 2014 primarily due to changes in product mix.
Unallocated Costs
Unallocated costs were $19.6 million, $20.3 million, and $21.3 million for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. These costs consisted primarily of manufacturing employees’ stock-based compensation, expenses for profit sharing and quarterly or annual incentive plans and matching contributions under our 401(k) plan. These costs were not allocated to the reportable segments’ gross profit because our CODM does not review them regularly when evaluating segment performance and allocating resources.
Unallocated costs decreased by $0.7 million in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015, primarily due to lower stock-based compensation incurred as a result of our lower average share price.
Unallocated costs decreased by $1.0 million in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014, primarily due to lower incentive and stock-based compensation incurred as a result of declining business performance year over year.
For further information on the allocation of costs to segment gross profit, refer to Note 14, “Reportable Segments,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Research and Development
Research and development expenses include costs associated with the development of new products, enhancements of existing products and general technology research. These costs consisted primarily of employee salaries and related compensation costs, occupancy costs, consulting costs and the cost of development equipment and supplies.
The following sets forth our research and development expenses in dollars and as a percentage of revenue (in thousands, except percentages):
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Research and development

$168,848

 

$182,797

 

$181,382

 

($13,949
)
 
(8
)%
 

$1,415

 
1
%
Percent of revenue
10
%
 
11
%
 
11
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development expenses decreased in fiscal 2016 to $168.8 million compared to $182.8 million in fiscal 2015, which increased slightly from $181.4 million in fiscal 2014. The decrease in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 was primarily due to a shift in emphasis to lighting-related research and development, which is inherently less expensive than LED research and development.
Our research and development expenses vary significantly from year to year based on a number of factors, including the timing of new product introductions and the number and nature of our ongoing research and development activities.

34


Sales, General and Administrative
Sales, general and administrative expenses were comprised primarily of costs associated with our sales and marketing personnel and our executive and administrative personnel (for example, finance, human resources, information technology and legal) and consisted of salaries and related compensation costs; consulting and other professional services (such as litigation and other outside legal counsel fees, audit and other compliance costs); marketing and advertising expenses; facilities and insurance costs and travel and other costs. The following table sets forth our sales, general and administrative expenses in dollars and as a percentage of revenue (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Sales, general and administrative

$283,052

 

$290,730

 

$268,460

 

($7,678
)
 
(3
)%
 

$22,270

 
8
%
Percent of revenue
18
%
 
18
%
 
16
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sales, general and administrative expenses in fiscal 2016 decreased 3% to $283.1 million from $290.7 million in fiscal 2015, which was an 8% increase from $268.5 million in fiscal 2014. The decrease in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 was primarily due to lower spending on corporate sales and marketing expenses related to lower sales, partially offset by an increase in legal fees associated with intellectual property protection and enforcement. The increase in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 was primarily due to an increase in legal fees associated with intellectual property protection and enforcement, severance and lease termination costs pursuant to our restructuring plan, and higher spending on sales and marketing for lighting products, including commissions, trade shows and advertising, as we continued to expand our direct sales resources and channels and invested in building and promoting the Cree brand.
Amortization or Impairment of Acquisition-Related Intangibles
As a result of our acquisitions, we have recognized various amortizable intangible assets, including customer relationships, developed technology, non-compete agreements and trade names.
Amortization of intangible assets related to our acquisitions is as follows (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Customer relationships

$6,374

 

$5,614

 

$7,359

 

$760

 
14
 %
 

($1,745
)
 
(24
)%
Developed technology
20,321

 
18,642

 
19,446

 
1,679

 
9
 %
 
(804
)
 
(4
)%
Non-compete agreements
2,037

 
1,960

 
1,960

 
77

 
4
 %
 

 
 %
Trade names, finite-lived


 
4

 
23

 
(4
)
 
(100
)%
 
(19
)
 
(83
)%
Total

$28,732

 

$26,220

 

$28,788

 

$2,512

 
10
 %
 

($2,568
)
 
(9
)%
Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles increased in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 primarily due to the amortization of intangibles related to the APEI acquisition as discussed in Note 3, “Acquisition,” in our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. Amortization of acquisition-related intangibles decreased in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 primarily due to decreases in amortization expense for customer relationships and developed technology.
In the fourth quarter of 2014, based on our qualitative impairment assessment of our indefinite-lived trade names, we impaired the Ruud Lighting trade name which had a book value of $3.2 million.

35


Loss on Disposal or Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
We operate a capital intensive business. As such, we dispose of a certain level of our equipment in the normal course of business as our production processes change due to production improvement initiatives or product mix changes. Due to the risk of technological obsolescence or changes in our production process, we regularly review our equipment and capitalized patent costs for possible impairment. The following table sets forth our loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets

$16,913

 

$47,722

 

$2,690

 

($30,809
)
 
(65
)%
 

$45,032

 
1,674
%
We recognized a net loss of $16.9 million, $47.7 million, and $2.7 million on the disposal of long-lived assets in fiscal years 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. The net losses in fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015 were primarily due to the planned sale or abandonment of certain long-lived assets to reduce excess manufacturing capacity pursuant to our restructuring plan discussed above. The net loss for fiscal 2014 was primarily the result of disposals of equipment due to changes in various manufacturing processes and the abandonment of certain patent assets as a result of technological obsolescence.
Non-Operating (Expense) Income, net
The following table sets forth our non-operating (expense) income, net (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Gain on sale of investments, net

$238

 

$925

 

$68

 

($687
)
 
(74
)%
 

$857

 
1,260
 %
Loss on equity method investment
(15,357
)
 
(22,624
)
 

 
7,267

 
(32
)%
 
(22,624
)
 

Dividends from equity method investment
1,655

 
2,581

 

 
(926
)
 
(36
)%
 
2,581

 

Interest income, net
4,472

 
9,086

 
11,932

 
(4,614
)
 
(51
)%
 
(2,846
)
 
(24
)%
Foreign currency (loss) gain, net
(4,500
)
 
(929
)
 
45

 
(3,571
)
 
384
 %
 
(974
)
 
(2,164
)%
Other, net
457

 
572

 
1,250

 
(115
)
 
(20
)%
 
(678
)
 
(54
)%
Non-operating (expense) income, net

($13,035
)
 

($10,389
)
 

$13,295

 

($2,646
)
 
25
 %
 

($23,684
)
 
(178
)%
During fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014 we were in a net interest income position. Our short-term investments consisted primarily of municipal bonds, corporate bonds, U.S. agency securities, non-U.S. certificates of deposit and non-U.S. government securities. The primary objective of our investment policy is preservation of principal. Other long-term investments consisted of our approximately 14% common stock ownership interest in Lextar Electronics Corporation (Lextar), which was completed in December 2014. This investment was accounted for under the equity method from the date of investment until June 2016 when we chose not to stand for re-election as a member of the Lextar board of directors. We utilize the fair value option in accounting for our investment in Lextar.
Gain on sale of investments, net. Gain on sale of investments, net was $238 thousand, $925 thousand and $68 thousand in fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively. Gain on sale of investments, net decreased in fiscal 2016 primarily due to lower sales of investments. Gain on sale of investments, net increased in fiscal 2015 primarily due to gains realized on the sale of investments liquidated in order to fund the repurchase of our common stock.
Loss on equity method investment. Loss on equity method investment was $15.4 million in fiscal 2016 and $22.6 million in fiscal 2015 due to decreases in the fair value of our Lextar investment. Lextar’s stock is publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange and its share price declined from 30 New Taiwan Dollar (TWD) at the date of our investment in December 2014 to 21.55 TWD at June 28, 2015 and to 15.70 TWD at June 26, 2016. This downward stock price trend may continue in the future given the risks inherent in Lextar’s business and trends affecting the Taiwan and global equity markets. Any future stock price declines will be recorded as further losses based on the decrease in the fair value of the investment during the applicable fiscal period, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.
Dividends from equity method investment. Dividends from equity method investment were $1.7 million in fiscal 2016 and $2.6 million in fiscal 2015 due to our Lextar investment.

36


Interest income, net. Interest income, net was $4.5 million, $9.1 million and $11.9 million in fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively. The decrease in interest income, net in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015 was primarily due to lower invested balances and higher interest expense due to overall higher borrowings associated with our line of credit, partially offset by higher investment yields. The decrease in interest income, net in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014 was primarily due to earning lower investment yields and lower invested balances, partially offset by interest expense associated with our revolving line of credit.
Foreign currency (loss) gain, net. Foreign currency (loss) gain, net consisted primarily of remeasurement adjustments resulting from our Lextar investment and consolidating our international subsidiaries. The foreign currency loss, net in fiscal 2016 was primarily due to unfavorable fluctuation in the exchange rate between the TWD and the United States Dollar related to our Lextar investment and unfavorable fluctuation in the exchange rate between the Chinese Yuan and the United States Dollar. The foreign currency loss, net in fiscal 2015 was primarily due to unfavorable fluctuation in the exchange rate between the TWD and the United States Dollar related to our Lextar investment and unfavorable fluctuation in the exchange rate between the Euro and the United States Dollar. The foreign currency gain, net for fiscal 2014 was primarily due to favorable fluctuation in the exchange rate between the Chinese Yuan and the United States Dollar.
Other, net. Other, net was $0.5 million, $0.6 million and $1.3 million in fiscal 2016, fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2014, respectively. Other, net decreased from $1.3 million in fiscal 2014 to $0.6 million in fiscal 2015 primarily due to the receipt of a Chinese government subsidy in fiscal 2014.
Income Tax (Benefit) Expense
The following table sets forth our income tax (benefit) expense in dollars and our effective tax rate (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Income tax (benefit) expense

($1,970
)
 

($19,247
)
 

$23,041

 
17,277

 
(90
)%
 
(42,288
)
 
(184
)%
Effective tax rate
8
%
 
23
%
 
16
%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We recognized income tax benefit of $2.0 million in fiscal 2016 as compared to income tax benefit of $19.2 million in fiscal 2015. The decrease in the effective tax rate from 23% in fiscal 2015 to 8% in fiscal 2016 was primarily due to the establishment of a valuation allowance on foreign net operating loss carryovers during fiscal 2016, which had the impact of decreasing the tax benefit realized. The increase in the effective tax rate from 16% in fiscal 2014 to 23% in fiscal 2015 was primarily due to the inverse relationship that tax credits had on the fiscal 2015 effective tax rate due to the pre-tax loss, offset by a higher percentage of our pre-tax loss being derived from international operations in fiscal 2015, which are taxed at lower tax rates than U.S. operations.
The variation between our effective income tax rate and the U.S. statutory rate of 35 percent is due to the impact of our pre-tax income or loss relative to favorable tax rate impacts associated predominantly with our: (i) income derived from international locations with lower tax rates than the U.S. and (ii) tax credits generated, which were offset by the establishment of a valuation allowance on foreign net operating loss carryovers. Tax credits and other deductions have the impact of increasing the tax rate above the statutory rate of 35% in periods in which we report pre-tax losses as they provide a benefit recoverable in future periods. In addition, our effective tax rate may be negatively impacted by the lack of sufficient excess tax benefits (credits) that accumulate in our equity as additional paid-in-capital (APIC) and referred to as the “APIC pool” of credits. In situations where our realized tax deductions for certain stock-based compensation awards, such as non-qualified stock options and restricted stock, are less than those originally anticipated, which accumulate in the APIC pool, accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (U.S. GAAP) requires that we recognize the difference as an increase to income tax expense.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Overview
We require cash to fund our operating expenses and working capital requirements, including outlays for research and development, capital expenditures, strategic acquisitions and investments. Our principal sources of liquidity are cash on hand, marketable securities, cash generated from operations and availability under our line of credit. Our ability to generate cash from operations has been one of our fundamental strengths and has provided us with substantial flexibility in meeting our operating, financing and investing needs. We have a $500 million line of credit as discussed in Note 8, “Long-term Debt,” in our consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. The purpose of this facility is to provide short term flexibility to optimize returns on our cash and investment portfolio while funding share repurchases, capital expenditures and other general business needs.

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Based on past performance and current expectations, we believe our current working capital, availability under our line of credit and anticipated cash flows from operations will be adequate to meet our cash needs for our daily operations and capital expenditures for at least the next 12 months. We may use a portion of our available cash and cash equivalents, line of credit or funds underlying our marketable securities to repurchase shares of our common stock pursuant to repurchase programs authorized by our Board of Directors. With our strong working capital position, we believe that we have the ability to continue to invest in further development of our products and, when necessary or appropriate, make selective acquisitions or other strategic investments to strengthen our product portfolio, secure key intellectual properties or expand our production capacity.
From time to time, we evaluate strategic opportunities, including potential acquisitions, divestitures or investments in complementary businesses, and we anticipate continuing to make such evaluations. We may also access capital markets through the issuance of debt or additional shares of common stock in connection with the acquisition of complementary businesses or other significant assets or for other strategic opportunities. On July 8, 2015, Cree closed on the acquisition of Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. (APEI) as discussed in Note 3, “Acquisition,” in our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report. Additionally, as discussed more fully above in “Business Outlook” and in Note 19, “Subsequent Event,” in our consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report, on July 13, 2016, we executed a definitive agreement to sell the Wolfspeed business to Infineon. We anticipate using the proceeds from this transaction, combined with our expected improved free cash flow following the closing of the transaction, to fund potential acquisitions as well as to support additional share repurchases.
Contractual Obligations
At June 26, 2016, payments to be made pursuant to significant contractual obligations are as follows (in thousands): 
 
 
 
Payments Due by Period
 
Total
 
Less than
One Year
 
One to
Three Years
 
Three to
Five Years
 
More Than
Five Years
Operating lease obligations

$11,359

 

$4,850

 

$4,637

 

$1,846

 

$26

Purchase obligations
134,494

 
131,482

 
1,321

 
895

 
796

Long-term debt
160,000

 


 


 
160,000

 


Interest payments on long-term debt1
12,329

 
2,723

 
5,446

 
4,160

 


Other long-term liabilities2

 

 

 

 

Total contractual obligations

$318,182

 

$139,055

 

$11,404

 

$166,901

 

$822

1Interest payments on long-term debt are based on the interest rate at June 26, 2016.
2 Other long-term liabilities as of June 26, 2016 included long-term tax contingencies and other tax liabilities of $9.3 million, deferred liabilities of $0.2 million and other long-term contingent liabilities (for example, warranties) of $4.8 million. These liabilities were not included in the table above as they will either not be settled in cash and/or the timing of any payments is uncertain.
Operating lease obligations include rental amounts due on leases of certain office and manufacturing space under the terms of non-cancelable operating leases. These leases expire at various times through May 2022. Most of the lease agreements provide for rental adjustments for increases in base rent, property taxes and general property maintenance that would be recognized as rent expense, if applicable.
Purchase obligations represent purchase commitments, including open purchase orders and contracts, and are generally related to the purchase of goods and services in the ordinary course of business such as raw materials, supplies and capital equipment.
Financial Condition
The following table sets forth our cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments (in thousands): 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
Change
Cash and cash equivalents

$166,154

 

$139,710

 

$26,444

Short-term investments
439,151

 
573,481

 
(134,330
)
Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments

$605,305

 

$713,191

 

($107,886
)

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Our liquidity and capital resources primarily depend on our cash flows from operations and our working capital. The significant components of our working capital are liquid assets such as cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts receivable and inventories reduced by trade accounts payable.
The following table presents the components of our cash conversion cycle: 
 
Three Months Ended
 
 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
Change
Days of sales outstanding (a)
38

 
44

 
(6
)
Days of supply in inventory (b)
99

 
83

 
16

Days in accounts payable (c)
(43
)
 
(48
)
 
5

Cash conversion cycle
94

 
79

 
15

a)
Days of sales outstanding (DSO) measures the average collection period of our receivables. DSO is based on the ending net trade receivables and the revenue, net for the quarter then ended. DSO is calculated by dividing ending accounts receivable, net of applicable allowances and reserves, by the average net revenue per day for the respective 90 day period.
b)
Days of supply in inventory (DSI) measures the average number of days from procurement to sale of our product. DSI is based on ending inventory and cost of revenue, net for the quarter then ended. DSI is calculated by dividing ending inventory by average cost of revenue, net per day for the respective 90 day period.
c)
Days in accounts payable (DPO) measures the average number of days our payables remain outstanding before payment. DPO is based on ending accounts payable and cost of revenue, net for the quarter then ended. DPO is calculated by dividing ending accounts payable by the average cost of revenue, net per day for the respective 90 day period.
The increase in the cash conversion cycle was primarily driven by an increase in days of supply in inventory and a decrease in days in accounts payable, partially offset by a decrease in days of sales outstanding.
As of June 26, 2016, we had unrealized losses on our investments of $0.1 million. All of our investments had investment grade ratings, and any such investments that were in an unrealized loss position at June 26, 2016 were in such position due to interest rate changes, sector credit rating changes or company-specific rating changes. As we intend and believe that we have the ability to hold such investments for a period of time that will be sufficient for anticipated recovery in market value, we currently expect to receive the full principal or recover our cost basis in these securities. The declines in value of the securities in our portfolio are considered to be temporary in nature and, accordingly, we do not believe these securities are impaired as of June 26, 2016.

Cash Flows
In summary, our cash flows were as follows (in thousands): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
Year-Over-Year Change
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
2015 to 2016
 
2014 to 2015
Cash provided by operating activities

$203,316

 

$181,254

 

$319,308

 

$22,062

 

($138,054
)
Cash used in investing activities
(7,903
)
 
(16,137
)
 
(242,265
)
 
8,234

 
226,128

Cash (used in) provided by financing activities
(167,859
)
 
(311,353
)
 
19,542

 
143,494

 
(330,895
)
Effect of foreign exchange changes
(1,110
)
 
(878
)
 
170

 
(232
)
 
(1,048
)
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents

$26,444

 

($147,114
)
 

$96,755

 

$173,558

 

($243,869
)
The following is a discussion of our primary sources and uses of cash in our operating, investing and financing activities.
Cash Flows from Operating Activities
Net cash provided by operating activities increased to $203.3 million in fiscal 2016 from $181.3 million in fiscal 2015, primarily due to a lower net loss in fiscal 2016 as compared to fiscal 2015. Net cash provided by operating activities decreased to $181.3 million in fiscal 2015 from $319.3 million in fiscal 2014, primarily due to a net loss in fiscal 2015 as compared to net income in fiscal 2014.

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Cash Flows from Investing Activities
Our investing activities primarily relate to transactions within our short-term investments, purchases of property and equipment and payments for patents and licensing rights. Net cash used in investing activities was $7.9 million in fiscal 2016 compared to $16.1 million in fiscal 2015. Net purchases of property and equipment decreased by $91.2 million in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. Net proceeds from the sale of short-term investments decreased $156 million in fiscal 2016 compared to fiscal 2015. This year over year decrease was primarily due to a decrease in proceeds from the sale and maturities of short-term investments, partially offset by a decrease in short-term investment purchase activity. Fiscal 2016 included $12.5 million in net expenditures to acquire APEI while fiscal 2015 included the $80.6 million investment in Lextar.
Net cash used in investing activities was $16.1 million in fiscal 2015 compared to $242.3 million in fiscal 2014. Net proceeds from the sale of short-term investments increased $333.4 million in fiscal 2015 compared to fiscal 2014. This year over year increase was primarily due to an overall net decrease in short-term investment purchase activity and increase in proceeds from the sale of short-term investments. This net increase was partially offset by the $80.6 million investment in Lextar and a $26.9 million increase in capital spending to support our future growth.
For fiscal 2017, we target committing approximately $50 million of capital to support Lighting and LED products growth and strategic priorities. Additionally, we target spending approximately $75 million to support the Power and RF business growth and longer-term infrastructure needs, however, this amount is expected to be less if the sale to Infineon is closed before our fiscal year end.
Cash Flows from Financing Activities
Net cash used in financing activities was $167.9 million in fiscal 2016 compared to net cash used by financing activities of $311.4 million in fiscal 2015. Our financing activities for fiscal 2016 primarily consisted of repurchases of common stock of $149.6 million and net payments on long-term debt borrowings of $40.0 million on our line of credit, partially offset by proceeds of $21.7 million from net issuances of common stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options and purchases under our employee stock purchase plan, including the excess tax benefit on those exercises.
In fiscal 2015, net cash used in financing activities was $311.4 million compared to net cash provided by financing activities of $19.5 million in fiscal 2014. Our financing activities in fiscal 2015 primarily consisted of repurchases of common stock of $549.7 million, partially offset by net proceeds from long-term borrowings of $200 million on our line of credit and proceeds of $38.3 million from net issuances of common stock pursuant to the exercise of employee stock options and purchases under our employee stock purchase plan, including the excess tax benefit on those exercises.
On June 18, 2015, the Board of Directors approved our fiscal 2016 stock repurchase program, authorizing us to repurchase shares of our common stock having an aggregate purchase price not exceeding $500 million for all purchases from June 29, 2015 through the expiration of the program on June 26, 2016. Since the inception of our stock repurchase program in 2001, we have repurchased 34.2 million shares of our common stock at an average price of $29.34 per share with an aggregate value of $1.0 billion. The repurchase program could be implemented through open market or privately negotiated transactions at the discretion of our management.
Fair Value
Under U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In determining fair value, we use various valuation approaches, including quoted market prices and discounted cash flows. U.S. GAAP also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are obtained from independent sources and can be validated by a third party, whereas unobservable inputs reflect assumptions regarding what a third party would use in pricing an asset or liability. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the reliability of inputs as follows:
Level 1 - Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments that we are able to access. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these products does not entail a significant degree of judgment.
Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for instruments that are similar, or quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar instruments, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.
Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.
The financial assets for which we perform recurring fair value remeasurements are cash equivalents and short-term investments. As of June 26, 2016, financial assets utilizing Level 1 inputs included money market funds. Financial assets utilizing Level 2

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inputs included corporate bonds, municipal bonds, U.S. agency securities, non-U.S. certificates of deposit and non-U.S. government securities. Level 2 assets are valued using a third-party pricing service's consensus price which is a weighted average price based on multiple sources. These sources determine prices utilizing market income models which factor in, where applicable, transactions of similar assets in active markets, transactions of identical assets in infrequent markets, interest rates, bond or credit default swap spreads and volatility. We do not have any financial assets requiring the use of Level 3 inputs. Please refer to Note 6, “Fair Value of Financial Instruments,” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report for further information.

Financial and Market Risks
We are exposed to financial and market risks, including changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates and commodities risk. We have entered and may in the future enter into foreign currency derivative financial instruments in an effort to manage or hedge some of our foreign exchange rate risk. We may not be able to engage in hedging transactions in the future, and even if we do, foreign currency fluctuations may still have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and financial performance. All of the potential changes noted below are based on sensitivity analysis performed on our financial positions at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015. Actual results may differ materially.
Interest Rates
We maintain an investment portfolio principally composed of money market funds, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit. In order to minimize risk, our cash management policy permits us to acquire investments rated “A” grade or better. As of June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015, our cash equivalents and short-term investments had a fair value of $0.4 billion and $590.1 million, respectively. If interest rates were to hypothetically increase by 100 basis points, the fair value of our cash equivalents and short-term investments would decrease by $9.6 million at June 26, 2016 and $9.7 million at June 28, 2015. We do not believe that a 10% change in interest rates would have a significant impact on our financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
As of June 26, 2016, we maintained a secured revolving line of credit under which we can borrow, repay and reborrow loans from time to time prior to its scheduled maturity date of January 9, 2020. At June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015, we had $160 million and $200 million outstanding, respectively, under the line of credit. If interest rates were to increase by 100 basis points, the annual interest incurred under our line of credit would have increased by $1.6 million at June 26, 2016 and $2.0 million at June 28, 2015.
Currency Exchange Rates
Because we operate internationally and have transactions denominated in foreign currencies, including the Chinese Yuan and Euro, among others, we are exposed to currency exchange rate risks. As a result, fluctuations in exchange rates may adversely affect our expenses and results of operations as well as the value of our assets and liabilities. Our primary exposures relate to the exchange rates between (1) the U.S. Dollar and the Chinese Yuan and (2) the U.S. Dollar and the Taiwanese Dollar. The potential loss in fair value resulting from a hypothetical 10% increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar compared to the Chinese Yuan was approximately $1.0 million at June 26, 2016 and $2.4 million at June 28, 2015. The potential loss in fair value resulting from a hypothetical 10% increase in the value of the U.S. Dollar compared to the Taiwanese Dollar was approximately $4.2 million at June 26, 2016 and $6.0 million at June 28, 2015.
Commodities
We utilize significant amounts of precious metals, gases and other commodities in our manufacturing processes. General economic conditions, market specific changes or other factors outside of our control may affect the pricing of these commodities.  We do not use financial instruments to hedge commodity prices.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements
We do not use off-balance sheet arrangements with unconsolidated entities or related parties, nor do we use any other forms of off-balance sheet arrangements. Accordingly, our liquidity and capital resources are not subject to off-balance sheet risks from unconsolidated entities. As of June 26, 2016, we did not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined in Item 303(a)(4)(ii) of SEC Regulation S-K.
We have entered into operating leases primarily for certain of our U.S. and international facilities in the normal course of business. Future minimum lease payments under our operating leases as of June 26, 2016 are detailed above in “Liquidity and Capital Resources” in the section entitled “Contractual Obligations.”


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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. In the application of U.S. GAAP, we are required to make estimates that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities in our consolidated financial statements. Changes in the accounting estimates from period to period are reasonably likely to occur. Accordingly, actual results could differ significantly from the estimates made by management. To the extent that there are material differences between these estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation of our financial condition or results of operations may be affected.
We evaluate our estimates on an ongoing basis, including those related to revenue recognition, product warranty obligations, valuation of inventories, tax related contingencies, valuation of stock-based compensation, valuation of long-lived and intangible assets, other contingencies and litigation, among others. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions, including expected trends that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources.
Our significant accounting policies are discussed in Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to the consolidated financial statements included in Item 8 of this Annual Report. We believe that the following are our most critical accounting policies and estimates, each of which is critical to the portrayal of our financial condition and results of operations and requires our most difficult, subjective and complex judgments. Our management has reviewed our critical accounting policies and the related disclosures with the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors.

Revenue Recognition
We recognize product revenue when the earnings process is complete, as evidenced by persuasive evidence of an arrangement (typically in the form of a purchase order), when the sales price is fixed or determinable, collection of revenue is reasonably assured, and title and risk of loss have passed to the customer.
We provide our customers with limited rights of return for non-conforming shipments and product warranty claims. We estimate an allowance for anticipated sales returns based upon an analysis of historical sales returns and other relevant data. We recognize an allowance for non-conforming returns at the time of sale as a reduction of product revenue and as a reduction to the related accounts receivable balance. We recognize a liability for product warranty claims at the time of sale as an increase to cost of revenue.
For the year ended June 26, 2016, 55% of our revenue was from sales to distributors. Distributors stock inventory and sell our products to their own customer base, which may include: value added resellers; manufacturers who incorporate our products into their own manufactured goods; or ultimate end users of our products. We recognize revenue upon shipment of our products to our distributors. This arrangement is often referred to as a “sell-in” or “point-of-purchase” model as opposed to a “sell-through” or “point-of-sale” model, where revenue is deferred and not recognized until the distributor sells the product through to their customer.
Our distributors may be provided limited rights that allow them to return a portion of inventory (product exchange rights or stock rotation rights) and receive credits for changes in selling prices (price protection rights) or customer pricing arrangements under our “ship and debit” program or other targeted sales incentives. When determining our net revenue, we make significant judgments and estimates corresponding with product shipments. We recognize a reserve for estimated future returns, changes in selling prices, and other targeted sales incentives when product ships. We also recognize an asset for the estimated value of product returns that we believe will be returned to inventory in the future and resold, and these estimates are based upon historical data, current economic trends, distributor inventory levels and other related factors. Our financial condition and operating results are dependent upon our ability to make reliable estimates. Actual results may vary and could have a significant impact on our operating results.
From time to time, we will issue a new price book for our products, and provide a credit to certain distributors for inventory quantities on hand if required by our agreement with the distributor. This practice is known as price protection. These credits are applied against the reserve that we establish upon initial shipment of product to the distributor.
Under the ship and debit program, products are sold to distributors at negotiated prices and the distributors are required to pay for the products purchased within our standard commercial terms. Subsequent to the initial product purchase, a distributor may request a price allowance for a particular part number(s) for certain target customers, prior to the distributor reselling the particular part to that customer. If we approve an allowance and the distributor resells the product to the target customer, we credit the distributor according to the allowance we approved. These credits are applied against a reserve we establish upon initial shipment of product to the distributor.
In addition, we run sales incentive programs with certain distributors and retailers, such as product rebates and cooperative advertising campaigns. We recognize these incentives at the time they are offered to customers and record a credit to their account

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with an offsetting expense as either a reduction to revenue, increase to cost of revenue, or marketing expense depending on the type of sales incentive.

Warranties
Product warranties are estimated and recognized at the time we recognize revenue. The warranty periods range from 90 days to 10 years. We estimate these warranty liabilities at the time of sale, based on historical and projected incident rates and expected future warranty costs. We estimate costs related to product recalls based on a formal campaign soliciting repair or return of that product when they are deemed probable and reasonably estimable. We evaluate our warranty reserves on a quarterly basis based on various factors including historical warranty claims, assumptions about the frequency of warranty claims, and assumptions about the frequency of product failures derived from quality testing, field monitoring and our reliability estimates. Actual product failure rates that materially differ from our estimates could have a significant impact on our operating results.

Inventories
Inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method or an average cost method; and with market not to exceed net realizable value. We write-down our inventories for estimated obsolescence equal to the difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated market value based upon an aging analysis of the inventory on hand, specifically known inventory-related risks (such as technological obsolescence), and assumptions about future demand. We also analyze sales levels by product type, including historical and estimated future customer demand for those products to determine if any additional reserves are appropriate. For example, we adjust for items that are considered obsolete based upon changes in customer demand, manufacturing process changes or new product introductions that may eliminate demand for the product. Any adjustment to our inventories as a result of an estimated obsolescence or net realizable condition is reflected as a component of our cost of revenue. At the point of the loss recognition, a new, lower-cost basis for that inventory is established, and any subsequent improvements in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established lower-cost basis.
In order to determine what costs can be included in the valuation of inventories, we determine normal capacity for our manufacturing facilities based on historical patterns. If our estimates regarding customer demand are inaccurate, or market conditions or technology change in ways that are less favorable than those projected by management, we may be required to take excess capacity charges in accordance with U.S. GAAP, which could have an adverse effect on our operating results.

Deferred Tax Asset Valuation Allowances
In assessing the adequacy of a recognized valuation allowance, we consider all positive and negative evidence and a variety of factors including historical and projected future taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies. When we establish or increase a valuation allowance, our income tax expense increases in the period such determination is made. If we decrease a valuation allowance, our income tax expense decreases in the period such a determination is made.

Tax Contingencies
We are subject to periodic audits of our income tax returns by federal, state, local and foreign agencies. These audits typically include questions regarding our tax filing positions, including the timing and amount of deductions and the allocation of income among various tax jurisdictions. In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification Topic 740, “Income Taxes” (ASC 740), we regularly evaluate the exposures associated with our various tax filing positions. ASC 740 states that a tax benefit should not be recognized for financial statement purposes for an uncertain tax filing position where it is not more likely than not (likelihood of greater than 50%) for being sustained by the taxing authorities based on the technical merits of the position.
In accordance with the provisions of ASC 740, we have established unrecognized tax benefits (as a reduction to the deferred tax asset or as an increase to other liabilities) to reduce some or all of the tax benefit of any of our tax positions at the time we determine that the positions become uncertain based upon one of the following: the tax position is not “more likely than not” to be sustained; the tax position is “more likely than not” to be sustained, but for a lesser amount; or the tax position is “more likely than not” to be sustained, but not in the financial period in which the tax position was originally taken. For purposes of evaluating whether or not a tax position is uncertain, we presume the tax position will be examined by the relevant taxing authority that has full knowledge of all relevant information; the technical merits of a tax position are derived from authorities such as legislation and statutes, legislative intent, regulations, rulings and case law and their applicability to the facts and circumstances of the tax position; and each tax position is evaluated without consideration of the possibility of offset or aggregation with other tax positions taken.

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We adjust these unrecognized tax benefits, including any impact on the related interest and penalties, in light of changing facts and circumstances, such as the progress of a tax audit.
A number of years may elapse before a particular matter for which we have established an unrecognized tax benefit is audited and fully resolved. To the extent we prevail in matters for which we have established an unrecognized benefit or are required to pay amounts in excess of what we have recognized, our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period could be materially affected. An unfavorable tax settlement might require use of our cash and/or result in an increase in our effective tax rate in the year of resolution. A favorable tax settlement would be recognized as a reduction in our effective tax rate in the year of resolution.

Stock-Based Compensation
We account for awards of stock-based compensation under our employee stock-based compensation plans using the fair value method. Accordingly, we estimate the grant date fair value of our stock-based awards and amortize this fair value to compensation expense over the requisite service period or vesting term. We currently use the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of our stock option and Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) awards. The determination of the fair value of stock-based awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by our then current stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables. These variables include the expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, the risk-free interest rate and expected dividends.
Due to the inherent limitations of option-valuation models, future events that are unpredictable and the estimation process utilized in determining the valuation of the stock-based awards, the ultimate value realized by award holders may vary significantly from the amounts expensed in our financial statements. For restricted stock and stock unit awards, grant date fair value is based upon the market price of our common stock on the date of the grant. This fair value is then amortized to compensation expense over the requisite service period or vesting term.
We estimate expected forfeitures at the time of grant and revise this estimate, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates. Our determination of an estimated forfeiture rate is primarily based upon a review of historical experience but may also include consideration of other facts and circumstances we believe are indicative of future activity. The assessment of an estimated forfeiture rate will not alter the total compensation expense to be recognized, only the timing of this recognition as compensation expense is adjusted to reflect instruments that actually vest.
If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating key assumptions, we may be required to adjust compensation expense, which could be material to our results of operations.

Long-Lived Assets
We evaluate long-lived assets such as property, equipment and finite-lived intangible assets, such as patents, for impairment whenever events or circumstances indicate that the carrying value of the assets recognized in our financial statements may not be recoverable. Factors that we consider include whether there has been a significant decrease in the market value of an asset, a significant change in the way an asset is being used, or a significant change, delay or departure in our strategy for that asset. Our assessment of the recoverability of long-lived assets involves significant judgment and estimation. These assessments reflect our assumptions, which, we believe, are consistent with the assumptions hypothetical marketplace participants use. Factors that we must estimate when performing recoverability and impairment tests include, among others, the economic life of the asset, sales volumes, prices, cost of capital, tax rates, and capital spending. These factors are often interdependent and therefore do not change in isolation. If impairment is indicated, we first determine if the total estimated future cash flows on an undiscounted basis are less than the carrying amounts of the asset or assets. If so, an impairment loss is measured and recognized.
After an impairment loss is recognized, a new, lower cost basis for that long-lived asset is established. Subsequent changes in facts and circumstances do not result in the reversal of a previously recognized impairment loss.
Our impairment loss calculations require that we apply judgment in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, including estimating useful lives of the assets. To make these judgments, we may use internal discounted cash flow estimates, quoted market prices when available and independent appraisals as appropriate to determine fair value.
If actual results are not consistent with our assumptions and judgments used in estimating future cash flows and asset fair values, we may be required to recognize additional impairment losses which could be material to our results of operations.


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Goodwill
We test goodwill for impairment at least annually as of the first day of the fiscal fourth quarter, or when indications of potential impairment exist. We monitor for the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year. We conduct impairment testing for goodwill at the reporting unit level. Reporting units, as defined by FASB Accounting Standards Codification Topic 350, “Intangibles - Goodwill and Other” (ASC 350), may be operating segments as a whole or an operation one level below an operating segment, referred to as a component. We have determined that our reporting units are our three operating and reportable segments.
We may initiate goodwill impairment testing by considering qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s carrying value is greater than its fair value. Such factors may include the following, among others: a significant decline in the reporting unit’s expected future cash flows; a sustained, significant decline in our stock price and market capitalization; a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate, unanticipated competition; and slower growth rates; as well as changes in management, key personnel, strategy, and customers. If our qualitative assessment indicates that goodwill impairment is more likely than not, we perform the two-step impairment test. Alternatively, we may bypass the qualitative test and initiate goodwill impairment testing with the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test.
During the first step of the goodwill impairment test, we compare the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. We derive a reporting units fair value through a combination of the market approach (a guideline transaction method) and the income approach (a discounted cash flow analysis). The income approach utilizes a discount rate from the capital asset pricing model. If all reporting units are analyzed during the first step of the goodwill impairment test, their respective fair values are reconciled back to our consolidated market capitalization.
If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, then we conclude that no goodwill impairment has occurred. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, we perform the second step of the goodwill impairment test to measure possible goodwill impairment loss. During the second step, we hypothetically value the reporting units tangible and intangible assets and liabilities as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. Then, the implied fair value of the reporting units goodwill is compared to the carrying value of its goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting units goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, we recognize an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value of the reporting units goodwill. Once an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying value of the goodwill becomes the new accounting basis of the goodwill for the reporting unit.

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
We test indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment at least annually in the fiscal fourth quarter, or when indications of potential impairment exist. We monitor for the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year. Our impairment test may begin with a qualitative test to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible assets carrying value is greater than its fair value. In performing this test, we may consider the following qualitative factors, among others: a significant decline in expected future cash flows; changes in industry and market conditions such as the deterioration in the environment in which we operate or an increased competitive environment; changes in management, key personnel, strategy, or customers; as well as other economic factors. If our qualitative assessment indicates that asset impairment is more likely than not, we perform a quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset to its carrying value. Alternatively, we may bypass the qualitative test and initiate impairment testing with the quantitative impairment test.
Determining the fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets entails significant estimates and assumptions including, but not limited to, determining the timing and expected costs to complete development projects, estimating future cash flows from product revenue, developing appropriate discount rates, estimating probability rates for the successful completion of development projects, continuation of customer relationships and renewal of customer contracts, and approximating the useful lives of the intangible assets acquired.
If the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its carrying value, we conclude that no impairment has occurred. If the carrying value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, we recognize an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value. Once an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying value becomes the new accounting basis of the indefinite-lived intangible asset.

Contingent Liabilities
We provide for contingent liabilities in accordance with U.S. GAAP, under which a loss contingency is charged to income when (1) it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements, and (2) the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.

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Periodically, we review the status of each significant matter to assess the potential financial exposure. If a potential loss is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated, we reflect the estimated loss in our results of operations. Significant judgment is required to determine the probability that a liability has been incurred or an asset impaired and whether such loss is reasonably estimable. Because of uncertainties related to these matters, accruals are based on the best information available at the time. Further, estimates of this nature are highly subjective, and the final outcome of these matters could vary significantly from the amounts that may have been included in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. In determining the probability of an unfavorable outcome of a particular contingent liability and whether such liability is reasonably estimable, we consider the individual facts and circumstances related to the liability, opinions of legal counsel and recent legal rulings by the appropriate regulatory bodies, among other factors.  As additional information becomes available, we reassess the potential liability related to our pending and threatened claims and litigation and may revise our estimates accordingly. Such revisions in the estimates of the potential liabilities could have a material impact on our results of operations and financial position. See also a discussion of specific contingencies in Note 13, “Commitments and Contingencies,” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 2, “Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies,” to our consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report for a description of recent accounting pronouncements, including the expected dates of adoption and estimated effects, if any, on our consolidated financial statements.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
See the section entitled “Financial and Market Risks” included in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in Item 7 of this Annual Report.

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

Index to Consolidated Financial Statements
 
 
Page
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

To Board of Directors and Shareholders of Cree, Inc.

In our opinion, the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and the related consolidated statement of (loss) income, comprehensive (loss) income, cash flows and shareholders’ equity present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Cree, Inc. and its subsidiaries at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended June 26, 2016 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of June 26, 2016, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework 2013 issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO). The Company's management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, appearing under Item 9A, Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express opinions on these financial statements and on the Company's internal control over financial reporting based on our integrated audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audits of the financial statements included examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (iii) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
 
/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Raleigh, North Carolina
 
August 25, 2016
 



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CREE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
(In thousands, except par value)
ASSETS
 
 
 
Current assets:
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents

$166,154

 

$139,710

Short-term investments
439,151

 
573,481

Total cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments
605,305

 
713,191

Accounts receivable, net
165,611

 
186,157

Income tax receivable
6,304

 

Inventories
303,542

 
280,576

Deferred income taxes

 
39,190

Prepaid expenses
26,810

 
29,932

Other current assets
44,788

 
54,851

Assets held for sale
4,347

 
4,353

Total current assets
1,156,707

 
1,308,250

Property and equipment, net
599,723

 
635,072

Goodwill
618,828

 
616,345

Intangible assets, net
302,810

 
310,729

Other long-term investments
40,179

 
57,595

Deferred income taxes
38,564

 
8,951

Other assets
9,249

 
11,091

Total assets

$2,766,060

 

$2,948,033

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
 
Current liabilities:

 

Accounts payable, trade

$132,286

 

$163,128

Accrued salaries and wages
44,642

 
45,415

Income taxes payable

 
2,035

Other current liabilities
46,071

 
44,208

Total current liabilities
222,999

 
254,786

Long-term liabilities:
 
 
 
Long-term debt
160,000

 
200,000

Deferred income taxes
943

 
10,211

Other long-term liabilities
14,294

 
21,084

Total long-term liabilities
175,237

 
231,295

Commitments and contingencies (Note 13)

 

Shareholders’ equity:
 
 
 
Preferred stock, par value $0.01; 3,000 shares authorized at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015; none issued and outstanding

 

Common stock, par value $0.00125; 200,000 shares authorized at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015; 100,829 and 105,507 shares issued and outstanding at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015, respectively
125

 
131

Additional paid-in-capital
2,359,584

 
2,285,554

Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes
8,728

 
5,798

(Accumulated deficit)/retained earnings
(613
)
 
170,469

Total shareholders’ equity
2,367,824

 
2,461,952

Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity

$2,766,060

 

$2,948,033

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Table of Contents

CREE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF (LOSS) INCOME
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
(In thousands, except per share data)
Revenue, net

$1,616,627

 

$1,632,505

 

$1,647,641

Cost of revenue, net
1,129,553

 
1,158,586

 
1,029,885

Gross profit
487,074

 
473,919

 
617,756

Operating expenses:
 
 
 
 
 
Research and development
168,848

 
182,797

 
181,382

Sales, general and administrative
283,052

 
290,730

 
268,460

Amortization or impairment of acquisition-related intangibles
28,732

 
26,220

 
31,988

Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
16,913

 
47,722

 
2,690

Total operating expenses
497,545

 
547,469

 
484,520

Operating (loss) income
(10,471
)
 
(73,550
)
 
133,236

Non-operating (expense) income, net
(13,035
)
 
(10,389
)
 
13,295

(Loss) income before income taxes
(23,506
)
 
(83,939
)
 
146,531

Income tax (benefit) expense
(1,970
)
 
(19,247
)
 
23,041

Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 

($64,692
)
 

$123,490

(Loss) earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
Basic

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.02

Diluted

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.00

Weighted average shares used in per share calculation:
 
 
 
 
 
Basic
101,783

 
113,022

 
120,623

Diluted
101,783

 
113,022

 
122,914

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Table of Contents

CREE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE (LOSS) INCOME

 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
(In thousands)
Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 

($64,692
)
 

$123,490

Other comprehensive income (loss):
 
 
 
 
 
Currency translation (loss) gain, net of tax benefit of $0, $0 and $0, respectively
(362
)
 
(3,563
)
 
57

Net unrealized gain (loss) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax (expense) benefit of ($1,936), $1,284, and ($1,946), respectively
3,292

 
(2,044
)
 
3,104

Other comprehensive income (loss)
2,930

 
(5,607
)
 
3,161

Comprehensive (loss) income

($18,606
)
 

($70,299
)
 

$126,651

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.



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CREE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
 
Fiscal Years Ended

June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
(In thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities:
 
 
 
 
 
Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 

($64,692
)
 

$123,490

Adjustments to reconcile net (loss) income to net cash provided by operating activities:
 
 
 
 
 
Depreciation and amortization
159,145

 
173,323

 
164,010

Stock-based compensation
58,728

 
64,299

 
61,686

Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangements
(12
)
 
(1,395
)
 
(19,235
)
Impairment of acquisition-related intangibles

 
254

 
3,200

Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
16,913

 
47,722

 
2,690

Amortization of premium/discount on investments
5,314

 
6,152

 
10,158

Loss on equity method investment
15,357

 
22,624

 

Foreign exchange loss on equity method investment
2,057

 
347

 

Deferred income taxes
(15,839
)
 
(21,346
)
 
2,371

Changes in operating assets and liabilities, net of effect of acquisition:
 
 
 
 
 
Accounts receivable, net
21,800

 
37,853

 
(32,651
)
Inventories
(23,269
)
 
3,528

 
(87,012
)
Prepaid expenses and other assets
8,103

 
(11,112
)
 
7,926

Accounts payable, trade
(12,090
)
 
(44,796
)
 
66,297

Accrued salaries and wages and other liabilities
(11,355
)
 
(31,507
)
 
16,378

Net cash provided by operating activities
203,316

 
181,254

 
319,308

Cash flows from investing activities:
 
 
 
 
 
Purchases of property and equipment
(120,018
)
 
(206,160
)
 
(178,557
)
Purchases of patent and licensing rights
(14,443
)
 
(19,491
)
 
(20,183
)
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment
5,296

 
285

 
117

Purchases of short-term investments
(220,823
)
 
(349,802
)
 
(625,820
)
Proceeds from maturities of short-term investments
312,524

 
419,802

 
493,288

Proceeds from sale of short-term investments
42,074

 
219,795

 
88,890

Purchase of other long-term investments

 
(80,566
)
 

Purchase of acquired business, net of cash acquired
(12,513
)
 

 

Net cash used in investing activities
(7,903
)
 
(16,137
)
 
(242,265
)
Cash flows from financing activities:
 
 
 
 
 
Proceeds from long-term debt borrowings
653,000

 
695,000

 

Payments on long-term debt borrowings
(693,000
)
 
(495,000
)
 

Net proceeds from issuance of common stock
21,682

 
36,929

 
100,006

Excess tax benefit from share-based payment arrangements
12

 
1,395

 
19,235

Repurchases of common stock
(149,553
)
 
(549,677
)
 
(99,699
)
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities
(167,859
)
 
(311,353
)
 
19,542

Effects of foreign exchange changes on cash and cash equivalents
(1,110
)
 
(878
)
 
170

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
26,444

 
(147,114
)
 
96,755

Cash and cash equivalents:
 
 
 
 
 
Beginning of period
139,710

 
286,824

 
190,069

End of period

$166,154

 

$139,710

 

$286,824

Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information:
 
 
 
 
 
Cash paid for interest

$3,110

 

$1,002

 

$—

Cash paid for income taxes

$14,722

 

$28,834

 

$10,292

Significant non-cash transactions:
 
 
 
 
 
Accrued property and equipment

$3,721

 

$24,243

 

$15,700

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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Table of Contents

CREE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
 
 
Common Stock
 
Additional
Paid-in
Capital
 
(Accumulated deficit)/Retained
Earnings
 
Accumulated
Other
Comprehensive
Income
 
Total
Shareholders’
Equity
 
Number
of Shares
 
Par Value
 
 
(In thousands)
Balance at June 30, 2013
119,623

 

$148

 

$2,025,764

 

$769,434

 

$8,244

 

$2,803,590

Net income

 

 

 
123,490

 

 
123,490

Currency translation gain, net of tax benefit of $0

 

 

 

 
57

 
57

Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax expense of $1,946

 

 

 

 
3,104

 
3,104

Comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
126,651

Income tax benefit from stock option exercises

 

 
8,198

 

 

 
8,198

Repurchased shares
(2,259
)
 
(3
)
 

 
(108,106
)
 


 
(108,109
)
Stock-based compensation

 

 
62,415

 

 

 
62,415

Exercise of stock options and issuance of shares
2,750

 
4

 
93,634

 

 

 
93,638

Balance at June 29, 2014
120,114

 

$149

 

$2,190,011

 

$784,818

 

$11,405

 

$2,986,383

Net loss

 

 

 
(64,692
)
 

 
(64,692
)
Currency translation loss, net of tax benefit of $0

 

 

 

 
(3,563
)
 
(3,563
)
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities, net of tax benefit of $1,284

 

 

 

 
(2,044
)
 
(2,044
)
Comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(70,299
)
Income tax expense from stock option exercises

 

 
(1,010
)
 

 

 
(1,010
)
Repurchased shares
(16,034
)
 
(20
)
 

 
(549,657
)
 


 
(549,677
)
Stock-based compensation

 

 
64,720

 

 

 
64,720

Exercise of stock options and issuance of shares
1,427

 
2

 
31,833

 

 

 
31,835

Balance at June 28, 2015
105,507

 

$131

 

$2,285,554

 

$170,469

 

$5,798

 

$2,461,952

Net loss

 

 

 
(21,536
)
 

 
(21,536
)
Currency translation loss, net of tax benefit of $0

 

 

 

 
(362
)
 
(362
)
Unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of tax expense of $1,936

 

 

 

 
3,292

 
3,292

Comprehensive loss
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(18,606
)
Income tax expense from stock option exercises

 

 
(3,525
)
 

 

 
(3,525
)
Repurchased shares
(5,842
)
 
(7
)
 

 
(149,546
)
 


 
(149,553
)
Stock-based compensation

 

 
58,425

 

 

 
58,425

Exercise of stock options and issuance of shares
1,164

 
1

 
19,130

 

 

 
19,131

Balance at June 26, 2016
100,829

 

$125

 

$2,359,584

 

($613
)
 

$8,728

 

$2,367,824

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the consolidated financial statements.

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CREE, INC.
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Note 1 – Business
Cree, Inc. (the Company) is a leading innovator of lighting-class light emitting diode (LED) products, lighting products and wide bandgap semiconductor products for power and radio-frequency (RF) applications. The Company's products are targeted for applications such as indoor and outdoor lighting, video displays, transportation, electronic signs and signals, power supplies, inverters and wireless systems.
The Company's lighting products primarily consist of LED lighting systems and bulbs. The Company designs, manufactures and sells lighting fixtures and lamps for the commercial, industrial and consumer markets.
The Company's LED products consist of LED components, LED chips and silicon carbide (SiC) materials. The Company's success in selling LED products depends upon its ability to offer innovative products and to enable its customers to develop and market LED-based products that successfully compete against other LED-based products and drive LED adoption against traditional lighting products.
In addition, the Company develops, manufactures and sells power and RF devices based on wide bandgap semiconductor materials such as SiC and gallium nitride (GaN). The Company's power products are made from SiC and provide increased efficiency, faster switching speeds and reduced system size and weight over comparable silicon-based power devices. The Company's RF devices are made from GaN and provide improved efficiency, bandwidth and frequency of operation as compared to silicon or gallium arsenide (GaAs).
As discussed more fully below in Note 19, “Subsequent Event,” on July 13, 2016, the Company executed a definitive agreement to sell its Power and RF Products segment and certain related portions of its SiC materials and gemstones business included within its LED Products segment (the Company refers to the business that it is selling, collectively, as the Wolfspeed business) to Infineon Technologies AG (Infineon).
The majority of the Company's products are manufactured at its production facilities located in North Carolina, Wisconsin and China. The Company also uses contract manufacturers for certain products and aspects of product fabrication, assembly and packaging. The Company operates research and development facilities in North Carolina, California, Wisconsin, India, Italy and China (including Hong Kong).
Cree, Inc. is a North Carolina corporation established in 1987 and is headquartered in Durham, North Carolina.
The Company's three reportable segments are:
Lighting Products
LED Products
Power and RF Products

For financial results by reportable segment, please refer to Note 14, “Reportable Segments.”

Note 2 – Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles of Consolidation
The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of the Company, and its wholly owned subsidiaries. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Fiscal Year
The Company’s fiscal year is a 52 or 53-week period ending on the last Sunday in the month of June. The Company’s 2016, 2015 and 2014 fiscal years were 52-week fiscal years. The Company’s 2017 fiscal year will be a 52-week fiscal year.


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Reclassifications
Certain prior period amounts in the accompanying consolidated financial statements have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. These reclassifications had no effect on previously reported net income or shareholders’ equity.
Revision of Prior Period Financial Statements
During the third quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company identified errors in its previously reported financial statements in which amortization expense was understated as certain patents were being amortized over a life longer than the life of the underlying patent right.
The Company assessed the materiality of these errors on prior periods’ financial statements in accordance with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) No. 99, Materiality, codified in the Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 250, Presentation of Financial Statements, and concluded that they were not material individually or in the aggregate to any prior annual or interim periods.  However, through the second quarter of fiscal 2016 the aggregate amount of the prior period errors of $6.8 million before income taxes would have been material to our interim Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) for the third quarter of fiscal 2016.  Consequently, in accordance with ASC 250, the Company corrected these errors, and other immaterial errors, for all prior periods presented by revising the consolidated financial statements and other financial information included herein. Periods not presented herein will be revised, as applicable, in future filings.
The following table summarizes the effects of the revision on the Consolidated Balance Sheet as of June 28, 2015 (in thousands):
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision Adjustments
 
As Revised
Intangible assets, net
$
317,154

 
$
(6,425
)
 
$
310,729

Deferred income taxes
8,893

 
58

 
8,951

Total assets
2,954,400

 
(6,367
)
 
2,948,033

 
 
 
 
 
 
Deferred income taxes
12,174

 
(1,963
)
 
10,211

Total long-term liabilities
233,258

 
(1,963
)
 
231,295

Retained earnings
174,873

 
(4,404
)
 
170,469

Total shareholders' equity
2,466,356

 
(4,404
)
 
2,461,952

Total liabilities and shareholders' equity
2,954,400

 
(6,367
)
 
2,948,033

The following table summarizes the effects of the revision on the Consolidated Statements of Income (Loss) (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision Adjustments
 
As Revised
 
As Previously Reported
 
Revision Adjustments
 
As Revised
Cost of revenue, net
$
1,157,549

 
$
1,037

 
$
1,158,586

 
$
1,028,846

 
$
1,039

 
$
1,029,885

Gross profit
474,956

 
(1,037
)
 
473,919

 
618,795

 
(1,039
)
 
617,756

Operating (loss) income
(72,513
)
 
(1,037
)
 
(73,550
)
 
134,275

 
(1,039
)
 
133,236

(Loss) income before income taxes
(82,902
)
 
(1,037
)
 
(83,939
)
 
147,570

 
(1,039
)
 
146,531

Income tax (benefit) expense
(18,851
)
 
(396
)
 
(19,247
)
 
23,379

 
(338
)
 
23,041

Net (loss) income
(64,051
)
 
(641
)
 
(64,692
)
 
124,191

 
(701
)
 
123,490

Earnings (loss) per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    Basic
(0.57
)
 

 
(0.57
)
 
1.03

 
(0.01
)
 
1.02

    Diluted
(0.57
)
 

 
(0.57
)
 
1.01

 
(0.01
)
 
1.00


The revision had no net impact on the Company’s net cash provided by operating activities.

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Use of Estimates
The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. The Company evaluates its estimates on an ongoing basis, including those related to revenue recognition, product warranty obligations, valuation of inventories, tax related contingencies, valuation of stock-based compensation, valuation of long-lived and intangible assets, other contingencies and litigation, among others. The Company generally bases its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates.

Segment Information
U.S. GAAP requires segmentation based on an entity’s internal organization and reporting of revenue and operating income based upon internal accounting methods commonly referred to as the “management approach.” Operating segments are defined as components of an enterprise about which separate financial information is available that is evaluated regularly by the chief operating decision maker (CODM), or decision making group, in deciding how to allocate resources and in assessing performance. The Company’s CODM is its Chief Executive Officer. The Company has determined that it currently has three operating and reportable segments.

Cash and Cash Equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents consist of unrestricted cash accounts and highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased. Cash and cash equivalents are stated at cost, which approximates fair value. The Company holds cash and cash equivalents at several major financial institutions, which often exceed insurance limits set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The Company has not historically experienced any losses due to such concentration of credit risk.

Investments
Investments in certain securities may be classified into three categories:
Held-to-Maturity – Debt securities that the entity has the positive intent and ability to hold to maturity, which are reported at amortized cost.
Trading – Debt and equity securities that are bought and held principally for the purpose of selling in the near term, which are reported at fair value, with unrealized gains and losses included in earnings.
Available-for-Sale – Debt and equity securities not classified as either held-to-maturity or trading securities, which are reported at fair value with unrealized gains or losses excluded from earnings and reported as a separate component of shareholders’ equity.
The Company reassesses the appropriateness of the classification (i.e. held-to-maturity, trading or available-for-sale) of its investments at the end of each reporting period.
When the fair value of an investment declines below its original cost, the Company considers all available evidence to evaluate whether the decline is other-than-temporary. Among other things, the Company considers the duration and extent of the decline and economic factors influencing the capital markets. For the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016, June 28, 2015, and June 29, 2014, the Company had no other-than-temporary declines below the cost basis of its investments. The Company utilizes specific identification in computing realized gains and losses on the sale of investments. Realized gains and losses on the sale of investments are reported in other income and expense.
Investments in marketable securities with maturities beyond one year may be classified as short-term based on their highly liquid nature and because such marketable securities represent the investment of cash that is available for current operations.
Other long-term investments consist of the Company's approximately 14% common stock ownership interest in Lextar Electronics Corporation (Lextar), which the Company acquired in December 2014.  This investment was accounted for under the equity method from the date of investment until June 2016 when the Company chose not to stand for re-election as a member of the Lextar board of directors. The Company utilizes the fair value option in accounting for its investment in Lextar. The Company has determined that for its fiscal years ended June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015, Lextar has met the conditions of a significant subsidiary under Rule 1-02(w) of Regulation S-X for which the Company is required, pursuant to Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X,

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to file separate financial statements as an exhibit to its Annual Report on Form 10-K. As such, separate financial statements for Lextar, prepared by Lextar and audited by its independent public accounting firm, are filed as Exhibit 99.1 to the Company's Annual Report.
    
Inventories
Inventories are stated at lower of cost or market, with cost determined on a first-in, first-out (FIFO) method or an average cost method; and with market not to exceed net realizable value. The Company writes down its inventory balances for estimates of excess and obsolete amounts. These write-downs are recognized as a component of cost of revenue. At the point of the write-down, a new lower-cost basis for that inventory is established, and any subsequent improvements in facts and circumstances do not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established lower-cost basis. The Company recognized charges for write-downs in inventories of $3.6 million, $15.2 million and $5.2 million, for fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014, respectively.

Property and Equipment
Property and equipment are stated at cost and depreciated on a straight-line basis over the assets’ estimated useful lives. Leasehold improvements are amortized over the lesser of the asset life or the life of the related lease. In general, the Company’s policy for useful lives is as follows: 
Machinery and equipment
  
3 to 15 years
Buildings and building improvements
  
5 to 40 years
Furniture and fixtures
  
3 to 5 years
Aircraft and vehicles
 
5 to 20 years
Leasehold improvements
  
Shorter of estimated useful life or lease term
Expenditures for repairs and maintenance are charged to expense as incurred. The costs for major renewals and improvements are capitalized and depreciated over their estimated useful lives. The cost and related accumulated depreciation of the assets are removed from the accounts upon disposition and any resulting gain or loss is reflected in operating income.

Shipping and Handling Costs
Shipping and handling costs are included in Cost of revenue, net in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income and are recognized as a period expense during the period in which they are incurred.

Goodwill and Intangible Assets
The Company recognizes the assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business combinations at their respective fair values at the date of acquisition, with any excess purchase price recognized as goodwill. Valuation of intangible assets entails significant estimates and assumptions including, but not limited to, estimating future cash flows from product revenue, developing appropriate discount rates, continuation of customer relationships and renewal of customer contracts, and approximating the useful lives of the intangible assets acquired.

Goodwill
The Company recognizes goodwill as an asset representing the future economic benefits arising from other assets acquired in a business combination that are not individually identified and separately recognized. The Company tests goodwill for impairment at least annually as of the first day of the fiscal fourth quarter, or when indications of potential impairment exist. The Company monitors for the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year.
The Company conducts impairment testing for goodwill at the reporting unit level. Reporting units may be operating segments as a whole or an operation one level below an operating segment, referred to as a component. The Company has determined that its reporting units are its three operating and reportable segments.
The Company may initiate goodwill impairment testing by considering qualitative factors to determine whether it is more likely than not that a reporting unit’s carrying value is greater than its fair value. Such factors may include the following, among others: a significant decline in the reporting units expected future cash flows; a sustained, significant decline in the Companys stock

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price and market capitalization; a significant adverse change in legal factors or in the business climate; unanticipated competition; and slower growth rates; as well as changes in management, key personnel, strategy and customers. If the Company’s qualitative assessment indicates that goodwill impairment is more likely than not, the Company performs the two-step goodwill impairment test. Alternatively, the Company may bypass the qualitative test and initiate goodwill impairment testing with the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test.
During the first step of the goodwill impairment test, the Company compares the fair value of the reporting unit to its carrying value, including goodwill. The Company derives a reporting units fair value through a combination of the market approach (a guideline transaction method) and the income approach (a discounted cash flow analysis). The income approach utilizes a discount rate from the capital asset pricing model. If all reporting units are analyzed during the first step of the goodwill impairment test, their respective fair values are reconciled back to the Companys consolidated market capitalization.
If the fair value of a reporting unit exceeds its carrying value, then the Company concludes that no goodwill impairment has occurred. If the carrying value of the reporting unit exceeds its fair value, the Company performs the second step of the goodwill impairment test to measure possible goodwill impairment loss. During the second step, the Company hypothetically values the reporting units tangible and intangible assets and liabilities as if the reporting unit had been acquired in a business combination. Then, the implied fair value of the reporting units goodwill is compared to the carrying value of its goodwill. If the carrying value of the reporting units goodwill exceeds the implied fair value of the goodwill, the Company recognizes an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value of the reporting units goodwill. Once an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying value of the goodwill becomes the new accounting basis of the goodwill for the reporting unit.

Indefinite-Lived Intangible Assets
The Companys indefinite-lived intangible assets are tested for impairment at least annually in the fiscal fourth quarter or when indications of potential impairment exist. The Company monitors for the existence of potential impairment indicators throughout the fiscal year.
The Companys impairment test may begin with a qualitative test to determine whether it is more likely than not that an indefinite-lived intangible assets carrying value is greater than its fair value. In performing this test, the Company may consider the following qualitative factors, among others: a significant decline in expected future cash flows; changes in industry and market conditions such as the deterioration in the environment in which the Company operates or an increased competitive environment; changes in management, key personnel, strategy, or customers; as well as other economic factors. If the Company’s qualitative assessment indicates that asset impairment is more likely than not, the Company performs a quantitative impairment test by comparing the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset to its carrying value. Alternatively, the Company may bypass the qualitative test and initiate impairment testing with the quantitative impairment test. Determining the fair value of indefinite-lived intangible assets entails significant estimates and assumptions including, but not limited to, determining the timing and expected costs to complete development projects, estimating future cash flows from product revenue, developing appropriate discount rates, estimating probability rates for the successful completion of development projects, continuation of customer relationships and renewal of customer contracts, and approximating the useful lives of the intangible assets acquired.
If the fair value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its carrying value, then the Company concludes that no impairment has occurred. If the carrying value of the indefinite-lived intangible asset exceeds its fair value, the Company recognizes an impairment loss in an amount equal to the excess, not to exceed the carrying value. Once an impairment loss is recognized, the adjusted carrying value becomes the new accounting basis of the indefinite-lived intangible asset.

Finite-Lived Intangible Assets
U.S. GAAP requires that intangible assets, other than goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles, must be amortized over their useful lives. The Company is currently amortizing its acquired intangible assets with finite lives over periods ranging from one to 20 years.
Patent rights reflect costs incurred by the Company in applying for and maintaining patents owned by the Company and costs incurred in purchasing patents and related rights from third parties. Licensing rights reflect costs incurred by the Company in acquiring licenses under patents owned by others. The Company amortizes both on a straight-line basis over the expected useful life of the associated patent rights, which is generally the lesser of 20 years from the date of the patent application or the license period. Royalties payable under licenses for patents owned by others are generally expensed as incurred. The Company reviews its capitalized patent portfolio and recognizes impairment charges when circumstances warrant, such as when patents have been abandoned or are no longer being pursued.


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Long-Lived Assets
The Company reviews long-lived assets such as property and equipment for impairment based on changes in circumstances that indicate their carrying amounts may not be recoverable. In making these determinations, the Company uses certain assumptions, including but not limited to: (1) estimations of the fair market value of the assets and (2) estimations of future cash flows expected to be generated by these assets, which are based on additional assumptions such as asset utilization, length of service the asset will be used in the Company’s operations and estimated salvage values.

Contingent Liabilities
The Company recognizes contingent liabilities when it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred at the date of the financial statements and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated. Disclosure in the notes to the financial statements is required for loss contingencies that do not meet both these conditions if there is a reasonable possibility that a loss may have been incurred. See Note 13, “Commitments and Contingencies,” for a discussion of loss contingencies in connection with pending and threatened litigation. The Company expenses as incurred the costs of defending legal claims against the Company.

Revenue Recognition
The Company recognizes product revenue when the earnings process is complete, as evidenced by persuasive evidence of an arrangement (typically in the form of a purchase order), when the sales price is fixed or determinable, collection of revenue is reasonably assured, and title and risk of loss have passed to the customer.
The Company provides its customers with limited rights of return for non-conforming shipments and product warranty claims. The Company estimates an allowance for anticipated sales returns based upon an analysis of historical sales returns and other relevant data. The Company recognizes an allowance for non-conforming returns at the time of sale as a reduction of product revenue and as a reduction to the related accounts receivable balance. The Company recognizes a liability for product warranty claims at the time of sale as an increase to cost of revenue.
A substantial portion of the Company’s products are sold through distributors. Distributors stock inventory and sell the Company’s products to their own customer base, which may include: value added resellers; manufacturers who incorporate the Company’s products into their own manufactured goods; or ultimate end users of the Company’s products. The Company recognizes revenue upon shipment of its products to its distributors. This arrangement is often referred to as a “sell-in” or “point-of-purchase” model as opposed to a “sell-through” or “point-of-sale” model, where revenue is deferred and not recognized until the distributor sells the product through to their customer.
Certain of the Company’s distributors are provided limited rights that allow them to return a portion of inventory (product exchange rights or stock rotation rights) and receive credits for changes in selling prices (price protection rights) or customer pricing arrangements under the Company’s “ship and debit” program or other targeted sales incentives. These estimates are calculated based upon historical experience, product shipment analysis, current economic conditions, on-hand inventory at the distributor, and customer contractual arrangements. The Company believes that it can reasonably and reliably estimate the allowance for distributor credits at the time of sale. Accordingly, estimates for these rights are recognized at the time of sale as a reduction of product revenue and as a reduction to the related accounts receivable balance.
From time to time, the Company will issue a new price book for its products, and provide a credit to certain distributors for inventory quantities on hand if required by the Company’s agreement with the distributor. This practice is known as price protection. These credits are applied against the reserve that the Company establishes upon initial shipment of product to the distributor.
Under the ship and debit program, products are sold to distributors at negotiated prices and the distributors are required to pay for the products purchased within the Company’s standard commercial terms. Subsequent to the initial product purchase, a distributor may request a price allowance for a particular part number(s) for certain target customers, prior to the distributor reselling the particular part to that customer. If the Company approves an allowance and the distributor resells the product to the target customer, the Company credits the distributor according to the allowance the Company approved. These credits are applied against the reserve that the Company establishes upon initial shipment of product to the distributor.
In addition, the Company runs sales incentive programs with certain distributors and retailers, such as product rebates and cooperative advertising campaigns. The Company recognizes these incentives at the time they are offered to customers and records a credit to their account with an offsetting expense as either a reduction to revenue, increase to cost of revenue, or marketing expense depending on the type of sales incentive.
From time to time, the Company may enter into licensing arrangements related to its intellectual property. Revenue from licensing arrangements is recognized when earned and estimable. The timing of revenue recognition is dependent on the terms of each

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license agreement. Generally, the Company will recognize non-refundable upfront licensing fees related to patent licenses immediately upon receipt of the funds if the Company has no significant future obligations to perform under the arrangement. However, the Company will defer recognition for licensing fees where the Company has significant future performance requirements, the fee is not fixed (such as royalties earned as a percentage of future revenue), or the fees are otherwise contingent.

Accounts Receivable
For product revenue, the Company typically invoices its customers at the time of shipment for the sales order value of products shipped. Accounts receivable are recognized at the invoiced amount and are not subject to any interest or finance charges. The Company does not have any off-balance sheet credit exposure related to any of its customers.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts
The Company evaluates the collectability of accounts receivable based on a combination of factors. In cases where the Company becomes aware of circumstances that may impair a specific customer’s ability to meet its financial obligations subsequent to the original sale, the Company will recognize an allowance against amounts due, and thereby reduce the net recognized receivable to the amount the Company reasonably believes will be collected. For all other customers, the Company recognizes an allowance for doubtful accounts based on the length of time the receivables are past due and consideration of other factors such as industry conditions, the current business environment and the Company’s historical experience.

Advertising
The Company expenses the costs of producing advertisements at the time production occurs and expenses the cost of communicating the advertising in the period in which the advertising is used. Advertising costs are included in Sales, general and administrative expenses in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income and amounted to approximately $12.6 million, $25.6 million, and $26.6 million for the years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively.

Research and Development
Research and development activities are expensed when incurred.

(Loss) Earnings Per Share
Basic (loss) earnings per share is computed by dividing net (loss) income by the weighted average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the applicable period. Diluted (loss) earnings per share is determined in the same manner as basic (loss) earnings per share except that the number of shares is increased to assume exercise of potentially dilutive stock options, nonvested restricted stock and contingently issuable shares using the treasury stock method, unless the effect of such increases would be anti-dilutive. Under the treasury stock method, the amount the employee must pay for exercising stock options, the amount of compensation cost for future service that the Company has not yet recognized, and the amount of tax benefits that would be recognized in additional paid-in capital when the award becomes deductible are assumed to be used to repurchase shares.

Stock-Based Compensation
The Company recognizes compensation expense for all share-based payments granted based on the fair value of the shares on the date of grant. Compensation expense is then recognized over the award’s vesting period.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, accounts and interest receivable, accounts payable and other liabilities approximate their fair values at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015 due to the short-term nature of these instruments.


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Taxes
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets are recognized for deductible temporary differences, along with net operating loss carryforwards and credit carryforwards, if it is more likely than not that the tax benefits will be realized. To the extent a deferred tax asset cannot be recognized under the preceding criteria, allowances are established. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates in effect for the year in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled.
Taxes payable which are not based on income are accrued ratably over the period to which they apply. For example, payroll taxes are accrued each period end based upon the amount of payroll taxes that are owed as of that date; whereas taxes such as property taxes and franchise taxes are accrued over the fiscal year to which they apply if paid at the end of a period, or they are amortized ratably over the fiscal year if they are paid in advance.

Sales Taxes
The Company presents sales taxes collected from customers and remitted to governmental authorities on a net basis (i.e. excluded from revenue and expenses).

Foreign Currency Translation
Foreign currency translation adjustments are recognized in Other comprehensive income (loss) in the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income for changes between the foreign subsidiaries’ functional currency and the United States (U.S.) dollar. Foreign currency translation gains and losses are included in the Company’s equity account balance of Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes in the Consolidated Balance Sheets until such time that the subsidiaries are either sold or substantially liquidated.
Because the Company and its subsidiaries transact business in currencies other than the U.S. Dollar, the Company will continue to experience varying amounts of foreign currency exchange gains and losses for subsidiaries with U.S. dollar functional currency.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements
Revenue from Contracts with Customers
In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Accounting Standards Update (ASU) No. 2014-09: Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The FASB has subsequently issued multiple ASUs which amend and clarify the guidance in Topic 606. The ASU establishes a principles-based approach for accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes existing revenue recognition guidance. The ASU provides that an entity should apply a five-step approach for recognizing revenue, including (1) identify the contract with a customer; (2) identify the performance obligations in the contract; (3) determine the transaction price; (4) allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract; and (5) recognize revenue when, or as, the entity satisfies a performance obligation. Also, the entity must provide various disclosures concerning the nature, amount and timing of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. The effective date will be the first quarter of the Company's fiscal year ending June 30, 2019, using one of two retrospective application methods. The Company is currently analyzing the impact of this new accounting guidance.
Income Taxes
In November 2015, the FASB issued ASU No. 2015-17: Income Taxes (Topic 740): Balance Sheet Classification of Deferred Taxes. The ASU requires entities to present deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The ASU simplifies the current guidance, which requires entities to separately present deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities as current or noncurrent in a classified balance sheet. The ASU is effective for financial statements issued for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods. Early application of the ASU is permitted as of the beginning of an interim or annual reporting period and may be applied either prospectively or retrospectively to all periods presented. The Company has adopted the provisions of this ASU prospectively for the interim period ended December 27, 2015 and therefore, prior periods were not retrospectively adjusted. The Company’s adoption of the new accounting guidance did not have a significant impact on its consolidated financial statements.

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Leases
In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02: Leases (Topic 842). The ASU requires that a lessee recognize in its statement of financial position a liability to make lease payments (the lease liability) and a right-of-use asset representing its right to use the underlying asset for the lease term. The asset will be based on the liability, subject to adjustment, such as for initial direct costs. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, a lessee is permitted to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset not to recognize lease assets and lease liabilities. For income statement purposes, leases are still required to be classified as either operating or finance. Operating leases will result in straight-line expense while finance leases will result in a front-loaded expense pattern. The effective date will be the first quarter of the Company's fiscal year ending June 28, 2020, using a modified retrospective approach. The Company is currently analyzing the impact of this new pronouncement.
Stock Compensation
In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09: Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting.  The ASU simplifies the current stock compensation guidance for tax consequences.  The ASU requires an entity to recognize all excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies as income tax expense or benefit in its income statement.  The ASU also eliminates the requirement to defer recognition of an excess tax benefit until the benefit is realized through a reduction to taxes payable. For cash flows statement purposes, excess tax benefits should be classified as an operating activity and cash payments made to taxing authorities on the employee’s behalf for withheld shares should be classified as financing activity.  The ASU is effective for public companies for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2016, including interim periods within those fiscal years.  The Company is currently analyzing the impact of this new pronouncement.

Note 3 – Acquisition
On July 8, 2015, the Company closed on the acquisition of Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. (APEI), a global leader in power modules and power electronics applications, pursuant to a merger agreement with APEI and certain shareholders of APEI, whereby the Company acquired all of the outstanding share capital of APEI in exchange for a base purchase price of $13.8 million, subject to certain adjustments.  In addition, if certain goals are achieved over the next two years, additional cash payments totaling up to $4.6 million may be made to the former APEI shareholders.  Payments totaling $2.8 million were made to the former APEI shareholders in July 2016 based on achievement of the first year goals. The Company expects that the second year goals will also be achieved. In connection with this acquisition, APEI became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, renamed Cree Fayetteville, Inc. (Cree Fayetteville).  Cree Fayetteville is not considered a significant subsidiary of the Company and its results from operations are reported as part of the Company's Power and RF Products segment.


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The total purchase price for this acquisition was as follows (in thousands):
Cash consideration paid to stockholders
$
13,797

Post closing adjustments
181

Contingent consideration
4,625

Total purchase price
$
18,603


The purchase price for this acquisition has been allocated to the assets acquired and liabilities assumed based on their estimated fair values as follows (in thousands):
Tangible assets:
 
Cash and cash equivalents
$
1,284

Accounts receivable
1,006

Inventories
143

Property and equipment
935

Other assets
270

Total tangible assets
3,638

Intangible assets:
 
Patents
40

Customer relationships
4,500

Developed technology
11,403

In-process research & development
7,565

Non-compete agreements
231

Goodwill
2,483

Total intangible assets
26,222

Liabilities assumed:
 
Accounts payable
55

Accrued expenses and liabilities
1,911

Other long-term liabilities
9,291

Total liabilities assumed
11,257

Net assets acquired
$
18,603

The identifiable intangible assets acquired as a result of the acquisition will be amortized over their respective estimated useful lives as follows (in thousands, except for years):
 
Asset Amount
 
Estimated Life in Years
Patents

$40

 
20
Customer relationships
4,500

 
4
Developed technology
11,403

 
10
In-process research and development1
7,565

 
7
Non-compete agreements
231

 
3
Total identifiable intangible assets

$23,739

 
 
(1) In-process research and development (IPR&D) is initially classified as indefinite-lived assets and tested for impairment at least annually or when indications of potential impairment exist. The IPR&D was completed in January 2016 and is classified as Developed technology in Note 7, "Goodwill and Intangible Assets."
Goodwill largely consists of expansion of product offerings of power modules and power electronics applications, manufacturing and other synergies of the combined companies, and the value of the assembled workforce.

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The assets, liabilities and operating results of APEI have been included in the Company's consolidated financial statements from the date of acquisition and are not significant to the Company as a whole.


Note 4 – Financial Statement Details
Accounts Receivable, net
The following table summarizes the components of accounts receivable, net (in thousands): 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Billed trade receivables

$217,691

 

$246,969

Unbilled contract receivables
2,135

 
2,223

 
219,826

 
249,192

Allowance for sales returns, discounts and other incentives
(48,710
)
 
(58,094
)
Allowance for bad debts
(5,505
)
 
(4,941
)
Accounts receivable, net

$165,611

 

$186,157

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s allowance for sales returns, discounts and other incentives (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Balance at beginning of period

$58,094

 

$29,010

 

$26,500

Current period claims
(163,523
)
 
(148,715
)
 
(115,568
)
Provision for sales returns, discounts and other incentives
154,139

 
177,799

 
118,078

Balance at end of period

$48,710

 

$58,094

 

$29,010

The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s allowance for bad debts (in thousands): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Balance at beginning of period

$4,941

 

$2,761

 

$2,471

Current period provision
564

 
2,184

 
903

Write-offs, net of recoveries

 
(4
)
 
(613
)
Balance at end of period

$5,505

 

$4,941

 

$2,761


Inventories
The following table summarizes the components of inventories (in thousands): 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Raw material

$83,299

 

$86,331

Work-in-progress
96,779

 
93,424

Finished goods
123,464

 
100,821

Inventories

$303,542

 

$280,576



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Property and Equipment, net
The following table summarizes the components of property and equipment, net (in thousands):
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Furniture and fixtures

$14,280

 

$12,525

Land and buildings
386,573

 
367,519

Machinery and equipment
1,126,936

 
1,060,599

Aircraft and vehicles
10,455

 
10,489

Computer hardware/software
44,095

 
38,366

Leasehold improvements and other
6,497

 
6,698

Construction in progress
150,114

 
178,757

 
1,738,950

 
1,674,953

Accumulated depreciation
(1,139,227
)
 
(1,039,881
)
Property and equipment, net

$599,723

 

$635,072

Depreciation of property and equipment totaled $118.8 million, $136.3 million and $125.3 million for the years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively.
During the years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, the Company recognized approximately $10.3 million, $44.3 million and $1.3 million, respectively, as losses on disposals or impairments of property and equipment. These charges are reflected in Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income.

Other Current Liabilities
The following table summarizes the components of other current liabilities (in thousands):
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Accrued taxes

$12,720

 

$13,935

Accrued professional fees
7,980

 
10,180

Accrued warranty
20,207

 
13,006

Accrued other
5,164

 
7,087

Other current liabilities

$46,071

 

$44,208


Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, net of taxes
The following table summarizes the components of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes (in thousands):
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Currency translation gain

$4,624

 

$4,986

Net unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities
4,104

 
812

Accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes

$8,728

 

$5,798



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Non-Operating (Expense) Income, net
The following table summarizes the components of non-operating (expense) income, net (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Gain on sale of investments, net

$238

 

$925

 

$68

Loss on equity method investment
(15,357
)
 
(22,624
)
 

Dividends from equity method investment
1,655

 
2,581

 

Interest income, net
4,472

 
9,086

 
11,932

Foreign currency (loss) gain, net
(4,500
)
 
(929
)
 
45

Other, net
457

 
572

 
1,250

Non-operating (expense) income, net

($13,035
)
 

($10,389
)
 

$13,295


Reclassifications Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, net of taxes
The following table summarizes the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of taxes (in thousands):
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Component
 
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
 
Affected Line Item in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss)Income
 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
 
 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
 
 
Net unrealized gain on available-for-sale securities, net of taxes
 

$238

 

$925

 

$68

 
Non-operating (expense) income, net
 
 
238

 
925

 
68

 
(Loss) income before income taxes
 
 
20

 
210

 
11

 
Income tax (benefit) expense
 
 

$218

 

$715

 

$57

 
Net (loss) income

Note 5 – Investments
Investments consist of municipal bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit. All short-term investments are classified as available-for-sale. Other long-term investments consist of the Company's ownership interest in Lextar.
The following table summarizes short-term investments (in thousands):
 
June 26, 2016
 
Amortized
Cost
 
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
 
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
 
Estimated
Fair Value
Municipal bonds

$186,893

 

$3,562

 

($15
)
 

$190,440

Corporate bonds
165,766

 
3,074

 
(73
)
 
168,767

Non-U.S. certificates of deposit
73,127

 

 

 
73,127

U.S. certificates of deposit
3,500

 

 

 
3,500

Commercial paper
3,317

 

 

 
3,317

Total short-term investments

$432,603

 

$6,636

 

($88
)
 

$439,151


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The following table presents the gross unrealized losses and estimated fair value of the Company’s short-term investments, aggregated by investment type and the length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position (in thousands, except numbers of securities): 
 
June 26, 2016
 
Less than 12 Months
 
Greater than 12 Months
 
Total
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
Municipal bonds

$2,936

 

($9
)
 

$3,535

 

($6
)
 

$6,471

 

($15
)
Corporate bonds
27,578

 
(73
)
 

 

 
27,578

 
(73
)
Total

$30,514

 

($82
)
 

$3,535

 

($6
)
 

$34,049

 

($88
)
Number of securities with an unrealized loss
 
 
22

 
 
 
3

 
 
 
25

The following table summarizes short-term investments (in thousands): 
 
June 28, 2015
 
Amortized
Cost
 
Gross
Unrealized
Gains
 
Gross
Unrealized
Losses
 
Estimated
Fair Value
Municipal bonds

$194,123

 

$988

 

($341
)
 

$194,770

Corporate bonds
152,831

 
832

 
(158
)
 
153,505

Non-U.S. certificates of deposit
225,206

 

 

 
225,206

Total short-term investments

$572,160

 

$1,820

 

($499
)
 

$573,481

The following table presents the gross unrealized losses and estimated fair value of the Company’s short-term investments, aggregated by investment type and the length of time that individual securities have been in a continuous unrealized loss position (in thousands, except numbers of securities):
 
June 28, 2015
 
Less than 12 Months
 
Greater than 12 Months
 
Total
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
 
Fair Value
 
Unrealized
Loss
Municipal bonds

$53,204

 

($341
)
 

$—

 

$—

 

$53,204

 

($341
)
Corporate bonds
46,636

 
(143
)
 
1,812

 
(15
)
 
48,448

 
(158
)
Total

$99,840

 

($484
)
 

$1,812

 

($15
)
 

$101,652

 

($499
)
Number of securities with an unrealized loss
 
 
54

 
 
 
1

 
 
 
55

The Company utilizes specific identification in computing realized gains and losses on the sale of investments. Realized gains on the sale of investments for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2016 of $238 thousand were included in Non-operating (expense) income, net in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income and unrealized gains and losses are included as a separate component of equity, net of tax, unless the loss is determined to be other-than-temporary.
The Company evaluates its investments for possible impairment or a decline in fair value below cost basis that is deemed to be other-than-temporary on a periodic basis. It considers such factors as the length of time and extent to which the fair value has been below the cost basis, the financial condition of the investee, and its ability and intent to hold the investment for a period of time that may be sufficient for an anticipated full recovery in market value. Accordingly, the Company considered declines in its investments to be temporary in nature, and did not consider its investments to be impaired as of June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015.

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The contractual maturities of short-term investments at June 26, 2016 were as follows (in thousands): 
 
Within One
Year
 
After One,
Within Five
Years
 
After Five,
Within Ten
Years
 
After Ten
Years
 
Total
Municipal bonds

$31,874

 

$124,745

 

$33,821

 

$—

 

$190,440

Corporate bonds
14,672

 
116,541

 
37,554

 

 
168,767

Non-U.S. certificates of deposit
73,127

 

 

 

 
73,127

U.S. certificates of deposit
500

 
3,000

 

 

 
3,500

Commercial paper
3,317

 

 

 

 
3,317

Total short-term investments

$123,490

 

$244,286

 

$71,375

 

$—

 

$439,151


Note 6 – Fair Value of Financial Instruments
Under U.S. GAAP, fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability (i.e., the exit price) in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. In determining fair value, the Company uses various valuation approaches, including quoted market prices and discounted cash flows. U.S. GAAP also establishes a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that maximizes the use of observable inputs and minimizes the use of unobservable inputs by requiring that the most observable inputs be used when available. Observable inputs are obtained from independent sources and can be validated by a third party, whereas unobservable inputs reflect assumptions regarding what a third party would use in pricing an asset or liability. The fair value hierarchy is categorized into three levels based on the reliability of inputs as follows:
Level 1 - Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for identical instruments that the Company is able to access. Since valuations are based on quoted prices that are readily and regularly available in an active market, valuation of these products does not entail a significant degree of judgment.
Level 2 - Valuations based on quoted prices in active markets for instruments that are similar, or quoted prices in markets that are not active for identical or similar instruments, and model-derived valuations in which all significant inputs and significant value drivers are observable in active markets.
Level 3 - Valuations based on inputs that are unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement.
The financial assets for which the Company performs recurring fair value remeasurements are cash equivalents and short-term investments and long-term investments. As of June 26, 2016, financial assets utilizing Level 1 inputs included money market funds, and financial assets utilizing Level 2 inputs included municipal bonds, corporate bonds, U.S. agency securities, non-U.S. certificates of deposit, non-U.S. government securities and common stock of non-U.S. corporations. Level 2 assets are valued based on quoted prices in active markets for instruments that are similar or using a third-party pricing service’s consensus price, which is a weighted average price based on multiple sources. These sources determine prices utilizing market income models which factor in, where applicable, transactions of similar assets in active markets, transactions of identical assets in infrequent markets, interest rates, bond or credit default swap spreads and volatility. The Company did not have any financial assets requiring the use of Level 3 inputs as of June 26, 2016. There were no transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 during the year ended June 26, 2016.

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The following table sets forth financial instruments carried at fair value within the U.S. GAAP hierarchy (in thousands):
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
 
Level 1
 
Level 2
 
Level 3
 
Total
Assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cash equivalents
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Municipal bonds
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

 
$

Non-U.S. certificates of deposit

 
137

 

 
137

 

 
157

 

 
157

Money market funds
576

 

 

 
576

 
16,457

 

 

 
16,457

Total cash equivalents
576

 
137

 

 
713

 
16,457

 
157

 

 
16,614

Short-term investments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Municipal bonds

 
190,440

 

 
190,440

 

 
194,770

 

 
194,770

Corporate bonds

 
168,767

 

 
168,767

 

 
153,505

 

 
153,505

U.S certificates of deposit

 
3,500

 

 
3,500

 

 

 

 

Commercial paper

 
3,317

 

 
3,317

 

 

 

 

Non-U.S. certificates of deposit

 
73,127

 

 
73,127

 

 
225,206

 

 
225,206

Total short-term investments

 
439,151

 

 
439,151

 

 
573,481

 

 
573,481

Other long-term investments
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common stock of non-U.S. corporations

 
40,179

 

 
40,179

 

 
57,595

 

 
57,595

Total other long-term investments

 
40,179

 

 
40,179

 

 
57,595

 

 
57,595

Total assets

$576

 

$479,467

 

$—

 

$480,043

 

$16,457

 

$631,233

 

$—

 

$647,690


Note 7 – Goodwill and Intangible Assets
Goodwill
The Company’s reporting units for goodwill impairment testing are:
Lighting Products
LED Products
Power and RF Products
As of the first day of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company performed a step one quantitative goodwill impairment assessment on each reporting unit.  For the step one impairment test, the Company derived each reporting unit's fair value through a combination of the market approach (a guideline transaction method) and the income approach (a discounted cash flow analysis). The Company utilized a discount rate from the capital asset pricing model for the discounted cash flow analysis. Once the reporting unit fair values were calculated, the Company reconciled the reporting units' relative fair values to the Company's market capitalization as of the testing date.
The Company then compared the carrying value of each reporting unit, inclusive of its assigned goodwill, to its fair value. The Company determined that the fair value of each reporting unit exceeded its carrying value, and as a result, step two of the goodwill impairment test was not necessary.
Goodwill assigned to the Power and RF Products reporting unit increased by $2.5 million during fiscal 2016 due to the acquisition of APEI, as discussed in Note 3, "Acquisition."

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Goodwill by reporting unit as of June 26, 2016 was as follows (in thousands):
LED Products
 
Lighting Products
 
Power and RF Products
 
Consolidated Total

$245,857

 

$337,781

 

$35,190

 

$618,828

Goodwill by reporting unit as of June 28, 2015 was as follows (in thousands):
LED Products
 
Lighting Products
 
Power and RF Products
 
Consolidated Total

$245,857

 

$337,781

 

$32,707

 

$616,345


Intangible Assets
The following table presents the components of intangible assets, net (in thousands):
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
Gross
 
Accumulated Amortization
 
Net
 
Gross
 
Accumulated Amortization
 
Net
Intangible assets with finite lives:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Customer relationships

$141,420

 

($78,438
)
 

$62,982

 

$136,920

 

($72,063
)
 

$64,857

Developed technology
181,728

 
(111,884
)
 
69,844

 
162,760

 
(91,562
)
 
71,198

Non-compete agreements
10,475

 
(9,994
)
 
481

 
10,244

 
(7,958
)
 
2,286

Trade names, finite-lived
520

 
(520
)
 

 
520

 
(520
)
 

Patent and licensing rights
145,780

 
(55,957
)
 
89,823

 
150,038

 
(57,330
)
 
92,708

Total intangible assets with finite lives
479,923

 
(256,793
)
 
223,130

 
460,482

 
(229,433
)
 
231,049

Trade names, indefinite-lived
79,680

 
 
 
79,680

 
79,680

 
 
 
79,680

Total intangible assets

$559,603

 

($256,793
)
 
$302,810

 

$540,162

 

($229,433
)
 

$310,729

Total amortization of finite-lived intangible assets was $40.4 million, $37.1 million and $38.7 million for the years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. Beginning in the third quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company started amortizing IPR&D assets acquired in the APEI acquisition that were completed during the respective period.
As of the first day of the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company performed a step one quantitative impairment assessment on each of the Company’s indefinite-lived trade names.  The Company determined that the fair value of each indefinite-lived trade name was greater than its carrying value and therefore a step two quantitative impairment assessment was not required. 
The Company invested $14.4 million, $19.5 million and $20.2 million for the years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively, for patent and licensing rights. For the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, the Company recognized $6.7 million, $3.4 million and $1.4 million, respectively, in impairment charges related to its patent portfolio.
Total future amortization expense of finite-lived intangible assets is estimated to be as follows (in thousands): 
Fiscal Year Ending
 
June 25, 2017

$39,068

June 24, 2018
37,530

June 30, 2019
24,674

June 28, 2020
19,402

June 27, 2021
18,026

Thereafter
84,430

Total future amortization expense

$223,130



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Table of Contents

Note 8 – Long-term Debt
On January 9, 2015, the Company entered into a new credit agreement (Credit Agreement) with Wells Fargo Bank, National Association (Wells Fargo Bank) and other lenders party thereto for a $500 million secured revolving line of credit under which the Company can borrow, repay and reborrow loans from time to time prior to its scheduled maturity date of January 9, 2020. Proceeds of the initial loans made under the Credit Agreement were used to repay amounts outstanding under the Company's previous $150 million unsecured credit agreement with Wells Fargo Bank, entered into on August 12, 2014.
The Company classifies balances outstanding under its line of credit as Long-term debt in the Consolidated Balance Sheets. At June 26, 2016, the Company had $160 million outstanding under the Credit Agreement and $340 million available for borrowing. For the year ended June 26, 2016, the average interest rate under the Credit Agreement was 1.14%. The average commitment fee percentage for the Credit Agreement was 0.09% for the year ended June 26, 2016. For the year ended June 28, 2015, the average interest rate under the Credit Agreement and the previous credit agreement was 0.95%. The average commitment fee percentage for these credit agreements was 0.09% for the year ended June 28, 2015. The Company was in compliance with all covenants in the Credit Agreement at June 26, 2016.

Note 9 – Shareholders’ Equity
On June 18, 2015, the Board of Directors approved the Company's fiscal 2016 stock repurchase program, authorizing the Company to repurchase shares of its common stock having an aggregate purchase price not exceeding $500 million for all purchases from June 29, 2015 through the expiration of the program on June 26, 2016.
During fiscal 2016, the Company repurchased 5.8 million shares of its common stock under the program at an average price of $25.78 per share with an aggregate value of $149.6 million. The repurchase program could be implemented through open market or privately negotiated transactions at the discretion of the Company’s management. From the inception of the predecessor stock repurchase program in January 2001 through June 26, 2016, the Company has repurchased 34.2 million shares of its common stock at an average price of $29.34 per share with an aggregate value of $1.0 billion. The Company will continue to determine the time and extent of any repurchases based on its evaluation of market conditions and other factors.
On May 29, 2002, the Board adopted a shareholder rights plan, pursuant to which stock purchase rights were distributed to shareholders at a rate of one right with respect to each share of common stock held of record as of June 10, 2002. Subsequently issued shares of common stock also carry stock purchase rights under the plan. The rights plan is designed to enhance the Board’s ability to prevent an acquirer from depriving shareholders of the long-term value of their investment and to protect shareholders against attempts to acquire the Company by means of unfair or abusive takeover tactics. Unless terminated by the Board, the rights become exercisable based upon certain limited conditions related to acquisitions of stock, tender offers and certain business combinations involving the Company. The shareholder rights plan includes a review mechanism requiring the independent members of the Board to review and evaluate the plan at least every three years to consider whether the maintenance of the plan continues to be in the best interests of the Company and its shareholders and to communicate their conclusion to the Board. The Board has delegated this responsibility to the Governance and Nominations Committee, which is composed of all independent directors of the Board. On April 24, 2012, the shareholder rights plan was amended and restated to, among other things, extend the expiration date from June 10, 2012 to September 30, 2018, and to remove provisions in the rights plan stipulating that certain actions can be taken only with the concurrence of a majority of the members of the Board who are not affiliated with an acquiring person (more specifically, those who are “Continuing Directors,” as defined in the original rights plan adopted in 2002). On January 29, 2013, the shareholder rights plan was amended solely to change the expiration date from September 30, 2018 to April 24, 2017. On February 11, 2015, the shareholder rights plan was further amended to revise the definition of “Acquiring Person” to provide that the level of beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock at which a person becomes an “Acquiring Person” and therefore triggers the consequences under the shareholder rights plan of becoming an Acquiring Person is increased for certain passive investors (defined therein as “13G Investors”) from 15% to 18% of the Company’s outstanding common stock (with no change to the triggering ownership threshold for other investors).
At June 26, 2016, the Company had reserved a total of approximately 17.9 million shares of its common stock and 0.2 million shares of its Series A preferred stock for future issuance as follows (in thousands): 

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Table of Contents

 
Number of
Shares
For exercise of outstanding common stock options
11,247

For vesting of outstanding stock units
1,589

For future equity awards under 2013 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan
4,141

For future issuance under the Non-Employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program
76

For future issuance to employees under the 2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
885

Total common shares reserved
17,938

Series A preferred stock reserved for exercise of rights issued under shareholder rights plan
200


Note 10 – (Loss) Earnings Per Share
The following presents the computation of basic (loss) earnings per share (in thousands, except per share amounts):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Basic:



Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 

($64,692
)
 

$123,490

Weighted average common shares
101,783

 
113,022

 
120,623

Basic (loss) earnings per share

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.02

The following computation reconciles the differences between the basic and diluted (loss) earnings per share presentations (in thousands, except per share amounts): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Diluted:
 
 
 
 
 
Net (loss) income

($21,536
)
 

($64,692
)
 

$123,490

Weighted average common shares - basic
101,783

 
113,022

 
120,623

Dilutive effect of stock options, nonvested shares and Employee Stock Purchase Plan purchase rights

 

 
2,291

Weighted average common shares - diluted
101,783

 
113,022

 
122,914

Diluted (loss) earnings per share

($0.21
)
 

($0.57
)
 

$1.00

Potential common shares that would have the effect of increasing diluted earnings per share or decreasing diluted loss per share are considered to be anti-dilutive and as such, these shares are not included in calculating diluted (loss) earnings per share. For the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, there were 11.4 million, 7.0 million and 2.6 million, respectively, of potential common shares not included in the calculation of diluted (loss) earnings per share because their effect was anti-dilutive.

Note 11 – Stock-Based Compensation
Overview of Employee Stock-Based Compensation Plans
The Company currently has one equity-based compensation plan, the 2013 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (2013 LTIP), from which stock-based compensation awards can be granted to employees and directors. At June 26, 2016, there were 10.6 million shares authorized for issuance under the plan and 4.1 million shares remaining for future grants. The 2013 LTIP provides for awards in the form of incentive stock options, non-qualified stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, performance shares, performance units and other awards. The Company has other equity-based compensation plans that have been terminated so that no future grants can be made under those plans, but under which stock options, restricted stock and restricted stock units are currently outstanding.

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Table of Contents

The Company’s stock-based awards can be either service-based or performance-based.  Performance-based conditions are generally tied to future financial and/or operating performance of the Company. The compensation expense with respect to performance-based grants is recognized if the Company believes it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved. The Company reassesses the probability of the achievement of the performance condition at each reporting period, and adjusts the compensation expense for subsequent changes in the estimate or actual outcome. As with non-performance based awards, compensation expense is recognized over the vesting period. The vesting period runs from the date of grant to the expected date that the performance objective is likely to be achieved.
The Company also has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) that provides employees with the opportunity to purchase common stock at a discount. At June 26, 2016, there were 4.5 million shares authorized for issuance under the ESPP, as amended, with 0.9 million shares remaining for future issuance. The ESPP limits employee contributions to 15% of each employee’s compensation (as defined in the plan) and allows employees to purchase shares at a 15% discount to the fair market value of common stock on the purchase date two times per year. The ESPP provides for a twelve-month participation period, divided into two equal six-month purchase periods, and also provides for a look-back feature. At the end of each six-month period in April and October, participants purchase the Company’s common stock through the ESPP at a 15% discount to the fair market value of the common stock on the first day of the twelve-month participation period or the purchase date, whichever is lower. The plan also provides for an automatic reset feature to start participants on a new twelve-month participation period if the fair market value of common stock declines during the first six-month purchase period.
Stock Option Awards
The following table summarizes option activity as of June 26, 2016 and changes during the fiscal year then ended (numbers of shares in thousands): 

Number of
Shares

Weighted Average
Exercise price

Weighted Average
Remaining
Contractual Term

Total
Intrinsic Value
Outstanding at June 28, 2015
10,714

 

$43.10

 
 
 
 
Granted
2,020

 
26.16

 
 
 
 
Exercised
(253
)
 
25.24

 
 
 
 
Forfeited or expired
(1,234
)
 
43.48

 
 
 
 
Outstanding at June 26, 2016
11,247

 

$40.42

 
3.94
 

$198

Vested and expected to vest at June 26, 2016
11,048

 

$40.58

 
3.90
 

$198

Exercisable at June 26, 2016
6,841

 

$41.75

 
2.96
 

$198

The total intrinsic value in the table above represents the total pretax intrinsic value, which is the total difference between the closing price of the Company’s common stock on June 24, 2016 (the last trading day of fiscal 2016) of $23.90 and the exercise price for in-the-money options that would have been received by the holders if all instruments had been exercised on June 26, 2016. As of June 26, 2016, there was $30.2 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock options, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.47 years.
The following table summarizes information about stock options outstanding and exercisable at June 26, 2016 (shares in thousands): 
 
 
Options Outstanding

Options Exercisable
Range of Exercise Price
 
Number

Weighted Average
Remaining Contractual
Life (Years)

Weighted Average Exercise Price

Number

Weighted Average Exercise Price
$0.01 to $30.92
 
4,636

 
4.18
 

$27.71

 
2,747

 

$28.77

$30.93 to $43.94
 
748

 
1.93
 
35.83

 
617

 
35.89

$43.95 to $45.13
 
2,427

 
5.12
 
45.13

 
820

 
45.13

$45.14 to $54.26
 
241

 
3.79
 
48.65

 
168

 
48.66

$54.27 to $75.55
 
3,195

 
3.22
 
55.74

 
2,490

 
55.94

Total
 
11,247

 
3.94
 

$40.42

 
6,842

 

$41.75


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Other information pertaining to the Company’s stock option awards is as follows (in thousands, except per share data): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Weighted average grant date fair value per share of options

$8.79

 

$15.27

 

$19.31

Total intrinsic value of options exercised

$838

 

$9,418

 

$67,044


Restricted Stock Awards and Units
A summary of nonvested restricted stock awards (RSAs) and restricted stock unit awards (RSUs) outstanding as of June 26, 2016 and changes during the year then ended is as follows (in thousands, except number of shares and units): 
 
Number of
RSAs/RSUs
 
Weighted Average
Grant-Date Fair Value
Nonvested at June 28, 2015
926

 

$45.47

Granted
1,214

 
26.08

Vested
(354
)
 
44.76

Forfeited
(155
)
 
40.55

Nonvested at June 26, 2016
1,631

 

$31.66


As of June 26, 2016, there was $30.2 million of unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested awards, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2 years.
Stock-Based Compensation Valuation and Expense
The Company accounts for its employee stock-based compensation plans using the fair value method. The fair value method requires the Company to estimate the grant-date fair value of its stock-based awards and amortize this fair value to compensation expense over the requisite service period or vesting term.
The Company uses the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to estimate the fair value of the Company’s stock option and ESPP awards. The determination of the fair value of stock-based payment awards on the date of grant using an option-pricing model is affected by the Company’s stock price as well as assumptions regarding a number of complex and subjective variables. These variables include the expected stock price volatility over the term of the awards, actual and projected employee stock option exercise behaviors, the risk-free interest rate and expected dividends. Due to the inherent limitations of option-valuation models, future events that are unpredictable and the estimation process utilized in determining the valuation of the stock-based awards, the ultimate value realized by award holders may vary significantly from the amounts expensed in the Company’s financial statements.
For RSAs and RSUs, the grant-date fair value is based upon the market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant. This fair value is then amortized to compensation expense over the requisite service period or vesting term.
Stock-based compensation expense is recognized net of estimated forfeitures such that expense is recognized only for those stock-based awards that are expected to vest. A forfeiture rate is estimated at the time of grant and revised, if necessary, in subsequent periods if actual forfeitures differ from initial estimates.


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Total stock-based compensation expense was as follows (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
Income Statement Classification:
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Cost of revenue, net

$12,394

 

$12,836

 

$11,353

Research and development
13,842

 
16,524

 
15,392

Sales, general and administrative
32,491

 
34,941

 
34,941

Total stock-based compensation expense

$58,727

 

$64,301

 

$61,686

The weighted average assumptions used to value stock option grants were as follows:
 
Fiscal Years Ended
Stock Option Grants:
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Risk-free interest rate
1.18
%
 
1.17
%
 
1.16
%
Expected life, in years
3.66

 
3.54

 
3.80

Expected volatility
43.3
%
 
45.2
%
 
44.5
%
Dividend yield

 

 

The following describes each of these assumptions and the Company’s methodology for determining each assumption:
Risk-Free Interest Rate
The Company estimates the risk-free interest rate using the U.S. Treasury bill rate with a remaining term equal to the expected life of the award.
Expected Life
The expected life represents the period that the stock option awards are expected to be outstanding. In determining the appropriate expected life of its stock options, the Company segregates its grantees into categories based upon employee levels that are expected to be indicative of similar option-related behavior. The expected useful lives for each of these categories are then estimated giving consideration to (1) the weighted average vesting periods, (2) the contractual lives of the stock options, (3) the relationship between the exercise price and the fair market value of the Company’s common stock, (4) expected employee turnover, (5) the expected future volatility of the Company’s common stock, and (6) past and expected exercise behavior, among other factors.
Expected Volatility
The Company estimates expected volatility giving consideration to the expected life of the respective award, the Company’s current expected growth rate, implied volatility in traded options for its common stock, and the historical volatility of its common stock.
Expected Dividend Yield
The Company estimates the expected dividend yield by giving consideration to its current dividend policies as well as those anticipated in the future considering the Company’s current plans and projections.

Note 12 – Income Taxes
The following were the components of (loss) income before income taxes (in thousands): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Domestic

($45,278
)
 

($41,593
)
 

$57,867

Foreign
21,772

 
(42,346
)
 
88,664

Total (loss) income before income taxes

($23,506
)
 

($83,939
)
 

$146,531


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The following were the components of income tax (benefit) expense (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Current:
 
 
 
 
 
Federal

$5,347

 

($12,470
)
 

$3,423

Foreign
7,278

 
13,327

 
15,371

State
1,244

 
1,242

 
1,876

Total current
13,869

 
2,099

 
20,670

Deferred:
 
 
 
 
 
Federal
(26,086
)
 
(7,418
)
 
(88
)
Foreign
12,340

 
(12,754
)
 
3,003

State
(2,093
)
 
(1,174
)
 
(544
)
Total deferred
(15,839
)
 
(21,346
)
 
2,371

Income tax (benefit) expense

($1,970
)
 

($19,247
)
 

$23,041

Actual income tax (benefit) expense differed from the amount computed by applying the U.S. federal tax rate of 35% to pre-tax earnings as a result of the following (in thousands, except percentages): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
% of Loss
 
June 28,
2015
 
% of Loss
 
June 29,
2014
 
% of Income
Federal income tax provision at statutory rate

($8,227
)
 
35%
 

($29,379
)
 
35%
 

$51,286

 
35%
(Decrease) increase in income tax expense resulting from:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
State tax provision, net of federal benefit
(748
)
 
3%
 
(817
)
 
1%
 
2,530

 
2%
State tax credits
(269
)
 
1%
 
(585
)
 
1%
 
(1,004
)
 
(1)%
Tax exempt interest
(2,019
)
 
9%
 
(2,413
)
 
3%
 
(815
)
 
(1)%
48C investment tax credit
(4,334
)
 
18%
 
(6,826
)
 
8%
 
(11,310
)
 
(8)%
(Decrease) increase in tax reserve
(80
)
 
—%
 
(225
)
 
—%
 
15,411

 
11%
Change in tax depreciation methodology

 
—%
 

 
—%
 
(18,475
)
 
(12)%
Research and development credits
(2,138
)
 
9%
 
(2,081
)
 
2%
 
(1,574
)
 
(1)%
Foreign tax credit
(954
)

4%

(389
)

—%

(490
)

—%
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance
9,286

 
(39)%
 

 
—%
 
(20
)
 
—%
Qualified production activities deduction

 
—%
 
(520
)
 
1%
 
(2,362
)
 
(1)%
Stock-based compensation
1,346

 
(6)%
 
2,988

 
(4)%
 
2,024

 
1%
Statutory rate differences
2,748

 
(12)%
 
18,738

 
(22)%
 
(14,285
)
 
(10)%
Foreign earnings taxed in U.S.
1,165

 
(5)%
 
1,793

 
(2)%
 

 
—%
Foreign currency fluctuations
748

 
(3)%
 
(818
)
 
1%
 
(20
)
 
—%
Other
1,506

 
(6)%
 
1,287

 
(1)%
 
2,145

 
1%
Income tax (benefit) expense

($1,970
)
 
8%
 

($19,247
)
 
23%
 

$23,041

 
16%

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The tax effects of temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and deferred tax liabilities were as follows (in thousands): 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Deferred tax assets:
 
 
 
Compensation

$3,176

 

$1,864

Inventories
19,656

 
23,172

Sales return reserve and allowance for bad debts
6,615

 
8,266

Warranty reserve
8,013

 
5,042

Federal and state net operating loss carryforwards
11,443

 
7,237

Federal credits
8,802

 
3,688

State credits
3,286

 
2,573

48C investment tax credits
17,838

 
14,980

Investments
872

 
953

Stock-based compensation
48,191

 
40,291

Deferred revenue
4,159

 
4,850

Other
2,792

 
2,034

Total gross deferred assets
134,843

 
114,950

Less valuation allowance
(10,770
)
 
(1,485
)
Deferred tax assets, net
124,073

 
113,465

Deferred tax liabilities:
 
 
 
Property and equipment
(9,549
)
 
(13,337
)
Intangible assets
(69,355
)
 
(57,819
)
Investments
(2,445
)
 
(505
)
Prepaid taxes and other
(1,527
)
 
(1,350
)
Foreign earnings recapture
(3,576
)
 
(2,524
)
Total gross deferred liability
(86,452
)
 
(75,535
)
Deferred tax asset, net

$37,621

 

$37,930

The components giving rise to the net deferred tax assets (liabilities) have been included in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as follows (in thousands): 
 
Balance at June 26, 2016
 
Assets
 
Liabilities
 
Current
 
Noncurrent
 
Current
 
Noncurrent
U.S. federal income taxes

$—

 

$26,411

 

$—

 

$—

Foreign income taxes

 
12,153

 

 
(943
)
Total net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

$—

 

$38,564

 

$—

 

($943
)
 
 
Balance at June 28, 2015
 
Assets
 
Liabilities
 
Current
 
Noncurrent
 
Current
 
Noncurrent
U.S. federal income taxes

$23,231

 

$52

 

$—

 

($8,915
)
Foreign income taxes
15,959

 
8,899

 

 
(1,296
)
Total net deferred tax assets/(liabilities)

$39,190

 

$8,951

 

$—

 

($10,211
)
The research and development credit, which had previously expired on December 31, 2014, was reinstated as part of the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015, enacted on December 18, 2015. This legislation retroactively reinstated and permanently extended the research and development credit. The benefit of this credit for fiscal 2016 as well as the period December 31, 2014

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through June 28, 2015 has been included in the fiscal year 2016 tax benefit representing a $1.3 million and $0.8 million benefit, respectively.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2014, the Company was notified by the Internal Revenue Service that it had been allocated $30 million of federal tax credits as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 - Phase II (Internal Revenue Code Section 48C). This $30 million allocation is in addition to the $39 million previously allocated to the Company in the third quarter of fiscal 2010. The tax benefit (net of related basis adjustments) will be amortized into income over the useful life (5 years) of the underlying equipment that was placed into service to generate these credits. Since fiscal 2010, the Company has recognized an income tax benefit of $37.2 million related to the credits generated to date, with $4.3 million of this amount recognized as a tax benefit for the year ended June 26, 2016.

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company concluded it is likely that sufficient future taxable income needed to fully utilize net operating loss carryovers in Luxembourg will not be generated due to additional losses on the Company’s equity method investment held there. The Company recorded a $9.5 million valuation allowance against the related deferred tax asset, representing the $32.4 million net operating loss carryover net of tax. This resulted in an additional $9.5 million of income tax expense during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.
During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016, the Company concluded it is likely that it will fully utilize all North Carolina income tax credits due to the expected taxable gain on the sale of the Wolfspeed Business. As a result, the Company released a $1.9 million valuation allowance against the related deferred tax asset. This resulted in an additional $1.9 million of income tax benefit during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016.
As of June 28, 2016, the Company had approximately $36.2 million of foreign net operating loss carryovers, of which $32.4 million are offset by a valuation allowance. The foreign net operating loss carryovers have no carry forward limitation. As of June 26, 2016, the Company had approximately $22.7 million of state net operating loss carryovers, of which approximately $15.1 million are offset by a valuation allowance. Additionally, the Company had $6.9 million of state income tax credit carryforwards. The state net operating loss carryovers and income tax credit carryforwards will begin to expire in fiscal 2021 and fiscal 2017, respectively. Furthermore, the Company had approximately $0.8 million of alternative minimum tax credit carryforwards, $5.8 million of 48C credit carryforwards, $1.9 million of research and development credit carryforwards, and $1.6 million of state income tax credit carryforwards that relate to excess stock option benefits which, if and when realized, will be recognized in Additional paid-in-capital in the Consolidated Balance Sheets.
U.S. GAAP requires a two-step approach to recognizing and measuring uncertain tax positions. The first step is to evaluate the tax position for recognition by determining if the weight of available evidence indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained on audit, including resolution of related appeals or litigation processes, if any. The second step is to measure the tax benefit as the largest amount that is cumulatively more than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement.
As of June 28, 2015 the Company’s liability for unrecognized tax benefits was $17.8 million. The Company recognized a $0.6 million increase to the liability for unrecognized tax benefits due to uncertainty regarding intercompany transactions recently challenged by the Italian tax authority, and a $0.5 million decrease to the liability for unrecognized tax benefits due to a decrease in the effective tax rate related to an uncertainty regarding a change in tax depreciation methodology adopted in fiscal 2014. In addition there was a $0.2 million decrease to the amount of unrecognized tax benefits following statute expiration. As a result, the total liability for unrecognized tax benefits as of June 26, 2016 was $17.7 million. If any portion of this $17.7 million is recognized, the Company will then include that portion in the computation of its effective tax rate. Although the ultimate timing of the resolution and/or closure of audits is highly uncertain, the Company believes it is reasonably possible that approximately $4.3 million of gross unrecognized tax benefits will change in the next 12 months as a result of pending audit settlements or statute requirements.
The following is a tabular reconciliation of the Company’s change in uncertain tax positions (in thousands): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Balance at beginning of period

$17,795

 

$18,389

 

$2,732

Increases related to prior year tax positions
617

 

 
18,040

Decreases related to prior year tax positions
(530
)
 
(407
)
 
(741
)
Expiration of statute of limitations for assessment of taxes
(155
)
 
(187
)
 
(1,642
)
Balance at end of period

$17,727

 

$17,795

 

$18,389


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The Company’s policy is to include interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits within the Income tax (benefit) expense line item in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income. Total interest and penalties accrued were as follows (in thousands):
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
Accrued interest and penalties

($5
)
 

$10

Total interest and penalties recognized were as follows (in thousands):
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Recognized interest and penalties (benefit)

($15
)
 

($94
)
 

($51
)
The Company files U.S. federal, U.S. state and foreign tax returns. For U.S. federal purposes, the Company is generally no longer subject to tax examinations for fiscal years prior to 2013. For U.S. state tax returns, the Company is generally no longer subject to tax examinations for fiscal years prior to 2012. For foreign purposes, the Company is generally no longer subject to examination for tax periods 2005 and prior. Certain carryforward tax attributes generated in prior years remain subject to examination, adjustment and recapture. The Company is currently under audit by the Italian Revenue Agency for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2013.
The Company provides for U.S. income taxes on the earnings of foreign subsidiaries unless the subsidiaries’ earnings are considered indefinitely reinvested outside the United States. As of June 26, 2016, U.S. income taxes were not provided for on a cumulative total of approximately $255.0 million of undistributed earnings for certain non-U.S. subsidiaries, as the Company currently intends to reinvest these earnings in these foreign operations indefinitely. If, at a later date, these earnings were repatriated to the U.S., the Company would be required to pay taxes on these amounts. Determination of the amount of any deferred tax liability on these undistributed earnings is not practicable.
During the fiscal year ended June 26, 2011, the Company was awarded a tax holiday in Malaysia with respect to its manufacturing and distribution operations. This arrangement allows for 0% tax for 10 years starting in the fiscal year ended June 26, 2011. For the fiscal years 2014, 2015, and 2016, the Company did not meet the requirements for the tax holiday, and as such, no benefit has been recognized.

Note 13 – Commitments and Contingencies
Warranties
The following table summarizes the changes in the Company’s product warranty liabilities (in thousands): 
 
Fiscal Years Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
 
June 29,
2014
Balance at beginning of period

$13,968

 

$6,822

 

$6,171

Warranties accrued in current period
19,866

 
9,242

 
4,256

Recall costs accrued in current period
5,756

 
5,418

 

Changes in estimates for pre-existing warranties

 

 
907

Expenditures
(18,059
)
 
(7,514
)
 
(4,512
)
Balance at end of period

$21,531

 

$13,968

 

$6,822

Product warranties are estimated and recognized at the time the Company recognizes revenue. The warranty periods range from 90 days to 10 years. The Company accrues warranty liabilities at the time of sale, based on historical and projected incident rates and expected future warranty costs. The Company accrues estimated costs related to product recalls based on a formal campaign soliciting repair or return of that product when they are deemed probable and reasonably estimable. The warranty reserves, which are primarily related to Lighting Products, are evaluated quarterly based on various factors including historical warranty claims, assumptions about the frequency of warranty claims, and assumptions about the frequency of product failures derived from quality testing, field monitoring and the Company’s reliability estimates. As of June 26, 2016, $1.3 million of the Company’s product warranty liabilities were classified as long-term.

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Table of Contents

In June 2015, the Company issued a voluntary recall of its linear LED T8 replacement lamps due to the hazard of overheating and melting. The Company expects the majority of the costs of the recall to be recoverable from insurance proceeds resulting in an immaterial impact to the Company's financial results.
Lease Commitments
The Company primarily leases manufacturing, office, housing and warehousing space under the terms of non-cancelable operating leases. These leases expire at various times through May 2022. The Company recognizes net rent expense on a straight-line basis over the life of the lease. Rent expense associated with these operating leases totaled approximately $6.6 million, $8.2 million and $5.8 million for each of the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016, June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, respectively. Certain agreements require that the Company pay property taxes and general property maintenance in addition to the minimum rental payments.
Future minimum rental payments as of June 26, 2016 (under leases currently in effect) are as follows (in thousands): 
Fiscal Years Ending
Minimum Rental
Amount
June 25, 2017

$4,850

June 24, 2018
2,974

June 30, 2019
1,663

June 28, 2020
1,269

June 27, 2021
577

Thereafter
26

Total future minimum rental payments

$11,359


Litigation
The Company is currently a party to various legal proceedings.  While management presently believes that the ultimate outcome of such proceedings, individually and in the aggregate, will not materially harm the Company’s financial position, cash flows, or overall trends in results of operations, legal proceedings are subject to inherent uncertainties, and unfavorable rulings could occur.  An unfavorable ruling could include money damages or, in matters for which injunctive relief or other conduct remedies may be sought, an injunction prohibiting the Company from selling one or more products at all or in particular ways.  Were unfavorable final outcomes to occur, there exists the possibility of a material adverse impact on the Company’s business, results of operation, financial position and overall trends.  The outcomes in these matters are not reasonably estimable.

Note 14 - Reportable Segments

The Company’s operating and reportable segments are:
Lighting Products
LED Products
Power and RF Products

The Company’s CODM reviews segment performance and allocates resources based upon segment revenue and segment gross profit.
Reportable Segments Description

Lighting Products Segment

The Company’s Lighting Products segment primarily consists of LED lighting systems and bulbs. The Company designs, manufactures and sells lighting systems for indoor and outdoor applications, with its primary focus on LED lighting systems for the commercial, industrial and consumer markets. Lighting products are sold to distributors, retailers and direct to customers. The Company's portfolio of lighting products is designed for use in settings such as office and retail space, restaurants and hospitality, schools and universities, manufacturing, healthcare, airports, municipal, residential, street lighting and parking structures, among other applications.

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Table of Contents

LED Products Segment
The Company’s LED Products segment includes LED chips, LED components, and SiC materials.

LED Chips

LED chip products include blue and green LED chips based on GaN and related materials. LED chips or die are solid-state electronic components used in a number of applications and are currently available in a variety of brightness levels, wavelengths (color) and sizes. The Company uses LED chips internally in the manufacturing of its LED components. Customers use the blue and green LED chips in a variety of applications including video screens, gaming displays, function indicator lights, and automotive backlights, headlamps and directional indicators. Customers may also combine blue LED chips with phosphors to create white LEDs, which are used in various applications for indoor and outdoor illumination and backlighting, full-color display screens, liquid crystal displays (LCD) backlighting, white keypads and the camera flash function.

LED Components

LED component products include a range of packaged LED products from the Company’s XLamp® LED components and LED modules for lighting applications to the Company’s high-brightness LED components.

The Company’s XLamp LED components and LED modules are lighting class packaged LED products designed to meet a broad range of market needs for lighting applications including general illumination (both indoor and outdoor applications), portable, architectural, signal and transportation lighting. The Company uses XLamp LED components in its own lighting products. The Company also sells XLamp LED components externally to customers and distributors for use in a variety of products, primarily for lighting applications.

The Company’s high-brightness LED components consist of surface mount (SMD) and through-hole packaged LED products. The SMD LED component products are available in a full range of colors designed to meet a broad range of market needs, including video, signage, general illumination, transportation, gaming and specialty lighting markets. The Company's through-hole packaged LED component products are available in a full range of colors, primarily designed for the signage market, and provide users with color and brightness consistency across a wide viewing area.

SiC Materials

The Company’s SiC materials are targeted for customers who use them to manufacture products for RF, power switching, gemstones and other applications. Corporate, government and university customers also buy SiC materials for research and development directed at RF and high power devices. The Company sells its SiC materials in bulk form, as a bare wafer or with SiC and GaN epitaxial films.

Power and RF Products Segment

The Company’s Power and RF Products segment includes power devices and RF devices.

Power Devices

The Company’s SiC-based power products include Schottky diodes, SiC metal semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and SiC power modules at various voltages. The Company's power products provide increased efficiency, faster switching speeds and reduced system size and weight over comparable silicon-based power devices. Power products are sold primarily to customers and distributors for use in power supplies used in computer servers, solar inverters, uninterruptible power supplies, industrial power supplies and other applications.

RF Devices

The Company’s RF devices include a variety of GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) and monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMICs), which are optimized for military, telecom and other commercial applications. The Company's RF devices are made from SiC and GaN and provide improved efficiency, bandwidths and frequency of operation as compared to silicon or GaAs. The Company also provides custom die manufacturing for GaN HEMTs and MMICs that allow a customer to design its own custom RF circuits to be fabricated by the Company, or have the Company design and fabricate products that meet the customer's specific requirements.


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Table of Contents

Financial Results by Reportable Segment

The table below reflects the results of the Company’s reportable segments as reviewed by the Company’s CODM for fiscal 2016, 2015 and 2014. The Company used the same accounting policies to derive the segment results reported below as those used in the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
The Company’s CODM does not review inter-segment transactions when evaluating segment performance and allocating resources to each segment, and inter-segment transactions are not included in the segment revenue presented in the table below. As such, total segment revenue in the table below is equal to the Company’s consolidated revenue.
The Company’s CODM reviews gross profit as the lowest and only level of segment profit. As such, all items below gross profit in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income must be included to reconcile the consolidated gross profit presented in the table below to the Company’s consolidated income before income taxes.
In order to determine gross profit for each reportable segment, the Company allocates direct costs and indirect costs to each segment’s cost of revenue. The Company allocates indirect costs, such as employee benefits for manufacturing employees, shared facilities services, information technology, purchasing, and customer service, when the costs are identifiable and beneficial to the reportable segment. The Company allocates these indirect costs based on a reasonable measure of utilization that considers the specific facts and circumstances of the costs being allocated.
Unallocated costs in the table below consisted primarily of manufacturing employees’ stock-based compensation, expenses for profit sharing and quarterly or annual incentive plans and matching contributions under the Company’s 401(k) plan. These costs were not allocated to the reportable segments' gross profit because the Company’s CODM does not review them regularly when evaluating segment performance and allocating resources.
Revenue, gross profit and gross margin for each of the Company's segments were as follows (in thousands, except percentages):
 
Revenue
 
Gross Profit and Gross Margin
 
Year Ended
 
Year Ended
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
June 29, 2014
Lighting Products
$
889,133

 
$
906,502

 
$
706,425

 
$
238,242

 
$
235,542

 
$
197,304

Lighting Products gross margin
 
 
 
 
 
 
27
%
 
26
%
 
28
%
LED Products
610,835

 
602,082

 
833,684

 
212,367

 
190,912

 
381,003

LED Products gross margin
 
 
 
 
 
 
35
%
 
32
%
 
46
%
Power and RF Products
116,659

 
123,921

 
107,532

 
56,069

 
67,764

 
60,723

Power and RF Products gross margin
 
 
 
 
 
 
48
%
 
55
%
 
56
%
Total segment reporting

$1,616,627

 

$1,632,505

 

$1,647,641

 
506,678

 
494,218

 
639,030

Unallocated costs
 
 
 
 
 
 
(19,604
)
 
(20,299
)
 
(21,274
)
Consolidated gross profit
 
 
 
 
 
 

$487,074

 

$473,919

 

$617,756

Consolidated gross margin
 
 
 
 
 
 
30
%
 
29
%
 
37
%

Assets by Reportable Segment
Inventories are the only assets reviewed by the Company’s CODM when evaluating segment performance and allocating resources to the segments. The CODM reviews all of the Company's assets other than inventories on a consolidated basis. The following table sets forth the Company’s inventories by reportable segment for the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015.
Unallocated inventories in the table below were not allocated to the reportable segments because the Company’s CODM does not review them when evaluating performance and allocating resources to each segment. Unallocated inventories consisted primarily of manufacturing employees’ stock-based compensation, profit sharing and quarterly or annual incentive compensation and matching contributions under the Company’s 401(k) plan.

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Inventories for each of the Company's segments were as follows (in thousands):
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
Lighting Products
$
172,261

 
$
150,755

LED Products
106,787

 
114,203

Power and RF Products
19,628

 
11,536

Total segment inventories
298,676

 
276,494

Unallocated inventories
4,866

 
4,082

Consolidated inventories

$303,542

 

$280,576


Geographic Information
The Company conducts business in several geographic areas. Revenue is attributed to a particular geographic region based on the shipping address for the products. The following table sets forth the percentage of revenue from external customers by geographic area:
 
For the Years Ended
 
June 26, 2016
 
June 28, 2015
 
6/29/2014
United States
59
%
 
57
%
 
49
%
China
20
%
 
21
%
 
27
%
Europe
8
%
 
9
%
 
9
%
South Korea
1
%
 
1
%
 
2
%
Japan
4
%
 
4
%
 
6
%
Malaysia
1
%
 
1
%
 
1
%
Taiwan
1
%
 
1
%
 
1
%
Other
6
%
 
6
%
 
5
%
Total percentage of revenue
100
%
 
100
%
 
100
%

The following table sets forth the Company’s tangible long-lived assets by country (in thousands): 
 
June 26,
2016
 
June 28,
2015
United States

$488,342

 

$502,579

China
108,183

 
131,140

Other
3,198

 
1,353

Total tangible long-lived assets

$599,723

 

$635,072


Note 15 – Concentrations of Risk
Financial instruments, which may subject the Company to a concentration of risk, consist principally of short-term investments, cash equivalents, and accounts receivable. Short-term investments consist primarily of municipal bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit at interest rates that vary by security. The Company’s cash equivalents consist primarily of money market funds. Certain bank deposits may at times be in excess of the FDIC insurance limits.
The Company sells its products on account to manufacturers, distributors, retailers and others worldwide and generally requires no collateral.
Revenue from Arrow Electronics, Inc. represented 10%, 12% and 13% of revenue for fiscal 2016, 2015, and 2014, respectively. Revenue from The Home Depot, Inc. represented 8% of revenue in fiscal 2016 and 11% in both fiscal 2015 and 2014.
No customers individually accounted for more than 10% of the consolidated accounts receivable balance at June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015.

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Arrow Electronics, Inc. is a customer of the LED Products and Power and RF Products segments. The Home Depot, Inc. is a customer of the Lighting Products segment.

Note 16 – Retirement Savings Plan
The Company sponsors one employee benefit plan (the 401(k) Plan) pursuant to Section 401(k) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended. All U.S. employees are eligible to participate under the 401(k) Plan on the first day of a new fiscal month after the date of hire. Under the 401(k) Plan, there is no fixed dollar amount of retirement benefits; rather, the Company matches a defined percentage of employee deferrals, and employees vest in these matching funds over time. Employees choose their investment elections from a list of available investment options. During the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016, June 28, 2015 and June 29, 2014, the Company contributed approximately $7.0 million, $6.9 million and $6.3 million to the 401(k) Plan, respectively. The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation does not insure the 401(k) Plan.

Note 17 – Related Party Transactions
In July 2010, Mark Swoboda was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Intematix Corporation (Intematix). Mark Swoboda is the brother of the Company’s Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President, Charles M. Swoboda. For a number of years the Company has purchased raw materials from Intematix pursuant to standard purchase orders in the ordinary course of business.
During fiscal 2016, the Company purchased $3.9 million of raw materials from Intematix, and the Company had $0.3 million outstanding payable to Intematix as of June 26, 2016. During fiscal 2015, the Company purchased $7.2 million of raw materials from Intematix, and the Company had $0.1 million outstanding payable to Intematix as of June 28, 2015.
The Company currently owns approximately 14% of the common stock of Lextar Electronics Corporation, an investment that was purchased in December 2014. During fiscal 2016, the Company purchased approximately $31.7 million of inventory from Lextar and the Company had $7.6 million outstanding payable to Lextar as of June 26, 2016.

Note 18 - Costs Associated with LED Business Restructuring
In June 2015, our Board of Directors approved a plan to restructure the LED Products business. The restructuring reduced excess capacity and overhead in order to improve the cost structure moving forward. The primary components of the restructuring include the planned sale or abandonment of certain manufacturing equipment, facility consolidation and the elimination of certain positions. The restructuring activity ended in the second quarter of fiscal 2016. During fiscal 2016, the company realized$18.8 million in LED restructuring charges which were partially offset by a $1.1 million gain on the sale of long-lived assets related to the restructuring which were sold for a value in excess of their estimated net realizable value during fiscal 2016.

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The following table summarizes the actual charges incurred (in thousands):
Capacity and overhead cost reductions
Amounts incurred through June 28, 2015
 
Amounts incurred during fiscal year 2016
 
Cumulative amounts incurred through June 26, 2016
 
Affected Line Item in the Consolidated Statements of (Loss)Income
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
$
42,716

 
$
15,506

 
$
58,222

 
Loss on disposal or impairment of long-lived assets
Severance expense
2,019

 
264

 
2,283

 
Sales, general and administrative expenses
Lease termination and facility consolidation costs
1,246

 
3,079

 
4,325

 
Sales, general and administrative expenses
Increase in channel inventory reserves
26,479

 

 
26,479

 
Revenue, net
Increase in inventory reserves
11,091

 

 
11,091

 
Cost of revenue, net
  Total restructuring charges
$
83,551

 
$
18,849

 
$
102,400

 
 

In the table above, the lease termination costs relate to the relocation of certain manufacturing operations from a leased facility in Huizhou, China to a company-owned facility which is also in Huizhou, China. In June 2015, the Company ceased using the leased facility and recognized a $0.5 million charge for the lease contract termination cost.
In the table above, the severance expense relates to a reduction in manufacturing and support positions. There is not a significant retention period for impacted employees.
The following table presents the changes in the severance liability under the LED Products restructuring plan (in thousands):
Severance liability at June 30, 2014
$

Severance expense
2,019

Severance payments

Severance liability at June 28, 2015
$
2,019

Severance charge
264

Severance payments
(2,283
)
Severance liability at June 26, 2016
$

Note 19 - Subsequent Event
On July 13, 2016, the Company executed an Asset Purchase Agreement (the APA) with Infineon. The transaction, which was approved by both the Company’s Board of Directors and Infineon’s Supervisory Board, is expected to close by the end of calendar year 2016, subject to customary closing conditions and governmental approvals.
Pursuant to the APA, the Company will sell to Infineon, and Infineon will (i) purchase from the Company (a) the assets comprising the Company’s Power and RF Products segment, including manufacturing facilities and equipment, inventory, intellectual property rights, contracts, real estate, and the outstanding equity interests of Cree Fayetteville, Inc, one of the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, and (b) certain related portions of the Company’s SiC materials and gemstones business included within the LED Products segment (the Company refers to the business that it is selling, collectively, as the Wolfspeed business) and (ii) assume certain liabilities related to the Wolfspeed business. The Company will retain certain liabilities associated with the Wolfspeed business arising prior to the closing of the transaction. Infineon is expected to hire most of the Company’s approximately 545 Wolfspeed employees either at the closing of the transaction or following a transition period.
The purchase price for the Wolfspeed business will be $850 million in cash, which is subject to certain adjustments. In connection with the transaction, the Company and Infineon will also enter into certain ancillary and related agreements, including (i) an

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intellectual property assignment and license agreement, which will assign to Infineon certain intellectual property owned by the Company and license to Infineon certain additional intellectual property owned by the Company, (ii) a transition services agreement, which is designed to ensure a smooth transition of the Wolfspeed business to Infineon, and (iii) a wafer supply agreement, pursuant to which the Company will supply Infineon with silicon carbide wafers and silicon carbide boules for a transitional period of time.
The APA contains customary representations, warranties and covenants, including covenants to cooperate in seeking regulatory approvals, as well as the Company’s agreement to not compete with the Wolfspeed business for five years following the closing of the transaction and to indemnify Infineon for certain damages that Infineon may suffer following the closing of the transaction.
Infineon's obligation to purchase the Wolfspeed business is subject to the satisfaction or waiver of a number of conditions set forth in the APA, including regulatory approval under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 and certain similar non-U.S. regulations, the approval of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States and other customary closing conditions. The APA provides for customary termination rights of the parties and also provides that in the event the APA is terminated for certain specified regulatory-related circumstances, Infineon may be required to pay the Company a termination fee ranging from $12.5 million to $42.5 million.
The Company will report the Wolfspeed business as discontinued operations beginning in the first quarter of fiscal 2017.

Note 20 – Quarterly Results of Operations - Unaudited
The following is a summary of the Company’s consolidated quarterly results of operations for each of the fiscal years ended June 26, 2016 and June 28, 2015 (in thousands, except per share data):
 
September 27, 2015*
 
December 27, 2015*
 
March 27, 2016
 
June 26, 2016
 
Fiscal Year 2016
Revenue, net

$425,489

 

$435,806

 

$366,919

 

$388,413

 

$1,616,627

Cost of revenue, net
294,916

 
301,361

 
257,886

 
275,390

 
1,129,553

Gross profit
130,573

 
134,445

 
109,033

 
113,023

 
487,074

Net (loss) income
(24,489
)
 
13,442

 
152

 
(10,641
)
 
(21,536
)
(Loss) earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic

($0.24
)
 

$0.13

 

$—

 

($0.11
)
 

($0.21
)
Diluted

($0.24
)
 

$0.13

 

$—

 

($0.11
)
 

($0.21
)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
September 28, 2014*
 
December 28, 2014*
 
March 29, 2015*
 
June 28, 2015*
 
Fiscal Year 2015*
Revenue, net

$427,672

 

$413,157

 

$409,519

 

$382,157

 

$1,632,505

Cost of revenue, net
292,111

 
276,637

 
284,371

 
305,467

 
1,158,586

Gross profit
135,561

 
136,520

 
125,148

 
76,690

 
473,919

Net income (loss)
10,955

 
11,977

 
476

 
(88,100
)
 
(64,692
)
(Loss) earnings per share:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Basic

$0.09

 

$0.10

 

$—

 

($0.83
)
 

($0.57
)
Diluted

$0.09

 

$0.10

 

$—

 

($0.83
)
 

($0.57
)
*As revised to reflect the correction of an immaterial error. For additional information, see Note 2, "Basis of Presentation and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies."

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure
None.


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Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report. Based on such evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that, as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report, our disclosure controls and procedures are effective in that they provide reasonable assurances that the information we are required to disclose in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods required by the SEC’s rules and forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
There have been no changes to our internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act, during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2016 that materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.
In the course of our ongoing preparations for making management’s report on internal control over financial reporting as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, from time to time we have identified areas in need of improvement and have taken remedial actions to strengthen the affected controls as appropriate. We make these and other changes to enhance the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, which do not have a material effect on our overall internal control.
We will continue to evaluate the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures and internal control over financial reporting on an ongoing basis and will take action as appropriate.

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f). Our internal control system was designed to provide reasonable assurance to our management and Board of Directors regarding the preparation and fair presentation of published financial statements.
Our internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that:
(i)
pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of our assets;
(ii)
provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that our receipts and expenditures are being made only in accordance with authorizations of our management and directors; and
(iii)
provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of our assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
All internal control systems, no matter how well designed, have inherent limitations. Therefore, even those systems determined to be effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial statement preparation and presentation.
In making the assessment of internal control over financial reporting, our management used the criteria issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013 framework). Based on that assessment and those criteria, management has concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of June 26, 2016.
The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of June 26, 2016 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report in Item 8 of this Annual Report.

Item 9B. Other Information
Not applicable.

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PART III

Certain information called for in Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 is incorporated by reference from our definitive proxy statement relating to our annual meeting of shareholders, which will be filed with the SEC within 120 days after the end of fiscal 2016.

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

Item 11. Executive Compensation

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

Item 13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence

Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services


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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules
(a)(1) and (2) The financial statements and reports of independent registered public accounting firm are filed as part of this Annual Report (see “Index to Consolidated Financial Statements” at Item 8). The financial statement schedules are not included in this item as they are either not applicable or are included as part of the consolidated financial statements.
(a)(3) The following exhibits have been or are being filed herewith and are numbered in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K: 
EXHIBIT NO.
 
DESCRIPTION
 
 
 
3.1
 
Articles of Incorporation, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2002)
 
 
 
3.2
 
Bylaws, as amended and restated (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 27, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 28, 2015)
 
 
 
4.1
 
Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2002)
 
 
 
4.2
 
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated April 24, 2012, between Cree, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated April 24, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2012)
 
 
 
4.3
 
Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of January 29, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 31, 2013)
 
 
 
4.4
 
Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of February 11, 2015 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated February 11, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2015)
 
 
 
10.1*
 
2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 25, 2012)
 
 
 
10.2*
 
Addendum to Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement Terms and Conditions for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options to Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2009)
 
 
 
10.3*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement for Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.4*
 
Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 24, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2006)
 
 
 
10.5*
 
Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 26, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2011)
 
 
 
10.6*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.7*
 
Form of Master Restricted Stock Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 24, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2006)
 
 
 

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10.8*
 
Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.9*
 
Non-Employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2009)
 
 
 
10.10*
 
Amendment One to Non-Employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 26, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2011)
 
 
 
10.11*
 
Master Performance Unit Award Agreement, dated August 18, 2008, between Cree, Inc. and Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 18, 2008, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 22, 2008)
 
 
 
10.12*
 
Cree, Inc. Severance Plan for Section 16 Officers, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 28, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 2013)
 
 
 
10.13*
 
Change in Control Agreement for Chief Executive Officer, effective December 17, 2012, between Cree, Inc. and Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 17, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2012)
 
 
 
10.14*
 
Form of Cree, Inc. Change in Control Agreement for Section 16 Officers other than the Chief Executive Officer (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 17, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2012)
 
 
 
10.15*
 
Form of Cree, Inc. Indemnification Agreement for Directors and Officers (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 25, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2010)
 
 
 
10.16*
 
Form of Master Performance Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 30, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 5, 2013)
 
 
 
10.17*
 
Form of Stock Unit Award Agreement (Time-Based) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2013)
 
 
 
10.18*
 
Form of Stock Unit Award Agreement (Performance-Based) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2013)
 
 
 
10.19*
 
2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2013)
 
 
 
10.20*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 22, 2014)
 
 
 
10.21*
 
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 22, 2014)
 
 
 
10.22*
 
Form of Master Performance Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 25, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 29, 2014)
 
 
 
10.23*
 
2013 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 28, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 2014)
 
 
 
10.24
 
Credit Agreement, dated January 9, 2015, by and between Cree, Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent and lender, E-conolight LLC, a domestic subsidiary of the Company, as guarantor, and the other lenders party thereto (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 9, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 12, 2015)
 
 
 

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10.25*
 
Notice of Grant to Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 
10.26*
 
Notice of Grant to Michael E. McDevitt (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 
10.27*
 
Management Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 
10.28*
 
Schedule of Compensation for Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2015)
 
 
 
10.29*
 
Form of Performance Share Award Agreement - Section 16 Officer (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2015)
 
 
 
21.1
 
Subsidiaries of the Company
 
 
 
23.1
 
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
 
 
 
23.2
 
Consent of KPMG
 
 
 
31.1
 
Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
31.2
 
Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
32.1
 
Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
32.2
 
Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
99.1**
 
Audited financial statements of Lextar Electronics Corporation as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
 
 
 
101
 
The following materials from Cree, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2016 formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; (v) Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity; and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
*
Management contract or compensatory plan
 
 
**
The financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 of Lextar Electronics Corporation, prepared by Lextar and audited by its independent public accounting firm, are included in this Annual Report pursuant to Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X.


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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
 
CREE, INC.
Date:
August 25, 2016
 
 
By:
/s/    CHARLES M. SWOBODA        
 
Charles M. Swoboda
 
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
 
(Principal Executive Officer)
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. 
 
 
 
 
 
Signature
 
Title
 
Date
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    CHARLES M. SWOBODA 
 
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
 
August 25, 2016
Charles M. Swoboda
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    MICHAEL E. MCDEVITT
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 
August 25, 2016
Michael E. McDevitt
 
(Principal Financial and Chief Accounting Officer)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    CLYDE R. HOSEIN 
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Clyde R. Hosein
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    ROBERT A. INGRAM
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Robert A. Ingram
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    DARREN R. JACKSON
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Darren R. Jackson
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    C. HOWARD NYE
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
C. Howard Nye
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    JOHN B. REPLOGLE
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
John B. Replogle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    ROBERT L. TILLMAN 
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Robert L. Tillman
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    THOMAS H. WERNER
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Thomas H. Werner
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
/s/    ANNE C. WHITAKER
 
Director
 
August 25, 2016
Anne C. Whitaker
 
 
 
 


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EXHIBIT INDEX
EXHIBIT NO.
 
DESCRIPTION
 
 
 
3.1
 
Articles of Incorporation, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2002)
 
 
 
3.2
 
Bylaws, as amended and restated (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 3.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 27, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 28, 2015)
 
 
 
4.1
 
Specimen Common Stock Certificate (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 19, 2002)
 
 
 
4.2
 
Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated April 24, 2012, between Cree, Inc. and American Stock Transfer & Trust Company, LLC (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated April 24, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 26, 2012)
 
 
 
4.3
 
Amendment No. 1 to Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of January 29, 2013 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 31, 2013)
 
 
 
4.4
 
Amendment No. 2 to Amended and Restated Rights Agreement, dated as of February 11, 2015 (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 4.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated February 11, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 11, 2015)
 
 
 
10.1*
 
2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 25, 2012)
 
 
 
10.2*
 
Addendum to Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement Terms and Conditions for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options to Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2009)
 
 
 
10.3*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement for Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.4*
 
Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 24, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2006)
 
 
 
10.5*
 
Form of Master Stock Option Award Agreement for Grants of Nonqualified Stock Options (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 26, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2011)
 
 
 
10.6*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.7*
 
Form of Master Restricted Stock Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 24, 2006, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 2, 2006)
 
 
 
10.8*
 
Form of Restricted Stock Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 23, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 17, 2012)
 
 
 
10.9*
 
Non-Employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2009, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2009)
 
 
 
10.10*
 
Amendment One to Non-Employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 26, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 19, 2011)
 
 
 

93

Table of Contents

10.11*
 
Master Performance Unit Award Agreement, dated August 18, 2008, between Cree, Inc. and Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 18, 2008, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 22, 2008)
 
 
 
10.12*
 
Cree, Inc. Severance Plan for Section 16 Officers, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 28, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 31, 2013)
 
 
 
10.13*
 
Change in Control Agreement for Chief Executive Officer, effective December 17, 2012, between Cree, Inc. and Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 17, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2012)
 
 
 
10.14*
 
Form of Cree, Inc. Change in Control Agreement for Section 16 Officers other than the Chief Executive Officer (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated December 17, 2012, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on December 20, 2012)
 
 
 
10.15*
 
Form of Cree, Inc. Indemnification Agreement for Directors and Officers (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 25, 2010, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2010)
 
 
 
10.16*
 
Form of Master Performance Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 30, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 5, 2013)
 
 
 
10.17*
 
Form of Stock Unit Award Agreement (Time-Based) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.7 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2013)
 
 
 
10.18*
 
Form of Stock Unit Award Agreement (Performance-Based) (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.8 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 23, 2013)
 
 
 
10.19*
 
2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 29, 2013)
 
 
 
10.20*
 
Form of Nonqualified Stock Option Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 22, 2014)
 
 
 
10.21*
 
Form of Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended December 29, 2013, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 22, 2014)
 
 
 
10.22*
 
Form of Master Performance Unit Award Agreement (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 25, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 29, 2014)
 
 
 
10.23*
 
2013 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated October 28, 2014, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 28, 2014)
 
 
 
10.24
 
Credit Agreement, dated January 9, 2015, by and between Cree, Inc., Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, as administrative agent and lender, E-conolight LLC, a domestic subsidiary of the Company, as guarantor, and the other lenders party thereto (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated January 9, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on January 12, 2015)
 
 
 
10.25*
 
Notice of Grant to Charles M. Swoboda (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.1 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 
10.26*
 
Notice of Grant to Michael E. McDevitt (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.2 of the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 
10.27*
 
Management Incentive Compensation Plan, as amended and restated (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.4 to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K, dated August 24, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August 27, 2015)
 
 
 

94

Table of Contents

10.28*
 
Schedule of Compensation for Non-Employee Directors (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.5 to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2015)
 
 
 
10.29*
 
Form of Performance Share Award Agreement - Section 16 Officer (incorporated herein by reference to Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 27, 2015, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 21, 2015)
 
 
 
21.1
 
Subsidiaries of the Company
 
 
 
23.1
 
Consent of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
 
 
 
23.2
 
Consent of KPMG
 
 
 
31.1
 
Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
31.2
 
Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
32.1
 
Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
32.2
 
Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
 
 
 
99.1**
 
Audited financial statements of Lextar Electronics Corporation as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.
 
 
 
101
 
The following materials from Cree, Inc.’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 26, 2016 formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Consolidated Balance Sheets; (ii) Consolidated Statements of (Loss) Income; (iii) Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive (Loss) Income; (iv) Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows; (v) Consolidated Statements of Shareholders' Equity; and (vi) Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

*
Management contract or compensatory plan
**
The financial statements as of and for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 of Lextar Electronics Corporation, prepared by Lextar and audited by its independent public accounting firm, are included in this Annual Report pursuant to Rule 3-09 of Regulation S-X.


95

Exhibit


Exhibit 21.1

Significant Subsidiaries of the Registrant*


Subsidiaries of Cree, Inc.                            Jurisdiction        
Cree Hong Kong Limited                            Hong Kong

Subsidiaries of Cree Hong Kong Limited                    Jurisdiction        
Cree Huizhou Solid State Lighting Company Limited                People's Republic of China
    

*    For the fiscal year ended June 26, 2016





Exhibit


Exhibit 23.1

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in the following Registration Statements:

Registration Statements on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-164515, 333-171874 and 333-179218) pertaining to the Cree, Inc. 2004 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan (as amended),
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-149547) pertaining to the LED Lighting Fixtures, Inc. 2006 Stock Plan,
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-191972) pertaining to the Cree, Inc. 2005 Employee Stock Purchase Plan (as amended),
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (No. 333-164516) pertaining to the Cree, Inc. Non-employee Director Stock Compensation and Deferral Program, and
Registration Statement on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-191973 and 333-198381) pertaining to the Cree, Inc. 2013 Long-Term Incentive Compensation Plan

of Cree, Inc. of our report dated August 25, 2016 relating to the financial statements and the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting which appears in this Form 10-K.


/s/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP                            

Raleigh, North Carolina
August 25, 2016






Exhibit


Exhibit 23.2

Consent of Independent Auditors

    
We consent to the incorporation by reference in the registration statements on Form S-8 (Nos. 333-198381, 333-191973, 333-191972, 333-179218, 333-171874, 333-164516, 333-164515 and 333-149547) of Cree, Inc. of our report dated August 9, 2016, with respect to the consolidated statements of financial position of Lextar Electronics Corporation and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years then ended, which report appears in the June 26, 2016 Annual Report on Form 10-K of Cree, Inc.




/s/ KPMG

Taipei, Taiwan (the Republic of China)

August 22, 2016





Exhibit



Exhibit 31.1
Certification by Chief Executive Officer
pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Charles M. Swoboda, certify that:
1.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Cree, Inc.;
2.
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)
Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 25, 2016
 
/s/ CHARLES M. SWOBODA
 
Charles M. Swoboda
 
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President





Exhibit



Exhibit 31.2
Certification by Chief Financial Officer
pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as
adopted pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

I, Michael E. McDevitt, certify that:
1.
I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Cree, Inc.;
2.
Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;
3.
Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as of, and for, the periods presented in this report;
4.
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) and internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f)) for the registrant and have:
(a)
Designed such disclosure controls and procedures, or caused such disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to ensure that material information relating to the registrant, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to us by others within those entities, particularly during the period in which this report is being prepared;
(b)
Designed such internal control over financial reporting, or caused such internal control over financial reporting to be designed under our supervision, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles;
(c)
Evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant’s disclosure controls and procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and
(d)
Disclosed in this report any change in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the registrant’s most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant’s fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting; and
5.
The registrant’s other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most recent evaluation of internal control over financial reporting, to the registrant’s auditors and the audit committee of the registrant’s board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):
(a)
All significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the design or operation of internal controls over financial reporting which are reasonably likely to adversely affect the registrant’s ability to record, process, summarize and report financial information; and
(b)
Any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or other employees who have a significant role in the registrant’s internal control over financial reporting.

Date: August 25, 2016
 
/s/ MICHAEL E. MCDEVITT
 
Michael E. McDevitt
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer





Exhibit



Exhibit 32.1
Certification by Chief Executive Officer pursuant to
18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In connection with the Annual Report of Cree, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2016 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Charles M. Swoboda, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to my knowledge, that:
(1)
The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
(2)
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
 
/s/ CHARLES M. SWOBODA
 
Charles M. Swoboda
 
Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President
 
 
 
August 25, 2016

This Certification is being furnished solely to accompany the Report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and shall not be deemed “filed” by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Report, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.




Exhibit



Exhibit 32.2
Certification by Chief Financial Officer pursuant to
18 U.S.C. Section 1350,
as adopted pursuant to
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

In connection with the Annual Report of Cree, Inc. (the “Company”) on Form 10-K for the year ended June 26, 2016 as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on the date hereof (the “Report”), I, Michael E. McDevitt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of the Company, certify, pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, to my knowledge, that:
(1)
The Report fully complies with the requirements of section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended; and
(2)
The information contained in the Report fairly presents, in all material respects, the financial condition and results of operations of the Company.
 
/s/ MICHAEL E. MCDEVITT
 
Michael E. McDevitt
 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
 
 
 
August 25, 2016

This Certification is being furnished solely to accompany the Report pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and shall not be deemed “filed” by the Company for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and shall not be incorporated by reference into any filing of the Company under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, whether made before or after the date of this Report, irrespective of any general incorporation language contained in such filing.

A signed original of this written statement required by Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 has been provided to the Company and will be retained by the Company and furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission or its staff upon request.




Exhibit




LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Financial Statements
December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
(With Report of Independent Auditors)









Independent Auditors’ Report


The Board of Directors and Stockholders
Lextar Electronics Corporation:

Report on the Financial Statements
We have audited the accompanying consolidated financial statements of Lextar Electronics Corporation and its subsidiaries, which comprise the consolidated statements of financial position as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 and the related consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows for the years then ended, and the related notes to the consolidated financial statements.

Management’s Responsibility for the Financial Statements
Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of these consolidated financial statements in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board; this includes the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of consolidated financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
Auditors’ Responsibility
Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free from material misstatement.
An audit involves performing procedures to obtain audit evidence about the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. The procedures selected depend on the auditors’ judgment, including the assessment of the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to fraud or error. In making those risk assessments, the auditor considers internal control relevant to the entity’s preparation and fair presentation of the consolidated financial statements in order to design audit procedures that are appropriate in the circumstances, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the entity’s internal control. Accordingly, we express no such opinion. An audit also includes evaluating the appropriateness of accounting policies used and the reasonableness of significant accounting estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements.
We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Opinion
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Lextar Electronics Corporation and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2015 and 2014, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years then ended, in conformity with International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board.






Other Matter
The accompanying consolidated statements of comprehensive income, changes in equity and cash flows of Lextar Corporation and subsidiaries for the year ended December 31, 2013, were not audited, reviewed, or compiled by us and, accordingly, we do not express an opinion or any other form of assurance on them.


/s/KPMG
Taipei, Taiwan (Republic of China)
August 9, 2016





LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Financial Position

December 31, 2015 and 2014


See accompanying notes to financial statements.



(expressed in thousands of New Taiwan dollars


Note
December 31,
2015
December 31,
2014
 
Note
December 31,
2015
 
December 31,
2014
Assets
 
 
 
Liabilities
 
 
 
Current assets:
 
 
 
Current liabilities:
 
 
 
Cash and cash equivalents
6
$5,240,128
5,397,182
Short-term borrowings
16
$ -
924,629
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss-current

7, 17
1,875
240
Accounts payable
 
3,285,365
3,162,169
Accounts receivable, net
9
3,732,499
3,593,240
Accounts payable to related parties
34
29,844
4,914
Accounts receivable from related parties, net
9, 34
1,194,187
1,540,628
Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss-current
7, 17
50,026
86,175
Other financial assets
6,9
199,981
35,850
Current tax liabilities
28
35,917
129,797
Inventories
10
3,004,148
2,825,163
Other current liabilities
 
1,151,106
1,323,600
Other current assets
 
222,855
332,341
Current installments of long-term borrowings
18
851,250
1,250
Total current assets
 
13,595,673
13,724,644
Total current liabilities
 
5,403,508
5,632,534
Noncurrent assets:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investments in equity-accounted investees
11
242,381
232,756
Noncurrent liabilities:
 
      
      
Available-for-sale financial assets-noncurrent
8
116,921
219,552
Long-term borrowings, excluding current installments
18
947,500
1,798,750
Property, plant and equipment, net
13, 35
7,705,603
9,445,343
Convertible bonds payable
17
1,886,125
1,842,643
Intangible assets
14
17,388
18,487
Other noncurrent liabilities
28
179,989
179,802
Deferred tax assets
28
243,219
255,368
Total noncurrent liabilities
 
3,013,614
3,821,195
Long-term prepayments for rents
15
101,529
99,960
Total liabilities
 
8,417,122
9,453,729
Other noncurrent assets
20, 35
371,124
294,166
 
 
 
 
Total noncurrent assets
 
8,798,165
10,565,632
Equity
12, 17, 21, 22
 
 
 
 
 
 
Common stock, $10 par value
 
6,025,723
6,228,300
 
 
 
 
Capital collected in advance
 
412
1,238
 
 
 
 
Capital surplus
 
6,973,068
7,158,596
 
 
 
 
Retained earnings
 
1,119,627
1,377,377
 
 
 
 
Other components of equity
 
191,791
21,618
 
 
 
 
Treasury stock
 
(333,905)
      -
 
 
 
 
Equity attributable to stockholders of Lextar Electronics Corporation
 
13,976,716
14,787,129
 
 
 
 
Non-controlling interests
 
      -
49,418
 
 
 
 
Total equity
 
13,976,716
14,836,547
Total Assets
 
$22,393,838
24,290,276
Total Liabilities and Equity
 
$22,393,838
24,290,276
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


See accompanying notes to financial statements.



LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
(expressed in thousands of New Taiwan dollars, except earnings per share)


 

Note
 

2015


2014

2013 (Unaudited)

 
 
 
 
 
 
Net revenue
23, 34
$
14,230,534

14,517,137

13,751,666

Cost of sales
10, 19, 20, 22, 24, 34
 
12,632,960

12,392,047

12,005,060

Gross profit
 
 
1,597,574

2,125,090

1,746,606

Selling and distribution expenses
9, 14, 19, 20, 22, 24
 
450,505

338,134

287,725

General and administrative expenses
14, 19, 20, 22, 24, 34
 
453,436

554,000

558,502

Research and development expenses
14, 19, 20, 24, 34
 
562,834

432,110

366,137

Other income
12, 25
 
75,228

69,055

665,397

Other gains and losses
17, 26
 
174,712

14,588

65,061

Finance costs
17, 27
 
(87,214)

(132,388)

(165,807)

Share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted investees
11
 
10,873

(12,694
)
(13,997
)
Profit before income tax
 
 
304,398

739,407

1,084,896

Income tax expense
28
 
905

92,442

204,175

Profit for the year
 
 
303,493

646,965

880,721

Other comprehensive income
 
 
   

   

   

Items that will never be reclassified to profit or loss
 
 
 
 
 
Remeasurement of defined benefit obligations
 
 
190

2,939

22,113

Items that are or may be reclassified to profit or loss
 
 
 
 
   

Foreign operations – foreign currency translation differences
 
 
136,645

185,770

60,786

Net change in fair value of available-for-sale financial assets
 
 
(38,808
)
(47,162
)
(44,293
)
Other comprehensive income, net of tax
 
 
98,027

141,547

38,606

Total comprehensive income for the year
 
$
401,520

788,512

919,327

Profit attributable to:
 
 
 
 
 
Stockholders of Lextar Electronics Corporation
 
$
308,934

661,163

912,475

Non-controlling interests
 
 
(5,441
)
(14,198
)
(31,754
)
Profit for the year
 
$
303,493

646,965

880,721

Total comprehensive income attributable to:
 
 
 
 
 
Stockholders of Lextar Electronics Corporation
 
$
407,700

802,668

951,128

Non-controlling interests
 
 
(6,180
)
(14,156
)
(31,801
)
Total comprehensive income for the year
 
$
401,520

788,512

919,327

Earnings per share
 
 
 
 
 
Basic earnings per share
29
$
0.50

1.23

1.78

Diluted earnings per share
29
$
0.50

1.15

1.73


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.



LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity
For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
(expressed in thousands of New Taiwan dollars)


 
   Equity attributable to owners of parent
 
 
   Share capital
 
   Retained earnings
      Other components of equity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exchange
differences on
Unrealized
losses
 
 
 
 
 
Ordinary
Capital
collected
Capital
Legal
Special

Unappropriated
translation of
foreign financial
on available-
for-sale financial
 

Treasury

Non-controlling
 
 
   shares
   in advance
   surplus
   reserve
   reserve
retained earnings
   statements
   assets
   Others
   stock
   interests
   Total equity
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance on January 1, 2013 (Unaudited)
4,304,724
895
3,433,042
124,258
201
665,128
(32,595)
(2,196)
8,493,457
Profit (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2013 (Unaudited)
912,475
      -
      -
(31,754)
880,721
Other comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2013 (Unaudited)
22,113
60,833
(44,293)
(47)
38,606
Comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2013 (Unaudited)
934,588
60,833
(44,293)
(31,801)
919,327
Appropriation and distribution of retained earnings (Unaudited) :
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Legal reserve
29,095
      -
(29,095)
Special reserve
34,590
(34,590)
Cash dividends to shareholders
(225,524)
(225,524)
Issuance of shares due to merger (Unaudited)
849,750
1,402,088
2,251,838
Non-controlling interest acquired due to merger (Unaudited)
      -
48,877
48,877
Retirement of treasury stock due to merger (Unaudited)
(144,931)
(122,961)
(116,175)
(384,067)
Conversion of convertible bonds (Unaudited)
5,009
(467)
4,542
Conversion of convertible bonds to ordinary shares (Unaudited)
220,425
(401)
302,438
522,462
Share-based payment transactions (Unaudited)
34,039
54,542
88,581
Employee stock options exercised (Unaudited)
4,114
4,114
Issuance of shares for exercise of employee stock options (Unaudited)
4,042
(4,325)
283
Issuance of restricted employee stock (Unaudited)
88,000
136,400
(224,400)
Difference between consideration and carrying amount of subsidiaries acquired or disposed (Unaudited)
7,485
(7,485)
Contribution by non-controlling interests (Unaudited)
37,500
37,500
Changes in non-controlling interests (Unaudited)
1,066
1,066
Balance on December 31, 2013 (Unaudited)
5,322,010
5,292
5,192,347
153,353
34,791
1,194,332
28,238
(46,489)
(169,858)
48,157
11,762,173
Profit (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2014
661,163
      -
      -
(14,198)
646,965
Other comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2014
2,939
185,728
(47,162)
42
141,547
Comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2014
664,102
185,728
(47,162)
(14,156)
788,512
Appropriation and distribution of retained earnings :
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Legal reserve
97,956
(97,956)
Special reserve
(16,540)
16,540
Cash dividends on ordinary shares
(669,201)
(669,201)
Capital increase by cash
830,000
1,660,000
2,490,000
Retirement of treasury stock
(8,700)
(13,695)
22,395
      -
Issuance of convertible bonds
195,200
195,200
Conversion of convertible bonds
125,157
(11,688)
113,469
Conversion of convertible bonds to ordinary shares
49,558
(129,649)
80,091
Difference between consideration and carrying amount of subsidiaries acquired or disposed
4,736
(4,736)
Share-based payment transactions
(6,894)
109,486
102,592
Employee stock options exercised
33,649
33,649
Issuance of shares for exercise of employee stock options
13,432
(33,211)
19,779
Issuance of restricted employee stock
22,000
38,720
(60,720)
Expiration of restricted employee stock
22,395
(22,395)
Contribution by non-controlling interests
25,000
25,000
Changes in non-controlling interests
(4,847)
(4,847)
Balance on December 31, 2014
6,228,300
1,238
7,158,596
251,309
18,251
1,107,817
213,966
(93,651)
(98,697)
49,418
14,836,547
Profit (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2015
308,934
(5,441)
303,493
Other comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2015
190
137,384
(38,808)
(739)
98,027
Comprehensive income (loss) for the year ended December 31, 2015
309,124
137,384
(38,808)
(6,180)
401,520
Appropriation and distribution of retained earnings :
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Legal reserve
62,986
(62,986)
Special reserve
(18,251)
18,251
Cash dividends on ordinary shares
(93,443)
(566,874)
(660,317)
Acquisition of treasury stock
(618,001)
(618,001)
Retirement of treasury stock
(206,692)
(94,724)
301,416
Conversion of convertible bonds
104
(9)
95
Conversion of convertible bonds to ordinary shares
245
(622)
377
Share-based payment transactions
(960)
54,277
53,317
Loss of control of subsidiary
(43,238)
(43,238)
Employee stock options exercised
412
412
Issuance of shares for exercise of employee stock options
3,870
(720)
3,231
6,381
Expiration of restricted employee stock
17,320
(17,320)
Balance on December 31, 2015
6,025,723
412
6,973,068
314,295
805,332
351,350
(132,459)
(27,100)
(333,905)
13,976,716


See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.



LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013
(expressed in thousands of New Taiwan dollars)

 

   2015

2014
2013 (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Cash flows from operating activities:
 
 
 
Profit before income tax
$
304,398

739,407

1,084,896

Adjustments for:
   

   

   

Depreciation
2,080,207

2,046,212

1,970,885

Amortization
77,278

52,497

40,900

Changes in fair values of financial instruments
(37,849)

41,736

16,394

Interest expense
87,214

132,388

165,807

Interest income
(32,134)

(40,610)

(30,233)

Share-based payment transactions
53,317

102,592

88,581

Share of profit (loss) of equity-accounted investees
(10,873)

12,694

13,997

Gain on bargain purchase


(552,561)

Cash dividends received from associates accounted for using equity method


6,206

Loss (gain) from disposal of property, plant and equipment
(167,090)

3,389

(621)

Gain from transfer of the right of long-term prepaid rents


(61,919)

Gain from loss of control of subsidiary
(15,045)



Others
(3,290
)
(38
)
13,122

 
2,031,735

2,350,860

1,670,558

Change in:
 
 
 
- Accounts receivable
175,567

(452,850)

476,181

- Inventories
(199,640)

(747,581)

(126,079)

- Other current assets
156,391

177,730

(101,055)

- Other financial assets
(164,571)

3,384

61,481

- Other operating assets
(7,125)



- Accounts payable
189,661

198,543

(725,666)

- Other current liabilities
(1,608)

(126,233)

(153,535)

- Other non-current liabilities
19,005

(25,168
)
22,623

 
167,680

(972,175
)
(546,050
)
Cash generated from operating activities
2,503,813

2,118,092

2,209,404

Cash received from interest income
32,639

43,560

26,535

Cash paid for interest
(46,073)

(92,596)

(159,430)

Cash paid for income taxes
(154,015
)
(150,156
)
(17,631
)
Net cash provided by operating activities
2,336,364

1,918,900

2,058,878

Cash flows from investing activities:
   

   

 
Acquisitions of available-for-sale financial assets

(74,022)

(9,875)

Proceeds from disposal of available-for-sale financial assets
74,878



Return of financial assets due to capital reduction

1,050


Net cash outflows from loss of control of subsidiary
(35,978)



Acquisitions of property, plant and equipment
(624,023)

(2,112,821)

(669,412)

Proceeds from disposals of property, plant and equipment
416,525

32,600

53,635

Decrease (increase) in refundable deposits
(992)

703

1,043

Net cash inflows from business combination


1,872,412

Increase in other noncurrent assets
(141,762)

(85,237)

(13,342)

Proceeds from transfer of the right of long-term prepaid rents

141,492


Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
(311,352
)
(2,096,235
)
1,234,461

Cash flows from financing activities:
 
 
 
Decrease in short-term borrowings, net
(924,629)

(142,895)

750,516

Proceeds from issuance of convertible bonds

1,995,000


Repayments of long-term borrowings
(1,250)

(3,143,693)

(1,867,121)

Increase in guarantee deposits
(775)

(291)

1,223

Cash dividends
(660,317)

(669,201)

(225,524)

Proceeds from issuance of common stock

2,490,000


Proceeds from exercise of employee stock options
6,793

33,649

4,114

Cost of acquisition of treasury stock
(618,001)



Net change of non-controlling interests and others

25,000

37,500

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
(2,198,179
)
587,569

(1,299,292
)
Effect of exchange rate change on cash held
16,113

33,337

(32,969
)
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
(157,054)

443,571

1,961,078

Cash and cash equivalents at January 1
5,397,182

4,953,611

2,992,533

Cash and cash equivalents at December 31
$
5,240,128

5,397,182

4,953,611



See accompanying notes to consolidated financial statements.



LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 (Unaudited)
(expressed in thousands of New Taiwan dollars unless otherwise specified)




(1)
Organization

Lextar Electronics Corporation (“Lextar”) was incorporated on May 23, 2008 as a company limited by shares and registered under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Republic of China (“ROC”). Lextar went for IPO on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (“TWSE”) on September 29, 2011. Lextar and its subsidiaries (hereinafter referred to as “the Company”) primarily is involved in the design, manufacture, and sale of InGaN Epi wafer and chips, Light-Emitting Diode (“LED”) package and module. Based on the resolution of the shareholders’ meeting held on February 1, 2010, Lextar resolved to acquire and merge with LightHouse Technology Co., LTD (“LightHouse”) on March 15, 2010. Lextar is the surviving company, and LightHouse was dissolved upon completion of the merger.

LightHouse was incorporated on January 27, 2003. The major business activities of LightHouse were the development, test, manufacture and sale of LED package.

Based on the resolution of the shareholders’ meeting held on October 31, 2012, Lextar resolved to acquire and merge with Wellypower Optronics Corporation (“Wellypower”) on February 1, 2013. Lextar is the surviving company, and Wellypower was dissolved upon completion of the merger.

Wellypower was incorporated on February 28, 1994. The major business activities of Wellypower were the manufacture and sale of cold cathode fluorescent lamp, LED and hot cathode fluorescent lamp.

(2)
The Authorization of Financial Statements

These consolidated financial statements were authorized for issuance by the Board of Directors of Lextar on August 9, 2016.

(3)
New Accounting Pronouncements Under International Financial Reporting Standards (“IFRS”)

(a)
New and revised standards, amendments and interpretations in issue but not yet effective

The Company has not adopted the following new, revised and amended IFRS that have been issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (“IASB”) but are not yet effective:


(Continued)





4

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





   New standards and amendments
Effective date per IASB
IFRS 9 “ Financial Instruments”
January 1, 2018
Amendments to IFRS 10 and IAS 28, Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture
Subject to IASB’s announcement
Amendments to IFRS 10, IFRS 12 and IAS 28, Investments Entities: Applying the Consolidation Exception
January 1, 2016
Amendments to IFRS 11, Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests in Joint Operations
January 1, 2016
IFRS 14, Regulatory Deferral Accounts
January 1, 2016
IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers
January 1, 2018
IFRS 16, Lease
January 1, 2019
Amendments to IAS 1, Presentation of Financial Statements -Disclosure Initiative
January 1, 2016
Amendments to IAS 7, Statement of Cash Flows - Disclosure Initiative
January 1, 2017
Amendments to IAS 12, Recognition of Deferred Tax Assets for Unrealized Losses
January 1, 2017
Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 38, Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortization
January 1, 2016
Amendments to IAS 16 and IAS 41, Agriculture: Bearer Plants
January 1, 2016
Amendments to IAS 27, Equity Method in Separate Financial Statements
January 1, 2016
Annual Improvements to IFRS: 2012-2014 cycles
January 1, 2016

Note: The aforementioned new, revised and amended standards and interpretations are effective for annual periods beginning on or after the respective effective dates.

(b)
Except for the items discussed below, the Company believes that the initial adoption of aforementioned standards or interpretations will not have any significant impact on its accounting policies.

1.
IFRS 9, Financial Instruments

IFRS 9, published in July 2014, replaces the existing guidance in IAS 39 Financial Instruments: Recognition and Measurement. IFRS 9 includes revised guidance on the classification and measurement of financial instruments, including a new expected credit loss model for calculating impairment on financial assets, and the new general hedge accounting requirements. It also carries forward the guidance on recognition and derecognition of financial instruments from IAS 39.








5

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
IFRS 15, Revenue from Contracts with Customers

IFRS 15 establishes a five-step model framework for recognizing revenue that apply to all contracts with customers, and will supersede IAS 18, Revenue, IAS 11, Construction Contracts, and a number of revenue-related interpretations. The core principle in that framework is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to the customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services.

The Company is assessing the potential impact on its financial position and results of operations as a result of the application of IFRS 9 and IFRS 15. The Company expects the assessment to be completed at the end of 2017.

(4)
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these consolidated financial statements are set out as below. The significant accounting policies have been applied consistently to all periods presented in these consolidated financial statements, unless otherwise stated.

(a)
Statement of compliance

The consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with IFRS as issued by the IASB.

(b)
Basis of preparation

1.
The consolidated financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis except for the following material items in the consolidated statements of financial position:

(i)
Financial instruments measured at fair value through profit or loss (including derivative financial instruments) (note 7);

(ii)
Available-for-sale financial assets measured at fair value (note 8); and

(iii)
Defined benefit asset (liability) is recognized as the fair value the plan assets less the present value of the defined benefit obligation (note 20).

2.
Functional and presentation currency

The functional currency of each individual consolidated entity is determined based on the primary economic environment in which the entity operates. Lextar’s primary activities are denominated in New Taiwan Dollar (“NTD”). Accordingly, NTD is Lextar’s functional currency, which is also the presentation currency of the Company’s consolidated financial statements.







6

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






All financial information presented in NTD has been rounded to the nearest thousand, unless otherwise noted.

(c)
Basis of consolidation

1.
Principle of preparation of the consolidated financial statements

The financial statements of subsidiaries are included in the consolidated financial statements from the date that control commences until the date that control ceases. Profit (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss) applicable to the non-controlling interests in a subsidiary are allocated to the non-controlling interests even if this results in the non-controlling interests having a deficit balance.

Subsidiaries’ financial statements are adjusted to align the accounting policies with those of the Company.

Changes in the Company’s ownership interests in a subsidiary that do not result in a loss of control are accounted for as equity transactions. The carrying amounts of the Company’s investment and non-controlling interests are adjusted to reflect the changes in their relative interests in the subsidiary. Any difference between such adjustment and the fair value of the consideration paid or received is recognized directly in equity and attributed to stockholders of Lextar.

Upon the loss of control, the Company derecognizes the carrying amounts of the assets and liabilities of the subsidiary and non-controlling interests, including other comprehensive income (loss) related to the subsidiary. Any surplus or deficit arising from the loss of control is recognized in profit or loss. The gain or loss is measured as the difference between:

(i)
The aggregate of:

A.
the far value of the consideration received, and

B.
the fair value of any retained non-controlling investment in the former subsidiary at the date when the Company losses control.

(ii)
The aggregate of the carrying amount of the former subsidiary’s assets (including goodwill), liabilities and non-controlling interests at the date when the Company losses control.








7

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
List of subsidiaries in the consolidated financial statements

 
 
 
 
 
 
Percentage of Ownership (%)
 
Name of
investor
 
Name of subsidiary
 
Main Activities and Location
 
December 31,2015
 
December 31,2014
 
The Company
 
Lextar (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. (LEXSG)
 
General Investing
(Singapore)
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Liang Li Investment Co., Ltd. (Liang Li)
 
General Investing
(Taiwan)
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Wellypower Optronics Corp. (Wellypower)
 
Investment and sale of products (Taiwan)
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Apower Optronics Corp. (Apower)
 
Investment and sale of products (BVI)
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Wellybond Corporation (Wellybond)
 
General Investing
(Taiwan)
 
100%
 
100%
 

 
Wellybond Optronics (H.K.) Limited (Wellybond (H.K.))
 
General Investing
(Hong Kong)
 
100%
 
100%
 

 
Trendylite Corporation
(Trendylite)
 
Sale of products
(Taiwan)
 
100%
 
100%
 
LEXSG
 
Lextar Electronics (SuZhou) Co., Ltd. (LEXZ)
 
Manufacture of Light-Emitting Diode (wafer、light bar、module) (PRC)
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Lextar Electronics (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. (LEXM)
 
 
100%
 
100%
 
 
Lextar Electronics Korea Ltd.
 
Sale of Light-Emitting Diode and After-sales service
(South Korea)
 
100%
 
100%
 
Wellypower
 
Wellypower Optronics
(SuZhou) Corporation
 (Wellypower (SuZhou))
 
Manufacture and sale of CCFL、LED and PCB surface mount technology (PRC)
 
13.36%
 
13.36%
 
Apower
 
Wellypower Optronics
(SuZhou) Corporation
 (Wellypower (SuZhou))
 
 
86.64%
 
86.64%
 
Wellybond (H.K.)
 
SuZhou Welly Trading Co., Ltd
(SuZhou Welly )
 
Import and export trade, Wholesale
(PRC)
 
100%
 
100%
 
Liang Li and Wellybond
 
Verticil Electronics Corporation (Verticil)
 
Business of power convertors
(Taiwan)
 
0 (Note 2)
 
32.17%
(Note 1)
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Verticil

 
Wellypower Electronics (Samoa) Corp. ( Wellypower (Samoa))
 
Investment holding
(Samoa)
 
0 (Note 2)
 
100%
(Note 1)
 
Wellypower
(Samoa)
 
Weiliyang (Suzhou) Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (Weiliyang (Suzhou))
 
Manufacture and sale of light products and power supply
(PRC)
 
0 (Note 2)
 
100%
(Note 1)
 

Note 1: The Company held no more than 50% of Verticil’s shares. However, the Company still considered to have control over it; therefore, Verticil was included in the consolidated financial statements of the Company.
Note 2:
Beginning May 2015, the Company lost control over the financial and operating policies of Verticil because it no longer has the majority vote in the board of director’s meeting, resulting in the exclusion of Verticil as a subsidiary in the consolidated financial statements of the Company. Therefore, the Company’s investment in Vercitil and its subsidiaries was accounted for under available-for-sale financial asset།noncurrent.

(d)
Foreign currencies

1.
Foreign currency transaction







8

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






Transactions in foreign currencies are translated to the respective functional currencies of the individual entities of the Company at exchange rates at the dates of the transactions. Monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies at the reporting date are retranslated to the functional currency at the exchange rate at that date. The foreign currency gain or loss on monetary items is the difference between amortized cost in the functional currency at the beginning of the period adjusted for the effective interest and payments during the period, and the amortized cost in foreign currency translated at the exchange rate at the end of the period.

Non‑monetary assets and liabilities denominated in foreign currencies that are measured at fair value are retranslated to the functional currency at the exchange rate at the date that the fair value was determined. Non‑monetary items in a foreign currency that are measured based on historical cost are translated using the exchange rate at the date of translation.

Foreign currency differences arising on retranslation are recognized in profit or loss, except for those differences relating to the following which are recognized in other comprehensive income:

1)    Available‑for‑sale equity investment;
2)    A financial liability designated as a hedge of the net investment in a foreign operation to the extent that the hedge is effective; or
3)    Qualifying cash flow hedges to the extent the hedge is effective.








9

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Foreign operations

For the purpose of presenting consolidated financial statements, the assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign operations are translated into NTD using the exchange rates at each reporting date.  Income and expenses of foreign operations are translated at the average exchange rates for the period unless the exchange rates fluctuate significantly during the period; in that case, the exchange rates at the dates of the transactions are used. Foreign currency differences are recognized in other comprehensive income within equity, except to the extent that the translation difference is allocated to non-controlling interests.

(e)
Classification of current and non-current assets and liabilities

An asset is classified as current when:

1.
The asset expected to realize, or intends to sell or consume, in its normal operating cycle;

2.
The asset primarily held for the purpose of trading;

3.
The asset expected to realize within twelve months after the reporting date; or

4.
Cash and cash equivalent excluding the asset restricted to be exchanged or used to settle a liability for at least twelve months after the reporting date.

All other assets are classified as non-current.

A liability is classified as current when:

1.
The liability expected to settle in its normal operating cycle;

2.
The liability primarily held for the purpose of trading;

3.
The liability is due to be settled within twelve months after the reporting date; or

4.
The Company does not have an unconditional right to defer settlement of the liability for at least twelve months after the reporting date. Terms of a liability that could, at the option of the counterparty, result in its settlement by the issuance of equity instruments, do not affect its classification.

All other liabilities are classified as non-current.








10

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(f)
Cash and cash equivalents

Cash comprise cash balances and demand deposits. Cash equivalents comprise short-term highly liquid investments that are readily convertible into known amounts of cash and are subject to an insignificant risk of changes in their fair value. Deposits with short-term maturity, but not for investments and other purposes, and are qualified with the aforementioned criteria are classified as cash equivalents.

(g)
Financial instruments

Financial assets and financial liabilities are initially recognized when the Company becomes a party to the contractual provisions of the instruments.

1.
Financial assets

The Company classifies financial assets into the following categories: financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss, receivables and available-for-sale financial assets.

(i)
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss

The Company has certain financial assets classified in this category as held-for-trading for the purpose of hedging exposure to foreign exchange and interest rate risks arising from operating and financing activities. When a derivative financial instrument is not effective as a hedge the Company accounts for it as a financial asset or liability measured at fair value through profit or loss. See note 7 for further detail of the Company’s derivative financial instruments.

(ii)
Available-for-sale financial assets

Available-for-sale financial assets are non-derivative financial assets that are either designated as available-for-sale or are not classified as receivables or financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss. Available-for-sale financial assets are recognized initially at fair value, plus any directly attributable transaction cost. Subsequent to initial recognition, they are measured at fair value and changes therein, other than impairment losses, are recognized in other comprehensive income and presented within equity in unrealized gains (losses) on financial instruments. When an investment is derecognized, the cumulative gain or loss in equity is reclassified to profit or loss. A regular way, purchase or sale of financial assets shall be recognized and derecognized, as applicable, using trade date accounting.

Investments in equity instruments that do not have a quoted market price in an active market, and whose fair value cannot be reliably measured, are carried at their cost less any impairment losses.

Cash dividends on equity instruments are recognized in profit or loss on the date that the Company’s right to receive dividends is established. Stock dividends are recorded as an increase in the number of shares held and do not affect investment income. The cost per share is recalculated based on the new total number of shares.

(iii)
Receivables








11

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





Receivables are financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market. Receivables comprise trade receivables and other receivables and investment in debt security with no active market. Such assets are recognized initially at fair value, plus any directly attributable transaction costs. Subsequently, receivables are measured at amortized cost using the effective interest method, less any impairment. If the effect of discounting is immaterial, the short-term receivables are measured at the original amount.

(iv)
Impairment of financial assets

Financial assets not measured at fair value through profit or loss are assessed at each reporting date for indicators of impairment. Financial assets are considered to be impaired if an objective evidence indicates that, as a result of one or more events that occurred after the initial recognition of the financial asset, the estimated future cash flows of those assets have been negatively impacted.

The objective evidence that an available-for-sale equity security is impaired includes a significant or prolonged decline in its fair value below its cost. When an available-for-sale equity security is considered to be impaired, cumulative gains or losses previously recognized in other comprehensive income are reclassified to profit or loss. Such impairment losses are not reversed through profit or loss. However, any subsequent recovery in the fair value of an impaired available-for-sale equity security is recognized in other comprehensive income and accumulated in other components of equity.

For receivables, the Company first assesses whether objective evidence of impairment exists that are individually significant. If there is objective evidence that an impairment loss has occurred, the amount of impairment loss is assessed individually. For receivables other than those aforementioned, the Company groups those assets and collectively assesses them for impairment. An impairment loss for trade receivables is reflected in an allowance account against the receivables. When it is determined a receivable is uncollectible, it is written off from the allowance account. Any subsequent recovery of receivable previously written off is credited against the allowance account. Changes in the amount of the allowance accounts are recognized in profit or loss.








12

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






For equity instruments without a quoted market price in an active market, the objective evidence of impairment includes the investees’ financial information, current operating result, future business plans and relevant industry and public market information. An impairment loss for this kind of equity instruments is reduced from the carrying amount and any impairment loss recognized is not reversed through profit or loss in subsequent periods.

Bad debt expenses and reversal of allowance for doubtful debts for trade receivables are recognized in general and administrative expenses while impairment losses and reversal of impairment for financial assets other than receivables are recognized in other gains and losses.

(v)
De-recognition of financial assets

The Company derecognizes financial assets when the contractual rights of the cash inflow from the asset are terminated, or when the Company transfers substantially all the risks and rewards of ownership of the financial assets to another entity.

On de-recognition of a financial asset in its entirety, the difference between the carrying amount and the sum of the consideration received or receivable and any cumulative gain or loss that had been recognized in other comprehensive income is recognized in profit or loss.

2.
Financial liabilities

The Company classifies financial liabilities into the following categories: convertible bonds, financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss and other financial liabilities.

(i)
Convertible bonds
(ii)

Convertible bonds issued by the Company give bondholders the right to convert bonds into a given number of equity instruments of Lextar at a specific conversion price. The derivatives embedded in the convertible bonds are recognized initially at fair value in financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss. The difference between the par value of the convertible bonds and the fair value of the derivatives is recognized in convertible bonds payable.

Transaction costs that relate to the issue of the convertible bonds are included in the initial carrying amount of the liability component and amortized using the effective interest method.








13

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(ii)
Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss

The Company designates financial liabilities in this category as held for trading for the purpose of hedging exposure to foreign exchange and interest rate risks arising from operating and financing activities. When a derivative financial instrument is not effective as a hedge the Company accounts for it as a financial asset or liability measured at fair value through profit or loss. See note 7 for further detail of the Company’s derivative financial instruments.

The Company designates financial liabilities, other than the one mentioned above, as measured at fair value through profit or loss at initial recognition. Attributable transaction costs are recognized in profit or loss as incurred. Financial liabilities in this category are subsequently measured at fair value and changes therein, which takes into account any interest expense, are recognized in profit or loss.

(iii)
Other financial liabilities

Financial liabilities not classified as held for trading, or not designated as measured at fair value through profit or loss (including loans and borrowings, trade and other payables), are measured at fair value, plus any directly attributable transaction cost at the time of initial recognition. Subsequent to initial recognition, they are measured at amortized cost calculated using the effective interest method, except for insignificant recognition of interest expense from short-term borrowings and trade payables. Interest expense not capitalized as an asset cost is recognized in profit or loss.

(iv)
De-recognition of financial liabilities

The Company derecognizes financial liabilities when the contractual obligation has been discharged, cancelled or expired. The difference between the carrying amount and the consideration paid or payable, including any non-cash assets transferred or liabilities assumed is recognized in profit or loss.
(v)
Offsetting of financial assets and liabilities

The Company presents financial assets and liabilities on a net basis when the Company has the legally enforceable rights to offset, and intends to settle such financial assets and liabilities on a net basis or to realize the assets and settle the liabilities simultaneously.

3.
Derivative financial instruments

The Company holds derivative financial instruments to hedge its foreign currency and interest rate exposures. Derivatives are recognized initially at fair value, and attributable transaction costs are recognized in profit or loss as incurred. Subsequent to initial recognition, derivatives are measured at fair value, and changes therein are recognized in profit or loss.

(h)
Inventories

The cost of inventories includes all necessary expenditures and charges for bringing the inventory to a stable, useable and marketable condition and location. Inventories are recorded at cost, and cost is







14

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





determined using the weighted-average method. The production overhead is allocated based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. Inventories are measured at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Net realizable value for raw materials is based on replacement cost. Net realizable value for finished goods and work in process is calculated based on the estimated selling price less all estimated costs of completion and necessary selling costs.

(i)
Investment in associates

Associates are those entities in which the Company has the power to exercise significant influence, but not control or joint control, over their financial and operating policies. Significant influence is presumed to exist when the Company holds between 20% and 50% of the voting power of an investee.

Investments in associates are accounted for using the equity method and are recognized initially at cost. The cost of the investment includes transaction costs. The carrying amount of the investment in associates includes goodwill, which is arising from the acquisition, less any accumulated impairment losses.

The difference between acquisition cost and fair value of associates’ identifiable assets and liabilities as of the acquisition date is accounted for as goodwill. Goodwill is included in the original investment cost of acquired associates and is not amortized. If the fair value of identified assets and liabilities is in excess of acquisition cost, the remaining excess over acquisition cost is recognized as a gain in profit or loss.

Upon the sale of investment in associates, the difference between the selling price and carrying amount of the investment at the date of sale is recognized as a disposal gain or loss. In proportion to the percentage disposed of, other components of equity from the investment resulting from the Company’s proportionate share in the net equity of the investee are recognized in profit or loss.

The consolidated financial statements include the Company’s share of the profit or loss and other comprehensive income of associates, after adjustments to align the accounting policies with those of the Company, from the date that significant influence commences until the date that significant influence ceases.








15

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






The Company discontinues the use of the equity method from the date when the Company ceases to have significant influence over an associate, and then measures the retained interests at fair value at that date. The difference between the carrying amount of the investment at the date the equity method was discontinued and the fair value of the retained interests along with any proceeds from disposing of a part interest in the associate is recognized in profit or loss. Moreover, the Company accounts for all amounts previously recognized in other comprehensive income in relation to that investment on the same basis as would be required if the associate had directly disposed of the related assets or liabilities.

Unrealized profits resulting from the transactions between the Company and associates are eliminated to the extent of the Company’s interest in the associate. Unrealized losses on transactions with associates are eliminated in the same way, except to the extent that the underlying asset is impaired.

When the Company’s share of losses exceeds its interest in an associate, the carrying amount of that interest, including any long-term investments that form part thereof, is reduced to zero, and the recognition of further losses is discontinued except to the extent that the Company has an legal or contractual obligation, or has made payments on behalf of the investee.

(j)
Property, plant and equipment

1.
Recognition and measurement

Items of property, plant and equipment are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and accumulated impairment losses. Cost includes expenditure that is directly attributed to the acquisition of the asset, any cost directly attributable to bringing the asset to the location and condition necessary for it to be capable of operating in the manner intended by management, the initial estimate of the costs of dismantling and removing the item and restoring the site on which it is located, and any borrowing cost that is eligible for capitalization. The cost of the software is capitalized as part of the equipment if the purchase of the software is necessary for the equipment to be capable of operating.

When part of an item of property, plant and equipment with a cost that is significant in relation to the total cost of the item and the useful life or the depreciation method of the significant part is different from another significant part of that same item, it is accounted for as a separate item (significant component) of property, plant and equipment.

The gain or loss arising from the disposal of an item of property, plant and equipment is determined as the difference between the net disposal proceeds, if any, and the carrying amount of the item, and is recognized in other gains and losses.








16

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Subsequent cost

Subsequent expenditure is capitalized only when it is probable that the future economic benefits associated with the expenditure will flow to the Company and the cost of the item can be measured reliably. The carrying amount of those parts that are replaced is derecognized to profit or loss. Ongoing repairs and maintenance is recognized in profit or loss as incurred.

3.
Depreciation

Excluding land, depreciation is recognized in profit or loss and provided over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets, considering significant components of an individual asset, on a straight-line basis less any residual value. If a component has a useful life that is different from the remainder of that asset, that component is depreciated separately.

Leased assets are depreciated over the shorter of the lease term and their useful lives unless it is reasonably certain that the Company will obtain ownership by the end of the lease term.

The estimated useful lives of the assets, except for land are as follows:

(i)
Buildings: 35 years

(ii)
Machinery and equipment: 3 ~9 years

(iii)
Other equipment: 1 ~ 6 years

Depreciation methods, useful lives, and residual values are reviewed at each annual reporting date and, if necessary, adjusted as appropriate. Any changes therein are accounted for as changes in accounting estimates.

(k)
Long-term prepaid rent

Long-term prepaid rent is for the use right of land (classified as other noncurrent assets), which is amortized over the shorter of economic useful life or covenant period on a straight-line basis.

(l)
Lease

1.
Lessor

Lease income from operating lease is recognized in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Initial direct costs incurred in negotiating and arranging an operating lease is added to the carrying amount of the leased asset and recognized as an expense over the lease term on the same basis as the lease income.








17

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Lessee

Payments made under operating lease (excluding insurance and maintenance expenses) are recognized in profit or loss on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

(m)
Intangible assets

1.
Goodwill

Goodwill is recognized when the purchase price exceeds the fair value of identifiable net assets acquired in a business combination. Goodwill is measured at cost less accumulated impairment losses.

Investor-level goodwill is included in the carrying amounts of the equity investments. The impairment losses for the goodwill within the equity-accounted investees are accounted for as deductions of carrying amounts of investments in equity-accounted investees.


2.
Research & development

During the research phase, activities are carried out to obtain and understand new scientific or technical knowledge. Expenditures during this phase are recognized in profit or loss as incurred.

Expenditure arising from development is capitalized as an intangible asset when the Company demonstrates all of the following: (i) the technical feasibility of completing the intangible asset so that it will be available for use or sale; (ii) its intention to complete the intangible asset and use or sell it; (iii) its ability to use or sell the intangible asset; (iv) the probability that the intangible asset will generate probable future economic benefits; (v) the availability of adequate technical, financial and other resources to complete the development project; and (vi) its ability to measure reliably the expenditure attributable to the intangible asset during its development.

Capitalized development expenditure is measured at cost less accumulated amortization and any accumulated impairment losses.

3.
Other intangible assets

Technology-related fees, including purchased patents and licenses pursuant to patent licensing agreements, and core technologies acquired in connection with a merger are measured at cost less accumulated amortization and any accumulated impairment losses.








18

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






4.
Subsequent expenditure

Subsequent expenditure is capitalized only when it increases the future economic benefits embodied in the specific asset to which it relates. All other expenditure, including expenditure on internally generated goodwill and brands, is recognized in profit or loss as incurred.

5.
Amortization

The depreciable amount of an intangible asset is the cost less its residual value.  An intangible asset with a finite useful life is amortized over 3 to 12 years using the straight-line method from the date that the asset is made available for use.

Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful life are not amortized but tested for impairment annually. The residual value, amortization period, and amortization method are reviewed at least annually at each annual reporting date, and any changes therein are accounted for as changes in accounting estimates.

(n)
Impairment – non-financial assets

Other than inventories, deferred tax assets and assets arising from employee benefits, non-financial assets are reviewed at the reporting date to determine whether there is any indication of impairment. Goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives or that are not yet available for use, are required to be tested for impairment at least annually. When there is an indication of impairment exists for the aforementioned assets, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated. If it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, the Company estimates the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit (“CGU”) to which the asset has been allocated to.

In performing an impairment test for the aforementioned assets, the estimated recoverable amount is evaluated in terms of an asset or a CGU. Recoverable amount is defined as the higher of (a) an asset’s or a CGU’s fair value less costs to dispose (if determinable), or (b) its “value in use”, which is defined as the present value of the expected future cash flows generated by the asset or CGU. Any excess of the carrying amount of the asset or its related CGU over its recoverable amount is recognized as an impairment loss. Goodwill acquired in a business combination is allocated to CGUs that are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. Impairment losses recognized in respect of a CGU are allocated first to reduce the carrying amount of any goodwill allocated to the unit, then the carrying amounts of the other assets in the unit on a pro rata basis.
If there is evidence that the accumulated impairment loss of an asset other than goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives in prior years no longer exists or has diminished, the amount previously recognized as an impairment loss is reversed, and the carrying amount of the asset or CGU is increased to the revised estimate of its recoverable amount. The increase in the carrying amount shall not exceed the carrying amount (net of depreciation or amortization) had no impairment loss been recognized for the asset in prior years. The impairment loss recognized on goodwill and intangible assets with indefinite useful lives is not reversed.

(o)
Provisions

A provision is recognized for a legal or constructive obligation arising from a past event, if there is probable outflow of resources and the amount can be estimated reliably. Provisions are determined by







19

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





discounting the expected future cash flows at a pre-tax rate that reflects the current market assessments of the time value of money and the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognized as interest expense.

(p)
Treasury stock

Repurchased shares are recognized under treasury shares (a contra-equity account) based on their repurchase price (including all directly accountable costs), net of tax. Gains on disposal of treasury shares should be recognized under “capital reserve – treasury share transactions”. Losses on disposal of treasury shares should be offset against existing capital reserves arising from similar types of treasury shares. If there are insufficient capital reserves to be offset against, then such losses should be accounted for under retained earnings. The carrying amount of treasury shares should be calculated using the weighted average of different types of repurchases.

During the cancellation of treasury shares, “capital reserve – share premiums” and “share capital” should be debited proportionately. Gains on cancellation of treasury shares should be recognized under existing capital reserves arising from similar types of treasury shares; Losses on cancellation of treasury shares should be offset against existing capital reserves arising from similar types of treasury shares. If there are insufficient capital reserves to be offset against, then such losses should be accounted for under retained earnings.

(q)
Revenue recognition

1.
Goods sold

Revenue from the sale of goods in the course of ordinary activities is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable, net of returns, trade discounts and volume rebates. Revenue is recognized when the significant risks and rewards of ownership have been transferred to the customer, recovery of the consideration is probable, the associated costs and possible return of goods can be estimated reliably, there is no continuing management involvement with the goods, and the amount of revenue can be measured reliably. If it is probable that discounts will be granted and the amount can be measured reliably, then the discount is recognized as a reduction of revenue as the sales are recognized.

The timing of the transfers of risks and rewards varies depending on the individual terms of the sales agreement.








20

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Government grants

Government grants without additional conditions are recognized as other income when it is receivable.

Other government grants with additional conditions shall be recognized as deferred income or deduction of book value of government-grant related asset if the Company will fulfill the conditions. If the government grant is to compensate the Company’s expenses, it shall be recognized as other income; if the government grant is to compensate the acquisition cost of asset, it shall be recognized in profit or loss during the useful life of the asset.

(r)
Employee benefits

1.
Defined contribution plans

Obligations for contributions to defined contribution pension plans are recognized as an employee benefit expense in profit or loss in the periods during which services are rendered by employees.


2.
Defined benefit plans

The Company’s net obligation in respect of defined benefit pension plans is calculated separately for each benefit plan by estimating the amount of future benefit that employees have earned in the current and prior periods, discounting that amount and deducting the fair value of any plan assets. Discount rate is determined by reference to the yield rate of Taiwan government bonds at the reporting date. The calculation of defined benefit obligations is performed annually by a qualified actuary using the Projected Unit Credit Method.

Actuarial gains and losses arising from defined benefit plans are recognized in other comprehensive income in the period in which they occur, and which then are reflected in retained earnings and will not be reclassified to profit or loss.

3.
Short-term employee benefits

Short-term employee benefit obligations, which are due to be settled within twelve months are measured on an undiscounted basis and are expensed as the related service is provided.

The expected cost of cash bonus or profit-sharing plans are recognized as a liability when the Company has a present legal or constructive obligation to pay this amount as a result of past service provided by the employee, and the obligation can be estimated reliably.








21

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(s)
Share-based payment transactions

The compensation cost of employee share-based payment transactions is measured based on the fair value at the date on which they are granted. The compensation cost is recognized, together with a corresponding increase in equity, over the periods in which the performance and/or service conditions are being fulfilled. The cumulative expense recognized for share-based payment transactions at each reporting date reflects the extent to which the vesting period has passed and the Company’s estimate of the quantity of equity instruments that will ultimately vest.

(t)
Borrowing cost

Borrowing costs which can be allocated to the purchasing, constructing and manufacturing of certain asset shall be capitalized during the period required in completing the asset. Other borrowing costs are recognized as expenses. In addition, capitalization of borrowing costs will cease when the activities aimed to complete the asset come to an end.

Investment income from loans unused shall be recognized as a deduction of capitalized borrowing costs.

(u)
Income taxes

Income tax expense comprises current and deferred taxes.

1.
Current income taxes

Current taxes comprises the expected tax payable or receivable on the taxable income or losses for the year and any adjustments to tax payable or receivable in respect of previous years. It is measured using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted tax rate at the reporting date.

In accordance with the ROC Income Tax Act, undistributed earnings from the companies located in the Republic of China, if any, is subject to an additional 10% surtax. The 10% tax on unappropriated earnings is recognized during the period the earnings arise and adjusted to the extent that distributions are approved by the stockholders in the following year.

2.
Deferred income taxes

Deferred income taxes are recognized in respect of temporary differences between the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income tax purposes. Deferred tax liabilities are recognized for temporary difference of future taxable income. Deferred income taxes are not recognized for:








22

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(i)
temporary difference on the initial recognition of assets and liabilities in a transaction that is not a business combination and that affects neither taxable profit or loss;

(ii)
temporary differences related to investments in subsidiaries, associates and joint arrangements to the extent the Company is able to control the timing of the reversal of the temporary differences and it is probable that they will not reverse in the foreseeable future; and

(iii)
temporary differences arising on the initial recognition of goodwill.

Deferred tax assets are recognized for unused tax losses, unused tax credits and deductible temporary differences to the extent it is probable that future taxable profits will be available against which they can be utilized. Deferred tax assets are reviewed at each reporting date and reduced to the extent that it is no longer probable that the related tax benefit will be realized.

Deferred income tax is measured at the tax rates that are expected to be applied to temporary differences when they reverse, using tax rates enacted or substantively enacted tax rate on the reporting date. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset only if certain criteria are met.

Current and deferred income taxes are recognized in profit or loss, except for taxes relating to items recognized in other comprehensive income.

(v)
Business combination

The Company accounts for business combinations using the acquisition method. The consideration transferred in the acquisition is measured at fair value, as are identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is measured as the excess of the aggregate of the consideration transferred and the amount of any non-controlling interests in the acquiree over the net identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed. If the fair value of the net assets acquired is in excess of the aggregate consideration transferred, after reassessing all of the assets acquired and all of the liabilities assumed being properly identified, the difference is recognized in profit or loss as a gain on bargain purchase.

Acquisition-related costs are expensed as incurred, except that the costs are related to the issue of debt or equity securities.








23

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(w)
Earnings per share

Basic earnings per share is computed by dividing profit or loss attributable to the stockholders of Lextar by the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Lextar’s convertible bonds and employee stock bonuses are potential common shares. In computing diluted earnings per share, profit or loss attributable to the stockholders of Lextar and the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the period are adjusted for the effects of dilutive potential common stock, assuming dilutive share equivalents had been issued. The weighted-average outstanding shares are retroactively adjusted for the effects of stock dividends transferred from retained earnings and capital surplus to common stock.

(x)
Operating segments and geographic information

The Company’s chief operating decision maker only receives consolidated financial statements. Consequently, management has determined that the Company has no operating segments as that term is defined in IFRS 8, Segment Information. Geographic net revenue information is based upon the location of customers placing orders. Geographic non-current asset information is based on the physical location of the assets.

(5)
Use of Judgments and Estimates

The preparation of the consolidated financial statements in conformity with IFRS requires management to make judgments, estimates and assumptions that affect the application of the accounting policies and the reported amount of assets, liabilities, income and expenses. Actual results may differ from these estimates.

Estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed by management on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognized in the period in which the estimates are revised and in any future periods affected.

There have been no critical judgments involved in the consolidated financial statements. There have been no significant risks pertaining to estimates and assumptions which may cause significant adjustments in the following year.

(6)
Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Cash on hand and demand deposits
$
2,672,124

1,787,570

Time deposits
1,674,004

2,328,612

Bond acquired under repurchase agreement
894,000

1,281,000

 
$
5,240,128

5,397,182

Refer to note 31 for the disclosure of currency risk and sensitivity analysis of the financial assets and liabilities of the Company.








24

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, deposits not qualifying as cash and cash equivalents amounting to $25,861 thousand and $31,861 thousand, respectively, were classified as other current financial assets.

(7)
Derivative Financial Instruments

1.
Derivative Financial Instruments
 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss-current:
 
 
Forward exchange contracts
$
1,875

206

Redemption rights of bonds payable at the option of the Company or the bondholders (note 17)

 
      34

 
$
1,875

240

Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss-current:
 
 
Forward exchange contracts
$
15,037

42,351

Foreign exchange swap contracts
5,816

28,639

Redemption rights of bonds payable at the option of the Company or the bondholders (note 17)
 
      29,173

 
      15,185

 
$
50,026

86,175

Refer to note 31 for the disclosure of the Company’s credit, currency and interest rate risks related to financial instruments.

The Company uses derivative financial instruments to hedge exchange risk the Company is exposed to from its operating activities, financing activities and investment activities. The Company held derivative financial instruments not designated as hedging instruments presented as follow:

December 31, 2015
Derivative financial
   Instruments
Nominal amount
___(thousand)__
   Currency
__Maturity date___
 
 
 
 
Forward exchange contracts
USD 58,000
sell USD / buy NTD
2016.1.11~2016.5.10
Forward exchange contracts
USD 1,049
sell USD / buy JPY
2016.1.25~2016.4.25
Forward exchange contracts
EUR 1,480
sell EUR / buy NTD
2016.1.11~2016.4.08
Forward exchange contracts
JPY 62,063
buy JPY / sell NTD
2016.1.25~2016.3.25
Forward exchange contracts
USD 10,000
sell CNY / buy USD
2016.1.26~2016.3.25
Foreign exchange swap
 contracts
USD 31,000
swap in USD/swap out NTD
2016.2.05~2016.4.11








25

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





December 31, 2014
Derivative financial
   Instruments
Nominal amount
___(thousand)__
   Currency
__Maturity date___
 
 
 
 
Forward exchange contracts
USD 28,000
sell USD / buy NTD
2015.1.12~2015.2.10
Forward exchange contracts
USD 1,708
sell USD / buy JPY
2015.1.26~2015.2.25
Forward exchange contracts
JPY 72,198
buy JPY / sell NTD
2015.1.26
Foreign exchange swap
 contracts
USD 36,500
Swap in USD/Swap out NTD
2015.1.12~2015.3.10

(8)
Available-for-sale financial assets – noncurrent

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Equity securities
$
249,380

313,203

Less: unrealized losses
(132,459
)
(93,651
)
 
$
116,921

219,552


Available-for-sale securities held by the Company mainly comprised of publicly listed equity shares. If the share price of these securities appreciates or depreciates by 10% at the reporting date, other comprehensive income would increase or decrease $10,672 thousand, $21,955 thousand and $19,269 thousand (Unaudited) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.
Investments in unlisted company stocks held by the Company are measured at amortized cost at year-end, given the range of reasonable fair value estimates is large and the probability for each estimate cannot be reasonably determined; therefore, the Company management had determined that the fair value cannot be measured reliably.

The above financial instruments were not used as collateral as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

(9)
Accounts Receivable, net (including related and non-related parties)

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Accounts receivable
$
3,841,894

3,600,336
 
Accounts receivable- related parties
1,203,388

1,541,113
 
Other receivables
199,981

35,850
 
Less: allowance for doubtful accounts
(15,792)

(6,136)
 
allowance for sales returns and discounts
(102,804
)
(1,445
)
 
$
5,126,667

5,169,718
 

Accounts receivable (including those of the related parties) arise from in operating activities. Other receivables include restricted bank deposits not accounted for as cash equivalents and receivables from the sales of equipment.







26

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






Aging analysis of notes and accounts receivable, which were past due but not impaired, was as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Past due 0~30 days
$
106,271

66,680

Past due 31~60 days
21,897

13,205

Past due 61~90 days
1,114

2,803

Past due over 91 days
10,058

2,480

 
$
139,340

85,168


Based on historical experience and customer credits, the Company believed that the overdue receivables, in which no allowances for uncollectible amounts were set against to, are still deemed recoverable.

The Company recognized impairment loss on notes and accounts receivable using individual and collective assessment methods. The movement in the allowance for notes and accounts receivable and other receivables was as follows:

 
   For the year ended December 31,
 
2015
2014
   2013 (Unaudited)
 
Individually assessed for 
   impairment   
Collectively assessed for 
   impairment   
Individually assessed for 
   impairment   
Collectively assessed for 
   impairment   
Individually assessed for 
   impairment   
Collectively assessed for 
   impairment   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance on January 1
$
500

5,636
62,444

17,557
4,093
1,700
Acquired in business combination
 
 
 
 
73,092
38,953
Recognized (reversal) of impairment loss
(500)

10,156
14,915

(11,921)
(14,741)
(23,096)
Write-off
      -  

      -    
(76,859
)
           -    
      -  
      -    
Balance on December 31

 
$    -  


 
      15,792

 
      500


 
      5,636

 
      62,444

 
      17,557

(10)
Inventories

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Raw materials
$
194,989

180,029

Work in progress
1,386,291

1,375,414

Finished goods
1,422,868

1,269,720

 
$
3,004,148

2,825,163









27

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





The charges for inventories written down to net realizable value amounted to $198,533 thousand, $69,012 thousand and $147,941 thousand (Unaudited) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively, which were also included in the cost of sales.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, none of the Company’s inventories was pledged as collateral.

(11)
Investments in equity-accounted investees

A summary of the Company’s financial information for equity-accounted investees at the reporting date is as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Associates
$
242,381

232,756


There is no practical market value for the investment accounted for using the equity method.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company recognized its share of profit (loss) of associates of $10,873 thousand $(12,694) thousand and $13,997 thousand (Unaudited), respectively.

(a)
The financial information for investments accounted for using the equity method that are individually insignificant was as follows:


December 31,
   2015
December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Carrying amount of individually insignificant associates’ equity

$    844,568
   
   652,553

(b)
The aggregate amount of the Company’s share of its associates was as follows:

 
2015
2014
2013
(Unaudited)   
 
 
 
 
The Company’s share of profits (loss) of associates
10,873

(12,694
)
13,997

The Company’s share of other comprehensive income



Total
10,873

(12,694
)
13,997


As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not provide any investments accounted for using the equity method as collateral for its loans.

(12)
Subsidiaries and non-controlling interest








28

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





(a)
Although the Company is presumed to have disposed certain parts of its subsidiary’s shares, it is still deemed to have control over its subsidiary

Verticil resolved to increase its capital by $25,000 thousand in September 2014. The Company did not subscribe the shares issued, and the percentage of Company’s holding shares of Verticil decreased.

The changes in equity attributable to owners of the parent were as follows:
 
2014
Share portion of Verticil after increment of capital
$
24,573

Share portion of Verticil before increment of capital
19,837

Capital surplus-difference between the consideration and the carrying amount of subsidiaries acquired or disposed of

 
$
   4,736


(b)
Loss of control over subsidiary

The Company sold part of its shares of Verticil, and had lost its control over the financial and operating policies of Verticil in May 2015. Therefore, the assets, liabilities, and other non-controlling interests of Verticil were excluded from the financial statements of the Company. Hence, the Company’s investment in Vercitil was accounted for under available-for-sale financial asset།noncurrent.

(i)
Proceeds received from the transaction of disposal of Verticil shares

The Company sold 2,425 thousand shares of Verticil at a price of $10.5 per share, and the total transaction price was $25,463 thousand.








29

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(ii)
Loss of control over subsidiary’s assets and liabilities

   Items
   Amounts
Cash and cash equivalents
$
61,441

Accounts receivable and other current assets
58,042

Accounts payable and other current liabilities
(60,979)

Property, plant and equipment (note 13)
4,146

Other non-current assets
1,205

Derecognized net assets
$
63,855


(iii)
Disposal gain recognized due to loss of control over the subsidiary

The fair value of the remaining share interests
$
10,199

Proceeds received
25,463

Non-controlling interests
43,238

Less: net assets derecognized
(63,855
)
 
$
15,045

(iv)
Net cash outflows as a result of derecognition of the subsidiary

Cash and cash equivalents derecognized
$
35,978


(13)
Property, plant and equipment








30

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
 
   For the year ended December 31, 2015
 
Balance, Beginning 
   of Year
   Additions
Impairment
 
 
Effect of loss
of control of
 Subsidiary
 

Disposal or
   Write off
Transfer from Construction in progress and
Testing equipment
Effect of
change in
   exchange rate
Balance,  
   End of Year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land
716,511

736


      -
(167,861
)

 
549,386

Buildings
3,999,844

(1,854
)

      -
(55,308
)

100,650
 
4,043,332

Machinery and equipment
11,884,142

90,677


      -
(167,216
)
 
23,534
 
12,235,656

Other equipment
878,819

41,690


(12,635
)
(3,541
)
 
2,564
 
915,604

Construction in progress and testing equipment
194,383

343,767



 
 
2,552
 
127,476

 
17,673,699

475,016


(12,635
)
(393,926
)
 
129,300
 
17,871,454

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Accumulated depreciation and impairment loss:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land




 

 

Buildings
274,399

117,452



(13,329)
 

5,224
 
383,746

Machinery and equipment
7,248,728

1,855,992

(2,434)


(128,445)
 

6,398
 
8,980,239

Other equipment
703,940

106,763

      -
(8,489)

(2,717)
 

1,028
 
800,525

Construction in progress and testing equipment
 
      1,289
 
      -
      -
 
      -
 
      -
 
      -
 
      52
 
      1,341
 
$
8,228,356

2,080,207

(2,434)

(8,489)

(144,491
)
      -
12,702
 
10,165,851

Net carrying amounts
$
9,445,343

 
 
 
 
 
 
7,705,603









31

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
 
   For the year ended December 31, 2014
 
Balance, Beginning 
   of Year (Unaudited)
   Additions




Impairment



Disposal or
   Write off
Transfer from Construction in progress and
   Testing equipment

 
Effect of
change in
   exchange rate
Balance,  
   End of Year
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cost:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land
$
167,126

549,385





716,511

Buildings
3,219,479

645,749




134,616

3,999,844

Machinery and equipment
11,044,244

215,254


(95,259)

690,486

29,417

11,884,142

Other equipment
805,867

83,828


(2,197)

4,130

(12,809)

878,819

Construction in progress and testing equipment
67,078

 
      828,173
 
      - -
 
      -
 
      (694,616)
 
      (6,252)
 
      194,383
 
$
15,303,794

2,322,389

      -
(97,456
)
      -
144,972

17,673,699

Accumulated depreciation and impairment loss:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Land






      -
Buildings
161,717

105,903




6,779

274,399

Machinery and equipment
5,463,695

1,820,825


(43,944)


8,152

7,248,728

Other equipment
584,246

119,484


(1,304)


1,514

703,940

Construction in progress and testing equipment
 
      -
 
      -
 
      1,213
 
      -
 
      -
 
      76
 
      1,289
 
$
6,209,658

2,046,212

      1,213)
(45,248
)
      -
16,521

8,228,356

Net carrying amounts
$
9,094,136

 
 
 
 
 
9,445,343


As of December 31, 2014, the property, plant and equipment of the Company were pledged as collateral for long-term borrowings; please refer to note 35.

The interest rates applied for the capitalization ranged from 1.92% to 2.88% for the years ended December 31, 2014.

For the amounts of capitalized interest, please refer to note 27.


(14)
Intangible Assets

The cost, amortization and impairment of the intangible assets of the Company for the years ended in December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:








32

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
   For the year ended December 31, 2015
 
Balance, Beginning 
   of Year   
   Additions
Balance, 
   End of Year   
Cost:
 
 
 
Customer Relationship
44,153


44,153

Core Technology
19,962


19,962

Patent and royalty
29,950


29,950

Goodwill
8,768


8,768

 
102,833


102,833

Accumulated amortization:
 
 
 
Customer Relationship
44,153


44,153

Core Technology
19,962


19,962

Patent and royalty
20,231

1,099

21,330

Goodwill



 
84,346

1,099

85,445

Net carrying amounts
18,487

 
17,388


 
   For the year ended December 31, 2014
 
Balance, Beginning 
   of Year (Unaudited)
   Additions
Balance, 
   End of Year
Cost:
 
 
 
Customer Relationship
44,153


44,153

Core Technology
19,962


19,962

Patent and royalty
29,950


29,950

Goodwill
8,768


8,768

 
102,833


102,833

 
 
 
 
Accumulated amortization:
 
 
 
Customer Relationship
44,153


44,153

Core Technology
19,962


19,962

Patent and royalty
19,132

1,099

20,231

Goodwill



 
83,247

1,099

84,346

Net carrying amounts
19,586

 
18,487









33

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






Intangible assets comprised of goodwill, customer relationship, and core technology amounting to $72,883 thousand, which were identified through purchase price allocation, and patent and royalty amounting to $17,083 thousand, which was carried over from the book of LightHouse on the merger date March 15, 2010.

Amortization expenses for intangible assets for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 that were recorded as operating expenses and operating cost, respectively, were as follows:

 

   2015

   2014
2013
(Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Operating cost
$—
Operating expenses
1,099
1,099
7,403

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the Company did not provide any aforementioned intangible asset as collaterals.

(15)
Long-term prepayments for rents

The Company signed an agreement with the Ministry of Land and Resources of the People’s Republic of China to acquire the right for the use land for its operating activities. The details were as follows:




   Location


   Period

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Suzhou Industrial Park Chung Yuan Road
2010~2060
$
61,071

60,046

Suzhou Industrial Park Wei Ting Town
Feng Ting Avenue
2003~2053
40,458

39,914

 
 
$
101,529

99,960


The Company has received a government subsidy which amounted to $270,119 thousand for the land-use right of Suzhou Industrial Park in 2010. The subsidy was recognized as deduction of the acquisition cost of long-term prepayments for rents. It is amortized through its estimated useful life.

(16)
Short-term borrowings

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Unsecured bank loans
$

924,629

Annual interest rates

1.84%~2.055%


(17)
Convertible bonds payable








34

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Aggregate principal amount
$
3,000,000

3,000,000

Unamortized discount
(136,275
)
(179,857
)
Accumulated converted amount
(977,600
)
(977,500
)
Ending balance of bonds payable
1,886,125

1,842,643

Less : Bonds payable – current


Ending balance of bonds payable – non-current
1,886,125

1,842,643

Embedded derivative component - the value of redemption rights at the option of the Company/bondholders (recorded as current financial assets (liabilities) at fair value through profit or loss)
 
 
First domestic unsecured convertible bonds
(2
)
34

Second domestic unsecured convertible bonds
(29,171
)
(15,185
)
Equity component – conversion right (recorded as capital surplus stock option)
197,331

197,340



 

   2015

   2014
2013
(Unaudited)
Embedded derivative component - revaluation profit (loss) on redemption rights at the option of the Company/bondholders (recorded as other gains and losses)
(14,022
)
5,442

 

3,466

Interest expense
43,577

43,091

5,821


The offering information on the unsecured convertible bonds was as follows:








35

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
1st domestic unsecured
   convertible bonds
2nd domestic unsecured
   convertible bonds
 
 
 
Offering amount
$1,000,000 thousand
$2,000,000 thousand
Issue date
August 16, 2012
January 9, 2014
Issuance price
At par value
At par value
Face interest rate
0%
0%
Effective rate
2.167026%
2.34195%
Issue period
August 16, 2012 to August 16, 2017
January 9, 2014 to January 9, 2019
 
 
 
Redemption at the option of the Company
The Company may redeem the bonds at face value with cash or by converting them into stocks at any time after September 16, 2012 if the closing price of the common shares on TWSE on each trading day during a period of 30 consecutive trading dates exceeds at least 30% of the conversion price or if the outstanding balance of the Bonds is less than 10% of the offering amount.
The Company may redeem the bonds at face value with cash or by converting them into stocks at any time after July 9, 2014 if the closing price of the common shares on TWSE on each trading day during a period of 30 consecutive trading dates exceeds at least 30% of the conversion price or if the outstanding balance of the Bonds is less than 10% of the offering amount.
Redemption at the option of the holder
Each holder has the right to require the Company to redeem the holder’s bonds on August 16, 2014 at a redemption price equal to the principal amount of the bonds with a yield-to-maturity of 1% per annum.
Each holder has the right to require the Company to redeem the holder’s bonds on January 9, 2017 at a redemption price equal to the principal amount of the bonds with a yield-to-maturity of 0.5% per annum.
Conversion period
Unless the bonds are in the lock-out period, each Holder of the bonds will have the right at any time during the period from September 17, 2012, to August 6, 2017, to convert their bonds. The Company should deliver the common shares to the Holder within 5 days after accepting the demand for conversion.
Unless the bonds are in the lock-out period, each Holder of the bonds will have the right at any time during the period from February 10, 2014, to December 30, 2018, to convert their bonds. The Company should deliver the common shares to the Holder within 5 days after accepting the demand for conversion.
Conversion price on December 31,2015 (note)
$23.3
$30.08

Note: The conversion price will be subject to adjustment in accordance with the conversion formula when the Company increases its capital or upon the occurrence of certain events involving the convertible bonds payable.

(18)
Long-term borrowings








36

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
December 31, 2015
 
Currency
   Rate
Maturity year
   Amounts
Unsecured bank loans
NTD
1.73%~1.8847%
2017
$
1,798,750

Less:current portions
 
 
 
(851,250)
Total
 
 
 
$947,500

 
December 31, 2014
 
Currency
   Rate
Maturity year
   Amounts
Unsecured bank loans
NTD
1.8%~1.943%
2016~2017
$
1,800,000

Less:current portions
 
 
 
(1,250)
Total
 
 
 
$1,798,750

For the collateral for long-term borrowings, please refer to note 35.

(19)
Operating lease

Non-cancellable lease payments as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Less than one year
$
28,516

33,054

Between one and five years
63,194

59,465

Over five years
0
9,266

 
$
91,710

101,785


The Company leased office space and factories under operating leases and had an option to renew the leases.

Rental expense for operating leases amounted to $46,064 thousand, $78,956 thousand and $94,053 thousand (Unaudited) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.

The Company does not participate in the residual value of the land and building. Therefore, lease contracts are considered as operating leases.








37

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(20)
Employee benefits

(a)
Defined benefit plans

(i)
Recognized assets (liabilities) for defined benefit obligations at the reporting date were as follows:



December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Present value of the defined benefit obligations
$
(17,794
)
(20,594)

Fair value of plan assets
48,859

47,299

Surplus in the plan
31,065

26,705

Recognized assets for defined benefit obligations
$
31,065

26,705


The Company makes defined benefit plan contributions to the pension fund account with Bank of Taiwan that provides pension for employees upon retirement. Plans (covered by the Labor Standards Law) entitle a retired employee to receive retirement benefits based on years of service and average monthly salary for six months prior to retirement.

(ii)
Movement in net defined benefit asset (liability)

The following table shows a reconciliation for net defined benefit asset (liability) and its components.








38

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
   Defined benefit obligation

   Fair value of plan assets
Net defined benefit asset (liability)   
 
2015
2014
2015
2014
2015
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at January 1,
(20,594
)
(23,677
)
47,299

45,251

26,705

21,574

Included in profit or loss
 
 
 
 
 
 
Service cost
(115
)
(199
)


(115
)
(199
)
Interest cost
(463
)
(473
)


(463
)
(473
)
Expected return on plan assets


1,075

802

1,075

802

 
(578
)
(672
)
1,075

802

497

130

Included in OCI
 
 
 
 
 
 
Remeasurement (loss) gain:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Actuarial (loss) gain arising from:
 
 
 
 
 
 
- demographic assumptions
(378
)
48



(378
)
48

- financial assumptions
(2,278
)
918



(2,278
)
918

- experience adjustment
2,651

1,639



2,651

1,639

Return on plan assets excluding interest income


187

296

187

296

 
(5
)
2,605

187

296

182

2,901

Other
 
 
 
 
 
 
Effect of acquisition of subsidiary






Contributions paid by the employer


298

950

298

950

Benefits paid






Curtailment settlement gains
3,383

1,150



3,383

1,150

 
3,383

1,150

298

950

3,681

2,100

Balance at December 31, 2015
(17,794
)
(20,594
)
48,859

47,299

31,065

26,705


(iii)
Plan assets

The Company allocates pension funds in accordance with the Regulations for Revenues, Expenditures, Safeguard and Utilization of the Labor Retirement Fund, and such funds are managed by the Bureau of Labor Funds, Ministry of Labor. With regard to the utilization of the funds, minimum earnings shall be no less than the earnings attainable from two-year time deposits with interest rates offered by local banks.

The Company’s Bank of Taiwan labor pension reserve account balance amounted to $48,859 thousand as of December 31, 2015. For information on the utilization of the labor pension fund assets, including the asset allocation and yield of the fund, please refer to the website of the Bureau of Labor Funds, Ministry of Labor.


(iv)
Defined benefit obligation

A.
Principal actuarial assumptions








39

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
   As of December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
 
 
 
Discount rate
1.50
%
2.25
%
Expected long-term rate of return on plan assets
1.50
%
1.75
%
Rate of increase in future salary
2.00
%
2.00
%

The expected long-term rate of return is based on the historical rate of return of the portfolio as a whole and not on the sum of the returns on individual asset categories. In addition, at December 31, 2015, the weighted-average duration of the defined benefit obligation was 16 years.

B.
Sensitivity analysis

When measuring the present value of defined benefit obligation, the Company shall make judgments and estimates to determine the relevant actuarial assumptions, including discount rate, employee turnover rate, rate of increase in future salary and etc., at each reporting date. Any changes in the actuarial assumptions may have significant effect on the Company’s defined benefit obligations.








40

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






Reasonably possible changes at December 31, 2015 to one of the relevant actuarial assumptions, holding other assumptions constant, would have affected the defined benefit obligation by the amounts shown below.

 
December 31, 2015
 
Changes in assumptions
 
+0.25%
-0.25%
 
 
 
Discount rate 1.50%
$
(716
)
753
Rate of increase in future salary 2%
748

(714)

 
Expected employee turnover 
   rate 110%
Expected employee turnover 
   rate 90%
 
 
 
Employee turnover rate 2.12%
$
(192
)
195

(b)
Defined contribution plan

Commencing July 1, 2005, pursuant to the ROC Labor Pension Act (the “Act”), employees who elected to participate in the Act or joined the Company after July 1, 2005, are subject to a defined contribution plan under the Act. Under the defined contribution plan, Lextar and subsidiaries located in the ROC contribute monthly at a rate of no less than six percent of an employee’s monthly salary to the employee’s individual pension fund account at the ROC Bureau of Labor Insurance. The Company’s overseas subsidiaries have set up their retirement plans, if necessary, based on their respective local government regulations.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company set aside $133,008 thousand, 125,972 thousand and $119,011 thousand (Unaudited), respectively, of the pension costs under the pension plan to the ROC Bureau of the Labor Insurance.








41

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(21)
Capital and Other Components of Equity

(a)
Common stock

Reconciliation of shares outstanding for 2015 and 2014 was as follows:
 
 
 

   2015

   2014
 
 
 
(in thousands of shares)
 
 
Balance on January 1
622,830

532,201

Capital increase by cash

83,000

Retirement of treasury stock
(20,000
)

Employee stock options exercised
387

1,343

Conversion of convertible bonds
24

4,956

Retirement of restricted stock
(669
)
(870
)
Issuance of restricted employee stock (note 22)

2,200

Balance on December 31
602,572

622,830


Lextar’s authorized common stock, with par value of $10 per share, both amounted to $7,000,000 thousand as of December 31, 2015 and 2014. The amount of shares includes the employee stock options of 16,000 thousand shares.

Lextar’s issued and outstanding common stock, with par value of $10 per share, respectively, amounted to $6,025,723 thousand and $6,228,300 thousand as of December 31, 2015 and 2014.

In addition, the above mentioned outstanding shares contain 109,250 thousand of private placement shares; 26,250 thousand shares have been offered to the public since August 2014. The application has been effective in October 2014.

In pursuant to a resolution of the stockholders’ meeting held on October 14, 2014, Lextar issued a total of 83,000 thousand shares of common stock in cash through private placement at an issue price of $30 per share on December 1, 2014. The total cash received amounted to $2,490,000 thousand. The related registration procedures were completed.

According to the Securities and Exchange Act, the ordinary shares issued through private placement should be applied to the regulator and then offered to the public three years after the date of delivery (December 18, 2014) before trading in TWSE.

Lextar issued $3,870 thousand and $13,432 thousand new shares of common stock for the exercise of employee stock options in 2015 and 2014, respectively. The related registration procedures were also completed.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, employee stock options exercised without registration procedures were 40 thousand shares and 43 thousand shares, respectively. The exercised amounts recorded as capital collected in advance were $412 thousand and $720 thousand, respectively.







42

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, convertible bonds issued by the Company amounting to $100 thousand and $122,600 thousand, respectively, were converted into 4 thousand shares and 4,785 thousand shares of common stock, respectively. For the 4 thousand shares and 4,764 thousand shares of the converted shares, the related registration procedures were completed. The converted shares which were still in the process of registration procedures were recorded as capital collected in advance, and the carrying value of these shares amounted to $0 thousand and $518 thousand, respectively.

(b)
Capital surplus

Components of capital surplus as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
From common stock
$
6,131,320

6,421,797

From merger
360,201

360,201

40,210

43,928

2.From convertible bonds
197,331

197,340

Difference between the consideration and carrying
amount of subsidiaries acquired
12,221

12,221

3. Increase in treasury stock
119,303

      -
From restricted employee stock
112,482

123,109

 
6,973,068

7,158,596


According to the ROC Company Act, capital surplus, including premium from stock issuing and donations received, shall be applied to offset accumulated deficits before it can be used to increase common stock or distribute cash.  Pursuant to the ROC Regulations Governing the Offering and Issuance of Securities by Securities Issuers, the total sum of capital surplus capitalized per annum shall not exceed 10 percent of the paid-in capital.

(c)
Legal reserve

According to the ROC Company Act, 10 percent of the annual earnings after payment of income taxes due and offsetting accumulated deficits, if any, shall be allocated as legal reserve until the accumulated legal reserve equals the issued common stock. When a company incurs no loss, it may, pursuant to a resolution to be adopted by a stockholders' meeting, distribute its legal reserve by issuing new shares or by cash, and only the portion of legal reserve which exceeds 25 percent of the paid-in capital may be distributed.

(d)
Special reserve








43

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





In accordance with Ruling No. 1010012865 issued by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) on April 6, 2012, a portion of current-period earnings and undistributed prior-period earnings shall be reclassified as special earnings reserve during earnings distribution. The amount to be reclassified should equal the current-period total net reduction of other shareholders’ equity. Similarly, a portion of undistributed prior-period earnings shall be reclassified as special earnings reserve (and is not qualified for earnings distribution) to account for cumulative changes to other shareholders’ equity pertaining to prior periods. Amounts of subsequent reversals pertaining to the net reduction of other shareholders’ equity shall qualify for additional distributions.

(e)
Distribution of earnings and dividend policy

According to Lextar’s articles of incorporation, 10 percent of the annual earnings, after payment of income taxes due and offsetting accumulated deficits, if any, shall be set aside as a legal reserve. In addition, a special reserve in accordance with applicable laws and regulations shall also be set aside. The remaining earnings may be distributed as follows:

(i)
profit sharing to employees: at least 5 percent and not more than 20 percent;
(ii)
remuneration of directors: no more than 1 percent; and
(iii)
all or a portion of the remaining balance shall be distributed as shareholders’ dividends.

Pursuant to relevant laws or regulations or as requested by the local authority, a special reserve equivalent to the total amount of items that are accounted for as deductions to the equity shall be set aside from current earnings, and not distributed. The special reserve shall be made available for appropriation to the extent of reversal of deductions to equity in subsequent periods.

The appropriation of Lextar’s net earnings may be distributed by way of cash dividends, stock dividends, or a combination of cash and stock dividends. The Lextar’s dividend policy is to pay dividends from surplus considering factors such as the Lextar’s current and future investment environment, cash requirements, competitive conditions and capital budget requirements, and taking into account the shareholders’ interest, maintenance of a balanced dividend and the Lextar’s long term financial plan. Earnings distribution is proposed by the board of directors and approved at the stockholders’ meeting. Pursuant to the articles of incorporation, the cash dividend shall not be less than 10 percent of the total dividends.

In accordance with the ROC Company Act amended in May 2015, profit sharing to employees and remuneration to directors will no longer be appropriated from current year distributable earnings. The amendment of Lextar’s articles of incorporation, pursuant to the amendment of the ROC Company Act, was approved in the annual shareholders’ meeting held on June 3, 2016.

Lextar’s appropriations of earnings for 2014 and 2013 had been approved in the shareholders’ meeting held on May 28, 2015 and June 19, 2014. The appropriations and dividends per share were as follows:















44

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






 
For fiscal year 2014
   For fiscal year 2013 (Unaudited)
 
Appropriation
   of earnings
Dividends per share
Appropriation
   of earnings
Dividends per
   share
 
 
 
 
 
Cash dividends to shareholders
566,874

0.91

669,201

1.23924677

Employee bonus
85,031

 
132,241

 
Compensation of directors and supervisors
5,669

 
8,816

 
 
90,700

 
141,057

 

The profit sharing to employees and remuneration were also approved through the shareholders’ meeting. The aforementioned distribution of profit sharing to employees and remuneration to directors for 2014 was consistent with the resolutions of the board of directors’ meeting held on March 10, 2015, and the amount has been charged against earnings of 2014.

Related information would be available on the Market Observation Post System after the convening of the meeting of the stockholders.

(f)
Treasury shares

The related information on treasury share transactions is as follows:
(In Thousands of Shares)
 
   For the year ended December 31, 2015
Reason to Reacquire
Number of
Shares,
Beginning of
   Period
Addition
During the
   Period
Reduction
During the
   Period
 
   Number of
Shares, End of
   Period
 
 
 
 
 
Due to the expiration of the restricted employee stock

669

669


In order to maintain the Company’s credibility and stockholders’ equity

39,970

20,000

19,970









45

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements







 
   For the year ended December 31, 2014
Reason to Reacquire
Number of
Shares,
Beginning of
   Period
Addition
During the
   Period
Reduction
During the
   Period
 
   Number of
Shares, End of
   Period
 
 
 
 
 
Due to the expiration of the restricted employee stock
870
870

Based on the Securities and Exchange Act of the ROC, the number of reacquired shares should not exceed 10% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares, and the total purchase amount should not exceed the sum of the retained earnings, additional paid-in capital in excess of par, and realized capital surplus.

Furthermore, treasury stock cannot be pledged for debts, and it does not carry any shareholder rights until it is transferred.

(22)
Share-based payment

(a)
Employee stock option plans

The related information of employee stock options was as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 
2015
2014
   2013(Unaudited)
 
 
Number of options (in
thousands)
Weighted-
average exercise price
   (per share)
 
Number of options (in
thousands)
Weighted-
average exercise price
   (per share)
 
Number of options (in
thousands)
Weighted-
average exercise price
   (per share)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Outstanding at January 1
4,847
$25.39
8,214
26.72
8,687
27.00
Options exercised
(384)
17.67
(1,360)
24.75
(385)
10.70
Options expired
(483)
26.14
(2,007)
28.36
(88)
10.70
Outstanding at December 31
3,980
26.04
4,847
25.39
8,214
26.72
Exercisable at December 31
3,140
25.54
2,032
24.66
1,064
10.70

For the years ended December 31, 2015 ,2014 and 2013, the weighted-average exercise price of stock option on the date of exercise was $16.06, $30.63 and $22.45(unaudited) per share, respectively.








46

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the information of employee stock option plans outstanding was as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Range of exercise price (NT$)
10.3~26.5
10.3~27.9
Weighted-average expected time remaining until expiration (year)
1
2

As of December 31, 2015, the key terms and conditions related to the grants under employee stock option plan were disclosed as follows:


   Plan

   Grant date
Total number of options issued
(in thousands)
 
Contractual life
 
   of options
 
 
Vesting
 
   Conditions   
 
Exercise price
 
(per share) 
   (Note 2)   
 
 
 
 
 
 
2007 Employee stock option plan
Dec. 28, 2007 (Note 1)
2,500
10 years
Future 4~8 year
$
10.3

 
 
 
 
 
 
2012 Employee stock option plan
Feb. 10, 2012
7,150
5 years
Future 2~4 year
$
27.9


Note 1: Inherited from the business combination with LightHouse on March 15, 2010.
Note 2: The retroactive adjustments of the exercise prices have been processed due to the changes in ordinary shares.

(b)
Fair value of stock options

The fair value of the employee stock options granted by the Company were measured at the dates of grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model or Binomial option pricing model. The inputs to the model were as follows:

 
   Plan of 2007
   Plan of 2012
 
 
 
Excise price of stock options (NTD)
11.4
30.5
Expected volatility
8.4%
42.84%
Expected continuing period
10 years
5 years
Risk-free interest rate
1.199%
1.425%
Cash dividend rate
0%
0%








47

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






Expected volatility is based on the weighted average of historical volatility, and it is adjusted when there is additional market information about the volatility. The Company determined the rates during the life of the option, and they are in accordance with the regulations. The expected dividends rate is based on historical experience. Risk-free rate is determined based on government bonds. Service and non-market performance conditions attached to the transactions are not taken into account in determining the fair value.

(c)
Restricted stock

After the stockholders’ meeting on May 12, 2014, the Company decided to issue 2,200 thousand shares of restricted stocks. The restricted stock has been registered with and approved by the Securities and Futures Bureau of the FSC. The restricted stock was granted on May 30, 2014 at 2,200 thousand shares. The fair values on grant date were $27.6 per share.

669 thousand shares and 870 thousand shares of restricted stocks issued have expired for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 due to the resignation of certain employees.

The restricted shares of stock are granted for free. After one year of service in the Company, with the condition that these employees are qualified and will continue to provide service to the Company during the vesting period, the restricted shares will be vested at the ratio mentioned below:

First year of the vesting period: 30%
Second year of the vesting period: 30%
Third year of the vesting period: 40%

The restricted stock is kept by a trust, which is appointed by the Company before it is vested. These shares shall not be sold, pledged, transferred, gifted, or by any other means, disposed to third parties during the custody period. The voting rights of these stockholders are executed by the custodian, and the custodian will act based on the law and regulations. If the shares remain unvested after the vesting period, the Company will cancel the unvested shares thereafter.

(d)
The related employee benefit expenses recognized on employee stock options were $53,317 thousand, $102,592 thousand and $88,581 thousand (Unaudited) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, respectively.








48

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(23)
Revenue

Consolidated net revenues consisted of the following:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
Sales of Backlight products
$
8,491,532

10,334,617
10,128,068
Sales of Lighting products
5,621,105

4,012,256
3,528,817
Others
117,897
170,264
94,781
 
$14,230,534
14,517,137
13,751,666

Refer to note 37 for geographic and major customer revenue information.

(24)
The Nature of Expenses

(a)
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Recognized in cost of sales
$
1,930,563

1,904,240
1,768,065
Recognized in operating expenses(i)
149,644
141,972
202,820
 
$2,080,207
2,046,212
1,970,885

(b)
Amortization of intangible assets

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Recognized in cost of sales
$
56,862

25,068
10,854
Recognized in operating expenses(i)
20,416
27,429
30,046
 
$77,278
52,497
40,900








49

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(c)
Employee benefits expenses

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Salaries and wages
$
2,107,565

2,201,815
2,380,395
Labor and health insurances
130,877

144,555
153,995
Retirement benefits
129,128

124,693
119,987
Other employee benefits
64,362
56,830
82,264
 
$2,431,932
2,527,893
2,736,641
Employee benefits expense summarized by function
 
 
 
Recognized in cost of sales
$
1,718,189

1,823,849
2,062,205
Recognized in operating expenses(i)
713,743
704,044
674,436
 
$2,431,932
2,527,893
2,736,641

(i)
Operating expenses are inclusive of selling and distribution expenses, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses.

(25)
Other Income

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Interest income
$
32,134

40,610
30,233
Gain on bargain purchase
      -
      -
552,561
Gain on right of long-term prepared rent transfer
      -
      -
61,919
Others
43,094
28,445
20,684
 
$75,228
69,055
665,397








50

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(26)
Other Gains and Losses

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Gain from loss of control of subsidiary
$
15,045

      -
      -
Foreign exchange gains, net
52,913

166,781
121,180
Loss on valuation of financial assets (liabilities), net
(55,861)

(128,181)
(43,540)
Gain (Loss) from disposals of property, plant and equipment
167,090

(3,389)
622
Others
(4,475)
(20,623)
(13,201)
 
$174,712
14,588
65,061

(27)
Finance Costs

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Interest expense
$
87,214

134,466
170,046
Less: Capitalization of interest
      -    
(2,078)
(4,239)
 
$87,214
132,388
165,807

(28)
Income Taxes

The Company cannot file a consolidated tax return under local regulations. Therefore, Lextar and its subsidiaries calculate their income taxes liabilities individually on a stand-alone basis using the enacted tax rates in their respective tax jurisdictions.

(a)
The components of income tax expense (benefit) for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Current tax expense (benefit)
$(11,012)
38,584
204,884
Deferred tax expense (benefit)
11,917
53,858
(709)
Income tax expense
$905
92,442
204,175

(b)
For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, there were no income tax recognized in other comprehensive income.







51

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(c)
Reconciliation of the expected income tax expenses calculated based on the ROC statutory income tax rate compared with the actual income tax expenses as reported in the consolidated statements of comprehensive income for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, was as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 
 
2015
2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
   Rate
   Amount
   Rate
   Amount
   Rate
   Amount
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Profit before income taxes
 
$304,398
 
$739,407
 
$
1,084,896
 
Expected income tax expenses
17.00
 %
51,748
17.00
 %
125,699
17.00
 %
184,432
 
Effect of different subsidiaries income tax rate
35.91
 %
109,314
4.70
 %
34,722
(1.290
)%
(14,034)
 
Utilization of previously unrecognized tax loss carryforwards
(7.910
)%
(24,082)
-

-
-

-
 
Utilization of previously unrecognized investment tax credits
(12.380
)%
(37,689)
(5.860
)%
(43,369)
(5.250
)%
(57,000)
 
Nondeductible expenses
1.21
 %
3,668
1.60
 %
11,851
0.84
 %
9,143
 
Recognition of previously unrecognized deferred taxes assets associated with investment in subsidiaries
(18.350
)%
(55,848)
-

      -
-

-
 
Tax-exempt income
(6.580
)%
(20,036)
-

      -
-

-
 
Tax on undistributed retained earnings
8.13
 %
24,767
7.91
 %
58,512
8.28
 %
89,814
 
Adjustment of surtax upon stockholders’ approval of distributions
(19.220
)%
(58,512)
(12.150
)%
(89,814)
(2.090
)%
(22,726)
 
Adjustments to prior years
4.90
 %
14,906
-

      -
-

      -
Others
(2.410
)%
(7,331)
(0.700
)%
(5,159)
1.34
 %
14,546
 
Income tax expenses
 
$905
 
92,442
 
204,175
 
Effective tax rate
0.30
 %
 
12.50
 %
 
18.82
 %
 
 

(d)
The components of deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:

 
   Deferred tax assets
   Deferred tax liabilities
   Total
 

December
   31, 2015

December
   31, 2014

December
   31, 2015

December
   31, 2014

December
   31, 2015

December
   31, 2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Inventories
$
57,004

49,271
      -
      -
57,004
49,271
 
Foreign investment losses (gains) under the equity method
111,146

129,968
(122,745)
(122,745)
(11,599)
7,223
 
Investment tax credits
      -
5,525
      -
      -
      -
5,525
 
Government grant
36,794

37,866
      -
      -
36,794
37,866
 
Land value increment provision
      -
      -
      -
(17,985)
      -
(17,985)
 
Others
38,275
32,738
(1,428)
(1,428)
36,847
31,310
 
 
$243,219
255,368
(124,173)
(142,158)
119,046
113,210
 
(e)
Changes in deferred tax assets and liabilities were as follows:








52

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
January 1, 2014
Recognized
in profit or
   loss
Effect of
exchange rate
   and others
December 31, 2014
Recognized
in profit or
   loss
Effect of
exchange rate
   and others
December 31, 2015
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Investment tax credits
$
42,555

(37,030)

      -
5,525

(5,525)

      -
      -
Inventories
56,782

(7,511)

      -
49,271

7,733

      -
57,004

Foreign investment losses (gains) under the equity method
31,687

(24,464)

      -
7,223

(18,822)

      -
(11,599)

Government grant
35,969

650

1,247

37,866

(840)

(232)

36,794

Land value increment provision
(17,985)

      -
      -
(17,985)

      -
17,985

      -
Others
16,813

14,497

      -    
31,310

5,537

      -    
36,847

 
$
165,821

(53,858
)
1,247

113,210

(11,917
)
17,753

119,046


(f)
Unrecognized deferred tax assets

Deferred tax assets have not been recognized in respect of the following items.

 
December 31,
   2015
December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Unused investment tax credits
$ -
233,195
Unused tax losses carryforwards
490,408
475,797
 
$490,408
708,992

All unused investment tax credits as of December 31, 2014 expired in 2015. As of December 31, 2015, the expiration dates for abovementioned unrecognized deferred tax assets for unused tax losses carryforwards were as follows:

 
Unused
tax losses
   carryforwards
 
 
Expiration at the year:
 
2016
9,193
2017
17,564
2018
2,696
2019
354
2022
6,128
2023
216
2024
904
2025
23,321
No expiration
448,582
 
508,958








53

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





(g)
Unrecognized deferred tax liabilities

Considering the reinvestment plan and the subsidiary’s future capital expenditure, the Company will not distribute its foreign subsidiary’s earnings and did not recognize the related deferred tax liabilities. As of December 31, 2015, unrecognized deferred tax liabilities amounted to $55,848 thousand.

(h)
Assessments by the tax authorities

As of December 31, 2015, the tax authorities had completed the examination of income tax returns of Lextar through 2013. However, Lextar disagreed with the assessment of income tax returns made by tax authorities for the year 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, so it filed an administrative appeal while paying the contested tax due of $14,906 thousand which has been included in income tax expense in 2015.

(i)
The integrated income tax system

The balance of the imputation credit account of Lextar as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 was $127,918 thousand and $92,598 thousand, respectively.

The estimated and actual creditable ratios for distribution of Lextar’s earnings under Taiwan Financial Reporting Standards of 2015 and 2014 were 16.64% and 14.52%, respectively.
The imputation credit allocated to shareholders is based on its balance as of the date of the dividend distribution. The estimated creditable ratio may change when the actual distribution of the imputation credit is made.

(29)
Earnings per share

(a)
Basic earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 were calculated as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Profit attributable to Lextar’s stockholders
$308,934
661,163
912,475
Weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during the year: (in thousands)
 
 
 
Issued common shares at beginning of year
622,830
523,401
430,472
Effect of issuance of shares due to merger
 
 
77,758
Effect of retirement of treasury stock due to merger
 
 
(13,262)
Effect of retirement of treasury stock
(8,098)
      -
      
Effect of conversion of convertible bonds payable
23
4,231
17,545
Effect of issuance of employee stock options
340
1,082
350
Effect of issuance of restricted shares
(273)
1,036
      
Effect of capital increase by cash
      -    
7,050
      -   
Weighted-average number of common shares (basic)
614,822
536,800
512,863
Basic earnings per share (NT$)
$0.50
1.23
1.78







54

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements













55

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(b)
Diluted earnings per share for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was calculated as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Profit attributable to Lextar’s shareholders (basic)
$
308,934

661,163
912,475
The interest of convertible bonds payable
419
35,766
4,831
Profit attributable to Lextar’s stockholders (diluted)

 
$
   309,353

 
      696,929

 
      917,306
Weighted-average number of common shares
outstanding during the year (including the effect of dilutive potential common stock): (in thousands)
 
 
 
Weighted-average number of common shares (basic)
614,822

536,800
512,863
Effect of convertible bonds payable
997

61,752
10,306
Effect of employee stock bonus
3,784

4,745
4,781
Effect of restricted shares
4,272

4,601
1,102
Effect of issuance of employee stock options
169
413
1,225
Weighted-average number of common shares (diluted)

 
      624,044

 
      608,311

 
      530,277
Diluted earnings per share (NT$)
$0.50
1.15
1.73

(30)
Financial Instruments

(a)
Fair value and carrying amount

The carrying amount of the Company’s non-derivative financial assets།current, including cash and cash equivalents, receivables/payables (including related parties), other current financial assets, and short-term borrowings, were considered to approximate their fair values due to their short-term nature. Except for aforementioned financial instruments, the carrying amount and fair value of other financial instruments of the Company as of December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:








56

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
December 31, 2015
December 31, 2014
 
Carrying 
   Amount   
 
   Fair Value   
Carrying 
   Amount   
 
   Fair Value   
 
 
 
 
 
Financial assets:
 
 
 
 
Available-for-sale financial assets-noncurrent
16,921
16,921
219,552
219,552
Foreign currency forward contracts
1,875
1,875
206
206
Refundable deposits
17,800
17,800
23,800
23,800
 
 
 
 
 
Financial liabilities:
 
 
 
 
Long-term borrowings (including current installments)
1,798,750
1,808,628
1,800,000
1,811,732
Convertible bonds payable
1,886,125
1,943,468
1,842,643
1,906,989
Redemption rights of convertible bonds payable
29,173
29,173
15,185
15,185
Foreign currency forward and swap contracts
20,853
20,853
70,990
70,990

(b)
Valuation techniques and assumptions applied in fair value measurement

The fair values of financial assets and financial liabilities with standard terms and conditions and traded in active markets are determined with reference to quoted market prices. Except the aforementioned, the fair vales of other financial assets and financial liabilities are measured using the generally accepted pricing models based on discounted cash flow analysis.

Descriptions of the valuation methodologies, including the valuation techniques and the input(s) used in the fair value measurements for assets and liabilities are discussed as follows:

The fair values of financial assets which were publicly traded on active markets were determined with reference to quoted market prices.

For derivative financial instruments such as foreign currency forward and swap contracts, fair values are estimated using industry standard valuation models. These models use market-based observable inputs including interest rate curves, foreign exchange rates, and forward and spot prices for currencies to project fair value.

The refundable deposits and guarantee deposits received are based on carrying amount as there is no fixed maturity.

The fair value of long-term borrowings and bonds payable is estimated based on the present value of future discounted cash flows. The discount rate adopted by the Company is the rate of return of a similar financial instrument in the market; the factors include the debtors’ credit rating and the remaining period for principal repayment, etc.








57

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(c)
Fair value measurements recognized in the consolidated statements of financial position

The Company determines fair value based on assumptions that market participants would use in pricing an asset or liability in the principal or most advantageous market. When considering market participant assumptions in fair value measurements, the following fair value hierarchy distinguishes between observable and unobservable inputs, which are categorized in one of the following levels:

(i)
Level 1 inputs: Unadjusted quoted prices for identical assets or liabilities in active markets accessible to the entity at the measurement date.

(ii)
Level 2 inputs: Other than quoted prices included in Level 1, inputs that are observable for the asset or liability, either directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability.

(iii)
Level 3 inputs: Unobservable inputs for the asset or liability used to measure fair value to the extent that observable inputs are not available, thereby allowing for situations in which there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability at the measurement date.
The fair value measurement level of an asset or liability within their fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement. The Company uses valuation techniques that maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs.

Financial assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis were as follows:

 
   Level 1
   Level 2
   Level 3
   Total
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
 
 
 
Assets:
 
 
 
 
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss
 
$ -
 
-
1,875
1,875
Available-for-sale financial assets
106,722
      -
      -
106,722
Liabilities:
 
 
 
 
Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss
 
-
 
-
(50,026)
(50,026)
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2014
 
 
 
 
Assets:
 
 
 
 
Financial assets measured at fair value through profit or loss
 
$ -
 
-
240
240
Available-for-sale financial assets
219,552
      -
      -
219,552
Liabilities:
 
 
 
 
Financial liabilities measured at fair value through profit or loss
 
-
 
-
(86,175)
(86,175)

There were no transfers between Level 1 and 2 for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014.

(d)
Reconciliation for recurring fair value measurements categorized within Level 3








58

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





Changes in Level 3 fair value measurements for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 were as follows:
 
Forward
   Exchange
Convertible
   Bonds
Available-for-
Sale financial
   Assets
 
 
 
 
 
 
Balance at January 1, 2013 (Unaudited)
$
(3,745
)
(4,625)

      -
Net realized/unrealized gains included in:
 
 
 
Profit or loss (Unaudited)
(44,950)

3,466

      -
Purchases (Unaudited)
25,089

1,493

      -
Disposals (Unaudited)
      -   
      -   
      -   
Balance at December 31, 2013 (Unaudited)
(23,606
)
334

      -   
Net realized/unrealized gains included in:
 
 
 
Profit or loss
(133,623)

5,442

      -
Purchases
86,445

      -
74,022
 
Redemption
      -   
(20,927
)
      -   
Balance at December 31, 2014
(70,784
)
(15,151
)
74,022
 
Net realized/unrealized gains included in:
 
 
 
Profit or loss
(41,904)

(14,022)

      -
Purchases
93,710

      -
      -
Redemption
      -   
      -   
(74,022
)
Balance at December 31, 2015
$
(18,978
)
(29,173
)
      -   

(e)
Description of valuation processes for fair value measurements categorized within Level 3

Fair value measurements of assets and liabilities are determined using various valuation techniques, including the discounted cash flows and other valuation models. As deemed necessary, the Company utilizes the assistance of external experts in performing the valuation and the development of such valuation models, which include the analysis and comparison of model valuation results to market transactions and market data. The Company’s management reviews the policy and procedures of fair value measurements annually, or more frequently as deemed necessary. When a fair value measurement involves one or more significant inputs that are unobservable, the Company monitors the valuation process discreetly and examines whether the inputs are used the most relevant market data available.

The Company holds certain non-publicly listed stocks which are not traded in an active market. The Company reviews the current operating and future expected performance of these private companies based on evaluation of the latest available financial statements, as well as changes in the industry and market prospects based on publicly available information. An improvement (decline) in the operating and future expected performance results in a higher (lower) fair value measurement. Generally, changes in the industry and market prospects are directionally consistent with the changes in operating and future performance of the companies.








59

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(31)
Financial Risk Management

(a)
Risk management framework

The managerial officers of related divisions are appointed to review, control, trace and monitor the strategic risks, financial risks and operational risks faced by the Company.  The managerial officers report to executive officers the progress of risk controls from time to time and, if necessary, report to the Board of Directors, depending on the extent of impact of risks.

(b)
Financial risk information

Hereinafter discloses information about the Company’s exposure to variable risks, and the goals, policies and procedures of the Company’s risk measurement and risk management. See footnotes to the consolidated financial statements for the quantitative analysis of variable risks.
(i)
Credit risk

Credit risk is the risk of financial loss to the Company if a customer or counterparty to a financial instrument fails to meet its contractual obligations. The Company’s exposures to credit risk are mainly from accounts receivable and cash and cash equivalent investments.

The Company’s potential credit risk is derived primarily from cash in bank, cash equivalent investments and trade receivables. The Company deposits its cash and cash equivalent investments with various reputable financial institutions of high credit quality. The majority of these financial institutions are located in the ROC. The Company also entered into reverse repurchase agreements with securities firms or banks in Taiwan covering government and quasi-government bonds that classified as cash equivalents. There should be no major concerns for the performance capability of trading counterparts. Management performs periodic evaluations of the relative credit standing of these financial institutions and limits the amount of credit exposure with any one institution. Management believes that there is a limited concentration of credit risk in cash and cash equivalent investments.

The majority of the Company’s customers are in high technology industries. Management continuously evaluates and controls the credit quality, credit limit and financial strength of its customers to ensure any overdue receivables are taken necessary procedures. The Company also flexibly makes use of prepayments, accounts receivable factoring and credit insurance as credit enhancement instruments. If necessary, the Company will request collaterals from its customers or invest in credit insurance.

Additionally, on the reporting date, the Company reviews the recoverability of its receivables to provide appropriate valuation allowances. Consequently, management believes there is a limited concentration of its credit risk.

As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, the carrying amount of financial assets which represents the maximum amount exposed to credit risk were $10,368,670 thousand and $10,567,140 thousand, respectively.








60

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, the Company’s ten largest customers accounted for 55%, 70% and 78% (Unaudited). There is no other significant concentration of credit risk.

Refer to note 9 for aging analysis of accounts receivable and the movement in the allowance of doubtful accounts receivable.

(ii)
Liquidity risk

Liquidity risk is the risk that the Company will encounter difficulty in meeting the obligations associated with its financial liabilities that are settled by delivering cash or another financial asset due to an economic downturn or unbalanced demand and supply resulting in a significant drop in product prices. The Company’s approach to managing liquidity is to ensure, as far as possible, that it always have sufficient liquidity to meet its liabilities when due, under both normal and stressed conditions.

Liquidity risk of the Company is monitored through its corporate treasury department which tracks the development of the actual cash flow position for the Company and uses input from a number of sources in order to forecast the overall liquidity position both on a short and long term basis. Corporate treasury invests surplus cash in money market deposits with appropriate maturities to ensure sufficient liquidity is available to meet liabilities when due, without incurring unacceptable losses or risking damage to the Company’s reputation.

The following are the contractual maturities of other financial liabilities. The amounts include estimated interest payments (except for short-term borrowings) but exclude the impact of netting agreements.








61

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
Contractual
   cash flows
1/1/2016
1/1/2017
2019 and~ 
thereafter
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
 
 
 
Non-derivative financial liabilities:
 
 
 
 
Short-term and long-term borrowings (including convertible bonds payable)
$
3,852,839

876,568

978,271

1,998,000

Accounts payable
3,315,209

3,315,209

      -
      -
Accrued expense & other current liabilities
986,757

986,757

 
      -
 
      -
Derivative financial liabilities
 
 
 
 
Outflow
3,358,137

3,358,137

      -
      -
Inflow
(3,339,159
)
(3,339,159
)
      -    
      -    
 
$
8,173,783

5,197,512

978,271

1,998,000

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2014
 
 
 
 
Non-derivative financial liabilities:
 
 
 
 
Short-term and long-term borrowings (including convertible bonds payable)
$
4,825,545

971,512

877,447

2,976,586

Accounts payable
3,167,083

3,167,083

      -
      -
Accrued expense & other current liabilities
1,293,924

1,293,924

 
      -
 
      -
Derivative financial liabilities
 
 
 
 
Outflow
2,116,675

2,116,675

      -
      -
Inflow
(2,045,891
)
(2,045,891
)
      -    
      -    
 
$
9,357,336

5,503,303

877,447

2,976,586


The Company is not expecting that the cash flows included in the maturity analysis could occur significantly earlier or at significantly different amounts.

As of December 31, 2015, the Company’s total current assets exceeded its total current liabilities by $8,192,165 thousand. Management believes the Company’s existing unused credit facilities under its existing loan agreements, together with net cash flows expected to be generated from its operating activities, will be sufficient for the Company to fulfill its payment obligations over the next twelve months. Therefore, management believes that the Company does not have significant liquidity risk.

(iii)
Market risk

Market risk is the risk that changes in market prices, such as foreign exchange rates, interest rates and equity prices, which will affect the Company’s income or the value of its holdings of financial instruments. The objective of market risk management is to manage and control market risk exposures within acceptable parameters, while optimizing the return.

The Company buys and sells derivatives, and also incurs financial liabilities, in order to manage market risks. All such transactions are executed in accordance with the Company’s handling procedures for conducting derivative transactions, and also monitored by internal audit department.








62

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






A.
Currency risk

The Company is exposed to currency risk on foreign currency denominated financial assets and liabilities arising from operating, financing and investing activities such that the Company uses forward exchange contracts to hedge its currency risk. Gains and losses derived from the foreign currency fluctuations on underlying assets and liabilities are likely to offset. However, transactions of derivative financial instruments help minimize the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, but the risk cannot be fully eliminated.

The Company periodically examines portions exposed to currency risks for individual asset and liability denominated in foreign currency and uses forward contracts as hedging instruments to hedge positions exposed to risks. The contracts have maturity dates that do not exceed six months, and do not meet the criteria for hedge accounting.

a.
The Company’s significant exposure to foreign currency risk was as follows:

 
Foreign 
   currency 
amounts
Exchange 
   rate   
   NTD
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2015
 
 
 
Financial assets
 
 
 
Monetary items
 
 
 
USD
160,573
33.05
5,306,939
EUR
1,684
36.12
60,831
CNY
9
5.0896
44
Non-monetary items
 
 
 
Forward Exchange Agreement
 
 
 
& Exchange rate SWAP
 
 
 
USD
53
33.05
1,760
JPY
419
0.2743
115
 
 
 
 
Financial liabilities
 
 
 
Monetary items
 
 
 
USD
67,299
33.05
2,224,230
JPY
281,453
0.2743
77,204
Non-monetary items
 
 
 
Forward Exchange Agreement
 
 
 
& Exchange rate SWAP
 
 
 
USD
615
33.05
20,340
EUR
14
36.12
513
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
December 31, 2014
 
 
 







63

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





 
Foreign 
   currency 
amounts
Exchange 
   rate   
   NTD
Financial assets
 
 
 
Monetary items
 
 
 
USD
186,152
31.766
5,913,318
CNY
319
5.1223
1,633
Non-monetary items
 
 
 
Forward Exchange Agreement
 
 
 
& Exchange rate SWAP
 
 
 
USD
6
31.766
206
Financial liabilities
 
 
 
Monetary items
 
 
 
USD
107,261
31.766
3,407,253
JPY
508,305
0.2659
135,159
CNY
19
5.1223
96
Non-monetary items
 
 
 
Forward Exchange Agreement
 
 
 
& Exchange rate SWAP
 
 
 
USD
2,203
31.766
69,980
JPY
3,798
0.2659
1,010

b.
Sensitivity analysis

The Company’s exposure to foreign currency risk arises from the translation of the foreign currency exchange gains and losses on cash and cash equivalents, trade and other receivables, loans and borrowings and trade and other payables that are denominated in foreign currency.

Depreciation or appreciation of the NTD by 1% against the CNY, USD, EUR and the JPY at December 31, 2015 and 2014, while all other variables were remained constant, would have increased or decreased the net profit before tax for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 as follows:


 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
 
 
 
1% of depreciation
$
30,664

23,724
1% of appreciation
(30,664)

(23,724)

B.
Interest rate risk








64

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements





The Company’s exposure to changes in interest rates is mainly from floating-rate long-term debt obligations. Any change in interest rates will cause the effective interest rates of long-term borrowings to change and thus cause the future cash flows to fluctuate over time. The Company enters into and designates interest rate swaps as hedges of the variability in cash flows attributable to interest rate risk.

Assuming the amount of floating-rate debts at the end of the reporting period had been outstanding for the entire year and all other variables were remained constant, an increase or a decrease in the interest rate by 0.25% would have resulted in a decrease or an increase in the net profit before tax for the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014 by $9,099 thousand and $6,820 thousand, respectively.

C.
Equity price risk

See note 8 for disclosure of equity price risk analysis.

(32)
Capital management

Through clear understanding and managing of significant changes in external environment, related industry characteristics, and corporate growth plan, the Company manages its capital to ensure it has sufficient financial resources to maintain proper working capital, to invest in capital expenditures and research and development expenses, to repay debts and to distribute dividends in accordance to its plan. The management determines the most suitable capital in terms of maintaining proper debt ratio. To sustain strong capital base, the Company improves the returns of its shareholders by applying most appropriate debt ratio. The Company’s debt ratios at the end of the reporting periods were as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Total liabilities
$
8,417,122

9,453,729

Total liabilities and equity
22,393,838

24,290,276

Debt-to-equity ratio
38
%
39
%

(33)
Investing and financing activities not affecting current cash flow

The Company‘s investing and financing activities, which do not affect the current cash flow, in the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 (Unaudited) were as follows:

(a)
For conversion of convertible bonds to common stocks, please refer to note 17.
(b)
For retirement of treasury stock, please refer to note 21.
(c)
For issuance of restricted stocks to employees, please refer to note 22.

(34)
Related-party transactions

Lextar is the ultimate parent company of the Company’s subsidiaries. All significant inter-company transactions, income, expenses and balances are eliminated in the consolidated financial statements and are not disclosed in the note. The significant related party transactions were as follows:







65

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(a)
Compensation to executive officers

Executive officers’ compensation comprised of:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Short-term employee benefits
$
39,755

43,547
50,635
Post-employment benefits
316

324
301
Termination benefits
      -
      -
      -
Employee bonuses
2,229

5,408
4,518
Share-based payments
17,375
30,834
14,560
 
$59,675
80,113
70,014

(b)
Except as disclosed in the consolidated financial statements and other notes, the significant related party transactions were as follows:

1.
Sales

 
 
      Sales   
      Accounts receivable 
      from related parties   
 
   For the years ended December 31,
December 31,
 
2015
2014
2013 (Unaudited)
2015
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
Entities with significant influence over the Company
$
3,325,018

2,699,452
2,358,812
1,194,187
1,528,981
Associates
9,297

26,375
8,054
      -
11,647
Other related parties
      -    
      -    
6,616
      -    
      -    
 
$3,334,315
2,725,827
2,373,482
1,194,187
1,540,628

The collection terms for sales to related parties were month-end 60 to 120 days. The collection terms for sales to unrelated customers were month-end 60 to 120 days. The pricing and other terms for sales to related parties were not materially different from those with unrelated customers.








66

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Purchases

 
 
   Purchases   
      Accounts payable 
      to related parties   
 
   For the years ended December 31,
December 31,
 
2015
2014
2013 (Unaudited)
2015
2014
 
 
 
 
 
 
Entities with significant influence over the Company
$
34,838

25,254

5,451

15,861
4,914
Associates
178

6,433

7,052

      -
      -
Other related parties
34,858

      -    
399,697

13,983
      -    
 
$
69,874

31,687

412,200

29,844
4,914

The price of purchase and the OEM to be recognized respectively depend on the products. There were no significant differences between the terms of purchase transactions with related enterprises and those carried out with other normal vendors.

3.
Acquisition and disposal of property, plant and equipment and others

In September 2014, the Company purchased the land and building of a factory located in Zhunan, Miaoli from an entity with significant influence over the Company. The land costs $548,743 thousand, and the building costs $555,652 thousand, resulting in a total amount of $1,104,395 thousand. For the year ended December 31, 2014, the asset transfer procedures have been finished and the total amount have been paid completely. Pricing of the above land and building was based on the valuation report from an external specialist.

On May 13, 2015, the board of directors resolved a plan to dispose of a factory located at No.20 and No.20-1 Guangfu N. Rd., Hukou Township, Hsinchu County, along with its equipment, machinery, and land, to the Company’s related party for a total consideration of $361,019 thousand. The pricing for sales to related parties was determined with reference to the valuation report from an external specialist. The asset transfer procedures have been completed. The net book value of the disposed property, plant and equipment was $208,731 thousand, and a disposal gain of $152,288 thousand was recognized.

For the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013, rental and other expenses paid to associates and joint ventures were as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
(Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
Entities with significant influence over the Company

 
$    -    

 
      31,778

 
      45,989








67

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






As of December 31, 2015 and 2014, amounts due to related parties as a result of the aforementioned transactions were as follows:

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Entities with significant influence over the Company
$32
41,072

(35)
Pledged assets


 
   Pledged assets   


   Object

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Machinery and equipment
Long-term borrowings
$ -
1,475,269

Other financial assets (classified under other non-current financial assets)
Guarantee for land lease and collateral for provisional attachment


      17,800



      23,800

 
 
$
17,800

1,499,069


(36)
Commitments and contingencies

The significant commitments and contingencies of the Company as of December 31, 2015, in addition to those disclosed in the aforementioned notes to the consolidated financial statements, were as follows:

(a)
The aggregated unpaid amounts of contracts pertaining to the purchase of equipment were as follows:

 
 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Acquisition of equipment
NTD
$
695,034

625,693


(b)
The amount of guarantee notes issued of credit as collateral for the bank loans were as follows:

 
 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Guarantee notes issued
USD
$
47,700

181,500

Guarantee notes issued
NTD
$
4,300,000

4,700,000


(c)
As of December 31, 2014, the Company provided endorsement guarantee for operation and bank loans amounting to USD73,000 thousand, respectively.







68

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






(d)
Guarantee notes issued for customs were as follows:
 
 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
 
Guarantees for customs
CNY
$    -    
13,500


(e)
The Company entered into patent license agreements with Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. According to the agreements, the Company shall pay a certain amount of royalty based on the sales.

(f)
The Company disagreed with the pursuit of assessment on the income tax returns in 2010 and 2011, and requested for a reexamination. The tax effect of the reexamination is $5,065 thousand. Please refer to note 28.

(g)
The Company entered into supply agreements and patent license agreements with Cree Inc. According to the agreements, the Company shall keep a sufficient supply of capacity, and shall pay a certain amount of royalty based on the sales of products authorized.

(37)
Geographic and Other Revenue Information

(a)
Geographic information

The geographic breakdown for the years ended December 31, 2015, 2014 and 2013 was as follows:

1.
Net revenue

 
   For the years ended December 31,
 

   2015

   2014
2013
   (Unaudited)
 
 
 
 
China
$
9,205,015

10,297,028
9,771,881
Malaysia
1,558,374

1,607,875
1,261,028
Japan
1,069,946

957,634
601,680
America
623,897

49,201
89,449
Taiwan
427,222

610,255
946,270
Others
1,346,080
995,144
1,081,358
 
$14,230,534
14,517,137
13,751,666








69

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements






2.
Consolidated noncurrent assets

 

December 31,
   2015

December 31,
   2014
 
 
 
Taiwan
$
4,945,595

6,632,337

PRC
3,194,000

3,168,046

 
$
8,139,596

9,800,383


(i)
Noncurrent assets are not inclusive of financial instruments, deferred tax, and pension-related assets.

(b)    Major customer information

For the years ended December 31, 2015 and 2014, sales to individual customers representing greater than 10% of consolidated net revenue were as follows:

 
   For the years ended December 31
 

   2015

%

   2014

%
2013
(Unaudited)

%
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
AU Optronics Corp and its subsidiaries
$
2,731,407

19
3,718,585
26
2,358,812
17
OSRAM Company
1,981,016
14
2,252,989
15
2,261,493

17
 
$4,712,423
33
5,971,574
41
4,620,305

34

(38)
Subsequent events

(a)
During the time from January to June in 2016, the Company bought back 20,000 thousand shares as treasury stock, with the average price of $16 per share, amounting to $319,989 thousand.
(b)
On April 19, 2016, the board of directors of the Company approved a resolution to allow the Company to issue 50,000 thousand new shares for restricted employee stock options without charge. The resolution has already been approved in the shareholders’ meeting on June 3, 2016, but has yet to be submitted to the authority. Please refer to the Market Observation Post System for related information.
(c)
The Company entered into a syndicated loan amounting to $3 billion with 7 banks in July 2016. The syndicated loan is led by Bank of Taiwan. As of the report date, the credit line of the syndicated loan has not yet been used.







70

LEXTAR ELECTRONICS CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements













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