Sierra Wireless : reports Second Quarter 2016 results

• Revenue of $156.2 million in the second quarter of 2016

• GAAP net earnings of $0.7 million and diluted EPS of $0.02

• Non-GAAP net earnings of $6.4 million and diluted EPS of $0.20

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - August 4, 2016 - Sierra Wireless, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWIR) (TSX: SW) today reported results for its second quarter ending June 30, 2016. All results are reported in U.S. dollars and are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), except as otherwise indicated below.

Revenue for the second quarter of 2016 was $156.2 million, a decrease of 1.1% compared to $158.0 million in the second quarter of 2015. Revenue from OEM Solutions was $132.6 million in the second quarter of 2016, down 4.0% compared to $138.2 million in the second quarter of 2015. Revenue from Enterprise Solutions was $16.6 million in the second quarter of 2016, up 10.0% compared to $15.0 million in the second quarter of 2015. Revenue from Cloud and Connectivity Services was $7.0 million in the second quarter of 2016, up 46.8% compared to $4.8 million in the second quarter of 2015.

Our gross margin in the second quarter of 2016 was 33.8%, compared to 32.3% in the same period of 2015. During the quarter, we received reimbursement of certain legal costs pursuant to a favorable arbitration decision on a contract dispute with an intellectual property licensor. The reimbursement resulted in a favorable impact of $1.9 million in cost of goods sold.

"Revenue and non-GAAP earnings improved sequentially in the second quarter, driven by stronger OEM and Enterprise sales," said Jason Cohenour, President and CEO. "We also strengthened our strategic position in the important Fleet Management and Asset Tracking segments with the acquisition of GenX Mobile."

• Gross margin was $52.7 million, or 33.8% of revenue, in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $50.9 million, or 32.3% of revenue, in the second quarter of 2015.

• Operating expenses were $49.3 million and earnings from operations were $3.4 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to operating expenses of $46.8 million and earnings from operations of $4.1 million in the second quarter of 2015.

• Net earnings were $0.7 million, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2016, compared to net earnings of $4.1 million, or $0.12 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2015.

  NON-GAAP RESULTS

• Gross margin was 33.8% in the second quarter of 2016, compared to 32.4% in the second quarter of 2015.

• Operating expenses were $44.4 million and earnings from operations were $8.4 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to operating expenses of $40.4 million and earnings from operations of $10.7 million in the second quarter of 2015.

• Net earnings were $6.4 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2016, compared to net earnings of $8.6 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2015. The non-GAAP tax rate in the second quarter of 2016 was 24.7%.

• Adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("Adjusted EBITDA") were $12.1 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to $13.1 million in the second quarter of 2015.

• Excluding the previously mentioned recovery of $1.9 million in the quarter, gross margin was 32.6%; adjusted EBITDA was $10.2 million; earnings from operations were $6.5 million; and EPS was $0.14 per share.

  Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the second quarter of 2016 were $98.4 million, representing an increase of $12.3 million compared to the end of the first quarter of 2016. Cash generated from operations during the second quarter was $16.5 million.

  Acquisition of GenX Mobile

  On August 3, 2016, we completed the acquisition of all of the outstanding shares of GenX Mobile Incorporated ("GenX") for total cash consideration of $7.8 million ($6.0 million, net of cash acquired), subject to working capital adjustments. GenX is a provider of in-vehicle cellular devices for the fleet management, asset tracking and transportation markets. The company's products are complementary to our existing Enterprise Solutions portfolio of mobile and industrial gateways. GenX is based in San Jose, California and has 22 employees. We believe that the acquisition of GenX expands our strategic position in key market segments and bolsters our telematics and location capabilities. The GenX business and team will be integrated with our Enterprise Solutions business unit. In the first half of 2016, GenX recorded revenue of approximately $6.7 million and non-GAAP earnings from operations were approximately breakeven.

  Financial Guidance

  As a global leader in intelligent wireless solutions for the Internet of Things, we believe that we are well positioned to drive strong long term growth. However, our short term outlook is more cautious. While we expect to see continued solid revenue contributions from new OEM programs, we are seeing signs of softer short term demand and tighter inventory management with some established OEM customers and programs. For the third quarter of 2016, we expect revenue to be in the range of $145 million to $155 million and non-GAAP earnings per share to be in the range of $0.06 to $0.13. In the fourth quarter of 2016, we expect to see sequential and year-over-year growth, although not to the levels previously anticipated. Given this softer short term outlook, we now expect full year 2016 revenue and non-GAAP EPS to be below the low end of our previously stated annual guidance range of

  $630 million to $670 million in revenue and non-GAAP EPS of $0.60 to $0.90.

  This guidance excludes any contribution from the recently acquired GenX and reflects current business indicators and expectations. Inherent in this guidance are risk factors that are described in greater detail in our regulatory filings. Our actual results could differ materially from those presented above. All figures are approximations based on management's current beliefs and assumptions.

  Non-GAAP Financial Measures

  We disclose non-GAAP financial measures as we believe they provide useful information on actual operating performance and assist in comparisons from one period to another. Readers are cautioned that non-GAAP financial measures do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by U.S. GAAP and therefore may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.

  Non-GAAP gross margin excludes the impact of stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes.

  Non-GAAP earnings (loss) from operations excludes the impact of stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes, amortization related to acquisitions, acquisition-related and disposition costs, restructuring costs, integration costs and impairment.

  Non-GAAP net earnings (loss) and non-GAAP diluted earnings (loss) per share exclude the impact of stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes, amortization related to acquisitions, acquisition-related and disposition costs, restructuring costs, integration costs, impairment, foreign exchange gains or losses on translation of certain balance sheet accounts and certain tax adjustments.

  We use the above-noted non-GAAP financial measures for planning purposes and to allow us to assess the performance of our business before including the impacts of the items noted above as they affect the comparability of our financial results. These non-GAAP measures are reviewed regularly by management and the Board of Directors as part of the ongoing internal assessment of our operating performance. We also use non- GAAP earnings from operations as one component in determining short-term incentive compensation for management employees.

  Adjusted EBITDA is defined as earnings (loss) from operations plus stock-based compensation expense and related social taxes, acquisition-related and integration costs, restructuring costs, impairment and amortization. Adjusted EBITDA can also be calculated as non-GAAP earnings (loss) from operations plus amortization excluding acquisition related amortization. We believe that Adjusted EBITDA is an important indicator of our operating performance and our ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow that will fund future working capital needs and fund future capital expenditures. Adjusted EBITDA is also used by investors and analysts for valuation purposes.

  Conference call and webcast details

  Sierra Wireless President and CEO, Jason Cohenour, and CFO, David McLennan, will host a conference call and webcast with analysts and investors to review the results on Thursday, August 4, 2016, at 5:30 PM Eastern Time (2:30 PM PT). A live slide presentation will be available for viewing during the call from the link provided below.

  To participate in this conference call, please dial the following number approximately ten minutes prior to the start of the call:

  • Toll-free (Canada and US): 1-877-201-0168

  • Alternate number: 1-647-788-4901

  • Conference ID: 32898601

To access the webcast, please follow the link below:

Sierra Wireless Q2 2016 Conference Call and Webcast

If the above link does not work, please copy and paste the following URL into your browser: http://event.on24.com/r.htm?e=1210427&s=1&k=A4B4540BFF24C511667C7B65E817E267

The webcast will remain available at the above link for one year following the call.

David Climie

Vice President, Investor Relations

+1 (604) 231-1137

dclimie@sierrawireless.com

+1 (604) 231-1181

investor@sierrawireless.com

Certain statements and information in this press release are not based on historical facts and constitute forward- looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements") including statements and information relating to our financial guidance for the third quarter of 2016 and our fiscal year 2016, our business outlook for the short and longer term, statements regarding our strategy, plans and future operating performance. Forward-looking statements are provided to help you understand our views of our short and long term plans, expectations and prospects. We caution you that forward-looking statements may not be appropriate for other purposes. We do not intend to update or revise our forward-looking statements unless we are required to do so by securities laws.

Forward-looking statements:

• Typically include words and phrases about the future such as "outlook", "will", "may", "estimates", "intends", "believes", "plans", "anticipates" and "expects".

• Are not promises or guarantees of future performance. They represent our current views and may change significantly.

• Are based on a number of material assumptions, including those listed below, which could prove to be significantly incorrect:

  • our ability to develop, manufacture and sell new products and services that meet the needs of our customers and gain commercial acceptance;

    • our ability to continue to sell our products and services in the expected quantities at the expected prices and expected times;

    • expected cost of goods sold;

    • expected component supply constraints;

    • our ability to "win" new business;

    • our ability to integrate acquired businesses and realize expected benefits;

    • expected deployment of next generation networks by wireless network operators;

    • our operations not being adversely disrupted by component shortages or other development, operating or regulatory risks; and

    • expected tax rates and foreign exchange rates.

• Are subject to substantial known and unknown material risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause our actual results, achievements and developments in our business to differ significantly from those expressed or implied by our forward-looking statements, including without limitation, the following factors. These risk