OCZ to restate earnings for several quarters

Posted on Tuesday, December 18 2012 @ 16:55 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
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The OCZ Technology saga continues to linger, the company is still unable to file its third-quarter (which ended August 31, 2012) earnings report, but announced that the Audit Committee's investigation, assisted by third party legal and financial advisors, is now "substantially completed" and a preliminary report has been provided to the Audit Committee. The bad news is that more irregularities have been found in OCZ's books, investors will need to prepare for the restatement of the results for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, as well as the results for certain quarters of fiscal 2012 and for the fiscal year 2012.
OCZ Technology Group, Inc. (OCZ), a leading provider of high-performance solid-state drives (SSDs) for computing devices and systems, today announced that the Audit Committee's investigation, assisted by third party legal and financial advisors, has been substantially completed and a preliminary report has been provided to the Audit Committee. While there continue to be various matters requiring further investigation, the Company believes they will be concluded shortly. The Audit Committee has approved this report and, in consultation with management, concluded that the Company should restate the results for the first quarter of fiscal 2013, as well as the results for certain quarters of fiscal 2012 and for the fiscal year 2012.

The restatements primarily relate to the timing of revenue recognition, the classification of certain customer incentive costs and for the level of reserves for product returns. The number of prior periods affected and the impact of the adjustments will be disclosed in more detail in the Company's restated financial statements, which will be provided as soon as practical. The Board and management are in discussions with Crowe Horwath LLP, the Company's independent auditors regarding the matters identified in the investigation.

Until the restatements are released, in addition to the financial statements for the periods referenced above, related press releases and shareholder communications describing our financial statements and the report of Crowe Horwath LLP related to the financial statements as of and for the year ended February 29, 2012 should no longer be relied upon.

During the recent unreported quarters ended August and November 2012, the Company has worked diligently to continue to support its customers. In addition, the Company's product development efforts are on track and it currently expects new product announcements to be made on schedule in the current quarter. The collection of receivables and inventory levels have been more effectively managed resulting in improved cash flow and a reduction in the total amount drawn on the Company's credit facility with Wells Fargo Capital Finance. The Company is also negotiating with Wells Fargo to amend the credit facility to reflect the impact of the current financial situation, as the Company has been in default with the liquidity test and related financial covenants. The Company today also submitted a letter to NASDAQ for its approval which described the plan and timing under which the Company expected that it would bring its financial reporting current.

"We understand that restating prior periods is very disappointing and unacceptable to our shareholders. While this investigation process has taken longer than originally anticipated, it has helped the Company to identify the relevant issues to enable the financial reporting to be finalized," stated Ralph Schmitt, CEO of OCZ Technology. "We continue to successfully compete in the market and recently released our Vector product, widely reported as the industry's highest performing drive. The Company continues to execute well on its product and business plans."

The Company will host a conference call for investors beginning at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time (6:00 a.m. Pacific Standard Time) on Tuesday December 18, 2012 to discuss the matters in this press release and current corporate developments. A live audio webcast of the conference call will be available by visiting the Investor Relations events conference call section of OCZ's website at http://ir.stockpr.com/ocztechnology/conference-calls, which will be archived for replay until December 28, 2012. All interested parties can join the call by dialing (253) 237-1170 or (877) 372-0867. Please call-in 15 minutes prior to the call to secure a line. To access the archived conference call, please dial (404) 537-3406 or (855)859-2056 and enter replay passcode 82908372.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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