Exhibit
99.2
INVESTOR
CONFERENCE CALL SCRIPT – JULY 29, 2009
INVESTOR
CONFERENCE CALL - July 29, 2009
[OPERATOR]
Good
afternoon ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for standing by. Welcome to the WPCS
International Incorporated fiscal year 2009 fourth quarter and year end investor
conference call. Your host for today’s call is Andy Hidalgo, chairman and CEO of
WPCS International Incorporated. Before I turn the call over to Mr. Hidalgo,
please be advised that the participants on today’s call will be in a listen only
mode until Mr. Hidalgo has concluded his opening remarks. Upon conclusion of the
opening remarks, there will be a question and answer session.
In
addition, we would like to note that statements about the company’s future
expectations, including future revenue and earnings and all other statements
made during this investor conference call, other than historical facts, are
forward looking statements and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties and are subject to change at any
time. The company’s actual results could differ materially from expected
results. In reflecting subsequent events or circumstances, the company
undertakes no obligation to update forward looking statements. I will now turn
the call over to Mr. Hidalgo.
[ANDY
HIDALGO]
Good
afternoon ladies and gentlemen and welcome to our fiscal year 2009 fourth
quarter and year end investor conference call. The agenda for today’s call will
include a discussion of our fourth quarter and year end financial results and
our fiscal year 2010 financial expectations. In addition, I will discuss market
conditions and conclude with a review of our strategic development.
___________
Generally
speaking, we are pleased with the ability that WPCS has displayed in growing
revenue, remaining profitable and maintaining a healthy balance sheet in this
current economic environment. Our strategy of targeting markets that
are somewhat resilient against adverse economic conditions, controlling our cost
structure and maintaining a strong working capital position is working and it is
allowing the company to take advantage of new opportunities within the public
services, healthcare, energy and international markets.
During
our fiscal fourth quarter ended April 30, 2009, WPCS reported net income of
approximately $293,000 or earnings of $0.04 per diluted share compared to net
income of $921,000 or earnings of $0.13 per diluted share during the same period
last year.
Revenue
during the fourth quarter of 2009 was approximately $24.7 million compared to
$26.7 million during last year’s fourth quarter. WPCS has modified its segment
reporting to more accurately represent the services we provide. For the fourth
quarter, the revenue segmentation was approximately 34% wireless communication,
12% specialty construction and 54% electrical power. WPCS segments its revenue
by services offered and not markets served because our core engineering skills
can be applied to many markets. Therefore, revenue segmentation is more
accurately reflected by services offered, not markets served.
Consolidated
gross margin during the fourth quarter was approximately 26% compared to 28%
during the same period last year while our SG&A expense as a percent of
revenue was approximately 21% compared to 19% last year, however, actual
SG&A expenses decreased 11% in the fourth quarter from the third
quarter.
During fiscal
year 2009 ended April 30, 2009, WPCS reported net income of approximately $1.7
million or earnings of $0.23 per diluted share compared to net income of $4.1
million or earnings of $0.52 per diluted share during fiscal year 2008 ended
April 30, 2008.
Revenue
during fiscal year 2009 was approximately $107 million compared to $101 million
last year. For fiscal year 2009, the revenue segmentation was 32% wireless
communication, 15% specialty construction and 53% electrical power.
Consolidated
gross margin during fiscal year 2009 was approximately 27% compared to 28%
during fiscal year 2008 while our SG&A expense as a percent of revenue for
the year was approximately 22% compared to 19% last year.
Turning
to our balance sheet, WPCS continues to maintain a strong balance sheet and
liquidity position evidenced by its approximate $6.4 million in cash, $21
million in working capital, $5.6 million of credit line borrowings and $5
million of positive operating cash flow provided during fiscal
2009.
Our
credit line borrowing to working capital ratio remains favorably low at 27%. We
view this ratio as an important indicator of our financial strength and ability
to finance our growth from our operations. Accounts receivable collections
remain stable with DSOs averaging 73 days. As of April 30, 2009, WPCS had a
backlog of approximately $38 million and a bid list of $169
million.
___________
While
fiscal year 2009 was a challenging year due to the economy, WPCS was able to
generate year-over-year revenue growth and respectable profitability. Despite
these accomplishments, the management team was not completely satisfied with
these results and believes that the steps taken during the past year has
positioned the company to benefit in the near future.
Specifically,
WPCS decided in the middle of FY2009 to retain most of its project managers as
it was anticipated that the government would enact the fiscal stimulus package
for infrastructure.
Our
company did not want to be resource deficient from a project management
perspective if bid solicitations were to increase. Although it cost WPCS some
earnings in carrying extra technical resources through lower revenue producing
quarters, it has positioned us well in responding to the increase in current bid
activity. The company has also worked diligently throughout the past fiscal year
to cut expenses in other areas and focus on markets that displayed resiliency
against adverse economic conditions.
In
addition, WPCS initiated a branding strategy to establish all subsidiaries under
the WPCS name. Now the company can focus further on consolidating vendors to
reduce cost of sales and SG&A expenses. In addition, we have launched a
global accounts program that is focused on increasing our revenue producing
opportunities through the development of existing key account relationships. We
believe that all these factors have placed us in a good earnings producing
situation for the next few years
In
regards to the dynamics in the market that affected our results, the primary
obstacle to earnings growth in fiscal year 2009 was the weaker than expected
revenue production in public services. State and local governments have been
negatively impacted by the economic downturn. Tax revenues have been impaired
and it has caused communication infrastructure projects to be postponed. In
addition, of the projects that were available to bid, the competition increased
and caused a slight deterioration of gross margin.
However,
there is good news. Of the $800 billion of fiscal stimulus legislated in
February 2009, $30 billion is specifically targeted for state and local
government communication infrastructure projects. This will give WPCS an
opportunity to increase earnings for fiscal year 2010 and improve gross margins
as demand for infrastructure services should exceed supply. The 24% increase in
bid solicitations from January 31, 2009 to April 30, 2009 is an indication that
the fiscal stimulus package is beginning to have a positive affect. These bids
have not yet increased the backlog but we anticipate a growing backlog in the
quarters ahead.
The
fiscal stimulus has been slow to develop due to the effort it has taken each
state to generally identify its projects, organize its staff and apply for the
funds. However, this process is well underway and we anticipate bid awards to
increase throughout the balance of the year. There is no question that those
companies providing infrastructure engineering for public services such as WPCS
have the opportunity to prosper over the next several years. The need for
improving voice, data and video communication systems for police, fire,
emergency services, schools, transportation and public utilities has not
diminished. The only issue has been funding which is now available through the
fiscal stimulus package.
Looking
at the U.S. economy in general, WPCS still sees a deleveraging consumer, a flat
housing market and tight credit which have continued to produce lower
consumption and high unemployment. The majority of S&P 500 companies have
lowered their earnings expectations for the year. However, there is some
optimism that the money injected into our banking system is beginning to find
its way to consumers and businesses. There is an expectation that a positive GDP
quarter is on the horizon. Due to limited job creation and limited production,
WPCS is not expecting a full U.S. economic recovery for at least one
year.
However,
we believe that the markets we serve are displaying some resiliency against
these economic conditions and should give us the opportunity to grow earnings.
It is our opinion that when the U.S. economy does recover, we will be in that
much better of a position to accelerate growth.
In China,
we are seeing an increase in infrastructure spending being fueled by the
country’s aggressive fiscal stimulus package legislated in December
2008. We are operating profitably and we are reviewing ways to
increase our presence in China so that we can take advantage of the growing
infrastructure opportunities.
Australia
has continued to generate profitable revenue for WPCS. The country is
benefitting from favorable raw material exports to China and India and they
continue to invest in their communications and transportation infrastructure.
Again, WPCS is looking to expand its presence in Australia to take advantage of
the more favorable economic climate.
I would
like to reiterate that WPCS is in a position to grow earnings despite these
economic times. The reason for this revolves around the markets we serve. We
discussed the opportunities in public services and with the certainty of federal
funding, we are confident that this sector will continue to provide earnings
potential for WPCS in the years ahead.
In
healthcare, we continue to bid healthcare infrastructure projects as the aging
population and the need for healthcare reform are the driving factors. Hospitals
are focused on improving the communication of patient records, nurse call, asset
management and overall security. These are all labor reducing measures that will
generate cost savings.
In the
energy sector, companies that provide energy are continuing to focus on
delivering basic energy in a more efficient and cost effective manner. This
includes improving their existing infrastructure to better manage voice, data
and video communications. In addition, there is a push for alternative energy
solutions and WPCS continues to receive project awards for solar and wind energy
projects.
Looking
at our backlog and bid activity at the end of our fourth quarter, as discussed,
our backlog stood at approximately $38 million and our bids stood at $169
million. Although the backlog did not grow quarter over quarter, the bid
activity at the end of the fourth quarter increased 24% over the third quarter
figure indicating that the fiscal stimulus is beginning to establish some
momentum.
This new
bid activity should translate into an increase of backlog in the quarters ahead.
Looking at the composition of the backlog, approximately 59% is comprised of
public services projects, 24% in healthcare projects, 8% in energy projects and
9% in corporate enterprise projects. In regards to bids, 61% are for public
services projects, 17% for healthcare projects, 12% for energy projects and 10%
for corporate enterprise projects.
For
fiscal year 2010 ending April 30, 2010, WPCS provided guidance that includes a
projection of $112 million in revenue, $2.2 million to $2.4 million in net
income and $0.31 to $0.34 in fully diluted earnings per share. We are
reaffirming our guidance expectation and we are confident in achieving these
estimates.
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Lastly,
in regards to our strategic development, WPCS continues to implement strategic
initiatives that strengthen our company for the future. At the present time, our
focus is on organic growth through customer and market development, however, we
continue to look for strategic acquisitions that enhance our engineering
capability, expand our customer base and broaden our geographic
coverage.
___________
In
conclusion, the WPCS management team is encouraged that fiscal year 2010 will be
a year of opportunity and improved earnings. We also believe that fiscal year
2010 will be a foundation for earnings growth in the years ahead as we continue
to establish WPCS as the premier design-build engineering firm for
communications infrastructure on a global scale. I would like to now turn the
call over to the operator to begin the question and answer session.
[OPERATOR]
We will
now begin the question and answer session. You can submit your question by
pressing *1 and you can be removed from the queue by pressing the number
sign.
If there
are no further questions, I would like to thank all the participants on today’s
WPCS International Incorporated fiscal year 2009 third quarter investor
conference call. Please keep in mind that a replay of this investor conference
call will be available for a period of five days by dialing 402-220-2946 and
using 80444 # as the pass code.
This will
conclude the call.