44% Growth in Connected Customers During 2021
2022 Outlook for 12% to 18% Revenue Growth and 12% to 49% EPS Expansion
iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in consumer robots, today announced its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended January 1, 2022.
“Despite ongoing semiconductor chip constraints and shipping delays that impacted our ability to fulfill approximately more than $35 million in orders, we reported fourth-quarter financial results within the parameters we outlined in late October,” said Colin Angle, chairman and chief executive officer of iRobot. “While multiple supply chain issues conspired to limit our 2021 financial performance, we made considerable and important strategic progress during the year. We grew our connected customer base by 44 percent, succeeded in differentiating our floor care robots through superior software intelligence, took major steps forward to transform our go-to-market approach, acquired Aeris in November to diversify our product portfolio, and advanced our supply chain continuity, resiliency and agility.”
Angle continued, “Looking ahead, the growth runway for robotic floor care remains fundamentally healthy, and we remain well positioned to continue participating in its global expansion as a category and technology leader. We are excited about our 2022 innovation and go-to-market plans as well as our operational initiatives to expand our access to key semiconductor components over the coming quarters and diversify our manufacturing footprint. Our 2022 outlook is highlighted by our expectation for solid top-line growth and EPS expansion. We anticipate that supply chain challenges will dampen our performance in the first two quarters, followed by much stronger revenue growth, substantial improvement in profitability and accelerated EPS expansion in the second half of the year as component availability increases and certain cost headwinds ease.”
Financial Performance Highlights
- Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2021 declined 16% to $455.4 million from $544.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. Full-year 2021 revenue was $1,565.0 million, an increase of 9% over $1,430.4 million in 2020.
- Fourth-quarter 2021 revenue declined 29% in the U.S. and 2% in EMEA, which was partially offset by 19% growth in Japan. Full-year 2021 revenue grew 22% in EMEA, 15% in Japan and 1% in the U.S.
- Mid-tier and premium robots accounted for 81% of fourth-quarter 2021 robot sales, versus 78% from the prior year’s fourth quarter. Mid-tier and premium robots represented 83% of full-year 2021 robot sales, compared with 78% in 2020.
- We estimate that iRobot’s fourth-quarter 2021 revenue to support e-commerce, which spans the company’s own website and app, dedicated e-commerce websites and the online arms of traditional retailers, declined by approximately 26% over the fourth quarter of 2020, and represented approximately 53% of fourth-quarter 2021 revenue versus 60% in the same period last year. For the full year 2021, we estimate that revenue to support e-commerce grew approximately 7% and represented 58% of annual revenue versus 60% in 2020. Direct-to-consumer revenue of $68 million in the fourth quarter of 2021 declined 1% from the prior year’s fourth quarter. 2021 direct-to-consumer revenue of $187 million grew 24% over 2020.
- iRobot’s fourth-quarter 2021 GAAP operating loss was ($44.9) million, compared with GAAP operating income of $15.3 million in the fourth quarter of 2020. The company’s fourth-quarter 2021 non-GAAP operating loss was ($33.6) million versus non-GAAP operating income of $30.4 million in the same period last year. The company’s full-year 2021 GAAP operating loss was ($1.1) million, compared with GAAP operating income of $146.3 million for the full year 2020. For 2021, non-GAAP operating income was $38.3 million versus $149.7 million for the full year 2020.
- GAAP net loss per share for the fourth quarter of 2021 was ($1.17), compared with GAAP net income per share of $0.46 in the fourth quarter of 2020. Non-GAAP net loss per share was ($1.05) for the fourth quarter of 2021, compared with non-GAAP net income per share of $0.84 in the fourth quarter of 2020. GAAP net income per share for 2021 was $1.08, compared with $5.14 per share in 2020. Full-year non-GAAP 2021 net income per share was $1.34, compared with $4.14 for full-year 2020.
- iRobot’s 2021 financial results were achieved over a 52-week period while the company’s 2020 performance reflected a 53-week period.
- As of January 1, 2022, the company’s cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments were $234.5 million, compared with $247.9 million as of October 2, 2021, and $483.7 million as of January 2, 2021.
Q421 and Recent Business Highlights
- iRobot ended 2021 with 14.0 million connected customers, an increase of 44% from the end of 2020 and a 12% sequential increase since the end of the third quarter.
- During the fourth quarter of 2021, iRobot continued to advance its Genius Home Intelligence Platform in ways designed to delight consumers and further differentiate its products through the power of its software.
- In late November, iRobot updated its Genius Home Intelligence by further expanding its machine vision library, enabling its Roomba j7 and j7+ robot vacuums to avoid holiday trees, shoes and socks. The latest Genius update also makes it easier for existing Roomba and Braava customers to quickly transfer existing maps from one Smart Mapping robot to another Smart Mapping robot.
- In early November, the company announced it has teamed with Amazon to further advance voice-enabled intelligence for home robots to support more thoughtful, proactive smart home automations. As a result, customers using iRobot’s floor cleaning robots with Alexa can benefit from a much wider range of voice capabilities and services that extend far beyond basic start and stop commands.
- iRobot surpassed the 40 million robots sold milestone during 2021.
- On November 15, 2021, iRobot acquired privately-held Aeris Cleantec AG, a fast-growing provider of premium air purifiers. The acquisition supports iRobot’s strategy to expand its total addressable market and diversify its product portfolio in ways that will provide consumers with new ways to keep their homes cleaner and healthier.
- On November 17, 2021, iRobot announced that Karen Golz, former Global Vice Chair of Ernst & Young (EY), was appointed to its board of directors, replacing Elisha Finney. Ms. Golz brings extensive domestic and international experience working with global organizations on complex issues involving accounting, auditing, risk and regulatory matters.
- iRobot held a virtual Investor Day event on December 9, 2021. During this event, the company’s management team provided an overview of iRobot’s strategy, growth opportunities, key technology, product, commercial and operational initiatives, and long-term financial targets.
- Based on 2021 third-party sales data for robot vacuum cleaners (RVC) priced at $200 or above, Roomba robots occupied 7 of the top 10 best-selling RVC models in the U.S., 6 of the top 10 in EMEA and 7 of the top 10 in Japan.
- The Roomba j7 Series received numerous awards and positive reviews across North America and EMEA, including Reviewed (USA Today), CNN Underscored, PCMag, TechHive, Wired UK, Le Monde, Xataka and Stern. In addition, iRobot’s customer care teams in France, Germany and Spain won “Best Customer Service” in Le Parisian’s small appliances category for the second consecutive year.
Financial Expectations
iRobot is providing GAAP and non-GAAP financial expectations for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2022. A detailed reconciliation between the company’s GAAP and non-GAAP expectations is included in the attached financial tables.
| Metric | GAAP | Adjustments | Non-GAAP | |||
| Revenue | $1.75 billion – $1.85 billion | — | $1.75 billion – $1.85 billion | |||
| Gross Profit | $617 million – $676 million | ~$5 million | $622 million – $681 million | |||
| Operating Income | $1.3 million – $17.3 million | ~$42.7 million | $44 million – $60 million | |||
| (Loss) Earnings Per Share | ($0.23) – $0.27 | ~$1.73 | $1.50 – $2.00 |
Fourth-Quarter and Full-Year 2021 Results Conference Call
iRobot will host a conference call tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. ET to discuss its fourth-quarter and full-year 2021 financial results, major business developments and its outlook for fiscal year 2022. Pertinent conference call details include:
| Date: | February 10, 2022 |
| Time: | 8:30 a.m. ET |
| Call-In Number: | 213-358-0894 |
| Conference ID: | 3997756 |
A live webcast of the conference call, along with the conference call prepared remarks, will be accessible on the event section of the company’s website at https://investor.irobot.com/events/event-details/q421-fy21-irobot-corp-financial-results-conference-call. An archived version of the broadcast will be available on the same website shortly after the conclusion of the live event. A replay of the telephone conference call will be available through February 17, and can be accessed by dialing 404-537-3406, passcode 3997756.
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