Synovis Life Technologies (SYNO) Reports 28 Percent Revenue Growth for Fiscal 2011 First Quarter

Feb. 23, 2011 (Business Wire) — Synovis Life Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNO), today reported its financial results for the fiscal 2011 first quarter ended Jan. 31, 2011.

For the quarter, net revenue rose to $19.5 million, a 28 percent increase over $15.2 million in the year-ago period. Net income for the fiscal 2011 first quarter was $1.8 million, or $0.16 per diluted share, compared to net income of $0.6 million, or $0.06 per diluted share, in the fiscal 2010 first quarter. Discrete income tax benefits recorded in the first quarter of fiscal 2011 contributed $0.02 to net income per diluted share.

“Synovis is off to a strong start in fiscal 2011, with record quarterly revenue in multiple product lines,” said Richard Kramp, Synovis Life Technologies president and chief executive officer. “In each area of focus, our products are gaining acceptance among physicians for their unique, differentiating features and superior clinical performance. Our specialized sales teams and distribution networks are expanding our customer base, developing solid relationships and becoming increasingly effective in our target markets. In fiscal 2011, we are investing in resources to support continued growth in our high-value product lines: Veritas^®, Peri-Strips^®, Microsurgical, and Orthopedic and Wound.”

Kramp added, “I am also proud to announce that Synovis was recently named ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ by the Manufacturers Alliance. This award recognizes Minnesota companies which are using lean manufacturing tools and techniques to reduce non-value added processes and improve efficiency, and then sharing their experience with others. Everyone at Synovis has participated in one or more activities supporting our overall lean program and thereby made this award possible. In our company’s culture, we encourage all of our employees to think about ways to improve what they do, and then we listen to their ideas and implement positive changes to benefit customers, shareholders and employees.”

First Quarter Fiscal 2011 Highlights

• Revenue from Veritas rose to $4.2 million in the first quarter, a 38 percent increase over the comparable period last year. Veritas comprised 21 percent of overall net revenue, and is increasingly used by surgeons in the hernia and breast reconstruction markets.
• Microsurgical products revenue totaled $3.4 million in the first quarter, up 37 percent over the same period last year, with sales of the Coupler and Flow Coupler^® products up 48 percent. Late in the first quarter, two additional sales representatives were hired to bring the Microsurgical sales force to 11 professionals in the United States.
• Peri-Strips Dry^® (PSD) revenue totaled $5.4 million in the first quarter, a 20 percent increase from the year-ago period. The company believes the number of gastric sleeve procedures performed is on the rise as private insurance companies increasingly reimburse for this surgery. Surgeons are more likely to use a buttress in gastric sleeve procedures, compared to other bariatric surgeries, given the longer staple line.
• Orthopedic and Wound product revenue totaled $883,000 for the first quarter, up from $159,000 a year ago. Orthopedic and Wound was established in July 2009 with the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Pegasus Biologics, Inc. and its products were relaunched in January 2010. Orthopedic and Wound products include the OrthADAPT^® Bioimplant for orthopedic applications and Unite^® Biomatrix to treat chronic wounds.
• The first quarter gross margin improved to 73 percent, up from 71 percent in the same period last fiscal year.
• Selling, general and administrative expenses totaled $10.5 million in the first quarter, up 19 percent from $8.9 million in the year-ago quarter, primarily due to higher sales and marketing costs.
• Research and development (R&D) expenses totaled $1.3 million in the first quarter, versus $1.1 million in the year-ago period. R&D investment in Orthopedic and Wound was higher in the current quarter due to the development and testing of the ProCUFF™ orthopedic product and the related anchoring system and instrumentation. In the fiscal 2011 second quarter, Synovis expects to file a 510(k) application with the FDA for the anchoring system and instrumentation for this arthroscopically delivered device to reinforce rotator cuff and other tendon repairs.
• Operating income for the first quarter totaled $2.4 million, more than double operating income of $0.9 million in the year-ago period, chiefly due to higher revenue.
• Income tax expense was recorded at an effective rate of 36 percent in the first quarter of fiscal 2011. In addition, discrete tax benefits accounted for $230,000, or $0.02 per diluted share, in the quarter due to reinstatement of the federal R&D credit for prior periods and an adjustment to the company’s deferred tax rate.

Balance Sheet and Cash Flow

• Cash and investments totaled $61.5 million as of Jan. 31, 2011, or $5.43 per share, consistent with the $61.9 million at the end of fiscal 2010.
• Operating activities used cash of approximately $0.6 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2011, versus $1.2 million used in the year-ago period. Cash is typically used in the first quarter for payment of year-end accruals.

Conference Call and Webcast

Synovis Life Technologies will host a live webcast of its fiscal 2011 first quarter conference call today, Feb. 23, at 10 a.m. CT to discuss the company’s results. To participate in the conference call, please dial (888) 679-8035 and enter pass code 99379149. Please dial in at least 10 minutes prior to the call.

To access the live webcast, go to the investor information section of the company’s website, www.synovislife.com, and click on the webcast icon. A webcast replay will be available beginning at noon CT, Wednesday, Feb. 23.

If you prefer to listen to an audio replay of the conference call, dial (888) 286-8010 and enter access number 52407312. The audio replay will be available beginning at 2 p.m. CT on Wednesday, Feb. 23, through 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday, March 9.

About Synovis Life Technologies

Synovis Life Technologies, Inc., a diversified medical device company based in St. Paul, Minn., develops, manufactures and markets biological and mechanical products used by several surgical specialties to facilitate the repair and reconstruction of soft tissue damaged or destroyed by disease or injury. The company’s products include implantable biomaterials for soft tissue repair, devices for microsurgery and surgical tools – all designed to reduce risks and/or facilitate critical surgeries, improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. For additional information on Synovis Life Technologies and its products, visit the company’s website at www.synovislife.com.

Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements can be identified by words such as “should”, “could”, “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “continue”, or other similar expressions. Certain important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements made herein include the timing of product introductions, the ability of the sales force to grow and sustain revenues, the impact of increased competition in various markets Synovis serves, the ability to re-establish the Orthopedic and Wound products in the marketplace sufficiently to achieve profitability, outcomes of clinical and marketing studies as well as regulatory submissions, the number of certain surgical procedures performed, the ability to identify, acquire and successfully integrate suitable acquisition candidates, any operational or financial impact from the current global economic downturn, the impact of recently enacted healthcare reform legislation, as well as other factors found in the Company’s filings with the SEC, such as the “Risk Factors” section in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010.

SYNOVIS LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Income (unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share data)
			Three Months Ended
			January 31
			2011				2010
Net revenue			$	19,477			$	15,212
Cost of revenue				5,292				4,360
Gross margin				14,185				10,852
Gross margin percentage				73%				71%
Selling, general and administrative expenses				10,509				8,857
Research and development expenses				1,300				1,075
Operating expenses				11,809				9,932
Operating income				2,376				920
Interest income				74				84
Income before provision for income taxes				2,450				1,004
Provision for income taxes				652				361
Net income			$	1,798			$	643
Basic earnings per share			$	0.16			$	0.06
Diluted earnings per share			$	0.16			$	0.06
Weighted average shares
outstanding – basic				11,270				11,213
Weighted average shares
outstanding – diluted				11,456				11,386

SYNOVIS LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Consolidated Revenues (unaudited)
(In thousands)
			Three Months Ended
			January 31
			2011				2010
Veritas			$	4,159			$	3,018
Peri-Strips				5,409				4,508
Tissue-Guard				4,225				3,759
Microsurgery				3,443				2,515
Orthopedic and Wound				883				159
Surgical tools and other				1,358				1,253
Total Revenue			$	19,477			$	15,212
Domestic			$	16,735			$	12,902
International				2,742				2,310
Total Revenue			$	19,477			$	15,212

SYNOVIS LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Consolidated Balance Sheets
As of January 31, 2011 (unaudited) and October 31, 2010
(In thousands, except share and per share data)
			January 31,					October 31,
			2011					2010
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents			$	18,346				$	12,951
Short-term investments				31,217					41,119
Accounts receivable, net				9,600					8,701
Inventories				9,146					9,433
Deferred income tax asset, net				367					367
Other current assets				2,515					1,715
Total current assets				71,191					74,286
Investments, net				11,958					7,854
Property, plant and equipment, net				3,636					3,401
Goodwill				3,620					3,620
Other intangible assets, net				6,058					6,182
Deferred income tax asset, net				2,095					2,139
Total assets			$	98,558				$	97,482
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable			$	1,810				$	1,644
Accrued expenses				4,149					6,371
Total current liabilities				5,959					8,015
Total liabilities				5,959					8,015
Shareholders’ equity:
Preferred stock: authorized 5,000,000 shares of $.01 par
value; none issued or outstanding at both dates				—					—
Common stock: authorized 20,000,000 shares of $.01 par
value; issued and outstanding 11,336,920 and
11,228,654 at January 31, 2011 and October 31,				113					112
2010, respectively
Additional paid-in capital				63,150					61,780
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)				(11	)				26
Retained earnings				29,347					27,549
Total shareholders’ equity				92,599					89,467
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity			$	98,558				$	97,482

SYNOVIS LIFE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (unaudited)
(In thousands)
For the three months ended January 31,			2011					2010
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
Net income			$	1,798				$	643
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash
used in operating activities:
Depreciation of property, plant and equipment				307					348
Amortization of intangible assets				191					204
Amortization of investment premium, net				101					426
Stock-based compensation				309					375
Tax benefit from stock option exercises				156					–
Deferred income taxes				44					(169	)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable				(899	)				(173	)
Inventories				287					(707	)
Other current assets				(800	)				(1	)
Accounts payable				166					(680	)
Accrued expenses				(2,222	)				(1,423	)
Net cash used in operating activities				(562	)				(1,157	)
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
Purchase of property, plant and equipment				(542	)				(128	)
Investments in patents and trademarks				(67	)				(14	)
Purchases of investments				(6,000	)				(19,273	)
Proceeds from the maturing or sale of investments				11,660					18,650
Other				–					(2	)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities				5,051					(767	)
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
Net proceeds related to stock-based compensation plans				1,014					51
Repurchase of the Company’s common stock				(126	)				(2,552	)
Excess tax benefit from stock option exercises				18					1
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities				906					(2,500	)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents				5,395					(4,424	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period				12,951					15,863
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period			$	18,346				$	11,439

Padilla Speer Beardsley Inc.

Nancy A. Johnson / Marian Briggs

612-455-1745 / 612-455-1742

or

Synovis Life Technologies, Inc.

Richard Kramp, President and CEO

Brett Reynolds, CFO

651-796-7300