UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K10-K/A
Amendment No. 1

þ
ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIESEXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018
OR

o¨
TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIESEXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
For the transition period from __________to_______________________ to _____________

Commission file number 001-05560
SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware04-2302115
(State or other jurisdiction ofincorporation or organization)
(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
20 Sylvan Road, Woburn, Massachusetts01801
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (781) 376-3000
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of Each ClassName of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, par value $0.25 per shareNasdaq Global Select Market

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. þ Yes o¨ No

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Act. o¨ Yes þNo

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. þ Yes o¨ No

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). þ Yes o¨ No

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K. þ

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company,” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large Accelerated filer þ
Accelerated filer o¨
Non-accelerated filer o¨
 Smaller reporting company o¨
 Emerging growth company o¨
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    o¨Yes    þNo

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant (based on the closing price of the registrant’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter March 30, 2018) was approximately $18.2 billion. The number of outstanding shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.25 per share, as of November 7, 2018,January 15, 2019, was 177,531,995.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Part of Form 10-KDocuments from which portions are incorporated by reference
Part IIIPortions of the Registrant’s Proxy Statement relating to the Registrant’s 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (to be filed) are incorporated by reference into Items 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
174,059,816.

1



SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.

ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K
FOR THE YEAR ENDED SEPTEMBER 28, 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE NO.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTEXPLANATORY NOTE

This Amendment No. 1 amends Skyworks Solutions, Inc.’s (“Skyworks” or the “Company”) Annual Report contains forward-looking statements withinon Form 10-K for the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), and is subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections. Any statements that are not statements of historical fact should be considered to be forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipates”, “believes”, “continue”, “could”, “estimates”, “expects”, “intends”, “may”, “plans”, “potential”, “predicts”, “projects”, “seek”, “should”, “targets”, “will”, “would”, and similar expressions or variations or negatives of such words are intended to identify forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying forward-looking statements in this Annual Report. Additionally, forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

our plans to develop and market new products, enhancements or technologies and the timing of these development and marketing plans;
our estimates regarding our capital requirements and our needs for additional financing;
our estimates of our expenses, future revenues and profitability;
our estimates of the size of the markets for our products and services;
our expectations related to the rate and degree of market acceptance of our products; and
our estimates of the success of other competing technologies that may become available.
Although forward-looking statements in this Annual Report reflect the good faith judgment of our management, such statements can only be based on facts and factors currently known and understood by us. Consequently, forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and actual financial results and outcomes may differ materially and adversely from the results and outcomes discussed in or anticipated by the forward-looking statements. A number of important factors could cause actual financial results to differ materially and adversely from those in the forward-looking statements. We urge you to consider the risks and uncertainties discussed elsewhere in this report and in the other documentsyear ended September 28, 2018, which was filed by us with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on November 15, 2018 (the “Original Filing”). The Company is filing this Amendment No. 1 for the sole purpose of providing the information required in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We have no plans,Part III of Form 10-K, as the Company’s 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is scheduled for May 8, 2019, and, undertake no obligation,accordingly, the Company’s Proxy Statement relating to revise or update our forward-looking statementssuch Annual Meeting will be filed after the date hereof. Except as described above, this Amendment No. 1 does not amend any other information set forth in the Original Filing, and the Company has not updated disclosures included therein to reflect any event or circumstance that may arise after the date of this report. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made.

This Annual Report also contains estimates made by independent parties and by us relating to market size and growth and other industry data. These estimates involve a number of assumptions and limitations and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, projections, assumptions and estimates of our future performance and the future performance of the industries in which we operate are necessarily subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of important factors, including those described in “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent parties and by us.

In this document, the words “we”, “our”, “ours”, “us”, “Skyworks”, and “the Company” refer only to Skyworks Solutions, Inc., and its consolidated subsidiaries and not any other person or entity. In addition, the following is a list of industry standards that may be referenced throughout the document:
BiFET (Bipolar Field Effect Transistor): integrates indium gallium phosphide based heterojunction bipolar transistors with field effect transistors on the same gallium arsenide substrate
DC (Direct Current): unidirectional flow of an electrical charge
CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor): a technology of constructing integrated circuits
GaAs (Gallium Arsenide): a compound of the elements gallium and arsenic that is used in the production of semiconductors
HBT (Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor): a type of bipolar junction transistor which uses differing semiconductor materials for the emitter and base regions, creating a heterojunction
IoT (Internet of Things): is the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing internet infrastructure
LED (Light Emitting Diode): a two-lead semiconductor light source
LTE (Long Term Evolution): 4th generation (“4G”) radio technologies designed to increase the capacity and speed of mobile telephone networks

pHEMT (Pseudomorphic High Electron Mobility Transistor): a type of field effect transistor incorporating a junction between two materials with different band gaps
RF (Radio Frequency): electromagnetic wave frequencies that lie in the range extending from around 3 kHz to 300 GHz
SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave): electrical input signal is converted to an acoustic wave for filtering and converted back into an electrical signal by interdigitated transducers on a piezoelectric substrate.
SOI (Silicon On Insulator): technology refers to the use of layered silicon-insulator-silicon substrate in place of conventional silicon substrates in semiconductor manufacturing
TC-SAW (Temperature Compensated Surface Acoustic Wave): SAW filters that have been designed to reduce shift in frequency over temperature.
Skyworks and the Skyworks symbol are trademarks or registered trademarks of Skyworks Solutions, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Third-party brands and names are for identification purposes only, and are the property of their respective owners.

PART l

ITEM 1. BUSINESS.

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries (“Skyworks” or the “Company”), is empowering the wireless networking revolution. The Company’s highly innovative analog semiconductors are connecting people, places, and things, spanning a number of new and previously unimagined applications within the aerospace, automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet and wearable markets.

Our key customers include Amazon, Apple, Arris, Bose, Cisco, DJI, Ericsson, Foxconn, Garmin, Gemalto, General Electric, Google, Honeywell, HTC, Huawei, Itron, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Motorola, Netgear, Northrop Grumman, OPPO, Rockwell Collins, Samsung, Sierra Wireless, Sonos, Technicolor, VIVO, Xiaomi and ZTE. Our competitors include Analog Devices, Broadcom, Maxim Integrated Products, Murata Manufacturing, NXP Semiconductors, QUALCOMM and Qorvo.

We are a Delaware corporation that was formed in 1962. We changed our corporate name from Alpha Industries, Inc. to Skyworks Solutions, Inc. on June 25, 2002, following a business combination. We operate worldwide with engineering, manufacturing, sales and service facilities throughout Asia, Europe and North America. Our Internet address is www.skyworksinc.com. We make available free of charge on our website our Annual Report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports as soon as practicable after we electronically submit such material to the SEC. The information contained on our website is not incorporated by reference in this Annual Report. Our SEC filings are also available to the public at www.sec.gov.

In August 2018, we acquired Avnera Corporation (“Avnera”) and expanded our leadership in wireless connectivity by adding ultra-low power analog circuits to enable smart interfaces via acoustic signal processing, sensors and integrated software. We expect the acquisition of Avnera to enable us to capitalize on the rapid proliferation of audio functionality and its convergence with our advanced connectivity solutions. With our global sales channels, strong customer relationships and operational scale, we plan to leverage Avnera’s innovative product portfolio and systems expertise to increase our footprint in automotive, industrial, home automation, enterprise and high-end consumer markets.

In August 2016, we acquired the remaining 34 percent interest in a joint venture that was initially created in August 2014 with Panasonic Corporation, through its Automotive & Industrial Systems Company (“Panasonic”) for the design, manufacture and sale of Panasonic’s SAW and TC-SAW filter products. The joint venture was dissolved and is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company. With the overall demand for SAW and TC-SAW filters increasing and as technology and product architectures become more complex and the number of required bands grows, this investment assists us in securing a consistent supply of SAW and TC-SAW filters, in addition to allowing us to integrate filters into the design and production of our own products.

INDUSTRY BACKGROUND

Mobile connectivity is exploding on a global basis. With wireless platforms serving as virtual hubs for e-commerce, enterprise to the cloud, social media, gaming and entertainment, these devices are enabling a new, multi-trillion dollar economy. Popular apps including Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Spotify, Uber, Waze and YouTube all require ultra-fast, highly secure, low-latency, always-on connectivity plus GPS location-based services. As a result, semiconductor solutions are becoming increasingly relevant, resolving the daunting analog and RF complexities that are challenging the capabilities of existing hardware and the supporting network infrastructure. Semiconductor devices continue becoming smaller, more powerful, and easier to integrate across multiple communication protocols, which in turn is enabling mobile and IoT ecosystems.

Skyworks facilitates ubiquitous data creation, delivery and storage as smartphones transmit and receive immense amounts of content supporting multimedia streaming, social networking, virtual reality and emerging frictionless commerce. To enable these applications, we deliver highly integrated solutions leveraging our amplification, filtering, tuning, power management, audio processing and packaging capabilities to continuously push the performance envelope.

Demand for connectivity across emerging markets around the world also continues to grow as the industry drives toward connecting the billions of people who remain unconnected. According to The GSMA Foundation, there will be 5.9 billion mobile subscribers by 2025, representing almost three-quarters of the world’s population. Subscriber growth over this period is forecast to be driven primarily by large markets in Asia, such as India, which alone is expected to add 310 million new unique subscribers by 2020.


At the same time, connectivity is proliferating into an adjacent set of IoT markets. From smart homes to the smart grid and from industrial to wearables, the number of connected devices is rapidly proliferating. In fact, IHS Markit Ltd. projects the IoT market to grow from an installed base of 15 billion units in 2015 to more than 75 billion units by 2025. Skyworks is enabling these opportunities with highly customized system solutions supporting a broad set of wireless protocols including cellular LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, LoRa®, Thread and Zigbee®.

Looking ahead to 5G, we see a market that presents a massive growth opportunity for our industry and certainly for Skyworks. 5G data rates will approach ten to 100 times the fastest 4G speeds of today with near zero latency. To put this in perspective, downloading a full-length HD movie in 3G took one day; in 4G, the same file took minutes. On a 5G network, this content will be downloaded in mere seconds. By 2020 a single autonomous car is expected to consume 4,000 gigabytes of data per day in real-time diagnostics, positioning and vehicle-to-vehicle communications—that is equivalent to the daily data consumed by more than 2,000 smartphone users today.

We expect the key catalysts for Skyworks to be the insatiable demand for data and the profitable usage model for both Mobile and IoT applications, as each connection becomes more valuable and vital particularly as the world embraces 5G.

Solving Connectivity Challenges

The transition to ubiquitous connectivity creates challenges to existing architectures. RF solutions in ultra-thin, high performance consumer products must increase data rates, solve signal interference problems, and occupy minimal board space while at the same time increasing battery life. Meeting these design challenges requires broad competencies including signal transmission and conditioning, the ability to ensure seamless hand-offs between multiple standards, power management, voltage regulation, battery charging, filtering and tuning, among others. This complexity plays directly to our strengths. We have a strong heritage in analog systems design and have spent the last decade investing in key technologies and resources. We are at the forefront of advanced multi-chip module integration and offer unmatched technology breadth, providing deep expertise in CMOS, SOI, GaAs and filters, and maintain strategic partnerships with outside independent wafer fabrication facilities.

SKYWORKS’ STRATEGY

Our ambitious vision is to connect everyone and everything, all the time. To this end, key elements of our strategy include:

Industry-Leading Technology
As the industry migrates to more complex LTE and 5G architectures across a multitude of wireless broadband applications, we are uniquely positioned to help mobile device manufacturers handle growing levels of system complexity in the transmit and receive chain. The trend towards increasing front-end and analog design challenges in smartphones and other mobile devices plays directly into our core strengths and positions us to address these challenges. We believe that we offer the broadest portfolio of radio and analog solutions from the transceiver to the antenna as well as all required manufacturing process technologies. We also hold strong technology leadership positions in passive devices, advanced integration including proprietary shielding and 3-D die stacking as well as SAW and TC-SAW filters. Our product portfolio is reinforced by a library of approximately 3,000 worldwide patents and other intellectual property that we own and control. Together, our industry-leading technology enables us to deliver the highest levels of product performance and integration.

Customer Relationships
Given our scale and technology leadership, we are engaged with key original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), smartphone providers and baseband reference design partners. Our customers value our supply chain strength, our innovative technology and our system engineering expertise, resulting in deep customer loyalty. We partner with our customers to support their long-term product road maps and are valued as a system solutions provider rather than just a point product vendor.

Diversification
We are diversifying our business in three areas: our addressed markets, our customer base and our product offerings. By leveraging core analog and mixed signal technologies, we are expanding our family of solutions to a set of increasingly diverse end markets and customers. We are steadily growing our business beyond just mobile devices (where we support all top-tier manufacturers, including the leading smartphone suppliers and key baseband vendors) into additional high-performance analog markets, including automotive, home and factory automation, infrastructure, medical, smart energy and wireless networking. In these markets we leverage our scale, intellectual property and worldwide distribution network, which spans over 2,500 customers and over 2,500 analog components.


Delivering Operational Excellence
We vertically integrate our supply chain where we can differentiate with highly specialized internal manufacturing capabilities, or enter into alliances and strategic relationships for leading-edge technologies. This hybrid manufacturing model allows us to better balance our manufacturing capacity with the demand of the marketplace. Our internal capacity utilization remains high, resulting in an increase of our gross margin and the return on invested capital on a broader range of revenue.

Additionally, we continue to drive reductions in product design and manufacturing cycle times and further improve product yields. The combination of agile, flexible capacity and world-class module manufacturing and scale advantage allows us to achieve low product costs while integrating multiple technologies into highly sophisticated multi-chip modules.

Maintaining a Performance Driven Culture
We consider our people and corporate culture to be a major competitive advantage and a key driver of our overall strategy. We create key performance indicators that align employee efforts with corporate strategy and link responsibilities with performance measurement. Accountability is paramount and we compensate our employees through a pay-for-performance methodology. We strive to be an employer-of-choice among peer companies and have created a work environment in which turnover is below geographic and industry averages.

Generating Superior Operating Results and Shareholder Returns
We seek to generate financial returns that are comparable to a highly diversified analog semiconductor company. Given our product volume and overall utilization we strive to achieve a best-in-class return on investment and operating income to reward shareholders.

OUR PRODUCT PORTFOLIO
Our product portfolio consists of various solutions, including:
Amplifiers: the modules that strengthen the signal so that it has sufficient energy to reach a base station
Antenna Tuners: aperture and impedance tuning products that improve antenna performance across frequencies
Attenuators: circuits that allow a known source of power to be reduced by a predetermined factor (usually expressed as decibels)
Circulators/Isolators: ferrite-based components commonly found on the output of high-power amplifiers used to protect receivers in wireless transmission systems
DC/DC Converters: an electronic circuit which converts a source of direct current from one voltage level to another
Demodulators: a device or an RF block used in receivers to extract the information that has been modulated onto a carrier or from the carrier itself
Detectors: devices used to measure and control RF power in wireless systems
Diodes: semiconductor devices that pass current in one direction only
Directional Couplers: transmission coupling devices for separately sampling the forward or backward wave in a transmission line
Diversity Receive Modules: devices used to improve receiver sensitivity in high data rate applications
Filters: devices for recovering and separating mixed and modulated data in RF stages
Front-end Modules: two or more functions co-packaged to optimize the performance, cost and application suitability in products, including intermediate or radio frequency signal paths
Hybrid: a type of directional coupler used in radio and telecommunications
LED Drivers: devices which regulate the current through a light emitting diode or string of diodes for the purpose of creating light
Low Noise Amplifiers: devices used to reduce system noise figure in the receive chain
Mixers: devices that enable signals to be converted to a higher or lower frequency signal and thereby allowing the signals to be processed more effectively
Modulators: devices that take a baseband input signal and output a radio frequency modulated signal
Optocouplers/Optoisolators: semiconductor devices that allow signals to be transferred between circuits or systems while ensuring that the circuits or systems are electrically isolated from each other
Phase Locked Loops: closed-loop feedback control system that maintains a generated signal in a fixed phase relationship to a reference signal
Phase Shifters: designed for use in power amplifier distortion compensation circuits in base station applications
Power Dividers/Combiners: utilized to equally split signals into in-phase signals as often found in balanced signal chains and local oscillator distribution networks
Receivers: electronic devices that change a radio signal from a transmitter into useful information

Switches: components that perform the change between the transmit and receive function, as well as the band function for cellular handsets
Synthesizers: devices that provide ultra-fine frequency resolution, fast switching speed, and low phase-noise performance
Technical Ceramics: polycrystalline oxide materials used for a wide variety of electrical, mechanical, thermal and magnetic applications
Voltage Controlled Oscillators/Synthesizers: fully integrated, high performance signal source for high dynamic range transceivers
Voltage Regulators: generate a fixed level which ideally remains constant over varying input voltage or load conditions

We believe we possess broad technology capabilities and one of the most complete wireless communications product portfolios in the industry.


MARKETING AND DISTRIBUTION
Our products are sold globally through a direct sales force, electronic component distributors and independent sales representatives. Certain distributors have agreements with us which allow for certain sales returns, stock rotations and price protection on certain inventory if we lower the price of those products (see “Critical Accounting Estimates” in Part II, Item 7 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and Note 2 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further detail on revenue reserves). As is customary in the semiconductor industry, our distributors may also market other products that compete with ours.

Our sales engagement begins at the earliest stages of the design of an existing or potential customer’s product. We collaborate technically with our customers and reference design partners at the inception of new programs. These relationships allow our team to facilitate customer-driven solutions, which leverage the unique strength of our intellectual property and product portfolio while providing high value and greatly reducing time-to-market.

We believe the technical and complex nature of our products and markets demand an extraordinary commitment to maintain close ongoing relationships with our customers. As such, we strive to expand the scope of our customer relationship to include design, engineering, manufacturing, procurement, logistics and project management. We also employ a collaborative approach in developing these relationships by combining the support of our design teams, applications engineers, manufacturing personnel, sales and marketing staff and senior management. Lastly, we leverage our customer relationships with cross-selling opportunities across product lines in order to maximize revenue.

We believe that maintaining frequent and interactive contact with our customers is paramount to our continuous efforts to provide world-class sales and service support. By listening and responding to feedback, we are able to mobilize resources to raise our level of customer satisfaction, improve our ability to anticipate future product needs, and enhance our understanding of key market dynamics. We are confident that diligently following this path positions us to participate in numerous opportunities for growth in the future.

CUSTOMER CONCENTRATION
A small number of OEMs historically has accounted for a significant portion of our net revenue. In the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018 (“fiscal 2018”), Apple Inc. (“Apple”), through sales to multiple distributors, contract manufacturers and direct sales for multiple applications including smartphones, tablets, desktop and notebook computers, watches, and other devices) constituted more than ten percent of our net revenue. In the fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 (“fiscal 2017”), three customers—Apple, Samsung Electronics (“Samsung”), and Huawei Technology Co., Ltd. (“Huawei”)—each constituted ten percent or more of our net revenue. In the fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 (“fiscal 2016”), two customers—Apple and Samsung—each constituted more than ten percent of our net revenue. For further information regarding customer concentrations see Note 17 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND PROPRIETARY RIGHTS
We own or have a license to use numerous United States and foreign patents and patent applications related to our products and our manufacturing operations and processes. In addition, we own a number of trademarks and service marks applicable to certain of our products and services. We believe that our intellectual property, including patents, patent applications, trade secrets and trademarks, is of material importance to our business. We rely on patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws, as well as non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements and other methods, to protect our confidential and proprietary technologies, designs, devices, algorithms, processes and other intellectual property. Our efforts may not meaningfully protect our intellectual

property, or others may independently develop substantially equivalent or superior proprietary technologies, designs, devices, algorithms, processes or other intellectual property. In addition, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect proprietary rights to the same extent as the laws of the United States, and effective copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret protection may not be available in those jurisdictions. In addition to protecting our intellectual property, we strive to strengthen our intellectual property portfolio to enhance our ability to obtain cross-licenses of intellectual property from others, to obtain access to intellectual property we do not possess and to more favorably resolve potential intellectual property claims against us. Due to rapid technological changes in the industry, we believe establishing and maintaining a technological leadership position depends primarily on our ability to develop new, innovative products through the technical competence of our engineering personnel.

COMPETITIVE CONDITIONS
The competitive environment in the semiconductor industry is in a constant state of flux, with new products continually emerging and existing products approaching technological obsolescence. We compete on the basis of time-to-market, new product innovation, quality, performance, price, compliance with industry standards, strategic relationships with customers and baseband vendors, personnel and protection of our intellectual property. We participate in highly competitive markets against numerous competitors that may be able to adapt more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements, or may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can.

Erosion of average selling prices of established products is typical of the semiconductor industry. Consistent with trends in the industry, we anticipate that average selling prices for our established products will continue to decline over time. We mitigate the gross margin impact of declining average selling prices with efforts to increase unit volumes, reduce material costs and lower manufacturing costs of existing products and by introducing new and higher value-added products.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
Our products and markets demand rapid technological advancements requiring a continuous effort to enhance existing products and develop new products and technologies. Accordingly, we maintain a high level of research and development activity. We invested $404.5 million, $355.2 million and $312.4 million in research and development during fiscal 2018, fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016, respectively. The growth in research and development expenses were the result of increases in our internal product designs and product development activity for our target markets in each of these fiscal years. Our research and development expenses include new product development and innovations in integrated circuit design, investment in advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, development of new packaging and test capabilities and research on next generation technologies and product opportunities. We maintain close collaborative relationships with many of our customers to help identify market demands and target our development efforts to meet those demands.

RAW MATERIALS
Raw materials for our products and manufacturing processes are generally available from several sources. It is our intent not to depend on a sole source of supply unless market or other conditions dictate otherwise. However, there are limited situations where we procure certain components and services for our products from single or limited sources, and we are currently dependent on a limited number of sole source suppliers. We purchase materials and services primarily pursuant to individual purchase orders. However, we have entered into certain supply agreements for the purchase of raw materials or other manufacturing related services that specify minimum prices and purchase quantity based on our anticipated future requirements. Such amounts are reviewed and included in our contractual obligations and commitments as required. Certain of our suppliers consign raw materials to us at our manufacturing facilities to which we take title as needed in our manufacturing process. We believe we have adequate sources for the supply of raw materials and components for our manufacturing needs with suppliers located around the world.

BACKLOG AND INVENTORY
Our sales are made pursuant to standard purchase orders and specified customer contracts for delivery of products, with such purchase orders officially acknowledged by us according to our own terms and conditions. We also maintain Skyworks-owned finished goods inventory at certain customer “hub” locations. We do not recognize revenue until these customers consume the Skyworks-owned inventory from these hub locations. Due to industry practice, which allows customers to cancel orders with limited advance notice to us prior to shipment, and with little or no penalty, we believe that backlog as of any particular date may not be a reliable indicator of our future revenue levels. The cancellation or deferral of product orders, the return of previously sold products, or overproduction due to a change in anticipated order volume could result in a reduction in revenue and us holding excess or obsolete inventory, which could result in inventory write-downs and, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition.

ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS

Federal, state and local requirements relating to the discharge of substances into the environment, the disposal of hazardous wastes, and other activities affecting the environment have had, and will continue to have, an impact on our manufacturing operations. Most of our customers have mandated that our products comply with various local, regional and national “green” initiatives initiated by such customers or the locations in which they operate. We believe that our current expenditures for environmental capital investment and remediation necessary to comply with present regulations governing environmental protection, and other expenditures for the resolution of environmental claims, will not have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and capital resources, competitive position or financial condition. Environmental regulations are subject to change in the future, and accordingly we are unable to assess the possible effect of compliance with future requirements.

SEASONALITY
Sales of our products are subject to seasonal fluctuation and periods of increased demand in end-user consumer applications, such as smartphones and tablet computing devices. The highest demand for our products generally occurs in our first fiscal quarter ending in December and the fourth fiscal quarter ending in September. The lowest demand for our handset products generally occurs in our second fiscal quarter ending in March and the third fiscal quarter ending in June.

EMPLOYEES
As of September 28, 2018, we employed approximately 9,400 employees world-wide. Approximately 1,150 of our employees in Mexico, 260 employees in Singapore, and 240 employees in Japan are covered by collective bargaining and other union agreements.

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS.

You should carefully consider the risks described below in addition to the other information contained in this report before making an investment decision with respect to any of our securities. Our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially impacted by any of these risks. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only ones we face. Additional risks not currently known to us or other factors not perceived by us to present significant risks to our business at this time may impair our business operations, financial condition or results of operations.

We operate in the highly cyclical semiconductor industry, which is subject to significant downturns.
We operate in the semiconductor industry, which is cyclical and subject to rapid declines in demand for end-user products in both the consumer and enterprise markets. Uncertain worldwide economic and political conditions, together with other factors such as the volatility of the financial markets, continue to make it difficult for our customers and for us to accurately forecast and plan future business activities. Uncertainty and economic weakness could result in a market contraction and, as a result, our business, financial condition and results of operations would likely be materially and adversely affected. Such periods of industry downturn are characterized by diminished product demand and revenue, manufacturing overcapacity, excess inventory levels, accelerated erosion of average selling prices, bad debt, inventory charges, restructuring charges, and asset impairment charges. Furthermore, downturns in the semiconductor industry may be prolonged, and any extended delay or failure of the market to recover from an economic downturn would materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations beyond our current fiscal year.

Our operating results may be adversely affected by quarterly and annual fluctuations and market downturns.
Our revenues, earnings and other operating results may fluctuate significantly on a quarterly and annual basis. These fluctuations are typically the result of a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control.

These factors include, among others:
changes in end-user demand for the products manufactured and sold by our customers,
the effects of competitive pricing pressures, including decreases in average selling prices of our products,
production capacity levels and fluctuations in manufacturing yields,
availability and cost of materials and services from our suppliers,
the gain or loss of significant customers,
our ability to develop, introduce and market new products and technologies on a timely basis,
new product and technology introductions by competitors,
increasing industry consolidation among our competitors,
changes in the mix of products produced and sold,
market acceptance of our products and our customer’s products, and
intellectual property disputes, including those concerning payments associated with the licensing and/or sale of intellectual property, and related remedies (e.g., monetary damages, injunctions, or exclusion orders affecting our or our customers’ products).

We employ certain methods, assumptions, estimates, and other subjective judgments in order to apply our accounting policies and to project future performance, projections which may be publicly disclosed from time to time. Changes to such methods, assumptions, estimates, and judgments, combined with other factors that are difficult to forecast, including the factors listed above, could materially and adversely affect our quarterly or annual operating results and could produce actual operating results that differ significantly from previous estimates and projections. If our operating results fail to meet the expectations of analysts or investors, it could materially and adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Our reliance on a small number of customers for a large portion of our salescould have a material adverse effect on the results of our operations.
Significant portions of our sales are concentrated among a limited number of customers. If we lost one or more of these major customers, or if one or more major customers significantly decreased its orders for our products, our business could be materially and adversely affected. In fiscal 2018, one customer accounted for greater than ten percent of our net revenue. In fiscal 2017, three customers each accounted for ten percent or greater of our net revenue. In fiscal 2016, two customers each accounted for ten percent or greater of our net revenue. For further discussion see Note 17 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our stock price has been volatile and may fluctuate in the future.
The trading price of our common stock has and may continue to fluctuate significantly. Such fluctuations may be influenced by many factors, including:    
the volatility of the financial markets,
uncertainty regarding the prospects of the domestic and foreign economies,
instability in global credit and financial markets,
our performance and prospects,
the performance and prospects of our major customers and competitors,
our revenue concentrations with relatively few customers,
the depth and liquidity of the market for our common stock,
investor perception of us and the industry in which we operate,
changes in earnings estimates, price targets or buy/sell recommendations by analysts,
domestic and international political conditions,
domestic and international tax, fiscal, and trade policy decisions, and
our ability to successfully identify, acquire and integrate acquisition candidates.

Public stock markets have experienced price and trading volume volatility. This volatility has affected, and could significantly and negatively affect, the market prices of securities of many technology companies, particularly the market price of our common stock. Such volatility could materially and adversely affect the market price of our common stock in future periods.

In addition, fluctuations in our stock price, volume of shares traded, and changes in our trading multiples may make our stock attractive to momentum, hedge or day-trading investors who often shift funds into and out of stocks rapidly, exacerbating price fluctuations in either direction. Our company has been, and in the future may be, the subject of commentary by financial news media. Such commentary may contribute to volatility in our stock price. If our operating results do not meet the expectations of securities analysts, the financial news media or investors, our stock price may decline, possibly substantially over a short period of time.

The wireless communications and analog semiconductor markets are characterized by significant competition which may cause pricing pressures, decreased gross margins and rapid loss of market share and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.
The wireless communications semiconductor industry, in general, and the other analog markets in which we compete are very competitive. We compete with international and United States semiconductor manufacturers of all sizes in terms of resources and market share, including, but not limited to, Analog Devices, Broadcom, Maxim Integrated Products, Murata Manufacturing, NXP Semiconductors, QUALCOMM, and Qorvo.

We currently face significant competition in our markets and expect that intense price and product competition will continue. This competition has resulted in, and is expected to continue to result in, declining average selling prices for our products and increased challenges in maintaining or increasing revenue, gross margin and market share. Furthermore, additional competitors may enter our markets as a result of growth opportunities in communications electronics, the trend toward global expansion by foreign and domestic competitors and technological and public policy changes (including national or regional policies intended to develop and support localized competitors). We believe that the principal competitive factors for semiconductor suppliers in our markets include, among others:

rapid time-to-market and product ramps,
timely new product innovation,
product quality, reliability and performance,
product cost and selling price,
features available in products,
alignment with customer performance specifications,
compliance with industry standards,
strategic relationships with customers,
access to, and the protection and enforcement of, intellectual property,
ability to partner with or participate in reference designs of baseband vendors, and
maintaining access to manufacturing capacity, raw materials, supplies and services at a competitive cost.

We might not be able to successfully address these factors. Many of our competitors benefit from:
long presence in key markets,
brand recognition,
high levels of customer satisfaction,
vertical integration,
strong baseband partnership/participation in reference designs,
a broad product portfolio allowing them to bundle product offerings,
ownership or control of key technology or intellectual property, and
strong financial, sales and marketing, manufacturing, distribution, technical or other resources.

As a result, certain competitors may be able to adapt more quickly than we can to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements or may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion and sale of their products than we can. As a result of industry consolidation, certain competitors may be able to further exploit such benefits to strengthen their competitive position.

Our baseband reference design partners may leverage their market position by integrating additional functionality into their product offerings that compete with our solutions. If such a product offering were competitive with our solution as to performance, price and quality, our business could be adversely impacted.

Current and potential competitors have established, or may in the future establish, financial or strategic relationships among themselves or with customers, resellers or other third parties. These relationships may affect customers’ purchasing decisions. Accordingly, it is possible that new competitors or alliances among competitors could emerge and rapidly acquire significant market share. We may not be able to compete successfully against current and potential competitors. Increased competition could result in pricing pressures, decreased gross margins and loss of revenue and market share and may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If Original Equipment Manufacturers, or OEMs, and Original Design Manufacturers, or ODMs, of communications electronics products do not design our products into their equipment, we will have difficulty selling those products. Moreover, a “design win” from a customer does not guarantee future sales to that customer.
Our products are not sold directly to the end-user, but are components or subsystems of other products. As a result, we rely on OEMs and ODMs of wireless communications electronics products to select our products from among alternative offerings to be designed into their equipment. Without these “design wins,” we would have difficulty selling our products. If a manufacturer designs another supplier’s product into one of its product platforms, it is more difficult for us to achieve future design wins with that platform because changing suppliers involves significant cost, time, effort and risk on the part of that manufacturer. Also, achieving a design win with a customer does not ensure that we will receive revenue from that customer. Even after a design win, the customer is not obligated to purchase our products and can choose at any time to reduce or cease use of our products, for example, if its own products are not commercially successful, or for any other reason. We may not continue to achieve design wins or to convert design wins into actual sales, and failure to do so could materially and adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, as a result of our lengthy product development and sales cycle, we may incur significant research and development expenses, and selling, general and administrative expenses, without generating the anticipated revenue associated with these products.

We are subject to the risks of doing business internationally.
A substantial majority of our net revenue is derived from shipments to customers located outside the United States, primarily in countries located in the Asia-Pacific region and Europe. In addition, we have suppliers located outside the United States, and third-party packaging, assembly and test facilities and foundries located in the Asia-Pacific region. Finally, we maintain wafer fabrication facilities in Kadoma, Japan, and Osaka, Japan, as well as packaging, assembly and test facilities in Mexicali, Mexico, and in Singapore.

Our international sales and operations are subject to a number of risks inherent in selling and operating abroad. These include, but are not limited to, risks regarding:
currency exchange rate fluctuations, including increases or decreases in commodities prices related to such fluctuations,
local economic and political conditions, including, but not limited to, social, economic and political instability related to the uncertainty regarding the relationships between the United States and China, Russia, Mexico, North Korea, Middle Eastern countries, other foreign countries, and the international community at large, and related to the United Kingdom’s pending withdrawal from the European Union,
labor market conditions and workers’ rights,
disruptions of capital and trading markets,
inability to collect accounts receivable,
restrictive governmental actions (such as restrictions on transfer of funds and trade protection measures, including export duties, quotas, customs duties, border taxes, increased import or export controls and tariffs) that could negatively impact trade between, or increase the cost of operating in, the countries in which we do business,
changes in, or non-compliance with, legal or regulatory import/export requirements, including restrictions on selling to certain customers or into certain jurisdictions,
natural disasters, acts of terrorism, widespread illness and war,
unauthorized transfers of our electronic information and breaches of our information systems, as well as the potential lack of adequate remedies in certain jurisdictions,
difficulty in obtaining distribution and support,
cultural differences in the conduct of business,
direct or indirect government actions, subsidies or policies aimed at supporting local industry,
the laws and policies of the United States and other countries affecting trade, foreign investment and loans, foreign travel, and import or export licensing requirements,
withdrawal from, or renegotiation of, existing trade agreements by the United States (or other jurisdictions) potentially affecting Mexico, China, and other countries in which we do business,
changes in current or future tax law or regulations or new interpretations thereof, by federal or state agencies or foreign governments (including changes in certain countries in Europe and elsewhere regarding corporate taxes, transfer pricing, and tax treaty provisions),
changes in the effective tax rate as a result of our overall profitability and mix of earnings in countries with differing statutory tax rates,
results of audits and examination of previously filed tax returns,
the possibility of being exposed to legal proceedings and potential penalties in a foreign jurisdiction, and/or increased compliance expense, as a result of the numerous, and sometimes conflicting, legal regimes on matters as diverse as anti-corruption, anti-bribery, import/export controls, content requirements, trade restrictions, tariffs, taxation, sanctions, immigration, internal and disclosure control obligations, securities regulation, anti-competition, data privacy and protection (including, but not limited to, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation), employment and labor relations,
limitations on our ability under local laws to protect or enforce our intellectual property rights in a particular foreign jurisdiction, and
restrictions on our ability to repatriate foreign earnings and/or funds and the unfavorable tax impactions related to the same.

Additionally, we are subject to risks in certain global markets in which wireless operators provide subsidies on handset sales to their customers. Increases in cellular handset prices that negatively impact handset sales can result from changes in regulatory policies or other factors, which could impact the demand for our products. Limitations or changes in policy on phone subsidies in the United States, South Korea, Japan, China, and other countries may have additional negative impacts on our revenues.

Some of the countries in which we operate and seek to expand are in emerging markets where legal systems may be less developed or familiar to us. Other jurisdictions in which we conduct business may establish legal and regulatory regimes that differ materially from United States laws and regulations. Compliance with diverse legal requirements is costly and time-consuming and requires significant resources. Violations of one or more of these regulations in the conduct of our business could result in significant fines or monetary damages, criminal sanctions against us or our officers, prohibitions on doing business, unfavorable publicity and other reputation damage, restrictions on our ability to process information and allegations by our clients that we have not performed our contractual obligations.

We are particularly exposed to risks of doing business in China. We expect to continue to expand our business and operations in China. Our success in the Chinese markets may be adversely affected by China’s continuously evolving laws and regulations, including

those relating to taxation, import and export tariffs, currency controls, anti-corruption, environmental regulations, indigenous innovation, and intellectual property rights and enforcement of those rights. Enforcement of existing laws or agreements may be inconsistent. In addition, changes in the political environment, governmental policies or United States-China relations could result in revisions to laws or regulations or their interpretation and enforcement, exposure of our proprietary intellectual property, increased taxation, restrictions on imports, import duties or currency revaluations, which could have an adverse effect on our business plans and operating results. In particular, the imposition by the United States of tariffs on goods imported from China or deemed to be of Chinese origin and other government actions that restrict our ability to sell our products to Chinese customers or to manufacture or source components in China, and countermeasures imposed by China in response, could directly or indirectly adversely impact our manufacturing costs and the sales of our products in China and elsewhere. Further, the evolving labor market and increasing labor unrest in China may have a negative impact on our customers, which would result in a negative impact on our business and results of operations. Finally, China’s stated policy of reducing its dependence on foreign semiconductor manufacturers and other technology companies could result in reduced demand for our products in China and other key markets as well as reduced supply of critical materials for our products.

Our manufacturing processes are extremely complex and specialized, and disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.
Our manufacturing operations are complex and subject to disruption, including due to causes beyond our control. The fabrication of integrated circuits is an extremely complex and precise process consisting of hundreds of separate steps. It requires production in a highly controlled, clean environment. Minor impurities, contamination of the clean room environment in which our products are produced, errors in any step of the fabrication process, defects in the masks used to print circuits on a wafer, defects in equipment or materials, human error, or a number of other factors can cause a substantial percentage of our products to be rejected or to malfunction. Because our operating results are highly dependent upon our ability to produce integrated circuits at acceptable manufacturing yields, these factors could have a material and adverse effect on our business.

Additionally, our operations may be affected by lengthy or recurring disruptions of operations at any of our production facilities, as well as disruptions at facilities operated by our subcontractors or customers. These disruptions may result from electrical power outages, fire, earthquake, flooding, war, acts of terrorism, health advisories or risks, or other natural or man-made disasters, as well as equipment maintenance, repairs and/or upgrades. Disruptions of our manufacturing operations, or those of our subcontractors and customers, could cause significant delays in shipments until we are able to shift production of the impacted products from an affected facility or subcontractor to another facility or subcontractor, or until the affected customer resumes operations and accepts shipments from us. In the event of such delays, the required alternative capacity, particularly wafer production capacity, may not be available on a timely basis or at all. Even if alternative production capacity is available, we may not be able to obtain it on favorable terms, which could result in higher costs and/or a loss of customers and revenue. Likewise, lower-than-expected demand could lead to underutilized manufacturing facilities, which could negatively impact our financial results.

Due to the highly specialized nature of the gallium arsenide integrated circuit manufacturing process, in the event of a disruption in production at our Newbury Park, California, or Woburn, Massachusetts, semiconductor wafer fabrication facilities as well as our assembly and test facility in Mexicali, Mexico, for any reason, alternative gallium arsenide production capacity would not be immediately available from third-party sources. These disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our SAW and TC-SAW filter manufacturing process is also specialized in nature and in the event of a disruption in production at our filter wafer fabrication facilities in Kadoma, Japan and Osaka, Japan or in our filter assembly and test facility in Singapore, for any reason, alternative filter production capacity would not be immediately available from third-party sources. These disruptions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to maintain and improve manufacturing yields that contribute positively to our gross margin and profitability.
Minor deviations or disturbances in the manufacturing process can cause substantial manufacturing yield loss, and in some cases, cause production to be suspended and impact our ability to meet customer demand on a timely basis. Manufacturing yields for new products initially tend to be lower as we complete product development and commence volume manufacturing, and typically increase as we bring the product to full production. Our forward product pricing includes this assumption of improving manufacturing yields and, as a result, material variances between projected and actual manufacturing yields will have a direct effect on our gross margin and profitability. The difficulty of accurately forecasting manufacturing yields and maintaining cost competitiveness through improving manufacturing yields will continue to be magnified by the increasing process complexity of manufacturing semiconductor products. Our manufacturing operations may also face pressures arising from the compression of product life cycles, which may require us to manufacture new products faster and for shorter periods while maintaining acceptable manufacturing yields and quality without, in many cases, reaching the longer-term, high-volume manufacturing conducive to higher manufacturing yields and declining costs.

Remaining competitive in the semiconductor industry depends upon our ability to develop new products, reduce costs in a timely manner, transition to smaller geometry process technologies, and achieve higher levels of design integration.
The semiconductor industry generally and, in particular, many of the markets into which we sell our products, are highly cyclical and characterized by constant and rapid technological change, continuous product evolution, price erosion, evolving technical standards, short product life cycles (including annual product refreshes in some cases), increasing demand for higher levels of integration, increased miniaturization, reduced power consumption and wide fluctuations in product supply and demand. Our operating results depend largely on our ability to continue to cost-effectively introduce new and enhanced products on a timely basis. The successful development and commercialization of semiconductor devices and modules is highly complex and depends on numerous factors, including the ability:
to anticipate customer and market requirements and changes in technology and industry standards,
to obtain sufficient manufacturing capacity to meet customer demand,
to define new products that meet customer and market requirements,
to complete development of new products and bring products to market on a timely basis,
to differentiate our products from offerings of our competitors,
to achieve overall market acceptance of our products,
to lengthen the time that a particular product is in demand, and
to obtain adequate intellectual property protection for our new products.

Our ability to manufacture current products, and to develop new products, depends on, among other factors, the viability and flexibility of our own internal information technology systems.

We continually evaluate expenditures for planned product development and choose among alternatives based on our understanding of customer technical requirements, new industry standards and expectations of future market growth. We may not be able to develop and introduce new or enhanced wireless communications and analog semiconductor products in a timely and cost-effective manner, and our products may not satisfy customer requirements or achieve market acceptance or we may not be able to anticipate new industry standards and technological changes. We also may not be able to respond successfully to new product announcements and introductions by competitors or to changes in the design or specifications of complementary products of third parties with which our products interface. If we fail to rapidly and cost-effectively introduce new and enhanced products in sufficient quantities that meet our customers’ requirements, our business and results of operations would be materially and adversely harmed.

In addition, prices of many of our products decline, sometimes significantly, over time. Our products may become obsolete earlier than planned or may not have life cycles long enough to allow us to recoup the cost of our investment in designing such products. Accordingly, we believe that to remain competitive, we must continue to reduce the cost of producing and delivering existing products at the same time that we develop and introduce new or enhanced products. We may not be able to continue to reduce the cost of producing and delivering our products and thereby remain competitive.

In order to remain competitive, we expect to continue to transition our products to increasingly smaller geometries. This transition requires us to modify the manufacturing processes for our products, design new products to more stringent standards, and to redesign some existing products. In the past, we have experienced some difficulties migrating to smaller geometry process technologies or new manufacturing processes, which resulted in sub-optimal manufacturing yields, delays in product deliveries and increased expenses. We may face similar difficulties, delays and expenses as we continue to transition our products to smaller geometry processes in the future. In some instances, we depend on our relationships with our third-party foundries to transition to smaller geometry processes successfully. Our foundries may not be able to effectively manage the transition or we may not be able to maintain our relationships with certain foundries. If our foundries or we experience significant delays in this transition or fail to efficiently implement this transition, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected. As smaller geometry processes become more prevalent, we expect to continue to integrate greater levels of functionality, as well as customer and third-party intellectual property, into our products. However, we may not be able to achieve higher levels of design integration or deliver new integrated products on a timely basis, or at all.

We may be subject to warranty claims, product recalls, and liability claims.
Although we invest significant resources in the testing of our products, we may discover from time to time defects in our products after they have been shipped, and we may be required to incur additional development and remediation costs, or cash payments to settle claims pursuant to warranty and indemnification provisions in our customer contracts and purchase orders. The potential liabilities associated with these, and similar, provisions in certain of our customer contracts are in some cases capped at significant amounts, and in other cases are uncapped. Depending on the nature of the product defects, we may not be able to recoup our losses from our third-party suppliers. These problems may divert our technical and other resources from other product development efforts and could result in claims against us by our customers or third parties, including liability for costs associated with product recalls,

indemnification claims, or other obligations under customer contracts. If any of our products contain defects, or have reliability, quality or compatibility problems, our reputation may be damaged and we could be subject to liability claims, which could make it more difficult for us to sell our products to existing and prospective customers and could adversely affect our operating results. Furthermore, such losses would not be covered under our existing corporate insurance programs.

We are dependent upon third parties for the manufacture, assembly and testing of our products.
We rely on foundries to provide silicon-based products and to supplement our gallium arsenide wafer manufacturing capacity. There are significant risks associated with reliance on third-party foundries, including:
the lack of wafer supply, potential wafer shortages and higher wafer prices,
limited ability to respond to unanticipated changes in customer demand,
limited control over delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, production costs and quality assurance, and
the inaccessibility of, or delays in obtaining access to, key process technologies and IP blocks.

Although we have long-term supply arrangements to obtain additional external manufacturing capacity, the third-party foundries we use for our standby manufacturing capacity may allocate their limited capacity to the production requirements of other customers and we have no contractual right to prevent them from making such allocations. If we choose to use a new foundry to replace either existing or backup capacity, it will typically take an extended period of time for us to complete our qualification process for that foundry, which will result in a significant passage of time before we can begin shipping products from that new foundry.

Further, the third-party foundries may experience financial difficulties, be unable to deliver products to us in a timely manner or suffer damage or destruction to their facilities, particularly since some of them are located in areas prone to natural disasters. If any disruption of manufacturing capacity occurs, we may not have alternative manufacturing sources immediately available. We may therefore experience difficulties or delays in securing an adequate supply of our products, which could impair our ability to meet our customers’ needs and have a material adverse effect on our operating results.

Although we own and operate assembly and test facilities, we still depend on subcontractors to package, assemble and test certain of our products at cost-competitive rates. We do not have long-term agreements with any of our assembly or test subcontractors and typically procure services from these suppliers on a per order basis. If any of these subcontractors experiences capacity constraints or financial difficulties, suffers any damage to its facilities, experiences power outages or any other disruption of assembly or testing capacity, we may not be able to obtain alternative assembly and testing services in a timely manner and/or at cost-competitive rates. Due to the amount of time that it usually takes us to qualify assemblers and testers, we could experience significant delays in product shipments if we are required to find alternative assemblers or testers for our components. Any problems that we may encounter with the delivery, quality or cost of our products could damage our customer relationships and materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

If we are unable to attract and retain qualified personnel to contribute to the design, development, manufacture and sale of our products, we may not be able to effectively operate our business.
As the source of our technological and product innovations, our key technical personnel represent a significant asset. Our success depends on our ability to continue to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, including executive officers and other key management and technical personnel. The competition for management and technical personnel is intense in the semiconductor industry, and therefore we may not be able to continue to attract and retain the qualified management and other personnel necessary for the design, development, manufacture and sale of our products. We may have particular difficulty attracting and retaining key personnel during periods of poor operating performance and/or declines in the price of our common stock, given among other factors, the use of equity-based compensation by us and our competitors. Further, existing immigration laws, together with any changes to immigration policies or regulations in the United States, could make it more difficult for us to recruit and retain highly skilled foreign national graduates of universities in the United States, limiting the pool of available talent. Travel bans, difficulties obtaining visas and other restrictions on international travel could make it more difficult to effectively manage our international operations, collaborate as a global company or service our international customer base. We continue to anticipate increases in human resource needs, particularly in engineering. The loss of the services of one or more of our key employees or our inability to attract, retain and motivate qualified personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our ability to operate our business.

Our business would be adversely affected by the departure of existing members of our senior management team or if our senior management team is unable to effectively implement our strategy.
Our success depends, in large part, on the continued contributions of our senior management team, none of whom is bound by a written employment contract to remain with us for a specified period. The loss of any of our senior management could harm our ability to implement our business strategy and respond to the rapidly changing market conditions in which we operate.

Uncertainties involving the ordering and shipment of, and payment for, our products, could adversely affect our business.

Our sales are made pursuant to standard purchase orders and/or specified customer contracts for delivery of products and not under long-term supply arrangements with our customers. Our customers may cancel orders before shipment. Additionally, we sell a portion of our products through third-party distributors, some of whom have rights to return products if the product is defective. We may purchase and manufacture inventory based on estimates of customer demand for our products, which is difficult to predict. This difficulty may be compounded when we sell to OEMs indirectly through distributors or contract manufacturers, or both, as our forecasts of demand will then be based on estimates provided by multiple parties. In addition, our customers and/or distributors may change their inventory practices on short notice for any reason. The cancellation or deferral of product orders, the return of previously sold products, or overproduction due to a change in anticipated order volumes could result in us holding excess or obsolete inventory, which could result in inventory write-downs and, in turn, could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition. Some of our customers have implemented vendor-managed inventory, consignment or similar inventory programs which may result in an increase in the time between manufacture of, and payment for, our products.

In addition, if a customer or distributor encounters financial difficulties of its own as a result of a change in demand or for any other reason, the customer’s or distributor’s ability to make timely payments against our accounts receivable could be impaired.

We are dependent upon third parties for the supply of raw materials and components.
Our manufacturing operations depend on obtaining adequate supplies of raw materials and components used in our manufacturing processes at a competitive cost. Although we maintain relationships with suppliers located around the world with the objective of ensuring that we have adequate sources for the supply of raw materials and components for our manufacturing needs, increases in demand from the semiconductor industry for such raw materials and components, as well as increased demand for commodities in general, can result in tighter supplies and higher costs. Our suppliers may not be able to meet our delivery schedules, we may lose a significant or sole supplier, a supplier may not be able to meet performance and quality specifications and we may not be able to purchase such supplies or material at a competitive cost. If a supplier were unable to meet our delivery schedules or if we lost a supplier or a supplier were unable to meet performance or quality specifications, our ability to satisfy customer obligations would be materially and adversely affected. In addition, we review our relationships with suppliers of raw materials and components for our manufacturing needs on an ongoing basis. In connection with our ongoing review, we may modify or terminate our relationship with one or more suppliers. We may also enter into sole supplier arrangements to meet certain of our raw material or component needs. While we do not typically rely on a single source of supply for our raw materials, we are currently dependent on a limited number of sole-source suppliers. If we were to lose these sole sources of supply, for any reason, a material adverse effect on our business could result until an alternate source is obtained. To the extent we enter into additional sole supplier arrangements for any of our raw materials or components, the risks associated with our supply arrangements would be exacerbated.

Our business and operations could suffer in the event of information technology security breaches.
Security breaches, phishing, spoofing, attempts by others to gain unauthorized access to our information technology systems, and other cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated and are sometimes successful. These incidents, which might be related to industrial or other espionage, include covertly introducing malware to our computers and networks (or to an electronic system operated by a third party for our benefit) and impersonating authorized users, among others. We seek to detect and investigate all security incidents and to prevent their recurrence, but in some cases, we might be unaware of an incident or its magnitude and effects. The theft, unauthorized use, transfer, or publication of our intellectual property, our confidential business information, or the personal data of our employees by third parties or by our employees could harm our competitive position, reduce the value of our investment in research and development and other strategic initiatives or otherwise adversely affect our business. To the extent that any security breach or other cybersecurity incident results in inappropriate disclosure of our customers’, suppliers’, licensees’ or employees’ confidential information, we may incur liability as a result. We expect to continue devoting significant resources to the security of our information technology systems and the training of our employees. However, we cannot ensure that our efforts will be sufficient to prevent or mitigate the damage caused by a cyberattack, cybersecurity incident or network disruption.

If we are not successful in protecting our intellectual property rights, our ability to compete successfully may be materially and adversely affected.
We rely on patent, copyright, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws, as well as nondisclosure and confidentiality agreements and other methods, to protect our proprietary technologies, inventions, information, data, devices, algorithms, processes and other intellectual property. In addition, we often incorporate the intellectual property of our customers, suppliers or other third parties into our designs, and we have obligations with respect to the non-use and non-disclosure of such third-party intellectual property. In the future, it may be necessary to engage in litigation or like activities to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets or to determine the validity and scope of proprietary rights of others, including our customers. This could require us to expend significant resources and to divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel from our business operations. Regardless of our actions:

the steps we take to prevent misappropriation, infringement, dilution or other violation of our intellectual property or the intellectual property of our customers, suppliers or other third parties may not be successful, and
any of our existing or future patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or other intellectual property rights may be challenged, invalidated or circumvented.

Despite these precautions, it may be possible for a third party to copy or otherwise obtain and use our technology without authorization, develop similar technology independently or design around or invalidate our patents. If any of our intellectual property protection mechanisms fails to protect our technology, it would make it easier for our competitors to offer similar competitive products, potentially resulting in loss of market share and price erosion. Even if we receive a patent, the patent claims may not be broad enough to adequately cover and protect our technology. Furthermore, even if we receive patent protection in the United States, we may not seek, or may not be granted, patent protection in other relevant foreign countries. In addition, effective patent, copyright, trademark and trade secret protection and enforcement may be unavailable or limited for certain technologies and in certain foreign countries.

We attempt to control access to, and distribution of, our proprietary information through operational, technological and legal safeguards. Despite our efforts, parties, including former or current employees, may attempt to copy, disclose, transfer or obtain access to our information without our authorization. Furthermore, attempts by computer hackers to gain unauthorized access to our systems or information could result in our confidential and/or proprietary information being compromised or our operations being interrupted. While we attempt to prevent such unauthorized access or misappropriation we may be unable to anticipate the methods used, or be unable to prevent the release of our confidential and/or proprietary information.

We may be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, or demands that we license third-party technology, which could result in significant expense and prevent us from using our technology.
The semiconductor industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights. From time to time, third parties have asserted and may in the future assert patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights against technologies that are important to our business and have demanded and may in the future demand that we license their technology or refrain from using it.

Any litigation to determine the validity of any allegations that our products infringe or may infringe intellectual property rights of another party, including indemnification claims arising from our contractual obligations of our customers, regardless of their merit or resolution, could be costly and divert the efforts and attention of our management and technical personnel. Regardless of the merits of any specific claim, we may not prevail in litigation because of the complex technical issues and inherent uncertainties in intellectual property litigation. If litigation were to result in an adverse ruling, we could be required to:
pay substantial damages,
cease the manufacture, import, use, sale or offer for sale of infringing products or processes,
discontinue the use of infringing technology,
expend significant resources to develop non-infringing technology, and
license technology from the third party claiming infringement, which license may not be available on commercially reasonable terms.

Our operating results or financial condition may be materially adversely affected if we, or one of our customers, were required to take any one or more of the foregoing actions.

In addition, if another supplier to one of our customers, or a customer of ours itself, were found to be infringing upon the intellectual property rights of a third party, the supplier or customer could be ordered to cease the manufacture, import, use, sale or offer for sale of its infringing product(s) or process(es), either of which could result, indirectly, in a decrease in demand from our customers for our products. If such a decrease in demand for our products were to occur, it could have an adverse impact on our operating results.

Many of our products currently incorporate technology licensed or acquired from third parties and we expect our products in the future to also require technology from third parties. If the licenses to such technology that we currently hold become unavailable or the terms on which they are available become commercially unreasonable, or if we are unable to acquire or license necessary technology for our products in the future, our business could be adversely affected.
We sell products in markets that are characterized by rapid technological changes, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions, short product life cycles and increasing levels of integration. Our ability to keep pace with this market depends on our ability to obtain technology from third parties on commercially reasonable terms to allow our products to remain competitive. If licenses to such technology are not available on commercially reasonable terms and conditions or at all, and we cannot otherwise acquire or integrate such technology, our products or our customers’ products could become unmarketable or obsolete, and we could lose market share. In such instances, we could also incur substantial unanticipated costs or scheduling delays to develop substitute technology to deliver competitive products.

There can be no assurance that we will continue to declare cash dividends or repurchase our stock.
We intend to pay quarterly cash dividends subject to capital availability and periodic determinations by our Board of Directors that cash dividends are in the best interest of our stockholders. In addition, from time to time the Board of Directors approves stock repurchase programs, pursuant to which we are authorized to repurchase shares of common stock on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions.

Future cash dividends and the amount and timing of our stock repurchases may be affected by, among other factors:
our views on potential future capital requirements, including those related to acquisitions as well as research and development,
our ability to generate sufficient earnings and cash flows,
use of cash to consummate various acquisition transactions,
capital requirements related to cash dividends and stock repurchase programs,
changes in federal and state income tax laws or corporate laws, and
changes to our business model.

Our cash dividend payments may change from time to time, and we cannot provide assurance that we will increase our cash dividend payment or declare cash dividends in any particular amounts or at all. A reduction in our cash dividend payments or a reduction in the level of our stock repurchases could have a negative effect on our stock price.

Changes in tax laws and regulations worldwide could have an adverse impact on our operating results.
We are subject to taxation in many different countries and localities worldwide. To the extent the tax laws and regulations in these various countries and localities could change, including the Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project being conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, our tax liability in general could increase. For example, our subsidiary in Singapore receives a tax holiday that is expected to be effective through September 2020. Changes in the status of this tax holiday could have a negative effect on our net income in future years.

The new tax legislation (the “Tax Reform Act”), enacted by the United States in December 2017, included several changes to U.S. tax laws that will have a significant impact on our operations, including a reduction in the U.S. corporate tax rate, base-erosion prevention measures on earnings of our non-U.S. subsidiaries, and a one-time mandatory deemed repatriation tax on earnings of certain foreign jurisdictions. Because these changes require a number of complex calculations that previously were not required, our actual tax liability may differ materially from our income tax provisions, estimates, and accruals. Changes in our interpretations and assumptions, as well as additional guidance issued, could increase income tax liabilities and/or reduce certain tax benefits.

We face a risk that capital needed for our business will not be available when we need it.
To the extent that our existing cash and cash equivalents and cash generated from operations are insufficient to fund our future activities, we may need to raise additional funds through public or private equity or debt financing. If unfavorable capital market conditions exist in the event we were to seek additional financing, we may not be able to raise sufficient capital on favorable terms and on a timely basis, if at all. Failure to obtain capital when required by our business circumstances would have a material adverse effect on us.

In addition, any strategic investments and acquisitions that we may make to help us grow our business may require additional capital resources. The capital required to fund these investments and acquisitions may not be available in the future.

To be successful we may need to make certain investments and acquisitions, integrate companies we acquire, and/or enter into strategic alliances.
Although we have invested in the past, and intend to continue to invest, significant resources in internal research and development activities, the complexity and rapidity of technological changes and the significant expense of internal research and development make it impractical for us to pursue development of all technological solutions on our own. On an ongoing basis, we review investment, alliance and acquisition prospects that would complement our product offerings, augment our market coverage or enhance our technological capabilities. We may not be able to identify and consummate suitable investment, alliance or acquisition transactions in the future. Moreover, if such transactions are consummated, they could result in:
issuances of equity securities dilutive to our stockholders,
large, transactions, restructuring or other impairment write-offs,
the incurrence of substantial debt and assumption of unknown liabilities,
the potential loss of key employees from the acquired company,
recognition of additional liabilities known or unknown at the time of acquisition,

amortization expenses related to intangible assets, and
the diversion of management’s attention from other business concerns.

Moreover, integrating acquired organizations and their products and services may be difficult, expensive, time-consuming and a strain on our resources and our relationship with employees and customers and ultimately may not be successful. Additionally, in periods following an acquisition, we will be required to evaluate goodwill and acquisition-related intangible assets for impairment. If such assets are found to be impaired, they will be written down to estimated fair value, with a charge against earnings.

Increasingly stringent environmental laws, rules and regulations may require us to redesign our existing products and processes, and could adversely affect our ability to cost-effectively produce our products.
The semiconductor industry has been subject to increasing environmental regulations, particularly those environmental requirements that control and restrict the use, transportation, emission, discharge, storage and disposal of certain chemicals, elements and materials used or produced in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Heightened public focus on climate change, sustainability and environmental issues has also led to increased government regulation and caused certain of our customers to impose environmental standards on us as a part of doing business with them. We expect that the trend of increasing environmental awareness will continue for the foreseeable future which will result in higher costs of operations. In addition, our commitment to environmentally sustainable practices, while undertaken in a manner designed to be as efficient and cost effective as possible, may result in increases in costs of operations for us relative to our competitors until technologies and methods are developed that will help reduce those costs or such practices become industry best practice.

A number of domestic and foreign jurisdictions restrict or may seek to restrict the use of various substances, a number of which have been or are currently used in our products or processes. For example, the European Union Restriction of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (“RoHS”) Directive requires that certain substances, which may be found in certain products we have manufactured in the past, be removed from all electronics components. Eliminating such substances from our manufacturing processes requires the expenditure of additional research and development funds to seek alternative substances for our products, as well as increased testing by third parties to ensure the quality of our products and compliance with the RoHS Directive. While we have implemented a compliance program to ensure our product offering meets these regulations, there may be instances where alternative substances will not be available or commercially feasible, or may only be available from a single source, or may be significantly more expensive than their restricted counterparts. Additionally, if we were found to be non-compliant with any such rule or regulation, we could be subject to fines, penalties and/or restrictions imposed by government agencies that could adversely affect our operating results.

Regulations in the United States require that we determine whether certain materials used in our products, referred to as conflict minerals, originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or adjoining countries, or were from recycled or scrap sources. The verification and reporting requirements, in addition to customer demands for conflict-free sourcing, impose additional costs on us and on our suppliers, and may limit the sources or increase the prices of materials used in our products. Further, if we are unable to certify that our products are conflict free, we may face challenges with our customers, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage, and our reputation may be harmed.

New climate change laws and regulations could require us to change our manufacturing processes or obtain substitute materials that may cost more or be less available for our manufacturing operations. In addition, new restrictions on emissions of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases could result in significant costs for us. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has adopted greenhouse gas regulations, and the United States Congress may pass federal greenhouse gas legislation in the future. The United States Environmental Protection Agency has issued greenhouse gas reporting regulations that may apply to certain of our operations. Various jurisdictions are developing other climate change-based regulations, that also may increase our expenses and adversely affect our operating results. We expect increased worldwide regulatory activity relating to climate change in the future. Compliance with these laws and regulations has not had a material impact on our capital expenditures, earnings, financial condition or competitive position.

Furthermore, environmental regulations often require parties to fund remedial action for violations of such regulations regardless of fault. Consequently, it is often difficult to estimate the future impact of environmental matters, including potential liabilities. In addition, our customers increasingly require warranties or indemnity relating to compliance with environmental regulations. The amount of expense and capital expenditures that might be required to satisfy environmental liabilities, to complete remedial actions and to continue to comply with applicable environmental laws may have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Certain provisions in our organizational documents and Delaware law may make it difficult for someone to acquire control of us.

We have certain anti-takeover measures that may affect our common stock. Our certificate of incorporation, our by-laws and the Delaware General Corporation Law contain several provisions that would make more difficult an acquisition of control of us in a transaction not approved by our Board of Directors. Our certificate of incorporation and by-laws include provisions such as:
the ability of our Board of Directors to issue shares of preferred stock in one or more series without further authorization of stockholders,
a prohibition on stockholder action by written consent,
a requirement that stockholders provide advance notice of any stockholder nominations of directors or any proposal of new business to be considered at any meeting of stockholders,
a requirement that the affirmative vote of at least 80% of our shares be obtained to amend or repeal the provisions of our certificate of incorporation relating to the election and removal of directors or the right to act by written consent,
a requirement that the affirmative vote of at least 80% of our shares be obtained for business combinations unless approved by a majority of the members of the Board of Directors and, in the event that the other party to the business combination is the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our shares, a majority of the members of the Board of Directors in office prior to the time such other party became the beneficial owner of 5% or more of our shares,
a fair price provision, and
a requirement that the affirmative vote of at least 90% of our shares be obtained to amend or repeal the fair price provision.

In addition to the provisions in our certificate of incorporation and by-laws, Section 203 of the Delaware General Corporation Law generally provides that a corporation may not engage in any business combination with any interested stockholder during the three-year period following the time that such stockholder becomes an interested stockholder, unless a majority of the directors then in office approves either the business combination or the transaction that results in the stockholder becoming an interested stockholder or specified stockholder approval requirements are met.


ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.

None.

ITEM 2. PROPERTIES.

We have executive offices in Irvine, California, and Woburn, Massachusetts. For information regarding property, plant and equipment by geographic region for each of the last three fiscal years, see Note 17 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following table sets forth our principal facilities:
Location
Owned/Leased

Square Footage
Primary Function
Mexicali, MexicoOwned380,000Manufacturing and office space
Woburn, MassachusettsOwned158,000Manufacturing and office space
Adamstown, MarylandOwned121,200Manufacturing and office space
Newbury Park, CaliforniaOwned111,600Manufacturing and office space
Osaka, JapanLeased405,300Filter manufacturing
Mexicali, MexicoLeased179,000Manufacturing and office space
Singapore, SingaporeLeased176,800Filter manufacturing
Irvine, CaliforniaLeased126,900Design center and office space
Newbury Park, CaliforniaLeased115,700Design center
Kadoma, JapanLeased97,300Filter manufacturing and office space
San Jose, CaliforniaLeased51,900Design center and office space
Cedar Rapids, IowaLeased42,900Design center
Ottawa, OntarioLeased33,200Design center
Andover, MassachusettsLeased22,900Design center
Seoul, KoreaLeased22,900Design center
Basking Ridge, New JerseyLeased21,800Design center
Hillsboro, OregonLeased21,200Design center and office space

ITEM 3. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.

The information set forth under Note 13 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K is incorporated herein by reference.

ITEM 4. MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES.

Not Applicable.

PART II

ITEM 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT’S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS ANDISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.

MARKET INFORMATION AND DIVIDENDS
Our common stock is traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol “SWKS”.

The number of stockholders of record of our common stock as of November 7, 2018, was 12,404. On November 8, 2018, the Company announced that the Board of Directors had declared a cash dividend of $0.38 per share of common stock, payable on December 18, 2018, to stockholders of record as of November 27, 2018. We intend to continue to pay quarterly dividends subject to capital availability and our view that cash dividends are in the best interests of our stockholders. Future cash dividends may be affected by, among other items, our views on potential future capital requirements, including those relating to research and development, creation and expansion of sales distribution channels and investments and acquisitions, legal risks, stock repurchase programs, debt issuance, changes in federal and state income tax law and changes to our business model.

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
The following table provides information regarding repurchases of common stock made during the fiscal quarter ended September 28, 2018:
PeriodTotal Number of Shares PurchasedAverage Price Paid per ShareTotal Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or Programs (1)Maximum Number (or Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares that May Yet Be Purchased Under the Plans or Programs (1)
6/30/18-7/27/18829,906 (2)$97.56828,483$567.1 million
7/28/18-8/24/18718,516(3)$93.61715,597$500.1 million
8/25/18-9/28/181,002,162(4)$87.131,000,000$413.0 million
Total2,550,584
2,544,080 
_________________________
(1) The stock repurchase program approved by the Board of Directors on January 31, 2018, authorizes the repurchase of up to $1.0 billion of our common stock from time to time on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by securities laws and other legal requirements. The January 31, 2018, stock repurchase program replaces in its entirety the January 17, 2017, plan and is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2020.
(2) 828,483 shares were repurchased at an average price of $97.56 per share as part of our stock repurchase program, and 1,423 shares were repurchased by us at the fair market value of the common stock as of the applicable purchase date, in connection with the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations under equity award agreements with an average price of $96.91 per share.
(3) 715,597 shares were repurchased at an average price of $93.62 per share as part of our stock repurchase program, and 2,919 shares were repurchased by us at the fair market value of the common stock as of the applicable purchase date, in connection with the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations under equity award agreements with an average price of $91.52 per share.
(4) 1,000,000 shares were repurchased at an average price of $87.12 per share as part of our stock repurchase program, and 2,162 shares were repurchased by us at the fair market value of the common stock as of the applicable purchase date, in connection with the satisfaction of tax withholding obligations under equity award agreements with an average price of $93.02 per share.

On November 15, 2017, we agreed to potentially issue not more than 1% of our common stock to an unaffiliated third party as contingent consideration for its role under a multi-year collaboration agreement.  The shares are issuable for no cash payment but only upon the achievement of certain product sale milestones, certain terminations of the agreement or if the Company engages in certain competition with the third party. Though the timing is not certain, the Company does not expect achievement of the product sale milestones to occur any time prior to mid-2020.  The transaction was made in reliance on the exemption from registration in Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.  The Company has agreed to file a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission registering the resale of any issued shares.


ITEM 6. SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.

The information set forth below for the five years ended September 28, 2018, is not necessarily indicative of results of future operations, and should be read in conjunction with Part II, Item 7, Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, and our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K to fully understand factors that may affect the comparability of the information presented below. Our fiscal year ends on the Friday closest to September 30. Fiscal 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015 each consisted of 52 weeks and ended on September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, September 30, 2016, and October 2, 2015, respectively. Fiscal 2014 consisted of 53 weeks and ended on October 3, 2014.

The following table represents the selected financial data (in millions, except per share data):
 Fiscal Years Ended
Statement of Operations Data:September 28, 2018 (2) September 29, 2017 September 30, 2016 (1) October 2,
2015
 October 3,
2014
Net revenue$3,868.0
 $3,651.4
 $3,289.0
 $3,258.4
 $2,291.5
Operating income$1,319.3
 $1,253.8
 $1,118.7
 $1,023.1
 $565.2
Operating margin34.1% 34.3% 34.0% 31.4% 24.7%
Net income$918.4
 $1,010.2
 $995.2
 $798.3
 $457.7
Earnings per share:         
Basic$5.06
 $5.48
 $5.27
 $4.21
 $2.44
Diluted$5.01
 $5.41
 $5.18
 $4.10
 $2.38
Cash dividends declared per share$1.34
 $1.16
 $1.06
 $0.65
 $0.22
          
 As of
Balance Sheet Data:September 28, 2018 (2) September 29, 2017 September 30, 2016 (1) October 2,
2015
 October 3,
2014
Working capital$1,872.5
 $2,245.8
 $1,791.9
 $1,450.8
 $1,131.6
Property, plant and equipment, net$1,140.9
 $882.3
 $806.3
 $826.4
 $555.9
Total assets$4,828.9
 $4,573.6
 $3,855.4
 $3,719.4
 $2,973.8
Stockholders’ equity$4,097.0
 $4,065.7
 $3,541.4
 $3,159.2
 $2,532.4
____________
(1) Fiscal 2016 net income and earnings per share include other income of $88.5 million related to the receipt of the PMC-Sierra merger termination fee.
(2) Fiscal 2018 net income and earnings per share include a one-time charge of $224.6 million related to the mandatory deemed repatriation tax on foreign earnings and a one-time charge of $18.3 million related to the revaluation of deferred tax assets and liabilities at the new corporate tax rate, as a result of the Tax Reform Act.


ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTSOF OPERATIONS.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results ofoperations should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financialstatements and related notes that appear elsewhere in this Annual Report onForm 10-K. In addition to historical information, the following discussioncontains forward-looking statements that are subject to risks anduncertainties. Actual results may differ substantially and adversely from thosereferred to herein due to a number of factors, including, but not limited to,those described below and in Item 1A “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

OVERVIEW

We, together with our consolidated subsidiaries, are empowering the wireless networking revolution. Our highly innovative analog semiconductors are connecting people, places, and things spanning a number of new and previously unimagined applications within the aerospace, automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet and wearable markets. Our key customers include Amazon, Apple, Arris, Bose, Cisco, DJI, Ericsson, Foxconn, Garmin, Gemalto, General Electric, Google, Honeywell, HTC, Huawei, Itron, Lenovo, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Motorola, Netgear, Northrop Grumman, OPPO, Rockwell Collins, Samsung, Sierra Wireless, Sonos, Technicolor, VIVO, Xiaomi and ZTE.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

FISCAL YEARS ENDED SEPTEMBER 28, 2018, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017, AND SEPTEMBER 30, 2016.

The following table sets forth the results of our operations expressed as a percentage of net revenue:
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Net revenue100.0% 100.0% 100.0 %
Cost of goods sold49.6
 49.6
 49.4
Gross profit50.4
 50.4
 50.6
Operating expenses:     
Research and development10.4
 9.7
 9.5
Selling, general and administrative5.4
 5.6
 6.0
Amortization of intangibles0.5
 0.8
 1.0
Restructuring and other charges
 
 0.1
Total operating expenses16.3
 16.1
 16.6
Operating income34.1
 34.3
 34.0
Other income (expense), net0.3
 0.1
 (0.2)
Merger termination fee
 
 2.7
Income before income taxes34.4
 34.4
 36.5
Provision for income taxes10.7
 6.7
 6.2
Net income23.7% 27.7% 30.3 %

GENERAL
During the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, the following key factors contributed to our overall results of operations, financial position and cash flows:
Net revenue increased to approximately $3,868.0 million, an increase of 6% as compared to the prior fiscal year. This increase in revenue was primarily driven by our success in capturing a higher share of the increasing radio frequency and analog content per device as smartphone models continue to evolve, increases in applications for the IoT, and the expanding analog product portfolio supporting new vertical markets including aerospace, automotive, industrial, medical and military.


Our ending cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities balance decreased 35.0% to $1,050.2 million in fiscal 2018 from $1,616.8 million in fiscal 2017. This was the result of a 13% decrease in cash from operations to $1,260.6 million in fiscal 2018 from $1,456.3 million in fiscal 2017 due to a $221.9 million increase in cash used for working capital. In addition, we returned $1,002.7 million to shareholders through repurchasing 7.7 million shares of our common stock for $759.5 million together with payments of $243.2 million in cash dividends. Lastly, we invested approximately $422.3 million in capital expenditures and $404.0 million in payments for acquisitions.

NET REVENUE
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Net revenue$3,868.0
5.9%$3,651.4
11.0%$3,289.0

We market and sell our products directly to OEMs of communications and electronics products, third-party original design manufacturers and contract manufacturers, and indirectly through electronic components distributors. We generally experience seasonal peaks during the second half of the calendar year, primarily as a result of increased worldwide production of consumer electronics in anticipation of increased holiday sales, whereas our second and third fiscal quarter is typically lower and in line with seasonal industry trends.
The $216.6 million increase in revenue in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017 and the $362.4 million increase in revenue in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016 were primarily driven by our success in capturing a higher share of the increasing radio frequency and analog content per device as smartphones models continue to evolve, the increasing number of applications for the IoT, and our expanding analog product portfolio supporting new vertical markets including automotive, industrial, medical and military.
For information regarding net revenue by geographic region and customer concentration, see Note 17 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

GROSS PROFIT
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Gross profit$1,950.7
5.9%$1,841.8
10.6%$1,665.2
% of net revenue50.4% 50.4% 50.6%

Gross profit represents net revenue less cost of goods sold. Our cost of goods sold consists primarily of purchased materials, labor and overhead (including depreciation and share-based compensation expense) associated with product manufacturing. Erosion of average selling prices of established products is typical of the semiconductor industry. Consistent with trends in the industry, we anticipate that average selling prices for our established products will continue to decline over time. As part of our normal course of business, we mitigate the gross margin impact of declining average selling prices with efforts to increase unit volumes, reduce material costs, improve manufacturing efficiencies, lower manufacturing costs of existing products and by introducing new and higher value-added products.

Gross profit was $108.9 million higher in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017. The increase in gross profit was primarily the result of higher unit volumes, lower overall per-unit material and manufacturing costs, and favorable product mix, with an aggregate gross profit benefit of $267.1 million. These benefits were partially offset by the erosion of average selling price that negatively impacted gross profit by $158.2 million. Gross profit margin remained consistent at 50.4% of net revenue for fiscal 2018.

Gross profit was $176.6 million greater in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016. The increase in gross profit was primarily the result of higher unit volumes and lower overall per-unit material and manufacturing costs, with an aggregate gross profit benefit of $306.6 million. These benefits were partially offset by the erosion of average selling price and changes in product mix that combined to negatively impact gross profit by $130.0 million. As a result of these impacts, gross profit margin decreased to 50.4% of net revenue for fiscal 2017.


RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Research and development$404.5
13.9%$355.2
13.7%$312.4
% of net revenue10.4% 9.7% 9.5%

Research and development expenses consist primarily of direct personnel costs including share-based compensation expense, costs for pre-production evaluation and testing of new devices, masks, engineering prototypes and design tool costs.

The increase in research and development expense in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017 is primarily related to increased headcount, overall employee-related compensation expense, and expenses associated with product development activity. Research and development expense increased as a percentage of net revenue due to increased development complexity and our efforts to increase the value of our future products.

The increase in research and development expense in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016 is primarily related to increased headcount, overall employee-related compensation expense, and expenses associated with product development activity. Research and development expense increased slightly as a percentage of net revenue due to the aforementioned factors.

SELLING, GENERAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE    
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Selling, general and administrative$207.8
1.6%$204.6
4.4%$195.9
% of net revenue5.4% 5.6% 6.0%

Selling, general and administrative expenses include legal and related costs, accounting, treasury, human resources, information systems, customer service, bad debt expense, sales commissions, share-based compensation expense, advertising, marketing, costs associated with business combinations completed or contemplated during the period and other costs.

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in fiscal 2018 as compared to fiscal 2017 was primarily related to increases in employee-related compensation expenses, including share-based compensation, partially offset by an increase in the net gain related to the fair value adjustment of contingent consideration of $11.9 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased as a percentage of net revenue primarily due to the increase in net revenue.

The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses in fiscal 2017 as compared to fiscal 2016 was primarily related to increases in employee-related compensation expenses, including share-based compensation, partially offset by lower legal expenses and the net gain related to the fair value adjustment of contingent consideration of $1.3 million. Selling, general and administrative expenses decreased as a percentage of net revenue due to the aforementioned factors and the increase in net revenue.

AMORTIZATION OF INTANGIBLES
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Amortization of purchased intangibles$20.7
(25.0)%$27.6
(17.4)%$33.4
Amortization of capitalized software6.0
100.0%
—%
Total amortization of intangibles26.7
 27.6
 33.4
% of net revenue0.7% 0.8% 1.0%


During fiscal 2018, $8.4 million and $18.3 million in amortization of intangibles were included in cost of goods sold and selling, general and administrative expense, respectively. During fiscal 2017, $27.6 million in amortization of intangibles was included in selling, general and administrative expense. 

The decrease in amortization for fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, as compared to fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016, respectively, primarily relates to fully amortized intangible assets that were acquired in prior years partially offset by additional intangible assets acquired during the fiscal year.

RESTRUCTURING AND OTHER CHARGES
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Restructuring and other charges$0.8
33.3%$0.6
(87.5)%$4.8
% of net revenue%  % 0.1%

Restructuring and other charges incurred in fiscal 2018 are related to charges on a leased facility. We do not anticipate any further significant charges associated with these restructuring activities and substantially all of the cash payments related to these restructuring plans have occurred.

Restructuring and other charges incurred in fiscal 2017 are primarily related to restructuring plans initiated during the period.

MERGER TERMINATION FEE
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Merger termination fee$
—%$
(100.0)%$88.5
% of net revenue%  % 2.7%

On October 29, 2015, we entered into an Amended and Restated Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) with PMC-Sierra, Inc. (“PMC”), providing for, subject to the terms and conditions of the Merger Agreement, our cash acquisition of PMC. On November 23, 2015, PMC notified us that it had terminated the Merger Agreement. As a result, on November 24, 2015, PMC paid us a termination fee of $88.5 million pursuant to the Merger Agreement.

PROVISION FOR INCOME TAXES
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
ChangeSeptember 29,
2017
ChangeSeptember 30,
2016
(dollars in millions)     
Provision for income taxes$413.7
67.6%$246.8
20.2%$205.4
% of net revenue10.7% 6.7% 6.2%

The annual effective tax rate for fiscal 2018 of 31.1% was greater than the United States federal statutory rate of 24.6% primarily due to increases in tax from a one-time charge related to the mandatory deemed repatriation tax on foreign earnings of 16.9%, a one-time charge related to the revaluation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities of 1.4%, and income tax rate expense impact of 0.5% related to a change in our tax reserves, partially offset by benefits of 8.4% related to foreign earnings taxed at a rate less than the United States federal rate, 1.0% related to a domestic production activities deduction, 1.9% related to stock windfall deductions, and 1.5% related to the recognition of federal research and development tax credits.
We operate under a tax holiday in Singapore, which is effective through September 30, 2020. This tax holiday is conditioned upon our compliance with certain employment and investment thresholds in Singapore. The impact of the tax holiday decreased the taxes we owe in Singapore by $38.4 million and $37.4 million for fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively. This resulted in tax benefits of $0.21 and $0.20 of diluted earnings per share for fiscal 2018 and fiscal 2017, respectively.

The annual effective tax rate for fiscal 2017 of 19.6% was less than the United States federal statutory rate of 35.0% primarily due to benefits of 14.3% related to foreign earnings taxed at a rate less than the United States federal rate, 1.6% related to a domestic production activities deduction, and 1.3% related to the recognition of federal research and development tax credits, partially offset by income tax rate expense impact of 1.0% related to a change in our tax reserves.
See Note 9 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for a detailed discussion of the impact of the Tax Reform Act.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
 Fiscal Years Ended
(in millions)September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period$1,616.8
 $1,083.8
 $1,043.6
Net cash provided by operating activities1,260.6
 1,456.3
 1,077.7
Net cash used in investing activities(1,150.4) (325.9) (250.9)
Net cash used in financing activities(993.7) (597.4) (786.6)
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$733.3
 $1,616.8
 $1,083.8

Cash provided by operating activities:
Cash provided by operating activities consists of net income for the period adjusted for certain non-cash items and changes in certain operating assets and liabilities. For fiscal 2018, we generated $1,260.6 million in cash from operations, a decrease of $195.7 million when compared to $1,456.3 million generated in fiscal 2017. The decrease in cash from operating activities during fiscal 2018 was primarily related to a $221.9 million increase in cash used for working capital. Specifically, the increase in uses of cash were: $156.7 million in accounts receivable due to the timing of customer collections and $273.8 million related to accounts payable, due to the timing of capital expenditures and vendor payments. These increases in uses of cash were offset by increases in sources of cash of: $143.0 million related to changes in other current and long-term liabilities primarily related to the unpaid portion of the mandatory deemed repatriation tax on foreign earnings.

Cash used in investing activities:
Cash used in investing activities consists primarily of cash paid for acquisitions net of cash acquired, capital expenditures, purchased intangibles, cash received from the sale of capital assets, and cash related to the sale or maturity of investments. Cash used in investing activities was $1,150.4 million during fiscal 2018, compared to $325.9 million during fiscal 2017. The cash used for capital expenditures in fiscal 2018 was $422.3 million, primarily related to the purchase of manufacturing equipment to support the expansion of our assembly and test operations, filter production operations, and wafer fabrication facilities. During fiscal 2018, we paid $404.0 million, net of cash acquired, to complete an acquisition and $315.5 million in net purchases of marketable securities.

Cash used in financing activities:
Cash used in financing activities consists primarily of cash transactions related to equity. During fiscal 2018, we had net cash outflows of $993.7 million, compared to $597.4 million in fiscal 2017. The increase in cash used in financing activities primarily related to the increase in share repurchase activity and dividend payments during fiscal 2018. During fiscal 2018 we had the following significant uses of cash:
$759.5 million related to our repurchase of 7.7 million shares of our common stock pursuant to the share repurchase programs approved by our Board of Directors on January 31, 2018, and January 17, 2017;
$243.2 million related to the payment of cash dividends on our common stock; and
$48.0 million related to the minimum statutory payroll tax withholdings upon vesting of employee performance and restricted stock awards.
These uses of cash were partially offset by the net proceeds from employee stock option exercises of $38.8 million and the proceeds from employee stock purchase plans of $18.2 million during fiscal 2018.

Liquidity:
Cash and cash equivalent balances were $733.3 million at September 28, 2018, representing a decrease of $883.5 million from September 29, 2017. The decrease resulted from $759.5 million used to repurchase 7.7 million shares of stock, $422.3 million in capital expenditures, $404.0 million related to business acquisition activity, $315.5 million in net purchases of marketable securities and $243.2 million in cash dividend payments during fiscal 2018, which was partially offset by $1,260.6 million in cash generated from operations. Based on our historical results of operations, we expect that our cash, cash equivalents and marketable securities

on hand and the cash we expect to generate from operations will be sufficient to fund our research and development, capital expenditures, potential acquisitions, working capital, quarterly cash dividend payments (if such dividends are declared by the Board of Directors), outstanding commitments and other liquidity requirements associated with existing operations for at least the next 12 months. However, we cannot be certain that our cash on hand and cash generated from operations will be available in the future to fund all of our capital and operating requirements. In addition, any future strategic investments and acquisitions may require additional cash and capital resources. If we are unable to obtain sufficient cash or capital to meet our needs on a timely basis and on favorable terms, our business and operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Our invested cash balances primarily consist of highly liquid marketable securities that are available to meet near-term cash requirements including: term deposits, certificate of deposits, money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, agency securities, other government securities, corporate debt securities and commercial paper.

We had $300.6 million of cash and cash equivalents located in foreign jurisdictions at September 28, 2018.

OFF-BALANCE SHEET ARRANGEMENTS

All significant contractual obligations are recorded on our consolidated balance sheet or fully disclosed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. We have no material off-balance sheet arrangements as defined in SEC Regulation S-K-303(a)(4)(ii).

CONTRACTUAL CASH FLOWS

Set forth below is a summary of our contractual payment obligations related to our operating leases, other commitments and long-term liabilities at September 28, 2018 (in millions):

 Payments Due By Period
 
Obligation    
 Total Less Than 1 Year 1-3 Years 3-5 Years Thereafter
Other long-term liabilities (1) $308.6
 $5.5
 $36.9
 $36.9
 $229.3
Operating lease obligations 86.8
 21.6
 32.5
 17.5
 15.2
Contingent consideration for business combinations (2) 3.1
 3.1
 
 
 
Other commitments (3) 15.0
 12.5
 2.5
 
 
Total $413.5
 $42.7
 $71.9
 $54.4
 $244.5
_________________________
(1)Other long-term liabilities primarily include our gross unrecognized tax benefits, as well as executive deferred compensation, which are both classified as beyond five years due to the uncertain nature of the liabilities.
(2)
Contingent consideration related to business combinations is recorded at fair value and actual results could differ. See Note 3 and Note 5 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further detail.
(3)
Other commitments consist of contractual license and royalty payments and other purchase obligations. See Note 12 to Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

CRITICAL ACCOUNTING ESTIMATES
The discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, or GAAP. The preparation of these financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments in applying our most critical accounting policies that can have a significant impact on the results we report in our financial statements. The SEC has defined critical accounting policies as those that are both most important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and which require our most difficult, complex or subjective judgments or estimates. Based on this definition, our most critical accounting policies include revenue recognition, which impacts the recording of net revenue; inventory valuation, which impacts the cost of goods sold and gross margin; assessment of goodwill and long-lived assets, which impacts the impairment of the respective assets; business combinations, which impacts the fair value of acquired assets and assumed liabilities; share-based compensation, which impacts cost of goods sold and operating expenses; loss contingencies, which impacts operating expenses; and income taxes, which impacts the income tax provision. These policies and significant judgments involved are discussed further below. We have other significant accounting policies that do not generally require subjective estimates or judgments or would not have a material impact on our results of operations. Our significant accounting policies are described inNote 2 to Item 8 on this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Revenue Recognition.We recognize revenue in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 605 Revenue Recognition net of estimated reserves. Our revenue reserves contain uncertainties

because they require management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to estimate the value of future credits to customers for product returns, price protection and stock rotation for products sold to certain electronic component distributors. Our estimates of the amount and timing of the reserves is based primarily on historical experience and specific contractual arrangements. Refer to Note 2 to Item 8 on this Annual Report on Form 10-K for information about the expected impact of our adoption of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“Topic 606”).

Inventory Valuation. We value our inventory at the lower of cost or net realizable value. Reserves for excess and obsolete inventory are established on a quarterly basis and are based on a detailed analysis of aged material, forecasted demand in relation to on-hand inventory, salability of our inventory, general market conditions, and product life cycles. Once reserves are established, write-downs of inventory are considered permanent adjustments to the cost basis of inventory. Our reserves contain uncertainties because the calculation requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment regarding historical experience, forecasted demand and technological obsolescence. Changes in actual demand or market conditions could adversely impact our reserve calculations.

Goodwill and Long-Lived Assets.We evaluate goodwill and long-lived assets for impairment annually on the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter and whenever events or circumstances arise that may indicate that the carrying value of the goodwill or other intangibles may not be recoverable.

Our impairment analysis contains uncertainties because it requires management to make assumptions and to apply judgment to items such as: determination of the reporting unit and asset groupings, estimated control premiums, discount rates, future cash flows, the profitability of future business strategies and useful lives.
Business Combinations.We apply significant estimates and judgments in order to determine the fair value of the identified tangible and intangible assets acquired, liabilities assumed and goodwill recognized in business combinations. The value of all assets and liabilities are recognized at fair value as of the acquisition date using a market participant approach.

In measuring the fair value, we utilize a number of valuation techniques consistent with the market approach, income approach and/or cost approach. The valuation of the identifiable assets and liabilities includes assumptions such as projected revenue, royalty rates, weighted average cost of capital, discount rates and estimated useful lives. These assessments can be significantly affected by our judgments.

Share-Based Compensation.We have share-based compensation plans which include non-qualified stock options, restricted and performance share awards and units, as well as an employee stock purchase plan and other special share-based awards. Note 10 of Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K details our current share-based compensation programs.

We determine the fair value of our share-based compensation items with pricing models as of the date of grant using a number of highly complex and subjective variables and assumptions including, but not limited to: our expected stock price volatility over the term of the award, correlation coefficients, risk-free rate, the expected life of the award, dividend yield, and estimated performance against metrics. Compensation expense is recognized over the requisite service period of the underlying awards. Management periodically evaluates these assumptions and updates share-based compensation expense accordingly.

Loss Contingencies. We record an estimate for loss contingencies such as a legal proceeding or claims if it is probable that an asset has been impaired or a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss or range of loss can be reasonably estimated. We disclose material loss contingencies if there is at least a reasonable possibility that a loss has been incurred.

Our loss contingency analysis contains uncertainties because it requires management to assess the degree of probability of an unfavorable outcome and to make a reasonable estimate of the amount of potential loss.

Income Taxes. We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method, under which deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between tax and financial reporting.  We record a valuation allowance to reduce deferred tax assets to the amount that is believed more likely than not to be realized.  Significant management judgment is required in developing our provision for income taxes, including the determination of deferred tax assets and liabilities and any valuation allowances that might be required against the deferred tax assets. 

The application of tax laws and regulations to calculate our tax liabilities is subject to legal and factual interpretation, judgment, and uncertainty in a multitude of jurisdictions.  Tax laws and regulations themselves are subject to change as a result of changes in fiscal policy, changes in legislation, the evolution of regulations, and court rulings.  We recognize potential liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues in the United States and other tax jurisdictions based on our estimate of whether, and the extent to which, additional taxes and interest will be due.  We record an amount as an estimate of probable additional income tax liability at the largest amount

that we feel is more likely than not, based upon the technical merits of the position, to be sustained upon audit by the relevant tax authority. 

OTHER MATTERS

Inflation did not have a material impact on our results of operations during the three-year period ended September 28, 2018.

ITEM 7A. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.

We are subject to overall financial market risks, such as changes in market liquidity, credit quality, investment risk, interest rate risk and foreign exchange rate risk as described below.

Investment and Interest Rate Risk

Our exposure to interest rate and general market risks relates principally to our investment portfolio, which consists of cash and cash equivalents (money market funds and marketable securities purchased with less than ninety days until maturity) that total approximately $733.3 million and marketable securities (U.S. Treasury and government securities, corporate bonds and notes, municipal bonds, other government securities) that total approximately $294.1 million and $22.8 million within short-term and long-term marketable securities, respectively, as of September 28, 2018.

The main objectives of our investment activities are liquidity and preservation of capital. Our cash equivalent investments have short-term maturity periods that dampen the impact of market or interest rate risk. Our marketable securities consist of short-term and long-term maturity periods between 90 days and two years. Credit risk associated with our investments is not material because our investments are diversified across several types of securities with high credit ratings, which reduces the amount of credit exposure to any one investment.

Based on our results of operations for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, a hypothetical reduction in the interest rates on our cash, cash equivalents, and other investments to zero would result in an immaterial reduction of interest income with a de minimis impact on income before taxes.

Given the low interest rate environment, the objectives of our investment activities, and the relatively low interest income generated from our cash, cash equivalents, and other investments, we do not believe that investment or interest rate risks pose material exposures to our current business or results of operations.

Foreign Exchange Rate Risk

Substantially all sales to customers and arrangements with third-party manufacturers provide for pricing and payment in United States dollars, thereby reducing the impact of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on our results. A percentage of our international operational expenses are denominated in foreign currencies and exchange rate volatility could positively or negatively impact those operating costs. For the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, we had foreign exchange losses of $5.5 million, $3.1 million and $5.6 million, respectively. Increases in the value of the United States dollar relative to other currencies could make our products more expensive, which could negatively impact our ability to compete. Conversely, decreases in the value of the United States dollar relative to other currencies could result in our suppliers raising their prices to continue doing business with us. Given the relatively small number of customers and arrangements with third-party manufacturers denominated in foreign currencies, we do not believe that foreign exchange volatility has a material impact on our current business or results of operations. However, fluctuations in currency exchange rates could have a greater effect on our business or results of operations in the future to the extent our expenses increasingly become denominated in foreign currencies.

We may enter into foreign currency forward and option contracts with financial institutions to protect against foreign exchange risks associated with certain existing assets and liabilities, certain firmly committed transactions, forecasted future cash flows and net investments in foreign subsidiaries. However, we may choose not to hedge certain foreign exchange exposures for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, accounting considerations and the prohibitive economic cost of hedging particular exposures. For the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, we had no outstanding foreign currency forward or option contracts with financial institutions.



ITEM 8. FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.

The following consolidated financial statements of the Company are included herewith:
(1)
Page 34
(2)
Page 36
(3)
Page 37
(4)
Page 38
(5)
Page 39
(6)
Page 40
(7)
Page 41 through 62



Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
To the Stockholders and Board of Directors
Skyworks Solutions, Inc.:
Opinions on the Consolidated Financial Statements and Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Skyworks Solutions, Inc. and subsidiaries (the Company) as of September 28, 2018 and September 29, 2017, the related consolidated statements of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and stockholders' equity for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 28, 2018, and the related notes (collectively, the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 28, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework(2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of September 28, 2018 and September 29, 2017, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended September 28, 2018, in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of September 28, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.
Basis for Opinions
The Company’s management is responsible for these consolidated financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.
We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.
Our audits of the consolidated financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.
Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ KPMG LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2002.
Irvine, California
November 14, 2018





SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(In millions, except per share amounts)
subsequent events.

 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Net revenue$3,868.0
 $3,651.4
 $3,289.0
Cost of goods sold1,917.3
 1,809.6
 1,623.8
Gross profit1,950.7
 1,841.8
 1,665.2
Operating expenses:     
Research and development404.5
 355.2
 312.4
Selling, general and administrative207.8
 204.6
 195.9
Amortization of intangibles18.3
 27.6
 33.4
Restructuring and other charges0.8
 0.6
 4.8
Total operating expenses631.4
 588.0
 546.5
Operating income1,319.3
 1,253.8
 1,118.7
Other income (expense), net12.8
 3.2
 (6.6)
Merger termination fee
 
 88.5
Income before income taxes1,332.1
 1,257.0
 1,200.6
Provision for income taxes413.7
 246.8
 205.4
Net income$918.4
 $1,010.2
 $995.2
Earnings per share:     
Basic$5.06
 $5.48
 $5.27
Diluted$5.01
 $5.41
 $5.18
Weighted average shares:     
Basic181.3
 184.3
 188.7
Diluted183.2
 186.7
 192.1
      
Cash dividends declared and paid per share$1.34
 $1.16
 $1.06
2



See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.



SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
(In millions)
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Net income$918.4
 $1,010.2
 $995.2
Other comprehensive income     
Fair value of investments(0.1) 0.9
 
Pension adjustments
 0.7
 (1.8)
Foreign currency translation adjustment(0.2) 0.8
 (0.9)
Comprehensive income$918.1
 $1,012.6
 $992.5

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In millions, except per share amounts)

 As of
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
ASSETS   
Current assets:   
Cash and cash equivalents$733.3
 $1,616.8
Marketable securities294.1
 
Receivables, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $0.6 and $0.5, respectively655.8
 454.7
Inventory490.2
 493.5
Other current assets88.8
 68.7
Total current assets2,262.2
 2,633.7
Property, plant and equipment, net1,140.9
 882.3
Goodwill1,189.8
 883.0
Intangible assets, net143.7
 67.8
Deferred tax assets, net36.5
 66.5
Marketable securities22.8
 
Other assets33.0
 40.3
Total assets$4,828.9
 $4,573.6
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY   
Current liabilities:   
Accounts payable$229.9
 $258.4
Accrued compensation and benefits85.2
 68.1
Other current liabilities74.6
 61.4
Total current liabilities389.7
 387.9
Long-term tax liabilities310.5
 92.9
Other long-term liabilities31.7
 27.1
Total liabilities731.9
 507.9
Commitments and contingencies (Note 12 and Note 13)


 

Stockholders’ equity:   
Preferred stock, no par value: 25.0 shares authorized, no shares issued
 
Common stock, $0.25 par value: 525.0 shares authorized; 228.4 shares issued and 177.4 shares outstanding at September 28, 2018, and 226.0 shares issued and 183.1 shares outstanding at September 29, 201744.4
 45.8
Additional paid-in capital3,061.0
 2,893.8
Treasury stock, at cost(2,732.5) (1,925.0)
Retained earnings3,732.9
 3,059.6
Accumulated other comprehensive loss(8.8) (8.5)
Total stockholders’ equity4,097.0
 4,065.7
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity$4,828.9
 $4,573.6

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In millions)

 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Cash flows from operating activities:     
Net income$918.4
 $1,010.2
 $995.2
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:     
Share-based compensation107.8
 88.5
 78.0
Depreciation272.5
 227.2
 214.4
Amortization of intangible assets26.7
 27.6
 33.4
Deferred income taxes27.3
 2.2
 
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation
 (40.8) (43.7)
    Changes in fair value of contingent consideration(11.9) (1.3) 
Other(0.7) 0.3
 0.3
Changes in assets and liabilities net of acquired balances:     
Receivables, net(193.8) (37.1) 121.4
Inventory11.9
 (69.2) (147.3)
Other current and long-term assets(12.2) 3.3
 (20.4)
Accounts payable(126.0) 147.8
 (181.5)
Other current and long-term liabilities240.6
 97.6
 27.9
Net cash provided by operating activities1,260.6
 1,456.3
 1,077.7
Cash flows from investing activities:     
Capital expenditures(422.3) (303.3) (189.3)
Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired(404.0) (13.7) (55.6)
Purchased intangibles(8.6) (12.1) (6.0)
Purchases of marketable securities(683.7) 
 
Sales and maturities of investments368.2
 3.2
 
Net cash used in investing activities(1,150.4) (325.9) (250.9)
Cash flows from financing activities:    

Payments for obligations recorded for business combinations
 
 (76.5)
Excess tax benefit from share-based compensation
 40.8
 43.7
Repurchase of common stock - payroll tax withholdings on equity awards(48.0) (49.2) (73.3)
Repurchase of common stock - share repurchase program(759.5) (432.3) (525.6)
Dividends paid(243.2) (214.6) (201.0)
Net proceeds from exercise of stock options38.8
 53.8
 28.1
Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan18.2
 15.0
 18.0
Deferred payments for intangible assets
 (5.5) 
Payments of contingent consideration
 (5.4) 
Net cash used in financing activities(993.7) (597.4) (786.6)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents(883.5) 533.0
 40.2
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period1,616.8
 1,083.8
 1,043.6
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period$733.3
 $1,616.8
 $1,083.8
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:    

Income taxes paid$135.9
 $163.2
 $165.9
See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.


SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In millions)
 Shares of common stock Par value of common stock Shares of treasury stock Value of treasury stock Additional paid-in capital Retained earnings Accumulated other comprehensive loss 
Total stockholders equity
Balance at October 2, 2015190.3
 $47.6
 28.7
 $(844.6) $2,495.2
 $1,469.2
 $(8.2) $3,159.2
Net income
 
 
 
 
 995.2
 
 995.2
Exercise and settlement of share based awards and related tax benefit, net of shares withheld for taxes2.6
 0.6
 0.9
 (73.3) 109.1
 
 
 36.4
Share-based compensation expense
 
 
 
 79.7
 
 
 79.7
Share repurchase program(8.0) (2.0) 8.0
 (525.6) 2.0
 
 
 (525.6)
Dividends declared
 
 
 
 
 (200.8) 
 (200.8)
Other comprehensive loss
 
 
 
 
 
 (2.7) (2.7)
Balance at September 30, 2016184.9
 $46.2
 37.6
 $(1,443.5) $2,686.0
 $2,263.6
 $(10.9) $3,541.4
Net income
 
 
 
 
 1,010.2
 
 1,010.2
Exercise and settlement of share based awards and related tax benefit, net of shares withheld for taxes2.9
 0.7
 0.6
 (49.2) 118.2
 
 
 69.7
Share-based compensation expense
 
 
 
 88.5
 
 
 88.5
Share repurchase program(4.7) (1.1) 4.7
 (432.3) 1.1
 
 
 (432.3)
Dividends declared
 
 
 
 
 (214.2) 
 (214.2)
Other comprehensive income
 
 
 
 
 
 2.4
 2.4
Balance at September 29, 2017183.1
 $45.8
 42.9
 $(1,925.0) $2,893.8
 $3,059.6
 $(8.5) $4,065.7
Net income
 
 
 
 
 918.4
 
 918.4
Exercise and settlement of share based awards, net of shares withheld for taxes2.0
 0.5
 0.4
 (48.0) 57.8
 
 
 10.3
Share-based compensation expense
 
 
 
 107.3
 (1.9) 
 105.4
Share repurchase program(7.7) (1.9) 7.7
 (759.5) 1.9
 
 
 (759.5)
Dividends declared
 
 
 
 
 (243.2) 
 (243.2)
Pre-combination service on replacement awards
 
 
 
 0.2
 
 
 0.2
Other comprehensive loss
 
 
 
 
 
 (0.3) (0.3)
Balance at September 28, 2018177.4
 $44.4
 51.0
 $(2,732.5) $3,061.0
 $3,732.9
 $(8.8) $4,097.0

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.

NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

1.     DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Skyworks Solutions, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries (“Skyworks” or the “Company”), is empowering the wireless networking revolution. The Company’s analog semiconductors are connecting people, places, and things, spanning a number of new applications within the aerospace, automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet and wearable markets.


2.     SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

PRINCIPLES OF CONSOLIDATION
All Skyworks subsidiaries are included in the Company’s consolidated financial statements and all intercompany balances are eliminated in consolidation.

FISCAL YEAR
The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Friday closest to September 30. Fiscal 2018, 2017, and 2016 each consisted of 52 weeks and ended on September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, respectively.

USE OF ESTIMATES
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, comprehensive income and accumulated other comprehensive loss during the reporting period. The Company evaluates its estimates on an ongoing basis using historical experience and other factors, including the current economic environment. Significant judgment is required in determining the reserves for and fair value of items such as overall fair value assessments of assets and liabilities, inventory, intangible assets associated with business combinations, share-based compensation, loss contingencies, and income taxes. In addition, significant judgment is required in determining whether a potential indicator of impairment of long-lived assets exists and in estimating future cash flows for any necessary impairment testing. Actual results could differ significantly from these estimates.

CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
The Company invests excess cash in time deposits, certificate of deposits, money market funds, U.S. Treasury securities, agency securities, other government securities, corporate debt securities and commercial paper. The Company considers highly liquid investments with maturities of 90 days or less when purchased as cash equivalents.

ALLOWANCE FOR DOUBTFUL ACCOUNTS
The Company maintains general allowances for doubtful accounts related to potential losses that could arise due to customers’ inability to make required payments. These reserves require management to apply judgment in deriving these estimates. In addition, the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and if it becomes aware of any specific receivables which may be uncollectable, it performs additional analysis including, but not limited to, factors such as a customer’s credit worthiness, intent and ability to pay and overall financial position, and reserves are recorded if deemed necessary. If the data the Company uses to calculate the allowance for doubtful accounts does not reflect the future ability to collect outstanding receivables, additional provisions for doubtful accounts may be needed and results of operations could be materially affected.

INVESTMENTS
The Company classifies its investment in marketable securities as “available-for-sale.” Available-for-sale securities are carried at fair value with unrealized holding gains or losses recorded in other comprehensive income. Gains or losses are included in earnings in the period in which they are realized.

FAIR VALUE
Fair value is defined as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principle or most advantageous market in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. Applicable accounting guidance provides a hierarchy for inputs used in measuring fair value that prioritize the use of observable inputs over the use of unobservable inputs, when such observable inputs are available. The three levels of inputs that may be used to measure fair value are as follows:

Level 1 - Quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities.
Level 2 - Observable inputs other than Level 1 prices, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities, quoted prices in markets with insufficient volume or infrequent transactions (less active markets), or model-driven valuations in which all significant inputs are observable or can be derived principally from, or corroborated with, observable market data.
Level 3 - Fair value is derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant inputs are unobservable, including assumptions and judgments made by the Company.

It is the Company’s policy to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs when developing fair value measurements. When available, the Company uses quoted market prices to measure fair value. If market prices are not available, the Company is required to make judgments about assumptions market participants would use to estimate the fair value of a financial instrument.

The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis in three levels, based on the market in which the assets and liabilities are traded and the reliability of the assumptions used to determine fair value. It recognizes transfers within the fair value hierarchy at the end of the fiscal quarter in which the change in circumstances that caused the transfer occurred.

The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, other current assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilities approximates fair value due to the short-term maturities of these assets and liabilities.

INVENTORY
Inventory is stated at the lower of cost or net realizable value on a first-in, first-out basis. Reserves for excess and obsolete inventory are established on a quarterly basis and are based on a detailed analysis of aged material, forecasted demand in relation to on-hand inventory, salability of our inventory, general market conditions, and product life cycles. Once reserves are established, write-downs of inventory are considered permanent adjustments to the cost basis of inventory.

PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT
Property, plant and equipment are carried at cost less accumulated depreciation, with significant renewals and betterments being capitalized and retired equipment written off in the respective periods. Maintenance and repairs are expensed as incurred.

Depreciation is calculated using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives, which range from five to thirty years for buildings and improvements and three to ten years for machinery and equipment. Leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the economic life or the life of the associated lease.

VALUATION OF LONG-LIVED ASSETS
Definite lived intangible assets are carried at cost less accumulated amortization. Amortization is calculated based on the pattern of benefit to be recognized from the underlying asset over its estimated useful life. Carrying values for long-lived assets and definite lived intangible assets are reviewed for possible impairment as circumstances warrant. Factors considered important that could result in an impairment review include significant underperformance relative to expected, historical or projected future operating results, significant changes in the manner of use of assets or the Company’s business strategy, or significant negative industry or economic trends. In addition, impairment reviews are conducted at the judgment of management whenever asset values are deemed to be unrecoverable relative to future undiscounted cash flows expected to be generated by that particular asset group. The determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted cash flows expected to result from the use of an asset group and its eventual disposition. Such estimates require management to exercise judgment and make assumptions regarding factors such as future revenue streams, operating expenditures, cost allocation and asset utilization levels, all of which collectively impact future operating performance. The Company’s estimates of undiscounted cash flows may differ from actual cash flows due to, among other things, technological changes, economic conditions, changes to its business model or changes in its operating performance. If the sum of the undiscounted cash flows is less than the carrying value of an asset group, the Company would recognize an impairment loss, measured as the amount by which the carrying value exceeds the fair value of the asset group.

GOODWILL AND INDEFINITE-LIVED INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets are not amortized but are tested at least annually as of the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter for impairment or more frequently if indicators of impairment exist during the fiscal year. The Company assesses its conclusion regarding segments and reporting units in conjunction with its annual goodwill impairment test, and has determined that it has one reporting unit for the purposes of allocating and testing goodwill.


The Company’s impairment analysis compares its fair value to its net book value to determine if there is an indicator of impairment. In the Company’s calculation of fair value, it considers the closing price of its common stock on the selected testing date, the number of shares of its common stock outstanding and other marketplace activity such as a related control premium. If the calculated fair value is determined to be less than the book value of the reporting unit, an impairment loss is recognized equal to that excess; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. 

BUSINESS COMBINATIONS
The Company uses the acquisition method of accounting for business combinations and recognizes assets acquired and liabilities assumed at their fair values on the date acquired. Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the fair value of the net assets. The fair values of the assets and liabilities acquired are determined based upon the Company’s valuation using a combination of market, income or cost approaches. The valuation involves making significant estimates and assumptions, which are based on detailed financial models including the projection of future cash flows, the weighted average cost of capital and any cost savings that are expected to be derived in the future from the viewpoint of a market participant.

EMPLOYEE RETIREMENT BENEFIT PLANS
The funded status of benefit pension plans, or the balance of plan assets and benefit obligations, is recognized on the consolidated balance sheet and pension liability adjustments, net of tax, are recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income. The Company determines discount rates considering the rates of return on high-quality fixed income investments, and the expected long-term rate of return on pension plan assets by considering the current and expected asset allocations, as well as historical and expected returns on various categories of plan assets. Decreases in discount rates lead to increases in benefit obligations that, in turn, could lead to an increase in amortization cost through amortization of actuarial gain or loss. A decline in the market values of plan assets will generally result in a lower expected rate of return, which would result in an increase of future retirement benefit costs.

REVENUE RECOGNITION
Revenue from product sales is recognized when there is persuasive evidence of an arrangement, the price to the buyer is fixed and determinable, delivery and transfer of title have occurred in accordance with the shipping terms specified in the arrangement with the customer and collectability is reasonably assured. Revenue from license fees and intellectual property is recognized when due and payable, and all other criteria previously noted have been met. The Company ships product on consignment to certain customers and only recognizes revenue when the customer notifies the Company that the inventory has been consumed. Revenue recognition is deferred in all instances where the earnings process is incomplete. Certain product sales are made to electronic component distributors under agreements allowing for price protection and stock rotation on unsold products. Reserves for sales returns and allowances are recorded based on historical experience or pursuant to contractual arrangements necessitating revenue reserves. Reserves for sales returns and allowances of $32.2 million and $14.7 million were recorded as of September 28, 2018 and September 29, 2017, respectively.

SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION
The Company recognizes compensation expense for all share-based payment awards made to employees and directors including non-qualified employee stock options, share awards and units, employee stock purchase plan and other special share-based awards based on estimated fair values.

The fair value of share-based payment awards is amortized over the requisite service period, which is defined as the period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for an award. The Company uses a straight-line attribution method for all grants that include only a service condition. Awards with both performance and service conditions are expensed over the service period for each separately vesting tranche.

Share-based compensation expense recognized during the period includes actual expense on vested awards and expense associated with unvested awards. Forfeitures are recorded as incurred.

The Company determines the fair value of share-based option awards based on the Company’s closing stock price on the date of grant using a Black-Scholes options pricing model. Under the Black-Scholes model, a number of variables are used including, but not limited to: the expected stock price volatility over the term of the award, the risk-free rate, the expected life of the award and dividend yield. The determination of fair value of restricted and certain performance share awards and units is based on the value of the Company’s stock on the date of grant with performance awards and units adjusted for the actual outcome of the underlying performance condition.


For more complex performance awards including units with market-based performance conditions the Company employs a Monte Carlo simulation valuation method to calculate the fair value of the awards based on the most likely outcome. Under the Monte Carlo simulation, a number of highly complex and subjective variables are used including, but not limited to: the expected stock price volatility over the term of the award, a correlation coefficient, the risk-free rate, the expected life of the award, and dividend yield.

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS
Research and development costs are expensed as incurred.

LOSS CONTINGENCIES
The Company records its best estimates of a loss contingency when it is considered probable and the amount can be reasonably estimated. When a range of loss can be reasonably estimated with no best estimate in the range, the minimum estimated liability related to the claim is recorded. As additional information becomes available, the Company assesses the potential liability related to the potential pending loss contingency and revises its estimates. Loss contingencies are disclosed if there is at least a reasonable possibility that a loss or an additional loss may have been incurred and include estimated legal costs.
RESTRUCTURING
A liability for post-employment benefits is recorded when payment is probable, the amount is reasonably estimable, and the obligation relates to rights that have vested or accumulated. Contract exit costs include contract termination fees and future contractual commitments for lease payments. A liability for contract exit costs is recognized in the period in which the Company terminates the contract or on the cease-use date for leased facilities. 

FOREIGN CURRENCIES
The Company’s primary functional currency is the United States dollar. Gains and losses related to foreign currency transactions, conversion of foreign denominated cash balances and translation of foreign currency financial statements are included in current results. For certain foreign entities that utilize local currencies as their functional currency, the resulting unrealized translation gains and losses are reported as currency translation adjustment through other comprehensive income (loss) for each period.

INCOME TAXES
The Company uses the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes. Under the asset and liability method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the estimated future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. This method also requires the recognition of future tax benefits such as net operating loss carry forwards, to the extent that realization of such benefits is more likely than not. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect on deferred tax assets and liabilities of a change in tax rates is recognized in income in the period that includes the enactment date.

The carrying value of the Company’s net deferred tax assets assumes the Company will be able to generate sufficient future taxable income in certain tax jurisdictions, based on estimates and assumptions. If these estimates and related assumptions change in the future, the Company may be required to record additional valuation allowances against its deferred tax assets resulting in additional income tax expense in its Consolidated Statement of Operations. Management evaluates the realizability of the deferred tax assets and assesses the adequacy of the valuation allowance quarterly. Likewise, in the event the Company were to determine that it would be able to realize its deferred tax assets in the future in excess of their net recorded amount, an adjustment to the deferred tax assets would increase income or decrease the carrying value of goodwill in the period such determination was made.

The determination of recording or releasing tax valuation allowances is made, in part, pursuant to an assessment performed by management regarding the likelihood that the Company will generate future taxable income against which benefits of its deferred tax assets may or may not be realized. This assessment requires management to exercise significant judgment and make estimates with respect to its ability to generate revenues, gross profits, operating income and taxable income in future periods. Amongst other factors, management must make assumptions regarding overall business and semiconductor industry conditions, operating efficiencies, the Company’s ability to develop products to its customers’ specifications, technological change, the competitive environment and changes in regulatory requirements which may impact its ability to generate taxable income and, in turn, realize the value of its deferred tax assets.

The calculation of the Company’s tax liabilities includes addressing uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations and is based on the financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return.

The Company recognizes liabilities for anticipated tax audit issues in the United States and other tax jurisdictions based on its recognition threshold and measurement attribute of whether it is more likely than not that the positions the Company has taken in tax filings will be sustained upon tax audit, and the extent to which, additional taxes would be due. If payment of these amounts ultimately proves to be unnecessary, the reversal of the liabilities would result in tax benefits being recognized in the period in which it is determined the liabilities are no longer necessary. If the estimate of tax liabilities proves to be less than the ultimate assessment, a further charge to expense would result. The Company recognizes any interest or penalties, if incurred, on any unrecognized tax liabilities or benefits as a component of income tax expense.

EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share are computed using the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per share incorporate the potentially dilutive incremental shares issuable upon the assumed exercise of stock options, the assumed vesting of outstanding restricted stock units, and the assumed issuance of common stock under the stock purchase plan using the treasury share method.
RECENTLY ADOPTED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In March 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-09,Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting (“ASU 2016-09”), which is intended to simplify several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment transactions, including the income tax consequences, classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and classification on the statement of cash flows. The Company adopted ASU 2016-09 at the beginning of the first quarter of fiscal 2018. As a result of adoption, the Company recognized a discrete income tax benefit of $25.6 million to the income tax provision for excess tax benefits generated by the settlement of share-based awards during fiscal 2018. The adoption also resulted in an increase in cash flow from operations and a decrease of cash flow from financing of $25.6 million during fiscal 2018. Prior periods have not been adjusted.  The Company has elected to account for forfeitures as they occur and will no longer estimate future forfeitures.  The change in accounting for forfeitures was applied using a modified retrospective transition method and resulted in a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first quarter of fiscal 2018 in the amount of $1.9 million.  Forfeitures in the future will now be recorded as a benefit in the period they are realized.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment (“ASU 2017-04”). This ASU simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill and eliminates Step 2 from the goodwill impairment test. The annual or interim goodwill impairment test is performed by comparing the fair value of a reporting unit with its carrying amount, and an impairment charge should be recognized for the amount by which the carrying amount exceeds the reporting unit’s fair value; however, the loss recognized should not exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to that reporting unit. In addition, income tax effects from any tax deductible goodwill on the carrying amount of the reporting unit should be considered when measuring the goodwill impairment loss, if applicable. The Company early adopted ASU 2017-04 during the second quarter of fiscal 2018 and applied it prospectively, as permitted by the standard. The adoption of this standard did not impact the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In August 2015, the FASB deferred the effective date of ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606) (“ASU 2014-09”), which outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and will supersede most current revenue recognition guidance. The new guidance is required to be applied retrospectively to each prior reporting period presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying it recognized at the date of initial application. The Company will adopt this guidance during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and will apply the modified retrospective approach, with the cumulative effect of applying the new guidance recognized as an adjustment to the opening retained earnings balance. The Company has established a cross-functional team to assess the potential impact of the new revenue standard. The assessment process consists of reviewing the Company’s current accounting policies and practices to identify potential differences that would result from applying the requirements of the new standard to its revenue contracts and identifying appropriate changes to the business processes, systems and controls to support revenue recognition and disclosure requirements under the new standard. The Company has determined the impact of the new revenue standard on its business processes, systems, controls and consolidated financial statements is not material.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842) (“ASU 2016-02”). This ASU requires lessees to reflect most leases on their balance sheet as assets and obligations. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted. The standard is to be applied under the modified retrospective method, with elective reliefs, which requires application of the new guidance for all periods presented. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In August 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-15, Statement of Cash Flows (Topic 230), (“ASU 2016-15”). This ASU provides guidance on the presentation and classification of specific cash flow items to improve consistency within the statement of cash flows. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted. The Company will early adopt ASU 2016-15 during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and does not expect it to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In October 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-16, Income Taxes (Topic 740), Intra-entity Transfers of an Asset Other than Inventory (“ASU 2016-16”). This ASU provides guidance that changes the accounting for income tax effects of intra-entity transfers of assets other than inventory. Under the new guidance, the selling (transferring) entity is required to recognize a current tax expense or benefit upon transfer of the asset. Similarly, the purchasing (receiving) entity is required to recognize a deferred tax asset or deferred tax liability, as well as the related deferred tax benefit or expense, upon receipt of the asset. The effective date for the standard is for fiscal years beginning after December, 15, 2017, on a modified retrospective basis, and early adoption is permitted. The Company will early adopt ASU 2016-16 during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and does not expect it to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Scope of Modification Accounting (“ASU 2017-09”). This ASU provides guidance about which changes to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award require an entity to apply modification accounting in Topic 718. The effective date for the standard is for interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption permitted, including adoption in any interim period for which financial statements have not yet been issued. The Company will early adopt ASU 2017-09 during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and does not expect it to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-13, Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments (Topic 320), (“ASU 2016-13”). This ASU requires a financial asset (or a group of financial assets) measured on the basis of amortized cost to be presented at the net amount expected to be collected. This ASU requires that the income statement reflect the measurement of credit losses for newly recognized financial assets as well as the expected increases or decreases of expected credit losses that have taken place during the period. This ASU requires that credit losses of debt securities designated as available-for-sale be recorded through an allowance for credit losses. The ASU also limits the credit loss to the amount by which fair value is below amortized cost. This ASU will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of 2021, with early adoption permitted. This ASU requires modified retrospective adoption, with prospective adoption for debt securities for which an other-than-temporary impairment had been recognized before the effective date. The Company is currently evaluating the effect ASU 2016-13 will have on the consolidated financial statements.

In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities (Topic 320), (“ASU 2016-01”). This ASU provides guidance for the recognition, measurement, presentation, and disclosure of financial assets and liabilities. This ASU will be effective for the Company in the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and requires modified retrospective adoption, with prospective adoption for amendments related to equity securities without readily determinable fair values. The Company is evaluating the effect ASU 2016-01 will have on the consolidated financial statements.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, Compensation-Stock Compensation (Topic 718), Improvements to Nonemployee Share-based Payments (“ASU 2018-07”). This ASU expands the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. The effective date for the standard is for interim periods in fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, with early adoption permitted, but no earlier than the Company's adoption date of Topic 606. The new guidance is required to be applied retrospectively with the cumulative effect recognized at the date of initial application. The Company will early adopt ASU 2018-07 during the first quarter of fiscal 2019 and does not expect it to have a material impact on the consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement - Disclosure Framework (Topic 820),(“ASU 2018-13”)The updated guidanceimproves the disclosure requirements on fair value measurements. The updated guidance is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those fiscal years, beginning after December 15, 2019. Early adoption is permitted for any removed or modified disclosures. The Company early adopted the removed or modified disclosures in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018 and is currently assessing the timing and impact of adopting the updated provisions.

There have been no other recent accounting pronouncements or changes in accounting pronouncements that are of significance, or potential significance, to the Company.



Supplemental Cash Flow Information

As of September 28, 2018, the Company had $13.9 million accrued to other long-term liabilities for capital equipment, and $94.1 million accrued to accounts payable for capital equipment. These amounts accrued for capital equipment purchases have been excluded from the consolidated statements of cash flows for fiscal 2018 and are expected to be paid in subsequent periods. The prior period amount under the description “Proceeds from employee stock purchase plan” has been reclassified from net cash provided by operating activities to net cash used in financing activities.


3.    BUSINESS COMBINATIONS


On August 17, 2018, the Company completed its acquisition of Avnera Corporation (“Avnera”). Avnera designs and develops analog system-on-chip (“SoC”) technology products for audio, speech, sensor and artificial intelligence (“AI”) applications. The Company acquired Avnera to expand its leadership in wireless connectivity by adding ultra-low power analog circuits to enable smart interfaces via acoustic signal processing, sensors and integrated software. The acquisition of Avnera is expected to enable the Company to capitalize on the rapid proliferation of audio functionality and its convergence with its advanced connectivity solutions.

The Company acquired the business for total cash consideration, net of cash acquired, of $404.0 million together with future contingent payments for a total aggregated fair value of $407.1 million. The future contingent consideration payments range from zero to $20.0 million and are based upon the achievement of specified revenue objectives that are payable up to one fiscal year from the anniversary of the acquisition, which at closing had a total estimated fair value of $3.1 million.

Net revenue and net income from this acquisition has been included in the Consolidated Statements of Operations from the acquisition date through the end of the fiscal year on September 28, 2018, and the impact of the acquisition to the ongoing operations on the Company’s net revenue and net income was not material. The Company incurred immaterial transaction-related costs during the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, which were included within the selling, administrative and general expense.

The allocation of the purchase price to the assets and liabilities recognized in the Company’s acquisition of Avnera was considered final at the time of filing this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The allocation of the purchase price is based on the estimated fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed by major class related to the Avnera acquisition and are reflected, as of the acquisition date, in the accompanying financial statements as follows (in millions):

  As of
Estimated fair value of assets acquired, net of cash August 17,
2018
Accounts receivable $7.3
Inventory, including step up 9.8
Property, plant and equipment 1.5
Other assets 11.7
Intangible assets 94.0
Goodwill 306.8
Liabilities assumed (24.0)
Estimated fair value of net assets acquired $407.1

Goodwill is primarily attributable to the assembled workforce and Company specific revenue synergies expected from the integration of the Avnera business. This goodwill will not be deductible for tax purposes.


  As of
Intangible Assets August 17,
2018
Developed technology $37.3
Customer relationships and backlog 10.4
Tradename 0.3
Total identified finite-lived intangible assets 48.0
In process research and development 46.0
Total identified intangible assets $94.0


Developed technology relates to SoC-based wireless audio solutions and sound processors. Developed technology was valued using the multi-period excess earnings method under the income approach. This method reflects the present value of the projected cash flows that are expected to be generated by the developed technology less charges representing the contribution of other assets to those cash flows. The economic useful life of two years was determined based on the technology cycle related to each developed technology, as well as the cash flows over the forecast period.

Customer relationships and backlog represent the fair value of future projected revenue that will be derived from sales of products to existing customers of Avnera. Customer relationships and backlog were valued using the with-and-without method under the income approach. In the with-and-without method, the fair value was measured by the difference between the present values of the cash flows with and without the existing customers in place over the period of time necessary to reacquire the customers. The economic useful life of one year was determined based on historical customer acquisition rates.

Tradename relates to the “Avnera” trade name. The fair value was determined by applying the relief-from-royalty method under the income approach. This method is based on the application of a market royalty rate to forecasted revenue under the trade name.

The fair value of in-process research and development, or IPR&D, was determined using the multi-period excess earnings method under the income approach. This method reflects the present value of the projected cash flows that are expected to be generated by the IPR&D, less charges representing the contribution of other assets to those cash flows.

The unaudited pro forma financial results for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017, combine the unaudited historical results of Skyworks with the unaudited historical results of Avnera for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017, respectively. The results include the effects of unaudited pro forma adjustments as if Avnera was acquired at the beginning of the prior fiscal year. The unaudited pro forma results presented include amortization charges for acquired intangible assets, adjustments for increases in the fair value of acquired inventory, other charges and related tax effects. The pro forma financial results presented below do not include any anticipated synergies or other expected benefits of the acquisition. These unaudited results are presented for informational purposes only and are not necessarily indicative of future operations (in millions, except per share amounts):

  Fiscal Years-Ended
  September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Revenue $3,914.3
 $3,693.9
Net income 926.0
 977.8
Diluted earnings per common share $5.05
 $5.24



4.    MARKETABLE SECURITIES

The Company's portfolio of available-for-sale marketable securities consists of the following (in millions):

 Current Noncurrent
Available for sale:September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
U.S. Treasury and government$65.0
 $
 $
 $
Corporate bonds and notes204.1
 
 12.0
 
Municipal bonds2.0
 
 0.8
 
Other government23.0
 
 10.0
 
Total$294.1
 $
 $22.8
 $

The contractual maturities of noncurrent available-for-sale marketable securities were due within two years or less.

The Company recorded unrealized gains and losses on sales of available-for-sale marketable securities as follows (in millions):

September 28, 2018Amortized Cost Gross Unrealized Gains Gross Unrealized Losses Estimated Fair Value
U.S. Treasury and government$65.0
 $
 $
 $65.0
Corporate bonds and notes216.1
 
 (0.1) 216.0
Municipal bonds2.8
 
 
 2.8
Other government33.1
 
 
 33.1
Total$317.0
 $
 $(0.1) $316.9

The Company concluded that the unrealized losses were temporary at September 28, 2018. Further, for bonds and other debt securities held by the Company with unrealized losses, the Company did not have the intent to sell, nor was it more likely than not that the Company would be required to sell, such securities before recovery or maturity.

5.    FAIR VALUE

Assets and Liabilities Measured and Recorded at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis
The Company measures certain assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis such as its financial instruments. There have been no transfers between Level 1, 2 or 3 assets or liabilities during the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018.

Contingent consideration related to business combinations is recorded as a Level 3 liability because management uses significant judgments and unobservable inputs to determine the fair value. The Company reassesses the fair value of its contingent consideration liabilities on a quarterly basis and records any fair value adjustments to earnings in the period that they are determined. The decrease in Level 3 liabilities during fiscal 2018, relates to net adjustments to the fair value of contingent consideration liabilities, which were included in selling, general and administrative expenses, partially offset by the fair value of the contingent consideration associated with a business combination completed during the period, as detailed in Note 3 of these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. The fair value of the contingent consideration was determined using a probabilistic Black-Scholes pricing model calibrated to the expected revenue forecast to be generated from the acquired business over a one-year period.

Assets and liabilities recorded at fair value on a recurring basis consisted of the following (in millions):         

 As of September 28, 2018 As of September 29, 2017
   Fair Value Measurements   Fair Value Measurements
 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Total Level 1 Level 2 Level 3
Assets               
Cash equivalents*$79.3
 $29.7
 $49.6
 $
 $592.6
 $592.6
 $
 $
U.S. Treasury and government securities65.0
 15.0
 50.0
 
 
 
 
 
Corporate bonds and notes216.0
 
 216.0
 
 
 
 
 
Municipal bonds2.8
 
 2.8
 
 
 
 
 
Other government securities33.1
 
 33.1
 
 
 
 
 
Total$396.2
 $44.7
 $351.5
 $
 $592.6
 $592.6
 $
 $
Liabilities               
Contingent consideration$3.1
 $
 $
 $3.1
 $11.9
 $
 $
 $11.9
Total$3.1
 $
 $
 $3.1
 $11.9
 $
 $
 $11.9
* Cash equivalents included in Levels 1 and 2 consist of money market funds and corporate bonds and notes, foreign government bonds, commercial paper, and agency securities purchased with less than ninety days until maturity.

The following table summarizes changes to the fair value of the Level 3 liabilities (in millions):
 Contingent Consideration
Balance as of September 29, 2017$11.9
Increases to Level 3 liabilities3.1
Changes in fair value included in earnings(11.9)
Balance as of September 28, 2018$3.1

Assets Measured and Recorded at Fair Value on a Nonrecurring Basis
The Company’s non-financial assets and liabilities, such as goodwill, intangible assets, and other long-lived assets resulting from business combinations, are measured at fair value using income approach valuation methodologies at the date of acquisition and are subsequently re-measured if there are indicators of impairment.

6.     INVENTORY

Inventory consists of the following (in millions):
 As of
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Raw materials$20.2
 $24.6
Work-in-process340.7
 330.6
Finished goods124.8
 123.0
Finished goods held on consignment by customers4.5
 15.3
Total inventory$490.2
 $493.5

7.     PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property, plant and equipment, net consists of the following (in millions):

 As of
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Land and improvements$11.6
 $11.6
Buildings and improvements238.0
 137.8
Furniture and fixtures31.5
 29.5
Machinery and equipment2,089.6
 1,715.3
Construction in progress179.0
 164.8
Total property, plant and equipment, gross2,549.7
 2,059.0
Accumulated depreciation(1,408.8) (1,176.7)
Total property, plant and equipment, net$1,140.9
 $882.3

8.     GOODWILL AND INTANGIBLE ASSETS

The changes to the carrying amount of goodwill are as follows (in millions):
 As of
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Goodwill at beginning of the period$883.0
 $873.3
Goodwill recognized through business combinations (Note 3)
306.8
 9.7
Goodwill impairment
 
Goodwill at the end of the period$1,189.8
 $883.0

The Company performed an impairment test of its goodwill as of the first day of the fourth fiscal quarter in accordance with its regularly scheduled testing. The results of this test indicated that the Company’s goodwill was not impaired. There were no other indicators of impairment noted during the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018.

Intangible assets consist of the following (in millions):
  As of As of
 

Weighted
average
amortization
period (years)
September 28, 2018 September 29, 2017
 
 
 
Gross
carrying
amount
 

Accumulated
amortization
 
Net
carrying
amount
 
Gross
carrying
amount
 

Accumulated
amortization
 
Net
carrying
amount
Customer relationships3.4$31.7
 $(13.2) $18.5
 $29.7
 $(14.6) $15.1
Developed technology and other5.389.9
 (23.5) 66.4
 59.9
 (20.6) 39.3
Trademarks3.01.6
 (0.8) 0.8
 1.6
 (0.3) 1.3
Capitalized software3.018.0
 (6.0) 12.0
 12.1
 
 12.1
IPR&D 46.0
 
 46.0
 $
 
 
Total intangible assets $187.2
 $(43.5) $143.7
 $103.3
 $(35.5) $67.8

Fully amortized intangible assets have been eliminated from both the gross and accumulated amortization amounts. The increase in the gross amount of intangible assets is primarily related to the business combination that closed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2018. For further information regarding the acquired intangibles see Note 3, Business Combinations, in these Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

Annual amortization expense for the next five fiscal years related to intangible assets is expected to be as follows (in millions):

 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Thereafter
Amortization expense, cost of goods sold$24.8
 $22.5
 $0.1
 $0.1
 $0.1
 $1.9
Amortization expense, operating expense22.6
 11.8
 9.0
 1.0
 1.0
 2.8
Total amortization expense$47.4
 $34.3
 $9.1
 $1.1
 $1.1
 $4.7

9.    INCOME TAXES

Income before income taxes consists of the following components (in millions):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
United States$712.2
 $681.2
 $697.5
Foreign619.9
 575.8
 503.1
Income before income taxes$1,332.1
 $1,257.0
 $1,200.6

The provision for income taxes consists of the following (in millions):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Current tax expense (benefit):     
Federal$347.7
 $215.7
 $181.8
State0.3
 0.3
 0.1
Foreign31.2
 24.4
 25.8
 379.2
 240.4
 207.7
Deferred tax expense (benefit):     
Federal20.3
 5.0
 (0.8)
Foreign14.2
 1.4
 (1.5)
 34.5
 6.4
 (2.3)
      
Provision for income taxes$413.7
 $246.8
 $205.4

The actual income tax expense is different than that which would have been computed by applying the federal statutory tax rate to income before income taxes. A reconciliation of income tax expense as computed at the United States federal statutory income tax rate to the provision for income tax expense is as follows (in millions):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Tax expense at United States statutory rate$327.4
 $439.9
 $420.2
Foreign tax rate difference(111.9) (174.6) (160.8)
Tax on deemed repatriation224.6
 
 
Effect of stock compensation(25.6) 
 
Change of tax rate on deferred taxes18.3
 
 
Research and development credits(19.9) (16.3) (33.7)
Change in tax reserve6.7
 12.6
 (2.5)
Domestic production activities deduction(13.9) (19.8) (19.1)
Other, net8.0
 5.0
 1.3
Provision for income taxes$413.7
 $246.8
 $205.4


The Company operates in foreign jurisdictions with income tax rates lower than the United States tax rate for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017, which were 24.6% and 35.0%, respectively. The Company’s tax benefits related to foreign earnings taxed at a rate less than the United States federal rate were $111.9 million and $174.6 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017, respectively.

The Tax Reform Act includes, among other things, a reduction of the United States corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%, a mandatory deemed repatriation tax on foreign earnings, repeal of the corporate alternative minimum tax and the domestic production activities deduction, and expensing of certain capital investments. The new law makes fundamental changes to the taxation of multinational entities, including a shift from worldwide taxation with deferral to a hybrid territorial system, featuring a participation exemption regime, a minimum tax on low-taxed foreign earnings, and new measures to deter base erosion and promote export from the United States. As a result of this legislation, the Company recognized a one-time transition tax related to the deemed repatriation of foreign earnings of $224.6 million, and a charge related to the revaluation of its deferred tax assets at the new corporate tax rate of $18.3 million. The $224.6 million deemed repatriation tax is payable over the next eight years, $18.0 million per year for each of the next five years, followed by payments of $33.6 million, $44.9 million, and $56.1 million in years six through eight, respectively. The Company has accrued $206.6 million of the deemed repatriation tax in long-term liabilities within the consolidated balance sheet as of September 28, 2018.
Staff Accounting Bulletin 118 (“SAB 118”) provides a measurement period during which companies may analyze the impacts of newly enacted legislation when the company does not have the necessary information available, prepared, or analyzed in reasonable detail to complete the accounting for certain income tax effects of the new legislation, not to exceed one year. The Company does not expect to record any further adjustments within the measurement period as of September 28, 2018, but will continue to monitor the estimate if new guidance becomes available.

In addition to the introduction of a modified territorial tax system, the Tax Reform Act includes two new sets of provisions aimed at preventing or decreasing U.S. tax base erosion—the global intangible low-taxed income (“GILTI”) provisions and the base erosion and anti-abuse tax (“BEAT”) provisions. The GILTI provisions impose a tax on foreign income in excess of a deemed return on tangible assets of foreign corporations. The Company expects to make an accounting policy election to account for GILTI as a component of tax expense in the period in which the Company is subject to the rules and therefore will not provide any deferred tax impacts of GILTI in its consolidated financial statements for the year ended September 28, 2018. The BEAT provisions eliminate the deduction of certain base-erosion payments made to related foreign corporations, and impose a minimum tax if greater than regular tax. The Company does not presently expect that it will be subject to the minimum tax imposed by the BEAT provisions.

The Company’s federal income tax returns for fiscal 2015 and fiscal 2016 are currently under IRS examination. As a result, the Company increased the reserve for uncertain tax positions by $18.9 million, including interest.

On October 2, 2010, the Company expanded its presence in Asia by launching operations in Singapore. The Company operates under a tax holiday in Singapore, which is effective through September 30, 2020, and is conditional upon the Company’s compliance with certain employment and investment thresholds in Singapore. The impact of the tax holiday decreased Singapore’s taxes by $38.4 million and $37.4 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017, respectively, which resulted in tax benefits of $0.21 and $0.20 of diluted earnings per share, respectively.

Deferred income tax assets and liabilities consist of the tax effects of temporary differences related to the following (in millions):

 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Deferred tax assets:   
Inventory$5.7
 $7.4
Bad debts1.2
 0.1
Accrued compensation and benefits4.9
 7.1
Product returns, allowances and warranty4.6
 5.2
Restructuring
 0.1
Intangible assets
 10.6
Share-based and other deferred compensation26.1
 40.2
Net operating loss carry forwards15.5
 7.7
Non-United States tax credits20.3
 20.1
State tax credits97.0
 71.0
Property, plant and equipment9.1
 7.9
Other, net3.3
 2.7
Deferred tax assets187.7
 180.1
Less valuation allowance(118.6) (90.9)
Net deferred tax assets69.1
 89.2
Deferred tax liabilities:   
Prepaid insurance(0.6) (0.9)
Property, plant and equipment(25.6) (24.8)
Intangible assets(19.3) (6.2)
Other, net(2.0) 
Net deferred tax liabilities(47.5) (31.9)
Total net deferred tax assets$21.6
 $57.3

In accordance with GAAP, management has determined that it is more likely than not that a portion of its historic and current year income tax benefits will not be realized. As of September 28, 2018, the Company has a valuation allowance of $118.6 million. This valuation allowance is comprised of $100.5 million related to United States state tax credits, of which $1.5 million are state tax credits acquired from Avnera in fiscal 2018, and $18.1 million are related to foreign deferred tax assets. The Company does not anticipate sufficient taxable income or tax liability to utilize these state and foreign credits. If these benefits are recognized in a future period the valuation allowance on deferred tax assets will be reversed and up to a $118.6 million income tax benefit may be recognized. The Company will need to generate $88.5 million of future United States federal taxable income to utilize its United States deferred tax assets as of September 28, 2018. The Company believes that future reversals of taxable temporary differences, and its forecast of continued earnings in its domestic and foreign jurisdictions, support its decision to not record a valuation allowance on other deferred tax assets.

Deferred tax assets are recognized for foreign operations when management believes it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be recovered during the carry forward period. The Company will continue to assess its valuation allowance in future periods.

As of September 28, 2018, the Company has United States federal net operating loss carry forwards of approximately $41.0 million, including $32.7 million related to the acquisition of Avnera. The utilization of these net operating losses is subject to certain annual limitations as required under Internal Revenue Code section 382 and similar state income tax provisions. The United States federal net operating loss carry forwards expire at various dates through 2035. The Company also has state income tax credit carry forwards of $97.0 million, net of federal benefits, for which the Company has provided a valuation allowance. The state tax credits relate primarily to California research tax credits that can be carried forward indefinitely.

The Company has continued to expand its operations and increase its investments in numerous international jurisdictions. These activities will increase the Company’s earnings attributable to foreign jurisdictions. Due to the enactment of the Tax Reform Act,

all of the Company’s previously undistributed earnings were deemed repatriated during the year ended September 28, 2018, resulting in a one-time transition tax of $224.6 million.

A reconciliation of the beginning and ending amount of gross unrecognized tax benefits is as follows (in millions):
 Unrecognized tax benefits
Balance at September 29, 2017$90.4
Increases based on positions related to prior years13.5
Decreases based on positions related to prior years(0.5)
Increases based on positions related to current year0.5
Decreases relating to settlements with taxing authorities
Decreases relating to lapses of applicable statutes of limitations(10.5)
Balance at September 28, 2018$93.4

Of the total unrecognized tax benefits at September 28, 2018, $77.7 million would impact the effective tax rate, if recognized. The remaining unrecognized tax benefits would not impact the effective tax rate, if recognized, due to the Company’s valuation allowance and certain positions that were required to be capitalized.

The Company anticipates reversals within the next 12 months related to items such as the lapse of the statute of limitations, audit closures, and other items that occur in the normal course of business. Due to open examinations, an estimate of anticipated reversals within the next 12 months cannot be made. During the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, the Company recognized $10.5 million of previously unrecognized tax benefits related to the expiration of the statute of limitations and $4.1 million of accrued interest or penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits. As of September 28, 2018, accrued interest and penalties of $7.5 million related to uncertain tax positions have been included in long-term tax liabilities within the consolidated balance sheet.

The Company’s major tax jurisdictions as of September 28, 2018, are the United States, California, Canada, Luxembourg, Mexico, Japan, and Singapore. For the United States, the Company has open tax years dating back to fiscal 2000 due to the carry forward of tax attributes. For California, the Company has open tax years dating back to fiscal 1999 due to the carry forward of tax attributes. For Canada, the Company has open tax years dating back to fiscal 2012. For Luxembourg, the Company has open tax years back to fiscal 2012. For Mexico, the Company has open tax years back to fiscal 2012. For Singapore, the Company has open tax years dating back to fiscal 2012. The Company is subject to audit examinations by the respective taxing authorities on a periodic basis, of which the results could impact its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.
10.     STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY

COMMON STOCK

At September 28, 2018, the Company is authorized to issue 525.0 million shares of common stock, par value $0.25 per share, of which 228.4 million shares are issued and 177.4 million shares are outstanding.

Holders of the Company’s common stock are entitled to dividends in the event declared by the Company’s Board of Directors out of funds legally available for such purpose. Dividends may not be paid on common stock unless all accrued dividends on preferred stock, if any, have been paid or declared and set aside. In the event of the Company’s liquidation, dissolution or winding up, the holders of common stock will be entitled to share pro rata in the assets remaining after payment to creditors and after payment of the liquidation preference plus any unpaid dividends to holders of any outstanding preferred stock.

Each holder of the Company’s common stock is entitled to one vote for each such share outstanding in the holder’s name. No holder of common stock is entitled to cumulate votes in voting for directors. The Company’s restated certificate of incorporation as amended to date (the “Certificate of Incorporation”) provides that, unless otherwise determined by the Company’s Board of Directors, no holder of stock has any preemptive right to purchase or subscribe for any stock of any class which the Company may issue or sell.

PREFERRED STOCK

The Company’s Certificate of Incorporation has authorized and permits the Company to issue up to 25.0 million shares of preferred stock without par value in one or more series and with rights and preferences that may be fixed or designated by the Company’s Board of Directors without any further action by the Company’s stockholders. The designation, powers, preferences, rights and

qualifications, limitations and restrictions of the preferred stock of each series will be fixed by the certificate of designation relating to such series, which will specify the terms of the preferred stock. At September 28, 2018, the Company had no shares of preferred stock issued or outstanding.

SHARE REPURCHASE

On January 31, 2018, the Board of Directors approved a stock repurchase program, pursuant to which the Company is authorized to repurchase up to $1.0 billion of its common stock from time to time prior to January 31, 2020, on the open market or in privately negotiated transactions as permitted by securities laws and other legal requirements. This authorized stock repurchase program replaced in its entirety the January 17, 2017, stock repurchase program. During the fiscal year ended September 28, 2018, the Company paid approximately $759.5 million (including commissions) in connection with the repurchase of 7.7 million shares of its common stock (paying an average price of $98.84 per share) under the January 31, 2018, stock repurchase plan and the January 17, 2017, stock repurchase plan. As of September 28, 2018, $413.0 million remained available under the January 31, 2018, share repurchase plan.

During the fiscal year ended September 29, 2017, the Company paid approximately $432.3 million (including commissions) in connection with the repurchase of 4.7 million shares of its common stock (paying an average price of $92.97 per share).

DIVIDENDS

On November 8, 2018, the Company announced that the Board of Directors had declared a cash dividend on the Company’s common stock of $0.38 per share. This dividend is payable on December 18, 2018, to the Company’s stockholders of record as of the close of business on November 27, 2018. Future dividends are subject to declaration by the Board of Directors. The dividends charged to retained earnings in fiscal 2018 and 2017 were as follows (in millions except per share amounts):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 Per Share Total Per Share Total
First quarter$0.32
 $58.8
 $0.28
 $51.8
Second quarter0.32
 58.5
 0.28
 51.8
Third quarter0.32
 57.8
 0.28
 51.7
Fourth quarter0.38
 68.1
 0.32
 58.9
 $1.34
 $243.2
 $1.16
 $214.2

EMPLOYEE STOCK BENEFIT PLANS

As of September 28, 2018, the Company has the following equity compensation plans under which its equity securities were authorized for issuance to its employees and/or directors:

the 1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan
the 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
the Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan
the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan
the AATI 2005 Equity Incentive Plan
the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan
the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan

Except for the 1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan and the Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan, each of the foregoing equity compensation plans was approved by the Company’s stockholders.

As of September 28, 2018, a total of 85.3 million shares are authorized for grant under the Company’s share-based compensation plans, with 1.9 million options outstanding. The number of common shares reserved for future awards to employees and directors under these plans was 13.8 million at September��28, 2018. The Company currently grants new equity awards to employees under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan and to non-employee directors under the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan.

2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. Under this plan, officers, employees, non-employee directors and certain consultants may be granted stock options, restricted stock awards and units, performance stock awards and units and other share-based awards. The plan has been approved by the stockholders. Under the plan, up to 19.4 million shares have been authorized for grant. A total of 13.1 million shares are available for new grants as of September 28, 2018. The maximum contractual term of options under the plan is seven years from the date of grant. Options granted under the plan are exercisable at the determination of the compensation committee and generally vest ratably over four years. Restricted stock awards and units granted under the plan at the determination of the compensation committee generally vest over four or more years. With respect to restricted stock awards, dividends are accumulated and paid when the underlying shares vest. If the underlying shares are forfeited for any reason, the rights to the dividends with respect to such shares are also forfeited. No dividends or dividend equivalents are paid or accrued with respect to restricted stock unit awards or other awards until the shares underlying such awards become vested and are issued to the award holder. Performance stock awards and units are contingently granted depending on the achievement of certain predetermined performance goals and generally vest over two or more years.

2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan. Under this plan, non-employee directors may be granted stock options, restricted stock awards and other share-based awards. The plan has been approved by the stockholders. Under the plan a total of1.5 million shares have been authorized for grant. A total of 0.7 million shares are available for new grants as of September 28, 2018. The maximum contractual term of options granted under the plan is ten years from the date of grant. Options granted under the plan are generally exercisable over four years. Restricted stock awards and units granted under the plan generally vest over one or more years. With respect to restricted stock awards, dividends are accumulated and paid when the underlying shares vest. If the underlying shares are forfeited for any reason, the rights to the dividends with respect to such shares are also forfeited.

Employee Stock Purchase Plans. The Company maintains a domestic and an international employee stock purchase plan. Under these plans, eligible employees may purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 10% of their compensation. The price per share is the lower of 85% of the fair market value of the common stock at the beginning or end of each offering period (generally six months). The plans provide for purchases by employees of up to an aggregate of 9.7 million shares. Shares of common stock purchased under these plans in the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, were 0.2 million, 0.2 million, and 0.3 million, respectively. At September 28, 2018, there are 0.5 million shares available for purchase. The Company recognized compensation expense of $5.2 million, $4.5 million and $4.6 million for the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, respectively, related to the employee stock purchase plan. The unrecognized compensation expense on the employee stock purchase plan at September 28, 2018, was $1.9 million. The weighted average period over which the cost is expected to be recognized is approximately four months.

Stock Options
The following table represents a summary of the Company’s stock options:
 
 
Shares (in millions) 
  
Weighted average exercise price
 Weighted average remaining contractual life (in years) Aggregate intrinsic value (in millions)
Balance outstanding at September 29, 20173.0
 $50.36
    
Granted0.1
 $26.66
    
Exercised(1.1) $35.92
    
Canceled/forfeited(0.1) $72.42
    
Balance outstanding at September 28, 20181.9
 $57.12
 3.0 $64.3
        
Exercisable at September 28, 20181.2
 $50.15
 2.3 $50.8

The weighted-average grant date fair value per share of employee stock options granted during the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, was $68.32, $23.25, and $26.30, respectively. The increase in the weighted-average grant date fair value per share of employee stock options granted during fiscal 2018 was due to replacement awards granted as a result of the Avnera acquisition completed during the period. The total grant date fair value of the options vested during the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, was $22.6 million, $19.3 million and $21.9 million, respectively.

Restricted and Performance Awards and Units
The following table represents a summary of the Company’s restricted and performance awards and units:

 
 
 Shares (In millions) Weighted average
    grant date fair value    
Non-vested awards outstanding at September 29, 20172.9
 $75.49
Granted (1)1.3
 $108.86
Vested(1.2) $69.55
Canceled/forfeited(0.3) $86.64
Non-vested awards outstanding at September 28, 20182.7
 $92.37
(1) includes performance shares granted and earned based on maximum performance under the underlying performance metrics

The weighted average grant date fair value per share for awards granted during the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, was $108.86, $72.84, and $62.02, respectively. The total grant date fair value of the awards vested during the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, was $81.1 million, $57.9 million and $71.2 million, respectively.

The following table summarizes the total intrinsic value for stock options exercised and awards vested (in millions):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Awards$134.4
 $137.8
 $197.6
Options$75.0
 $116.1
 $68.9

Valuation and Expense Information
The following table summarizes pre-tax share-based compensation expense by financial statement line and related tax benefit (in millions):

Fiscal Years Ended

September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Cost of goods sold$14.4
 $13.6
 $11.3
Research and development42.6
 35.3
 32.2
Selling, general and administrative50.8
 39.6
 34.5
Total share-based compensation expense$107.8
 $88.5
 $78.0
      
Share-based compensation tax benefit$25.6
 $25.1
 $22.5
Capitalized share-based compensation expense at period end$2.9
 $4.0
 $3.7

The following table summarizes total compensation costs related to unvested share based awards not yet recognized and the weighted average period over which it is expected to be recognized at September 28, 2018:
 
Unrecognized compensation cost for unvested awards
(in millions)
 
Weighted average remaining recognition period
(in years)
Awards$106.1
 1.5
Options$11.1
 1.1

The fair value of the restricted stock awards and units is equal to the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant.

The Company issued performance share units during fiscal 2018, fiscal 2017 and fiscal 2016 that contained market-based conditions. The fair value of these performance share units was estimated on the date of the grant using a Monte Carlo simulation with the following weighted average assumptions:



Fiscal Year Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Volatility of common stock35.54% 39.60% 38.24%
Average volatility of peer companies36.78% 39.78% 34.76%
Average correlation coefficient of peer companies0.47
 0.42
 0.49
Risk-free interest rate1.74% 0.68% 0.44%
Dividend yield1.15% 1.44% 1.23%

The fair value of each stock option is estimated on the date of the grant using the Black-Scholes option pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:


Fiscal Years Ended

September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Expected volatility35.86% 40.31% 42.93%
Risk-free interest rate2.00% 1.60% 0.98%
Dividend yield1.15% 1.44% 1.23%
Expected option life (in years)4.0
 4.0
 4.0

The Company used a historical volatility calculated by the mean reversion of the weekly-adjusted closing stock price over the expected life of the options. The risk-free interest rate assumption is based upon observed treasury bill interest rates appropriate for the expected life of the Company’s employee stock options. The dividend yield was calculated based on the annualized dividend and the stock price on the date of grant.
The expected life of employee stock options represents a calculation based upon the historical exercise, cancellation and forfeiture experience for the Company across its demographic population. The Company believes that this historical data is the best estimate of the expected life of a new option and that generally all groups of the Company’s employees exhibit similar behavior.

On November 15, 2017, the Company agreed to potentially issue not more than 1%of its common stock to an unaffiliated third party as a contingent consideration for its role under a multi-year collaboration agreement, upon the achievement of certain product sales milestones. The shares have been valued utilizing a probability weighted series of Black-Scholes pricing models and could be issued after mid-2020.  The shares will be marked to estimated fair value each reporting period through earnings.  The amount recorded in the statement of operations within selling, general and administrative expense for the fiscal year ended 2018, is not material. 


11.     EMPLOYEE BENEFIT PLAN, PENSIONS AND OTHER RETIREE BENEFITS

The Company maintains a 401(k) plan covering substantially all of its employees based in the United States under which all employees at least twenty-one years old are eligible to receive discretionary Company contributions. Discretionary Company contributions in the form of cash are determined by the Board of Directors. The Company has generally contributed a match of up to 4% of an employee’s contributed annual eligible compensation. The Company no longer provides shares of its common stock as contributions to the 401(k) plan.

Defined Benefit Pension:
The Company has a defined benefit pension plan for certain employees in Japan. This plan has been frozen and new employees are not eligible. However, the Company is obligated to make future contributions to fund benefits to the participants with the benefits under the plan being based primarily on a combination of years of service and compensation.

The net amount of the unfunded obligation recognized in other long-term liabilities on the balance sheet consists of (in millions):

 Fiscal Year Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Pension benefit obligations at the end of the fiscal year$16.1
 $17.0
Fair value of plan assets at the end of the fiscal year11.3
 11.5
Unfunded status, net$(4.8) $(5.5)

The pension obligation and the net periodic benefit costs associated with the pension have an immaterial impact to the Company’s results of operations and financial position and accordingly, the disclosures required have been excluded from this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

12.     COMMITMENTS

The Company has various operating leases primarily for buildings, computers and equipment. Rent expense amounted to $20.5 million, $20.6 million, and $19.5 million in the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, respectively. Future minimum payments under these non-cancelable leases for the next five fiscal years are as follows (in millions):
  2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 Thereafter Total
Future minimum payments $21.6
 18.3
 14.2
 12.2
 5.3
 15.2
 $86.8

13.     CONTINGENCIES

Legal Matters

From time to time, various lawsuits, claims and proceedings have been, and may in the future be, instituted or asserted against the Company, including those pertaining to patent infringement, intellectual property, environmental hazards, product liability and warranty, safety and health, employment and contractual matters.

The semiconductor industry is characterized by vigorous protection and pursuit of intellectual property rights. From time to time, third parties have asserted and may in the future assert patent, copyright, trademark and other intellectual property rights to technologies that are important to the Company’s business and have demanded and may in the future demand that the Company license their technology. The outcome of any such litigation cannot be predicted with certainty and some such lawsuits, claims or proceedings may be disposed of unfavorably to the Company. Generally speaking, intellectual property disputes often have a risk of injunctive relief, which, if imposed against the Company, could materially and adversely affect the Company’s financial condition, or results of operations. From time to time the Company may also be involved in legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business.

The Company monitors the status of legal proceedings and other contingencies on an ongoing basis to ensure loss contingencies are recognized and/or disclosed in its financial statements and footnotes. The Company does not believe there are any pending legal proceedings that are reasonably possible to result in a material loss. The Company is engaged in various legal actions in the normal course of business and, while there can be no assurances, the Company believes the outcome of all pending litigation involving the Company will not have, individually or in the aggregate, a material adverse effect on its business or financial statements.

14.     GUARANTEES AND INDEMNITIES

The Company has made no significant contractual guarantees for the benefit of third parties. However, the Company generally indemnifies its customers from third-party intellectual property infringement litigation claims related to its products, and, on occasion, also provides other indemnities related to product sales. In connection with certain facility leases, the Company has indemnified its lessors for certain claims arising from the facility or the lease.

The Company indemnifies its directors and officers to the maximum extent permitted under the laws of the state of Delaware. The duration of the indemnities varies, and in many cases is indefinite. The indemnities to customers in connection with product sales generally are subject to limits based upon the amount of the related product sales and in many cases are subject to geographic and other restrictions. In certain instances, the Company’s indemnities do not provide for any limitation of the maximum potential future payments the Company could be obligated to make. The Company has not recorded any liability for these indemnities in the accompanying consolidated balance sheets and does not expect that such obligations will have a material adverse impact on its financial statements.

15.     RESTRUCTURING AND OTHER CHARGES

During fiscal 2018, the Company recorded restructuring and other charges of approximately $0.8 million related to a leased facility. The Company does not anticipate any material charges in future periods related to these plans. Charges associated with the restructuring plan are categorized in the "Other restructuring programs" in the table below.

During fiscal 2017, the Company implemented immaterial restructuring plans and recorded $0.6 million related to employee severance and other costs.

During fiscal 2016, the Company recorded restructuring and other charges of approximately $4.8 million primarily related to restructuring plans to reduce redundancies associated with acquisitions during the year.

16.     EARNINGS PER SHARE

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share (in millions, except per share amounts):
 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
Net income$918.4
 $1,010.2
 $995.2
      
Weighted average shares outstanding – basic181.3
 184.3
 188.7
Dilutive effect of equity based awards1.9
 2.4
 3.4
Weighted average shares outstanding – diluted183.2
 186.7
 192.1
      
Net income per share – basic$5.06
 $5.48
 $5.27
Net income per share – diluted$5.01
 $5.41
 $5.18
      
Anti-dilutive common stock equivalents0.2
 0.6
 1.5

Basic earnings per share are calculated by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding during the period. The calculation of diluted earnings per share includes the dilutive effect of equity based awards that were outstanding during the fiscal years ended September 28, 2018, September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, using the treasury stock method. Certain of the Company’s outstanding share-based awards, noted in the table above, were excluded because they were anti-dilutive, but they could become dilutive in the future.

17.     SEGMENT INFORMATION AND CONCENTRATIONS

The Company considers itself to be a single reportable operating segment which designs, develops, manufactures and markets similar proprietary semiconductor products, including intellectual property. In reaching this conclusion, management considers the definition of the chief operating decision maker (“CODM”), how the business is defined by the CODM, the nature of the information provided to the CODM and how that information is used to make operating decisions, allocate resources and assess performance. The Company’s CODM is the president and chief executive officer. The results of operations provided to and analyzed by the CODM are at the consolidated level and accordingly, key resource decisions and assessment of performance is performed at the consolidated level. The Company assesses its determination of operating segments at least annually.

GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

Net revenue by geographic area presented based upon the location of the OEMs' headquarters are as follows (in millions):

 Fiscal Years Ended
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
 September 30,
2016
United States$1,946.2
 $1,615.4
 $1,455.0
China982.8
 1,018.8
 971.2
South Korea432.7
 531.8
 393.0
Taiwan339.1
 335.4
 323.6
Europe, Middle East and Africa144.6
 117.4
 102.1
Other Asia-Pacific22.6
 32.6
 44.1
Total$3,868.0
 $3,651.4
 $3,289.0
During fiscal 2018, the Company updated the table above from prior period presentation of net revenue based on the country of destination to current period presentation of net revenue based on the location of the OEMs' headquarters. Prior periods have been reclassified to match the current period presentation.

The Company’s revenue to external customers is generated principally from the sale of semiconductor products that facilitate various wireless communication applications. Accordingly, the Company considers its product offerings to be similar in nature and therefore not segregated for reporting purposes.

Net property, plant and equipment balances, based on the physical locations within the indicated geographic areas are as follows (in millions):
 As of
 September 28,
2018
 September 29,
2017
Mexico$449.4
 $465.9
Japan328.4
 166.4
United States123.5
 126.9
Singapore222.7
 112.1
Rest of world16.9
 11.0
 $1,140.9
 $882.3

CONCENTRATIONS

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentration of credit risk consist principally of trade accounts receivable. Trade accounts receivable are primarily derived from sales to manufacturers of communications and consumer products and electronic component distributors. Ongoing credit evaluations of customers’ financial condition are performed and collateral, such as letters of credit and bank guarantees, are required whenever deemed necessary.

In fiscal 2018, 2017, and 2016, Apple, through sales to multiple distributors, contract manufacturers and direct sales for multiple applications including smartphones, tablets, desktop and notebook computers, watches and other devices, in the aggregate accounted for 47%, 39% and 40% of the Company’s net revenue, respectively. In fiscal 2017 and 2016, Samsung in the aggregate accounted for 12% and 10% of the Company’s net revenue, respectively. In fiscal 2017, Huawei in the aggregate accounted for 10% of the Company’s net revenue.

At September 28, 2018, the Company’s three largest accounts receivable balances comprised 66% of aggregate gross accounts receivable. This concentration was 53% and 54% at September 29, 2017, and September 30, 2016, respectively.

18.     QUARTERLY FINANCIAL DATA (UNAUDITED)

The following table summarizes the quarterly and annual results (in millions, except per share data):

 First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Fiscal year
Fiscal 2018         
Net revenue$1,051.9
 $913.4
 $894.3
 $1,008.4
 $3,868.0
Gross profit536.8
 458.7
 451.6
 503.6
 1,950.7
Net income70.4
 276.0
 286.5
 285.5
 918.4
Per share data (1)         
Net income, basic$0.38
 $1.51
 $1.58
 $1.60
 $5.06
Net income, diluted$0.38
 $1.50
 $1.57
 $1.58
 $5.01
          
Fiscal 2017         
Net revenue$914.3
 $851.7
 $900.8
 $984.6
 $3,651.4
Gross profit463.9
 425.4
 453.6
 498.9
 1,841.8
Net income257.8
 224.9
 246.2
 281.3
 1,010.2
Per share data (1)         
Net income, basic$1.39
 $1.22
 $1.34
 $1.53
 $5.48
Net income, diluted$1.38
 $1.20
 $1.32
 $1.51
 $5.41
____________
(1)Earnings per share calculations for each of the quarters are based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding and included common stock equivalents in each period. Therefore, the sums of the quarters do not necessarily equal the full year earnings per share.

ITEM 9. CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING ANDFINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.

None.

ITEM 9A. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.

Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures.
Our management, with the participation of our chief executive officer and chief financial officer, evaluated the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 28, 2018. The term “disclosure controls and procedures,” as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Exchange Act, means controls and other procedures of a company that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures include, without limitation, controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed by a company in the reports that it files or submits under the Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to the company’s management, including its principal executive and principal financial officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. Management recognizes that any controls and procedures, no matter how well designed and operated, can provide only reasonable assurance of achieving their objectives and management necessarily applies its judgment in evaluating the cost-benefit relationship of possible controls and procedures. Based on management’s evaluation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of September 28, 2018, our chief executive officer and chief financial officer concluded that, as of such date, our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at the reasonable assurance level.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting
The management of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting for the Company. Internal control over financial reporting is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) or 15d-15(f) promulgated under the Exchange Act as a process designed by, or under the supervision of, the Company’s principal executive and principal financial officers and effected by the Company’s Board of Directors, management and other personnel, to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and includes those policies and procedures that:

Pertain to the maintenance of records that in reasonable detail accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the Company;

Provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the Company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the Company; and

Provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of the Company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

The Company’s management assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of September 28, 2018. In making this assessment, the Company’s management used the criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO) 2013 Internal Control-Integrated Framework.
Based on their assessment, management concluded that, as of September 28, 2018, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting is effective based on those criteria.
The Company’s independent registered public accounting firm has issued an audit report on the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as stated within their report which appears herein.

Changes in internal control over financial reporting.

There are no changes to our internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) of the Exchange Act) that occurred during the period covered by this report that have materially affected or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

ITEM 9B. OTHER INFORMATION.

None.

PART III

ITEM 10. DIRECTORS, EXECUTIVE OFFICERS AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.

Directors and Executive Officers
The following table sets forth for each director and executive officer of the Company his or her position with the Company as of January 15, 2019:

NameTitle
David J. AldrichChairman of the Board
David J. McLachlanLead Independent Director
Liam K. GriffinPresident, Chief Executive Officer and Director
Kevin L. BeebeDirector
Timothy R. FureyDirector
Balakrishnan S. IyerDirector
Christine KingDirector
David P. McGladeDirector
Robert A. SchriesheimDirector
Kimberly S. StevensonDirector
Carlos S. BoriSenior Vice President, Sales and Marketing
Peter L. GammelChief Technology Officer
Kris SennesaelSenior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Robert J. TerrySenior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary
Directors
David J. Aldrich, age 61, serves as Chairman of the Board, a position he has held since May 2014. Mr. Aldrich also served as Executive Chairman from May 2016 to May 2018, Chief Executive Officer from May 2014 to May 2016, and as President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director from April 2000 to May 2014. From September 1999 to April 2000, Mr. Aldrich served as President and Chief Operating Officer. From May 1999 to September 1999, he served as Executive Vice President, and from May 1996 to May 1999, he served as Vice President and General Manager of the semiconductor products business unit. Mr. Aldrich joined the Company in 1995 as Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. Prior to joining Skyworks, he held senior management positions at Adams-Russell Company and M/A-COM, Inc. Mr. Aldrich also serves as a director of Belden Inc. (a publicly traded provider of end-to-end signal transmission solutions) and Acacia Communications, Inc. (a publicly traded provider of high-speed coherent optical interconnect products).
We believe that Mr. Aldrich is qualified to serve as a director because of his leadership experience, his strategic decision making ability, his knowledge of the semiconductor industry and his in-depth knowledge of Skyworks’ business. Mr. Aldrich brings to the Board of Directors his thorough knowledge of Skyworks’ business, strategy, people, operations, competition, financial position, and investors. Further, as a result of his service as a director for Belden Inc. and Acacia Communications, Inc., multinational public companies, Mr. Aldrich provides the Board of Directors with other organizational perspectives and cross-board experience.
David J. McLachlan, age 80, has been a director since 2000 and Lead Independent Director since May 2014. He served as Chairman of the Board from May 2008 to May 2014. Mr. McLachlan served as a senior advisor to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Genzyme Corporation (a publicly traded biotechnology company) from 1999 to 2004. He also was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Genzyme from 1989 to 1999. Prior to joining Genzyme, Mr. McLachlan served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Adams-Russell Company (an electronic component supplier and cable television franchise owner). He previously served as a director of Dyax Corp. until January 2016, when it was acquired by Shire plc.
We believe that Mr. McLachlan, the current Lead Independent Director, is qualified to serve as a director because he possesses a broad range of business experience as a result of his service as both chief financial officer and director for several public companies. In particular, Mr. McLachlan has in-depth experience handling complex accounting and finance issues for a broad range of companies. He has also served on the boards and audit and governance committees of other public companies (including as chairman of the audit committee), and serves as a designated “audit committee financial expert” for Skyworks’ Audit Committee.

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Kevin L. Beebe, age 59, has been a director since January 2004. Since November 2007, he has been President and Chief Executive Officer of 2BPartners, LLC (a partnership that provides strategic, financial, and operational advice to private equity investors and management). In 2014, Mr. Beebe became a founding partner of Astra Capital Management (a private equity firm based in Washington, D.C.). Previously, beginning in 1998, he was Group President of Operations at ALLTEL Corporation (a telecommunications services company). From 1996 to 1998, Mr. Beebe served as Executive Vice President of Operations for 360° Communications Co. (a wireless communication company). He has held a variety of executive and senior management positions at several divisions of Sprint, including Vice President of Operations and Vice President of Marketing and Administration for Sprint Cellular, Director of Marketing for Sprint North Central Division, Director of Engineering and Operations Staff and Director of Product Management and Business Development for Sprint Southeast Division, as well as Staff Director of Product Services at Sprint Corporation. Mr. Beebe began his career at AT&T/Southwestern Bell as a Manager. Mr. Beebe also serves as chairman of the board of directors of NII Holdings, Inc. (a publicly traded provider of mobile communication services in Brazil), and as a director for SBA Communications Corporation (a publicly traded operator of wireless communications infrastructure in North, Central, and South America), Syniverse Technologies, Inc. (a privately held provider of enterprise messaging solutions), and Logix Communications (a privately held provider of facilities-based communications services).
We believe that Mr. Beebe is qualified to serve as a director because of his two decades of experience as an operating executive in the wireless telecommunications industry. For example, as Group President of Operations at ALLTEL, he was instrumental in expanding ALLTEL’s higher margin retail business, which significantly enhanced ALLTEL’s competitive position in a dynamic, consolidating industry. In addition, as Chief Executive Officer of 2BPartners, LLC, Mr. Beebe continues to gain a broad range of business experience and to build business relationships by advising leading private equity firms that are transacting business in the global capital markets. Mr. Beebe provides cross-board experience by serving as a director for several public and private companies (including service on both audit and governance committees). Further, Mr. Beebe has served as a director of Skyworks since 2004 and has gained significant familiarity with Skyworks’ business.
Timothy R. Furey, age 60, has been a director since 1998. He has been Chief Executive Officer of MarketBridge (a privately owned digital marketing software and services firm) since 1991. MarketBridge provides digital marketing, predictive analytics, and sales effectiveness solutions to Fortune 1000 companies in the software, communications, financial services, life sciences, and consumer products sectors. Mr. Furey also serves as Managing Partner of the Technology Marketing Group (which advises and invests in emerging growth companies in the social media, mobile, and marketing automation markets). Prior to 1991, Mr. Furey worked with the Boston Consulting Group, Strategic Planning Associates, Kaiser Associates, and the Marketing Science Institute.
We believe that Mr. Furey is qualified to serve as a director because his experience as Chief Executive Officer of MarketBridge, as well as his engagements with MarketBridge’s clients (many of which are Fortune 1000 companies), provide him with a broad range of knowledge regarding business operations and growth strategies. In addition, Mr. Furey has extensive knowledge regarding Skyworks’ business, which he has acquired through over two decades of service on the Board of Directors.
Liam K. Griffin, age 52, is President and Chief Executive Officer and a director of the Company. Prior to his appointment as Chief Executive Officer and to the Board of Directors in May 2016, he had served as President since May 2014. He served as Executive Vice President and Corporate General Manager from November 2012 to May 2014, Executive Vice President and General Manager, High Performance Analog from May 2011 to November 2012, and Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing from August 2001 to May 2011. Previously, Mr. Griffin was employed by Vectron International, a division of Dover Corp., as Vice President of Worldwide Sales from 1997 to 2001 and as Vice President of North American Sales from 1995 to 1997. His prior experience included positions as a Marketing Manager at AT&T Microelectronics, Inc. and Product and Process Engineer at AT&T Network Systems. Mr. Griffin also serves as a director of Vicor Corp. (a publicly traded manufacturer and marketer of modular power components).
We believe that Mr. Griffin is qualified to serve as a director because of his breadth of leadership experience and in-depth understanding of Skyworks’ business gained through serving in several different executive positions at Skyworks over the past 17 years. Mr. Griffin brings to the Board of Directors strong relationships with Skyworks’ key customers, investors, employees, and other stakeholders, as well as a deep understanding of the semiconductor industry and its competitive landscape. His service as a director for Vicor Corp. gives Mr. Griffin added perspective regarding the challenges confronting public technology companies.
Balakrishnan S. Iyer, age 62, has been a director since June 2002. He served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Conexant Systems, Inc., from October 1998 to June 2003. Prior to joining Conexant, Mr. Iyer served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of VLSI Technology Inc. Prior to that, he was Corporate Controller for Cypress Semiconductor Corp. and Director of Finance for Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. Mr. Iyer serves on the boards of directors of Power Integrations, Inc. (a publicly traded provider of semiconductor technologies for high-voltage power conversion), IHS Markit Ltd. (a publicly traded company that delivers information, underanalytics and expertise for industries and markets worldwide), and Churchill Capital Corp. (a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company). He served as a director of Conexant from February 2002 until April 2011, as a director of Life Technologies Corp. from July 2001 until February 2014, when it was acquired by Thermo Fisher

4



Scientific Inc., as a director of IHS Inc. from December 2003 until July 2016, when it completed a merger with Markit Ltd., and as a director of QLogic Corporation from June 2003 until August 2016, when it was acquired by Cavium, Inc.
We believe that Mr. Iyer is qualified to serve as a director because his experience as an executive officer of companies in the captions “Directorstechnology industry provides him with leadership, strategic, and financial experience. Through his experiences as a director at the public companies listed above (including as a member of certain audit, governance, and compensation committees) he provides the Board of Directors with significant financial expertise as a designated “audit committee financial expert” for Skyworks’ Audit Committee, bringing specific application to our industry, as well as a broad understanding of corporate governance topics.
Christine King, age 69, has been a director since January 2014. Ms. King served as Executive Officers”Chairman of QLogic Corporation (a publicly traded developer of high performance server and storage networking connectivity products) from August 2015 until August 2016, when it was acquired by Cavium, Inc. Previously, she served as a director and as Chief Executive Officer of Standard Microsystems Corporation (a publicly traded developer of silicon-based integrated circuits utilizing analog and mixed-signal technologies) from 2008 until the company’s acquisition in 2012 by Microchip Technology, Inc. Prior to Standard Microsystems, Ms. King was Chief Executive Officer of AMI Semiconductor, Inc., “Corporate Governance─Committeesa publicly traded company, from 2001 until it was acquired by ON Semiconductor Corp. in 2008. From 1973 to 2001, Ms. King held various engineering, business, and management positions at IBM Corp., including Vice President of Semiconductor Products. Ms. King currently serves as a director of IDACORP, Inc. (a publicly traded holding company), and Idaho Power Company (a subsidiary of IDACORP). She previously served as a director of Cirrus Logic, Inc., QLogic Corporation, Analog Devices, Inc., and Atheros Communications, Inc., prior to its acquisition by Qualcomm, Inc.
We believe that Ms. King is qualified to serve as a director because of her extensive management and operational experience in the high tech and semiconductor industries. In particular, through her experience as Executive Chairman of QLogic and as Chief Executive Officer of Standard Microsystems and AMI Semiconductor, as well as her service as a director of other public companies, Ms. King provides the Board of Directors with significant strategic, operational, and financial expertise.
David P. McGlade, age 58, has been a director since February 2005. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors”Intelsat S.A. (a publicly traded worldwide provider of satellite communication services), a position he has held since April 2015. Mr. McGlade served as Executive Chairman from April 2015 to March 2018, prior to which he served as Chairman and “Other Matters─Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance”Chief Executive Officer. Mr. McGlade joined Intelsat in April 2005 and was the Deputy Chairman of Intelsat from August 2008 until April 2013. Previously, Mr. McGlade served as an Executive Director of mmO2 PLC and as the Chief Executive Officer of O2 UK (a subsidiary of mmO2), a position he held from October 2000 until March 2005. Before joining O2 UK, Mr. McGlade was President of the Western Region for Sprint PCS.
We believe that Mr. McGlade is qualified to serve as a director because of his over 30 years of experience in the telecommunications business, which have allowed him to acquire significant operational, strategic, and financial business acumen. Most recently, as a result of his work as the Chief Executive Officer of Intelsat, Mr. McGlade gained significant leadership and operational experience, as well as knowledge about the global capital markets.
Robert A. Schriesheim, age 58, has been a director since May 2006. He currently serves as chairman of Truax Partners LLC (a consulting firm). He served as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Sears Holdings (a nationwide retailer) from August 2011 to October 2016. From January 2010 to October 2010, Mr. Schriesheim was Chief Financial Officer of Hewitt Associates, Inc. (a global human resources consulting and outsourcing company that was acquired by Aon Corporation). From October 2006 until December 2009, he was the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Lawson Software, Inc. (a publicly traded ERP software provider). From August 2002 to October 2006, he was affiliated with ARCH Development Partners, LLC (a seed stage venture capital fund). Before joining ARCH, Mr. Schriesheim held executive positions at Global TeleSystems, SBC Equity Partners, Ameritech, AC Nielsen, and Brooke Group Ltd. Mr. Schriesheim currently serves as a director of Frontier Communications Corporation (a publicly traded provider of communications services), Houlihan Lokey Inc. (a publicly traded financial services firm), and NII Holdings, Inc. (a publicly traded provider of mobile communication services in Brazil), and previously served as a director of Lawson Software, until its sale in July 2011, and Forest City Realty Trust, until its sale in December 2018. In addition, from 2004 until 2007, he was also a director of Dobson Communications Corp. (a former publicly traded wireless services communications company that was acquired by AT&T Inc.) and from 2007 until 2009 he served as a director of MSC Software Corp. (a former publicly traded provider of integrated simulation solutions for designing and testing manufactured products that was acquired by Symphony Technology Group).
We believe that Mr. Schriesheim is qualified to serve as a director because of his extensive knowledge of the capital markets, experience with corporate financial capital structures, and long history of evaluating and structuring merger and acquisition transactions within the technology sector. Mr. Schriesheim also has significant experience, as a senior executive and director in both public and private companies in the technology sector, leading companies through major strategic and financial corporate transformations while doing business in the global marketplace. He also serves as a designated “audit committee financial expert” for Skyworks’ Audit Committee.
Kimberly S. Stevenson, age 56, has been a director since July 2018. She served as Senior Vice President and General Manager, Data Center Products and Solutions, at Lenovo Group Ltd. (a publicly traded manufacturer of personal computers, data center

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equipment, smartphones, and tablets) from May 2017 to October 2018. Previously, she served as a Corporate Vice President at Intel Corporation (a publicly traded semiconductor designer and manufacturer) from September 2009 to February 2017, holding various positions including Chief Operating Officer for the Client and Internet of Things Businesses and Systems Architecture Group from September 2016 to February 2017, Chief Information Officer from February 2012 to August 2016, and General Manager, IT Operations and Services, from September 2009 to January 2012. Prior to joining Intel, Ms. Stevenson held various operations and management positions at Electronic Data Systems Corporation from 2002 to 2009 and at IBM Corp. from 1985 to 2002. Ms. Stevenson currently serves as a director of Boston Private Financial Holdings, Inc. (a publicly traded wealth management company). She previously served as a director of Riverbed Technology, Inc. (a publicly traded hardware and software developer), prior to its being taken private in 2015.
We believe that Ms. Stevenson is qualified to serve as a director given her extensive experience in the semiconductor and technology industries. With over three decades of senior management experience at companies in various high tech disciplines, Ms. Stevenson brings to the Board of Directors a broad understanding of issues facing the Company and its competitors and offers specific expertise on best practices within information systems and operational risk management.
In addition to the information presented above regarding each director’s specific experience, qualifications, attributes and skills that led our definitive proxy statementBoard of Directors to conclude that he or she should serve as a director, we also believe that each of our directors has a reputation for integrity, honesty and adherence to high ethical standards. They have each demonstrated business acumen, an ability to exercise sound judgment, and a commitment of service to Skyworks. Each of our directors will serve until the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders and until their successors are elected and qualified or until their earlier resignation or removal.
Executive Officers (other than the Chief Executive Officer)
Carlos S. Bori, age 48, joined the Company in July 2013 and has served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing since November 2017. He served as Vice President of Sales and Marketing from May 2016 to November 2017 and as Vice President of Marketing from July 2013 to May 2016. Previously, he spent more than 18 years with Beacon Electronic Associates (a North American independent representative of semiconductor manufacturers), serving as its President from 2004 to 2013.
Peter L. Gammel, age 58, joined the Company in June 2011 in connection with the Company’s acquisition of SiGe Semiconductor Inc. and has served as Chief Technology Officer since March 2013. He served as Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Connectivity from October 2011 to March 2013, and Vice President, Engineering from June 2011 to October 2011. At SiGe, he served as Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Engineering from June 2007 to June 2011. His prior experience included positions as Vice President of Engineering at Renaissance Wireless, Chief Technology Officer at AdvanceNanotech, Inc., and Chief Technology Officer for the Analog Products Business of Agere Systems Inc.
Kris Sennesael, age 50, joined the Company in August 2016 and is incorporated herein by reference.Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Previously, Mr. Sennesael served as Chief Financial Officer for Enphase Energy, Inc. (a semiconductor-based renewable energy solutions provider), from September 2012 to August 2016. Earlier, he served as Chief Financial Officer for Standard Microsystems Corporation (a global fabless semiconductor company) from January 2009 to August 2012, prior to which he held financial positions at ON Semiconductor Corp., AMI Semiconductor, Inc., and Alcatel Microelectronics.
Robert J. Terry, age 52, joined the Company in 2003 and has served as Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary since November 2017. He previously served as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary from November 2016 to November 2017 and as Vice President, Associate General Counsel and Assistant Secretary from June 2011 to November 2016. Before joining Skyworks, he served as General Counsel and Secretary for Day Software, Inc. (an enterprise content management software company), from July 2001 to February 2003. Prior to joining Day Software, Mr. Terry was in private practice, focusing on corporate and securities matters, mergers and acquisitions, and general business litigation.
Audit Committee
We have established an Audit Committee consisting of the following individuals, each of whom qualifies as independent within the meaning of the applicable Listing Rules of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC (the “Nasdaq Rules”) and meets the criteria for independence set forth in Rule 10A-3(b)(1) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”): Robert A. Schriesheim (Chairman), Kevin L. Beebe, Balakrishnan S. Iyer, and David J. McLachlan. The Board of Directors has determined that each of Messrs. Schriesheim (Chairman), Iyer, and McLachlan meets the qualifications of an “audit committee financial expert” under SEC Rules and the qualifications of “financial sophistication” under the applicable Nasdaq Rules.
Code of Ethics

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We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal accounting officer or controller, andor persons performing similar functions. We make available our code of business conduct and ethics free of charge through our website which is located at www.skyworksinc.com.http://www.skyworksinc.com. We intend to disclose any amendments to, or waivers from, our code of business conduct and ethics that are required to be publicly disclosed pursuant to rules of the SEC and the Nasdaq Global Select Market by posting any such amendment or waivers on our website pursuant to SEC requirements and disclosing any such waiversNasdaq Rules.
Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act requires our directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of our equity securities to file reports of holdings and transactions in a Form 8-K filedsecurities of Skyworks with the SEC. Based solely on a review of Forms 3, 4, and 5 and any amendments thereto furnished to us, and written representations provided to us, with respect to our fiscal year ended September 28, 2018 (“fiscal year 2018”), we believe that all Section 16(a) filing requirements applicable to our directors, executive officers and beneficial owners of more than 10% of the Company’s common stock with respect to such fiscal year were timely made.


ITEM 11. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
Compensation Discussion and Analysis
This Compensation Discussion and Analysis section discusses the compensation policies and programs for our Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Financial Officer, our former Executive Chairman, and our three next most highly paid executive officers during fiscal year 2018 as determined under the rules of the SEC. We refer to this group of executive officers as our “Named Executive Officers.” For fiscal year 2018, our Named Executive Officers were:
Liam K. Griffin, President and Chief Executive Officer;
Kris Sennesael, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer;
Carlos S. Bori, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing;
Peter L. Gammel, Chief Technology Officer;
Robert J. Terry, Senior Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary; and
David J. Aldrich, Former Executive Chairman (retired as Executive Chairman on May 9, 2018).
Approach for Determining Form and Amounts of Compensation
The informationCompensation Committee, which is composed solely of independent directors within the meaning of applicable Nasdaq Rules, outside directors within the meaning of Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) (solely for purposes of administering any equity awards that may qualify as grandfathered performance-based compensation), and non-employee directors within the meaning of Rule 16b-3 under the Exchange Act, is responsible for determining all components and amounts of compensation to be included underpaid to our Named Executive Officers, as well as any other executive officers or employees who report directly to the caption “Information aboutChief Executive and Director Compensation” in our definitive proxy statementOfficer. The Compensation Committee sets compensation for the 2019Named Executive Officers, including base salary, short-term incentives, and long-term stock-based incentives, at levels generally intended to be competitive with the compensation of comparable executives in semiconductor companies with which the Company competes for executive talent.
Compensation Program Objectives
The objectives of our executive compensation program are to attract, retain and motivate highly qualified executives to operate our business, and to link the compensation of those executives to improvements in the Company’s financial performance and increases in stockholder value. Accordingly, the Compensation Committee’s goals in establishing our executive compensation program include:

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ensuring that our executive compensation program is competitive with a group of companies in the semiconductor industry with which we compete for executive talent;
providing a base salary that serves as the foundation of a compensation package that attracts and retains the executive talent needed to achieve our business objectives;
providing short-term variable compensation that motivates executives and rewards them for achieving Company financial performance targets;
providing long-term stock-based compensation that aligns the interest of our executives with stockholders by rewarding them for long-term increases in stockholder value; and
ensuring that our executive compensation program is perceived as fundamentally fair to all of our employees.
Retention of Compensation Consultant
The Compensation Committee has engaged Aon/Radford Consulting (“Aon/Radford”) to assist in determining the components and amount of executive compensation. Aon/Radford reports directly to the Compensation Committee, through its chairman, and the Compensation Committee retains the right to terminate or replace the consultant at any time. The consultant advises the Compensation Committee on such compensation matters as are requested by the Compensation Committee. The Compensation Committee considers the consultant’s advice on such matters in addition to any other information or factors it considers relevant in making its compensation determinations. In fiscal year 2018, Aon/Radford received $246,580 for survey data and compensation consulting services to the Compensation Committee.
The Compensation Committee has considered the relationships that Aon/Radford has with the Company, the members of the Compensation Committee and our executive officers, as well as the policies that Aon/Radford has in place to maintain its independence and objectivity, and has determined that Aon/Radford’s work for the Compensation Committee has not raised any conflicts of interest. Company management has separately engaged Aon Risk Solutions, an affiliate of Aon/Radford, for risk management and insurance brokerage services. The Company paid $420,977 to Aon Risk Solutions in fiscal year 2018 for those services. Additionally, Company management has engaged certain affiliates of Aon/Radford in various jurisdictions for consulting and brokerage services unrelated to executive compensation and benefits, for which the Company paid a total of $77,837 in fiscal year 2018. The Company’s management did not seek the Compensation Committee’s approval for such engagements with affiliates of Aon/Radford.
Role of Chief Executive Officer
The Compensation Committee also considers the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of the other Named Executive Officers and each of his other direct reports. These recommendations include an assessment of each individual’s responsibilities, experience, performance and contribution to the Company’s performance, and also generally take into account internal factors such as scope of role and level in the organization, in addition to external factors such as the current environment for attracting and retaining executives.
Establishment of Comparator Group Data
In determining compensation for each of the Named Executive Officers, the committee utilizes “Comparator Group” data for each position. For fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee approved Comparator Group data consisting of a 50/50 blend of (i) Aon/Radford survey data of 11 semiconductor companies (where sufficient data was not available in the Aon/Radford semiconductor survey data for a given executive position, the Comparator Group data also included survey data regarding high-technology companies), and (ii) the “peer” group data for 14 publicly traded semiconductor companies with which the Company competes for executive talent:
*Advanced Micro Devices*Lam Research*ON Semiconductor
*Analog Devices*Maxim Integrated Products*Qorvo
*Applied Materials*Microchip Technology*Texas Instruments
*Broadcom Limited*Micron Technology*Xilinx
*KLA-Tencor*NVIDIA

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Use of Comparator Group Data
The Compensation Committee annually compares the components and amounts of compensation that we provide to our Chief Executive Officer and other Named Executive Officers with the components and amounts of compensation provided to their counterparts in the Comparator Group and uses this comparison data as a guideline in its review and determination of base salaries, short-term incentives, and long-term stock-based compensation awards, as discussed in further detail below under “Components of Compensation.” In addition, in setting fiscal year 2018 compensation, the Compensation Committee sought and received input from Aon/Radford regarding the base salaries for the Chief Executive Officer and each of the other executive officers, the incentive targets relating to the short-term incentive program for executive officers, and the individual stock-based compensation awards for executive officers, as well as the related vesting schedules.
After reviewing the data and considering the input, the Compensation Committee established (and the full Board of Directors was advised of) the base salary, short-term incentive target, and long-term stock-based compensation award for each Named Executive Officer. In establishing individual compensation, the Compensation Committee also considered the input of the Chief Executive Officer, as well as the individual experience and performance of each executive.
In determining the compensation of our Chief Executive Officer for fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee focused on (i) competitive levels of compensation for chief executive officers who are leading a company of similar size and complexity, (ii) the importance of retaining a chief executive officer with the strategic, financial, and leadership skills necessary to ensure our continued growth and success, (iii) our Chief Executive Officer’s role relative to the other Named Executive Officers, (iv) input from the full Board of Directors on our Chief Executive Officer’s performance, and (v) the length of our Chief Executive Officer’s service to the Company. Aon/Radford advised the Compensation Committee that the base salary, annual performance targets, short-term incentive target opportunity, and equity-based compensation established by the Compensation Committee for fiscal year 2018 were competitive for chief executive officers leading companies of similar size and complexity in the semiconductor industry. Our Chief Executive Officer was not present during the voting or deliberations of the Compensation Committee concerning his compensation. As stated above, however, the Compensation Committee did consider the recommendations of the Chief Executive Officer regarding the compensation of the other Named Executive Officers and each of his other direct reports.
Response to Stockholder Vote on Executive Compensation at 2018 Annual Meeting
At our 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, approximately 93% of the votes cast approved the compensation of the Company’s named executive officers as disclosed in the proxy statement delivered to our stockholders in connection with the 2018 Annual Meeting. We understood this to mean that stockholders generally approved of our compensation policies and determinations in 2018. However, the Compensation Committee still undertook a review of our compensation policies and determinations following the 2018 Annual Meeting with the assistance of Aon/Radford. After this review and consideration of evolving best practices in executive compensation by public companies generally, upon the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, we determined not to make any significant changes to our executive compensation decisions and policies. The Compensation Committee periodically reviews the goals we would like to achieve through our executive compensation practices and explores ways to modify those practices to either achieve new goals or to enhance our ability to achieve existing goals.
Components of Compensation
The key elements of compensation for our Named Executive Officers are base salary, short-term incentives, long-term stock-based incentives, 401(k) plan retirement benefits, medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, and financial planning benefits. Consistent with our objective of ensuring that executive compensation is incorporatedperceived as fair to all employees, the Named Executive Officers do not receive any retirement benefits beyond those generally available to our benefits-eligible employees, and we do not provide medical, dental, vision, or other insurance benefits to Named Executive Officers that are different from those offered to other benefits-eligible employees.
Base Salary
Base salaries provide our executive officers with a degree of financial certainty and stability. The Compensation Committee determines a competitive base salary for each executive officer using the Comparator Group data and input provided by Aon/Radford. Based on these factors, base salaries of the Named Executive Officers for fiscal year 2018 were generally targeted at the Comparator Group median, with consideration given to role, responsibility, performance and length of service. The Compensation Committee did not increase, nor evaluate, the base salary for Mr. Aldrich for fiscal year 2018, because his base salary had been established in May 2016 at the time of his appointment as Executive Chairman. The base salary for fiscal year 2018 for each remaining Named Executive Officer increased on average 7.85% from the Named Executive Officer’s base salary in fiscal year 2017 as a result of market-based salary adjustments recommended by Aon/Radford, with increases ranging from 3.1% to 11.9%, which included increases related to the promotions of Messrs. Bori and Terry to Senior Vice President.

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Short-Term Incentives
Our short-term incentive compensation plan for executive officers is established annually by the Compensation Committee. For fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee adopted the Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Incentive Plan (the “Incentive Plan”). The Incentive Plan established short-term incentive awards for fiscal year 2018 for certain officers of the Company, including the Named Executive Officers, based on the Company’s achievement of certain corporate performance goals established for fiscal year 2018. Short-term incentive compensation is intended to motivate and reward executives by tying a significant portion of their total compensation to the Company’s achievement of pre-established performance goals that are generally short-term (i.e., one year or less). Pursuant to the Incentive Plan, the Compensation Committee sets a range of short-term incentive compensation that can be earned by each executive officer based on the Comparator Group data, which is expressed as a percentage of the executive officer’s base salary and which corresponds to the level of achievement of the performance goals. The low end of that range, referred to as the “threshold” percentage, is equal to the amount of compensation payable to the executive if the level of achievement of each performance goal applicable to the executive was at the minimum set by the Compensation Committee to be eligible to receive a payment for that goal under the Incentive Plan (referred to as the “threshold” level). At the threshold payout level, the short-term incentive compensation was designed to result in a payout less than the median short-term incentive compensation of the Comparator Group. The middle of the range, referred to as the “target” percentage, is equal to the amount of short-term incentive compensation payable to the executive if the level of achievement of each performance goal applicable to the executive met the expectations set by the Compensation Committee (referred to as the “target” level). Achievement of all performance goals at the “target” level would result in a short-term incentive compensation payout equal to the “target” percentage, which is designed to be the median short-term incentive compensation of the Comparator Group. The high end of the range, referred to as the “maximum” percentage, is equal to the amount of compensation payable to the executive if the level of achievement of each performance goal applicable to the executive reached the high-end target set by the Compensation Committee for such goal (referred to as the “maximum” level). Achievement of all performance goals at the “maximum” level would result in a short-term incentive compensation payout at the “maximum” percentage, which is designed to be above the median short-term incentive compensation of the Comparator Group. Absent an exercise of discretion by the Compensation Committee, the total short-term incentive compensation paid to each executive would not exceed the “maximum” percentage and, in the event that the level of achievement of all performance goals was below the “threshold” level, no short-term incentive compensation payment would be made to the executive. The following table shows the range of short-term incentive compensation that each Named Executive Officer could earn in fiscal year 2018 as a percentage of such executive officer’s annual base salary.

 ThresholdTargetMaximum
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Chairman80%160%320%
Chief Financial Officer45%90%180%
Other Executive Officers35%70%140%
The actual total amount of short-term incentive compensation payable to an executive depends on the level of achievement of each performance goal assigned to the executive. In November 2017, the Compensation Committee established performance goals for fiscal year 2018 based on achieving certain revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share (“EPS”) performance metrics. Each of the performance goals was weighted equally (50% each) toward each Named Executive Officer’s payment under the Incentive Plan. In January 2018, the Compensation Committee amended the performance goals under the Incentive Plan to provide that the portion of the incentive awards under the Incentive Plan that previously was attainable based on the Company’s achievement against a non-GAAP EPS performance metric would instead be attainable based on the Company’s achievement against a non-GAAP operating income performance metric. The non-GAAP operating income performance metric had been established by the Compensation Committee in November 2017, concurrently with the non-GAAP EPS performance metric. The Compensation Committee approved the change in metrics in light of the favorable impact on the Company’s non-GAAP EPS for fiscal year 2018 that was expected as a result of tax legislation signed into law on December 22, 2017 (the “Tax Act”), as well as the potential favorable impact on non-GAAP EPS of the Company’s new stock repurchase program adopted in January 2018. At the time of the change in performance metrics in January 2018, the Compensation Committee believed this change maintained the original rigor of the performance incentive objectives of the Incentive Plan and negated a potential windfall attributable to the Tax Act changes or to repurchase activity. The non-GAAP operating income performance goal is based on the Company’s actual non-GAAP operating income, which it calculates by excluding from GAAP operating income share-based compensation expense, acquisition-related expenses, amortization of intangibles, restructuring-related charges, and litigation settlement gains, losses, and expenses.

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The Compensation Committee determines with respect to each performance goal the “threshold,” “target,” and “maximum” levels of achievement, which correspond to the matching descriptions set forth above. For Company performance goals, the levels of achievement will be consistent across the executives to which such goals apply.
Following the end of the fiscal year, the Compensation Committee determines the total amount of short-term incentive compensation payable to each executive for such period by comparing the actual level of achievement of each performance goal assigned to such executive against the “threshold,” “target,” and “maximum” levels of achievement that it set for that performance goal. The Compensation Committee determines the amount of short-term incentive compensation the executive is eligible to receive with respect to each performance goal as follows:
If the level of achievement for the performance goal falls below the “threshold” level, then the executive will not earn any short-term incentive compensation with respect to that performance goal (absent an exercise of discretion by the Compensation Committee).
If the level of achievement for the performance goal is equal to the “threshold,” “target,” or “maximum” level, then the executive earns the product obtained by multiplying (i) the “threshold,” “target,” or “maximum” percentage, as applicable, by (ii) the executive’s base salary during the fiscal year, by (iii) the weighting assigned to that performance goal.
If the level of achievement for the performance goal falls in between either the “threshold” and “target” levels or the “target” and “maximum” levels, the executive would earn short-term incentive compensation equal to the short-term incentive compensation payable at the “threshold” or “target” level, as applicable, plus a pro rata amount of the difference between the short-term incentive compensation payable for the performance goal at the “threshold” and “target” levels or the “target” and “maximum” levels, as applicable.
Absent an exercise of discretion by the Compensation Committee, if the level of achievement for the performance goal exceeds the “maximum” level, the executive will only earn the amount payable for achievement at the “maximum” level.
Each executive’s short-term incentive compensation under the Incentive Plan is calculated by evaluating achievement of each performance goal individually, determining the portion of the total eligible bonus earned with respect to each such performance goal, and totaling the resulting amounts.
The target level performance goals established by the Compensation Committee under the Incentive Plan are based on the Company’s historical operating results and growth rates as well as the Company’s expected future results and are designed to require significant effort and operational success on the part of our executives and the Company. The maximum level performance goals established by the Compensation Committee have historically been difficult to achieve and are designed to represent outstanding performance that the Compensation Committee believes should be rewarded. Typically, financial performance goals are set with the expectation that the “target” level will be around the consensus analyst estimates for the Company.
The Incentive Plan stipulated that all payouts to executives under the Incentive Plan were conditioned upon the Company achieving a nominal performance goal based on non-GAAP operating income (after accounting for any incentive award payments, including those to be made under the Incentive Plan). The nominal non-GAAP operating income performance goal is based on the Company’s actual non-GAAP operating income, which it calculates as described above. The Compensation Committee retains the discretion, based on the recommendation of the Chief Executive Officer, to make payments even if the threshold performance metrics are not met or to make payments in excess of the maximum level if the Company’s performance exceeds the maximum metrics. The Compensation Committee believes it is appropriate to retain this discretion in order to make short-term incentive compensation awards in extraordinary circumstances.
The Company’s actual revenue and non-GAAP operating income achieved in fiscal year 2018, at 93.3% and 85.1% of the target level of performance, respectively, resulted in a short-term incentive compensation award for each Named Executive Officer equal to 89.2% of the Named Executive Officer’s target payment level. Mr. Aldrich’s short-term incentive compensation award was prorated for the portion of fiscal year 2018 during which he was employed.
Long-Term Stock-Based Compensation
The Compensation Committee generally makes long-term stock-based compensation awards to executive officers on an annual basis. Long-term stock-based compensation awards are intended to align the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders, and to reward our executive officers for increases in stockholder value over long periods of time (i.e., greater than one year). It is the Company’s practice to make stock-based compensation awards to executive officers in November of each

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year at a prescheduled Compensation Committee meeting. For fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee made awards to each of the Named Executive Officers on November 7, 2017, at a regularly scheduled Compensation Committee meeting.
In making annual stock-based compensation awards to executive officers for fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee first reviewed the Comparator Group data to determine the percentage of the total number of outstanding shares of stock that companies in the Comparator Group typically made for annual awards under employee equity compensation programs. The Compensation Committee then set the number of shares of the Company’s common stock that would be made available for annual equity awards at approximately the median of the Comparator Group after its evaluation of the Company’s business needs for the attraction and retention of executives and employees, internal and external circumstances impacting the Company and its employees, and proxy advisor (e.g., ISS) guidelines. The Compensation Committee then reviewed the Comparator Group competitive grant data by executive position. The Compensation Committee then used that data and the Comparator Group data to determine a dollar value equivalent for the long-term equity-based award for each executive officer. Forty percent (40%) of that dollar equivalent value served as the basis for determining a number of restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to award to the executive using the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of such award, and the remaining sixty percent (60%) of the dollar equivalent value served as the basis for determining a number of performance share awards (“PSAs”) for the executive using the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of such award and an assumption that the Company would achieve the “target” level of performance required to earn the PSA. The Compensation Committee’s rationale for awarding PSAs is to further align the executive’s interest with those of the Company’s stockholders by using equity awards that will vest only if the Company achieves pre-established performance metrics, and we believe the Compensation Committee’s decision, described below, to award PSAs subject to a performance metric measured over a three-year performance period more closely aligns the executive’s interest with those of the Company’s stockholders. A description of the PSAs, including the method by which they vest and the related performance metrics, is set forth below in the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table.” For fiscal year 2018, the Compensation Committee decided not to award stock options to executive officers after reviewing Comparator Group data that showed a general move within the industry over the past several years away from stock options grants.
Other Compensation and Benefits
We provide other benefits to our executive officers that are intended to be part of a competitive overall compensation program and are not tied to any company performance criteria. Consistent with the Compensation Committee’s goal of ensuring that executive compensation is perceived as fair to all stakeholders, the Company offers medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance plans to executive officers under the same terms as such benefits are offered to other employees. Additionally, executive officers are permitted to participate in the Company’s 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan and Employee Stock Purchase Plan under the same terms as other employees. The Company does not provide executive officers with any enhanced retirement benefits (i.e., executive officers are subject to the same limits on contributions as other employees, as the Company does not offer any supplemental executive retirement plan or other similar non-qualified deferred compensation plan), and they are eligible for 401(k) company-match contributions under the same terms as other employees. In fiscal year 2018, the Company offered executives the opportunity to participate in financial planning services through The Ayco Company, L.P. (“Ayco”), at a cost of up to approximately $19,000 per executive paid by the Company. In fiscal year 2018, Mr. Aldrich is the only Named Executive Officer who received financial planning services through Ayco, and he elected to pay personally for such services.
In prior fiscal years certain executive officers were provided an opportunity to participate in the Company’s Executive Compensation Plan (the “Executive Compensation Plan”), an unfunded, non-qualified deferred compensation plan, under which participants were allowed to defer a portion of their compensation. As a result of deferred compensation legislation under Section 409A of the IRC, which became effective on December 31, 2005, the Company no longer permits employees to make contributions to the plan. Upon retirement, as defined in the Executive Compensation Plan, or other separation from service, or, if so elected, upon any earlier change in control of the Company, a participant is entitled to a payment of his vested account balance, either in a single lump sum or in annual installments, as elected in advance by the participant. Although the Company had discretion to make additional contributions to the accounts of participants while the Executive Compensation Plan was active, it never did so. Mr. Aldrich is the only Named Executive Officer who participated in the Executive Compensation Plan while it was active, and upon his retirement during fiscal year 2018, he received a lump sum payment of his vested account balance.
On September 13, 2017, the Company entered into an International Assignment Agreement with Mr. Gammel, effective as of October 16, 2017 (the “International Assignment Agreement”), pursuant to which Mr. Gammel has relocated to Japan. In connection with the International Assignment Agreement, Mr. Gammel is entitled to receive the following: (a) tax equalization payments, which are intended to leave Mr. Gammel in a net after-tax position substantially equivalent to what he would experience if he were subject only to U.S. federal and state income taxes during the period of the assignment, (b) payment of, or reimbursement for, certain costs related to his relocation to Japan, including moving expenses, a car allowance, housing costs in Japan, and travel costs to return periodically to the United States, and (c) repatriation relocation benefits at the completion of his assignment.

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Severance and Change-in-Control Benefits
None of our executive officers, including the Named Executive Officers, has an employment agreement that provides a specific term of employment with the Company. Accordingly, the employment of any such employee may be terminated at any time. We do provide certain benefits to our Named Executive Officers upon certain qualifying terminations of employment and in connection with terminations of employment under certain circumstances following a change in control. A description of the material terms of our severance and change-in-control arrangements with the Named Executive Officers can be found immediately below and further below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.
The Compensation Committee believes that severance protections can play a valuable role in recruiting and retaining superior talent. Severance and other termination benefits are an effective way to offer executives financial security to incent them to forego an opportunity with another company. These agreements also protect the Company as the Named Executive Officers are bound by restrictive non-compete and non-solicit covenants for up to two years after termination of employment. Outside of the change-in-control context, each Named Executive Officer is entitled to severance benefits if his employment is involuntarily terminated by the Company without cause and, in the case of the Chief Executive Officer, if he terminates his own employment for good reason (as defined in the Chief Executive Officer’s change-in-control agreement). The level of each Named Executive Officer’s cash severance or other termination benefit is generally tied to his annual base salary and short-term incentive amounts. Under his agreement, the Executive Chairman became entitled to certain severance benefits upon the expiration of the term of his agreement in May 2018, as described further below.
Additionally, each Named Executive Officer would receive enhanced severance benefits and accelerated vesting of equity awards if his employment were terminated under certain circumstances in connection with a change in control of the Company. These benefits are described in detail further below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.” The Compensation Committee believes these enhanced severance benefits and accelerated vesting are appropriate because the occurrence, or potential occurrence, of a change-in-control transaction would likely create uncertainty regarding the continued employment of executive officers that typically occurs in a change-in-control context, and such severance benefits and accelerated vesting encourage the Named Executive Officers to remain employed with the Company through the change-in-control process and to focus on enhancing stockholder value both before and during the process. In addition, the vesting protection helps assure the Named Executive Officers that they will not lose the expected value of their equity awards because of a change in control of the Company.
Executive Officer Stock Ownership Requirements
We have adopted Executive Stock Ownership guidelines with the objective of more closely aligning the interests of our executive officers with those of our stockholders. Under the Executive Officer Ownership guidelines, our Chief Executive Officer is required to hold the lower of (a) the number of shares with a fair market value equal to six (6) times such executive’s current base salary, or (b) 135,000 shares; our Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, our Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing, and our Senior Vice President and General Counsel are each required to hold the lower of (a) the number of shares with a fair market value equal to two and one-half (21/2) times such executive’s current base salary, or (b) 28,800, 25,200 or 25,800 shares, respectively; and our Chief Technology Officer is required to hold the lower of (a) the number of shares with a fair market value equal to two (2) times his current base salary, or (b) 20,100 shares. For purposes of the Executive Stock Ownership guidelines, the fair market value of the Company’s common stock is the average closing price per share of the Company’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (or if the common stock is not then traded on such market, such other market on which the common stock is traded) for the twelve (12) month period ending with the determination date. As of January 15, 2019, all of our Named Executive Officers were in compliance with the stock ownership guidelines.
Compliance with Internal Revenue Code Section 162(m)
For fiscal year 2018, Section 162(m) of the IRC generally disallowed a tax deduction for compensation in excess of $1 million paid to our Chief Executive Officer and any of our three other most highly compensated executive officers, other than our Chief Financial Officer. Pursuant to the Tax Act, for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2017, the compensation of our Chief Financial Officer will also be subject to the deduction limitation. For fiscal years beginning on or before December 31, 2017, certain compensation, including qualified performance‑based compensation, was not subject to the deduction limit if applicable requirements were met. Pursuant to the Tax Act, subject to certain transition rules, for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2017, the performance-based compensation exception to the deduction limitations under Section 162(m) will no longer be available. As a result, with the exception of compensation grandfathered pursuant to the transition rules, for fiscal years beginning after December 31, 2017, all compensation in excess of $1 million paid to the specified executives will not be deductible. For the Company’s fiscal year 2018 (which began on September 30, 2017, before the Tax Act changes to Section 162(m) became effective), the Compensation Committee generally sought to structure the compensation of our executive officers in a manner that was intended to avoid disallowance of deductions under Section 162(m). However, the Compensation Committee reserved the right to use its judgment to authorize compensation payments to the Company’s executives that were subject to the Section 162(m) deduction

13



limit when the Compensation Committee believed such payments were appropriate and in the best interests of the Company and our stockholders.


14



Compensation Tables for Named Executive Officers
Summary Compensation Table
The following table summarizes compensation earned by, or awarded or paid to, our Named Executive Officers for fiscal year 2018, our fiscal year ended September 29, 2017 (“fiscal year 2017”), and our fiscal year ended September 30, 2016 (“fiscal year 2016”).
Name and Principal Position YearSalary
($)
Stock
Awards
($)(1)
Option
Awards
($)(1)
Non-Equity
Incentive
Plan
Compensation
($)(2)
All Other
Compensation
($)(3)
Total
($)
Liam K. Griffin2018894,8087,150,399
1,284,664
12,2429,342,113
  President and2017850,0005,336,6031,230,158
1,273,055
12,0428,701,858
  Chief Executive Officer2016660,4043,465,0602,591,488

11,7516,728,703
Kris Sennesael2018456,3662,491,910
369,341
13,0753,330,692
  Senior Vice President and2017425,0001,289,639297,268
358,047
235,4942,605,448
  Chief Financial Officer201640,8651,880,500926,700

782,848,143
Carlos S. Bori(4)2018398,5352,491,910
251,669
12,3463,154,460
  Senior Vice President,2017356,4931,245,174287,025
235,890
31,2442,155,826
  Sales and Marketing       
Peter L. Gammel2018400,7541,245,896
251,045
389,6232,287,318
  Chief Technology Officer2017389,065978,287225,523
255,547
73,3671,921,789
 2016379,900818,455546,024

18,0751,762,454
Robert J. Terry(4)2018409,0541,557,371
257,914
12,4662,236,805
  Senior Vice President,       
  General Counsel and Secretary       
David J. Aldrich(5)2018565,2756,636,938
696,448
2,914,94810,813,609
  Former Executive Chairman2017800,0004,802,9951,107,130
1,198,170
16,4937,924,788
 2016822,9813,720,2502,457,108

15,0437,015,382
         

(1)The amounts in the Stock Awards and Option Awards columns represent the grant date fair values, computed in accordance with the provisions of FASB ASC Topic 718-Compensation-Stock Compensation (“ASC 718”), of stock options, PSAs, and RSUs granted during the applicable fiscal year, without regard to estimated forfeiture rates. For fiscal years 2016, 2017, and 2018, assuming the highest level of performance achievement with respect to the PSAs, the grant date fair values of the Stock Awards would be as follows: Mr. Griffin (FY 2016: $4,483,740; FY 2017: $7,136,568; FY 2018: $9,216,421), Mr. Sennesael (FY 2016: $1,880,500; FY 2017: $1,724,613; FY 2018: $3,211,920), Mr. Bori (FY 2017: $1,665,160; FY 2018: $3,211,920), Mr. Gammel (FY 2016: $1,285,350; FY 2017: $1,308,264; FY 2018: $1,605,873), Mr. Terry (FY 2018: $2,007,357), and Mr. Aldrich (FY 2016: $5,842,500; FY 2017: $6,422,983; FY 2018: $8,496,368). For a description of the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of equity awards in 2018 under ASC 718, see Note 10 of the Company’s financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on November 15, 2018.
(2)Reflects amounts paid to the Named Executive Officers pursuant to the executive incentive plan adopted by the Compensation Committee for each year indicated.
(3)“All Other Compensation” includes the Company’s contributions to the executive’s 401(k) Plan account, the cost of group term life insurance premiums, cash payments upon employment termination, relocation expenses, and tax equalization payments. For fiscal year 2018, it specifically includes $239,414 in relocation expenses and $135,330 in tax equalization payments for Mr. Gammel in connection with the International Assignment Agreement as well as the cash payment for Mr. Aldrich described below in footnote 5.
(4)Mr. Bori was not a named executive officer prior to fiscal year 2017 and Mr. Terry was not a named executive officer prior to fiscal year 2018.

15



(5)
Mr. Aldrich, who retired as an executive officer and employee of the Company effective May 9, 2018, thereafter began receiving compensation as a non-employee director. In accordance with Item 402(c) of Regulation S-K, this table includes compensation received by Mr. Aldrich during fiscal year 2018 as a non-employee director, in addition to the compensation he received during fiscal year 2018 as an employee of the Company. The “Salary” amount for fiscal year 2018 includes retainer fees of $79,121 which Mr. Aldrich received as a non-employee director following his retirement. The “Stock Awards” amount for fiscal year 2018 includes the grant date fair value of 2,110 RSUs, which Mr. Aldrich received as a non-employee director elected at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, as described in footnote 6 of the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table” below. As described below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control,” a portion of the awards granted to Mr. Aldrich in November 2017 was forfeited in connection with his cessation of employment. The amount in the Stock Awards column for Mr. Aldrich includes the entire award granted to Mr. Aldrich in November 2017 and has not been reduced to reflect such forfeiture. The “All Other Compensation” amount for fiscal year 2018 includes $2,899,525 in cash payments for Mr. Aldrich in connection with the cessation of his employment. For further information regarding payments to Mr. Aldrich and the accelerated vesting of his equity awards in connection with the cessation of his employment, see below under “Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control.
Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table
The following table summarizes all grants of plan-based awards made to the Named Executive Officers in fiscal year 2018, including incentive awards payable under our Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Incentive Plan.
  
Estimated Future Payouts
Under Non-Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(1)
Estimated Future Payouts
Under Equity Incentive
Plan Awards(2)
All Other
Stock
Awards:
Number of
Stock
Grant
Date Fair
Value of
Stock and
Name Grant
Date
Threshold
($)
Target
($)
Maximum
($)
Threshold
(#)
Target
(#)
Maximum
(#)
Or Units
(#)(3)
Option
Awards ($)
Liam K. Griffin 720,0001,440,0002,880,000     
 11/7/2017   18,58137,16274,324 4,395,667(4)
 11/7/2017      24,7752,754,732(5)
Kris Sennesael 207,000414,000828,000     
 11/7/2017   6,47612,95125,902 1,531,895(4)
 11/7/2017      8,634960,014(5)
Carlos S. Bori 141,050282,100564,200     
 11/7/2017   6,47612,95125,902 1,531,895(4)
 11/7/2017      8,634960,014(5)
Peter L. Gammel 140,700281,400562,800     
 11/7/2017   3,2386,47512,950 765,888(4)
 11/7/2017      4,317480,007(5)
Robert J. Terry 144,550289,100578,200     
 11/7/2017   4,0478,09416,188 957,390(4)
 11/7/2017      5,396599,981(5)
David J. Aldrich 640,0001,280,0002,560,000     
 11/7/2017   16,72333,44666,892 3,956,124(4)
 11/7/2017      22,2972,479,203(5)
 5/9/2018      2,110201,611(6)
           

(1)
The amounts shown represent the potential value of awards earned under the Incentive Plan. The amounts actually paid to the Named Executive Officers under the Incentive Plan are shown above in the “Summary Compensation Table” under “Non-Equity Incentive Plan Compensation.” For a more complete description of the Incentive Plan, please see description above under “Components of Compensation—Short-Term Incentives.”
(2)The amounts shown represent shares potentially issuable pursuant to PSAs granted on November 7, 2017, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “FY18 PSAs”). The FY18 PSAs have both “performance” and “continued employment” conditions that must be met in order for the executive to receive shares underlying the award.

16



The “performance” condition guides the initial eligibility of the grantee to receive shares under the PSA and compares the non-GAAP EBITDA growth achieved (related to fifty percent (50%) of the shares underlying the award) and the total stockholder return, or TSR, percentile ranking achieved with respect to our peer group (related to the other fifty percent (50%) of the shares underlying the award) during the applicable performance period against a range of pre-established targets. The performance period with respect to the non-GAAP EBITDA growth metric is the Company’s fiscal year 2018 and the performance period with respect to the TSR percentile ranking metric is the three-year period comprising the Company’s fiscal years 2018, 2019, and 2020. The peer group for purposes of the TSR percentile ranking metric includes each of the companies in the S&P Semiconductor Select Industry Index as of November 7, 2017, and excludes any such company that during the three-year performance period is acquired by or merged with (or enters into an agreement to be acquired by or merged with) another entity. The Compensation Committee determines the “threshold” or minimum level of performance that would be acceptable to the Company to justify a payout. The “maximum” level represents a best-case performance scenario. The middle of the range is referred to by the Company as the “target” level and represents the expected performance of the Company. The number of shares issuable under the FY18 PSAs corresponds to the level of achievement of the performance goals. The “target” number of shares is determined with reference to the competitive level of long-term equity compensation determined by the Compensation Committee in the manner described above. Performance at the “threshold” level results in an issuance of a number of shares equal to one-half (1/2) the “target” number of shares, and performance at the “maximum” level results in the issuance of a number of shares equal to two (2) times the “target” number of shares. Performance in between either the “threshold” and “target” levels or the “target” and “maximum” levels results in an issuance of a number of shares between the number of shares issuable under the FY18 PSAs at, respectively, the “threshold” and “target” levels or the “target” and “maximum” levels. The non-GAAP EBITDA growth performance goal is calculated by adding depreciation to the Company’s non-GAAP operating income, as publicly reported in the Company’s earnings release for the applicable period, after making certain adjustments if necessary to account for certain qualifying acquisition or disposition activities.
The “continued employment” condition of the FY18 PSAs provides that, to the extent that the non-GAAP EBITDA growth and TSR percentile ranking performance metrics are met for the applicable performance periods, then fifty percent (50%) of the total shares for which the EBITDA growth performance metric was met would be issuable to the executive on the first anniversary of the grant date, the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the total shares for which the EBITDA growth performance metric was met would be issuable to the executive on the second anniversary of the grant date, and one hundred percent (100%) of the total shares for which the TSR percentile ranking performance metric was met would be issuable to the executive on the third anniversary of the grant date, provided that the executive remains employed by the Company through each such vesting date. In the event of termination by reason of death or permanent disability, the holder of an FY18 PSA (or his estate) would receive any shares that would have been issuable thereunder during the remaining term of the award (i.e., earned but unissued shares).
(3)Represents shares underlying RSU awards granted under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests over four years at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year commencing one year after the date of grant and on each subsequent anniversary of the grant date for the following three years, provided the executive remains employed by the Company through each such vesting date.
(4)Reflects the grant date fair value of the FY18 PSAs, computed in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718, using (a) a Monte Carlo simulation (which weights the probability of multiple potential outcomes) to value the portion of the award related to TSR percentile ranking, and (b) a price of $111.19 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on November 7, 2017, to value the portion of the award related to non-GAAP EBITDA growth, assuming performance at the “target” level. For a description of the assumptions used in calculating the fair value of equity awards granted in fiscal year 2018 under ASC 718, see Note 10 of the Company’s financial statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on November 15, 2018.
(5)Reflects the grant date fair value of the RSUs granted on November 7, 2017, computed in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 using a price of $111.19 per share, which was the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on November 7, 2017.
(6)Reflects the grant date fair value of the RSUs granted on May 9, 2018, to Mr. Aldrich as a non-employee director elected at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, computed in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 using a price of $95.55 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 9, 2018.

17



Outstanding Equity Awards at Fiscal Year End Table
The following table summarizes the unvested stock awards and all stock options held by the Named Executive Officers as of the end of fiscal year 2018.
 Option AwardsStock Awards
Name Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Exercisable
Number of
Securities
Underlying
Unexercised
Options
(#)
Unexercisable
Option
Exercise
Price
($)
Option
Expiration
Date
Number
of Shares
or Units
of Stock
that
Have
Not
Vested
(#)
Market
Value of
Shares
or Units
of Stock
that
Have Not
Vested
($)(1)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Number
of Unearned Shares, Units or other Rights that Have Not Vested
(#)
Equity Incentive Plan Awards: Market or Payout Value of Unearned Shares, Units or other Rights that Have Not Vested
($)(1)
Liam K. Griffin
10,500(2)
60.9711/10/20214,428(6)401,6649,290(12)842,696
 10,750
21,500(3)
84.8911/9/202269,533(7)6,307,338  
 18,250
36,500(4)
64.595/11/202318,542(8)1,681,945  
 
39,633(5)
77.6611/9/202313,000(9)1,179,230  
     11,588(10)1,051,147  
     24,775(11)2,247,340  
Kris Sennesael20,000
20,000(13)
75.228/29/202316,803(7)1,524,2003,238(12)293,719
 3,193
9,577(5)
77.6611/9/20236,462(8)586,168  
     12,500(14)1,133,875  
     2,800(10)253,988  
     8,634(11)783,190  
Carlos S. Bori
1,500(2)
60.9711/10/2021456(6)41,3643,238(12)293,719
 2,596
2,595(3)
84.8911/9/202216,224(7)1,471,679  
 
9,247(5)
77.6611/9/20236,462(8)586,168  
     2,703(10)245,189  
     8,634(11)783,190  
Peter L. Gammel
4,500(2)
60.9711/10/20212,029(6)184,051  
 10,000
10,000(3)
84.8911/9/202212,747(7)1,156,280  
 2,422
7,266(5)
77.6611/9/20233,230(8)292,9931,619(12)146,859
     2,124(10)192,668  
     4,317(11)391,595  
Robert J. Terry
1,750(2)
60.9711/10/2021521(6)47,2602,023(12)183,506
 
2,966(3)
84.8911/9/202211,856(7)1,075,458  
 
6,757(15)
75.9111/10/20234,038(8)366,287  
     1,975(16)179,152  
     5,396(11)489,471  
David J. Aldrich10,499

25.255/9/20202,110(20)191,398  
 110,000
—(17)
60.975/9/2020    
 90,000
—(18)
84.895/9/2020    
 47,560
—(19)
77.665/9/2020    

(1)Reflects a price of $90.71 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on September 28, 2018.

(2)These options were granted on November 10, 2014, and vested at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date until they became fully vested on November 10, 2018.
(3)These options were granted on November 9, 2015, and vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 9, 2019.

18



(4)These options were granted on May 11, 2016, and vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through May 11, 2020.
(5)These options were granted on November 9, 2016, and vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 9, 2020.
(6)Represents shares issuable under the PSAs granted on November 9, 2015, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “FY16 PSAs”). Twenty-five percent (25%) of the shares earned under the FY16 PSAs were issued on each of November 9, 2016, and November 9, 2017, and the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the shares earned were issued on November 9, 2018.
(7)Represents shares issuable under the PSAs granted on November 9, 2016 (on November 10, 2016, for Mr. Terry), under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “FY17 PSAs”). Twenty-five percent (25%) of the shares earned under the FY17 PSAs were issued on each of November 9, 2017, and November 9, 2018, and the remaining fifty percent (50%) of the shares earned will be issued on November 9, 2019, provided the executive meets the continued employment condition.
(8)
Represents shares issuable under the FY18 PSAs (awarded on November 7, 2017, as described in footnote 2 of the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table” above) with respect to the EBITDA growth performance metric. With respect to this portion of the FY18 PSAs, the Company achieved 99.8% of the “target” level of EBITDA growth performance and, accordingly, on November 7, 2018, the Company issued fifty percent (50%) of the number of shares earned by each executive under his FY18 PSA with respect to the EBITDA growth performance metric. Fifty percent (50%) of the shares earned under the FY18 PSAs with respect to the EBITDA growth performance metric will be issued on November 7, 2019, provided that the executive meets the continued employment condition.
(9)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on May 11, 2016, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through May 11, 2020.
(10)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on November 9, 2016, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 9, 2020.
(11)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on November 7, 2017, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 7, 2021.
(12)
Represents shares issuable under the FY18 PSAs (awarded on November 7, 2017, as described in footnote 2 of the “Grants of Plan-Based Awards Table” above) with respect to the TSR percentile ranking performance metric, assuming achievement at the “threshold” level of performance. This portion of the FY18 PSAs, which is subject to a three-year performance period as described above, will be issued on November 7, 2020, to the extent earned and provided that the executive meets the continued employment condition.
(13)These options were granted on August 29, 2016, and vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through August 29, 2020.
(14)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on August 29, 2016, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through August 29, 2020.
(15)These options were granted on November 10, 2016, and vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 10, 2020.
(16)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on November 10, 2016, under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date through November 10, 2020.

19



(17)These options were granted on November 10, 2014, and were scheduled to vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date until they became fully vested on November 10, 2018. In connection with the cessation of Mr. Aldrich’s employment, these options became fully vested on May 9, 2018.
(18)These options were granted on November 9, 2015, and were scheduled to vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date until they became fully vested on November 9, 2019. In connection with the cessation of Mr. Aldrich’s employment, these options became fully vested on May 9, 2018.
(19)These options were granted on November 9, 2016, and were scheduled to vest at a rate of twenty-five percent (25%) per year on each anniversary of the grant date until they became fully vested on November 9, 2020. In connection with the cessation of Mr. Aldrich’s employment, these options became fully vested on May 9, 2018.
(20)Represents shares issuable under an RSU award granted on May 9, 2018, under the Company’s 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan. The RSU award vests in full on the first anniversary of the grant date.

Option Exercises and Stock Vested Table
The following table summarizes the Named Executive Officers’ option exercises and stock award vesting during fiscal year 2018.
 Option AwardsStock Awards
Name 
Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Exercise
(#)
Value
Realized
on Exercise
($)(1)
Number of
Shares
Acquired on
Vesting
(#)
Value
Realized
on Vesting
($)(2)
Liam K. Griffin50,712
2,161,485
68,1047,321,170
Kris Sennesael

12,7851,307,544
Carlos S. Bori6,933
277,291
11,0381,223,348
Peter L. Gammel40,050
2,719,864
15,9711,767,598
Robert J. Terry7,986
414,273
10,1211,120,450
David J. Aldrich118,000
9,307,578
90,94910,062,233
      

(1)The value realized on exercise is based on the amount by which the market price of a share of the Company’s common stock on the dates of exercise exceeded the applicable exercise price per share of the exercised option.
(2)The value realized upon vesting is determined by multiplying (a) the number of shares underlying the stock awards that vested, by (b) the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on the applicable vesting date.

Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table
As described above under “Components of Compensation—Other Compensation and Benefits,” Mr. Aldrich is the only Named Executive Officer who participated in the Executive Compensation Plan while it was active, and he elected to be paid his aggregate account balance under the plan in a single lump sum upon his retirement. Mr. Aldrich’s contributions were credited with earnings/losses based upon the performance of the investments he selected. In connection with his retirement, the full account balance was distributed to Mr. Aldrich during fiscal year 2018 according to the terms of the Executive Compensation Plan.
The following table summarizes the aggregate earnings, distributions, and account balance under the Executive Compensation Plan in fiscal year 2018 with respect to Mr. Aldrich.

20



Name 
Aggregate
Earnings
in Last
Fiscal Year
($)
Aggregate Withdrawals/
Distributions ($)(1)
Aggregate
Balance at
Last Fiscal
Year-End
($)
David J. Aldrich169,6671,650,749
     

(1)Represents the account balance distributed to Mr. Aldrich in connection with his retirement in May 2018. This amount consists of Mr. Aldrich’s individual contributions and the return/(loss) generated from the investment of those contributions. The full amount of Mr. Aldrich’s individual contributions was previously reported as compensation to Mr. Aldrich in the Summary Compensation Tables of the fiscal years in which such contributions were made.

Potential Payments Upon Termination or Change in Control
Mr. Aldrich
On May 11, 2016, in connection with the transition of Mr. Aldrich from Chief Executive Officer to Executive Chairman of the Company, the Company entered into a second amended and restated Change of Control / Severance Agreement with Mr. Aldrich (the “Aldrich Agreement”). The Aldrich Agreement sets out severance benefits that become payable if, while employed by the Company, other than following a change of control, Mr. Aldrich either (i) is terminated without cause, or (ii) terminates his employment for good reason. The severance benefits provided to Mr. Aldrich under either of these circumstances would consist of: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) his then-current annual base salary immediately prior to such termination and (B) the Bonus Amount (as defined below), and (ii) full acceleration of the vesting of all of Mr. Aldrich’s outstanding stock options, which stock options would become exercisable for a period of two (2) years after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms), full acceleration of the vesting of all outstanding restricted stock awards, and the right to receive the number of performance shares under outstanding PSAs that he would have earned had he remained employed through the end of the applicable performance period. The Bonus Amount is an amount equal to the greater of (x) the average of the short-term cash incentive awards received for the three (3) years prior to the year in which the termination occurs, and (y) the target annual short-term cash incentive award for the year in which the termination occurs.
The Aldrich Agreement also sets out severance benefits that become payable if (i) within two (2) years after a change of control, Mr. Aldrich’s employment is either (A) terminated by the Company without cause, or (B) terminated by him for good reason, or (ii) the term of the Aldrich Agreement expires within ninety (90) days following a change of control. The severance benefits provided to Mr. Aldrich in such circumstances would consist of: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to two and one-half (2½) times the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to the change of control, and (B) the CIC Bonus Amount (as defined below); (ii) Mr. Aldrich’s then-outstanding stock options would become exercisable for a period of thirty (30) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) provided he is eligible for and timely elects to continue receiving group medical coverage, certain COBRA continuation for him and his eligible dependents (“COBRA continuation”) for a period of eighteen (18) months after the termination. Additionally, except as may otherwise be provided in an award agreement documenting an award made under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan with respect to a change in control (as that term is defined in the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan), in the event of a change of control, the Aldrich Agreement provides for full acceleration of the vesting of all of Mr. Aldrich’s then-outstanding stock options and restricted stock awards and partial acceleration of any outstanding PSAs. The CIC Bonus Amount is an amount equal to the greater of (x) the average of the annual short-term cash incentive awards received for the three (3) years prior to the year in which the change of control occurs and (y) the target annual short-term cash incentive award for the year in which the change of control occurs.
The Aldrich Agreement also sets out the benefits that become payable upon the earlier of the expiration of the term of the Aldrich Agreement (including an early expiration of the term by mutual agreement of the Company and Mr. Aldrich) or Mr. Aldrich’s death or disability. The benefits provided to Mr. Aldrich under these circumstances would consist of: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to one (1) times the sum of (A) his then-current annual base salary and (B) the Bonus Amount; (ii) full acceleration of the vesting of all of Mr. Aldrich’s outstanding stock options, which stock options would become exercisable for a period of two (2) years after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms), full acceleration of the vesting of all outstanding restricted stock awards, and the right to receive the number of performance shares under outstanding PSAs that he would have earned had he remained employed through the end of the applicable performance period (provided that such acceleration shall only apply to a prorated portion of any awards granted to Mr. Aldrich in the final fiscal year of the term of the Aldrich Agreement, based on the number of days he performed services for the Company in such fiscal year); (iii) COBRA continuation for a period of eighteen (18) months after the termination; and (iv) a lump-sum payment of his annual short-term

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incentive award for the fiscal year in which termination occurs, based on the achievement of any and all applicable performance milestones determined by the Board of Directors in accordance with the terms of the applicable executive bonus plan and prorated based on the number of days he performed services for the Company in such fiscal year.
The Aldrich Agreement sets Mr. Aldrich’s annual base salary at $800,000. Mr. Aldrich will be eligible to participate in any fiscal year executive incentive plan adopted by the Company during the term of the agreement. His annual cash bonus opportunity (i) under the Fiscal Year 2016 Incentive Plan remained in effect for fiscal year 2016, and (ii) under any executive bonus plan adopted by the Company for any other fiscal year during the term of the Aldrich Agreement shall be the same as the annual cash bonus opportunity for the Company’s then-Chief Executive Officer. The Aldrich Agreement also provides that Mr. Aldrich will be eligible to receive an annual award of stock options and PSAs in each fiscal year during the term of the Aldrich Agreement at the same time as annual equity awards are made to the Company’s executives, in each case, in such amount as is equal to 90% of any such award made by the Company to the Company’s then-Chief Executive Officer.
The Aldrich Agreement has an initial term that lasts until the date on which the Company’s 2018 annual meeting of stockholders occurs and that automatically extends until the date on which the Company’s 2019 annual meeting of stockholders occurs, unless either the Company or Mr. Aldrich timely provides a notice of non-renewal to the other. The Aldrich Agreement is intended to be compliant with Section 409A of the IRC. Additionally, the Aldrich Agreement requires Mr. Aldrich to sign a release of claims in favor of the Company before he is eligible to receive any benefits under the agreement, and contains non-compete and non-solicitation provisions applicable to him while he is employed by the Company and for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the termination of his employment.
Additionally, award agreements for any equity awards granted to Mr. Aldrich under the Company’s 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan, which became effective on May 18, 2015, provide that, notwithstanding the provision in the Aldrich Agreement providing that his equity awards would vest automatically upon a change of control of the Company, such new equity awards shall instead be governed by the terms of the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan, which does not provide for automatic accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards solely upon a change of control.
On February 8, 2018, Mr. Aldrich informed the Company that he would not extend his term as Executive Chairman beyond the initial two-year period provided for in the Aldrich Agreement. Accordingly, on May 9, 2018, the date of the Company’s 2018 Annual Meeting, Mr. Aldrich’s tenure as the Company’s Executive Chairman ended, with the terms of the Aldrich Agreement governing the cessation of his employment. Mr. Aldrich continues to serve as Chairman of the Board of Directors and as a non-employee director.
The terms “change of control,” “cause,” and “good reason” are each defined in the Aldrich Agreement. Change of control means, in summary: (i) the acquisition by a person or a group of 40% or more of the outstanding stock of the Company; (ii) a change, without approval by the Board of Directors, of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company; (iii) the acquisition of the Company by means of a reorganization, merger, consolidation, or asset sale; or (iv) stockholder approval of a liquidation or dissolution of the Company. Cause means, in summary: (i) deliberate dishonesty that is significantly detrimental to the best interests of the Company; (ii) conduct constituting an act of moral turpitude; (iii) willful disloyalty or insubordination; or (iv) incompetent performance or substantial or continuing inattention to or neglect of duties. Good reason means, in summary: (i) a material diminution in his base salary, authority, duties, or responsibilities; (ii) a requirement that Mr. Aldrich report to a corporate officer or employee instead of reporting directly to the Board of Directors; (iii) a material change in his office location; or (iv) any action or inaction constituting a material breach by the Company of the terms of the agreement.
Mr. Griffin
On May 11, 2016, in connection with the appointment of Mr. Griffin as Chief Executive Officer, the Company entered into an amended and restated Change in Control / Severance Agreement with Mr. Griffin (the “Griffin Agreement”). The Griffin Agreement sets out severance benefits that become payable if, while employed by the Company, other than following a change in control, Mr. Griffin either (i) is terminated without cause, or (ii) terminates his employment for good reason. The severance benefits provided to Mr. Griffin under either of these circumstances would consist of: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) his then-current annual base salary immediately prior to such termination and (B) the Bonus Amount; (ii) full acceleration of the vesting of all of Mr. Griffin’s outstanding stock options, which stock options would become exercisable for a period of two (2) years after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms), full acceleration of the vesting of all outstanding restricted stock awards, and the right to receive the number of performance shares under outstanding PSAs that are earned but unissued and that he would have earned had he remained employed through the end of the applicable performance period; and (iii) COBRA continuation for up to fifteen (15) months after the termination date.

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The Griffin Agreement also sets out severance benefits that become payable if, within the period of time commencing three (3) months prior to and ending two (2) years following a change in control, Mr. Griffin’s employment is either (i) terminated by the Company without cause, or (ii) terminated by him for good reason (a “Qualifying Termination”). The severance benefits provided to Mr. Griffin in such circumstances would consist of the following: (i) a lump-sum payment equal to two and one-half (2½) times the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to the change in control, and (B) the CIC Bonus Amount; (ii) all of Mr. Griffin’s then-outstanding stock options would become exercisable for a period of thirty (30) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) COBRA continuation for up to eighteen (18) months after the termination date.
The Griffin Agreement also provides that in the event of a Qualifying Termination, Mr. Griffin is entitled to full acceleration of the vesting of all of his outstanding equity awards (including stock options, restricted stock awards, RSU awards, and all earned but unissued performance-based equity awards) granted after January 22, 2015. At the time of a change in control, all such outstanding equity awards would continue to be subject to the same time-based vesting schedule to which the awards were subject prior to the change in control (including performance-based equity awards that are deemed earned at the time of the change in control as described below). For performance-based equity awards where the change in control occurs prior to the end of the performance period, such awards would be deemed earned as to the greater of (i) the target level of shares for such awards, or (ii) the number of shares that would have been earned pursuant to the terms of such awards based upon performance up through and including the day prior to the date of the change in control. In the event that the successor or surviving company does not agree to assume, or to substitute for, such outstanding equity awards on substantially similar terms with substantially equivalent economic benefits as exist for such award immediately prior to the change in control, then such awards would accelerate in full as of the change in control.
The Griffin Agreement also provides that all outstanding equity awards held by Mr. Griffin on January 22, 2015, that were granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan will continue, following January 22, 2015, to be governed by the terms of the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, which terms include automatic accelerated vesting upon a change in control event; provided, however, that for purposes of these awards, a “change in control event” will be deemed to have occurred in the event of a change in control as defined in the Griffin Agreement.
In the event of Mr. Griffin’s death or permanent disability (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the IRC), the Griffin Agreement provides for full acceleration of the vesting of all then-outstanding equity awards subject to time-based vesting (including stock options, restricted stock awards, RSU awards, and all performance-based equity awards where the performance period has ended and the shares are earned but unissued). The Griffin Agreement also provides that if Mr. Griffin’s death or permanent disability occurs prior to the end of the performance period of a performance-based equity award, each such award would be deemed earned as to the greater of (i) the target level of shares for such award, or (ii) the number of shares that would have been earned pursuant to the terms of such award had he remained employed through the end of the performance period, and such earned shares would become vested and issuable to him after the performance period ends. In addition, all outstanding stock options would be exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of employment (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms).
The Griffin Agreement is intended to be exempt from or compliant with Section 409A of the IRC and has an initial two (2) year term from May 11, 2016, and thereafter renews automatically on an annual basis for up to five (5) additional years unless either the Company or Mr. Griffin timely provides a notice of non-renewal to the other prior to the end of the then-current term. The payments due to Mr. Griffin under the Griffin Agreement are subject to potential reduction in the event that such payments would otherwise become subject to excise tax incurred under Section 4999 of the IRC, if such reduction would result in his retaining a larger amount, on an after-tax basis, than if he had received all of the payments due.
Additionally, the Griffin Agreement requires that Mr. Griffin sign a release of claims in favor of the Company before he is eligible to receive any benefits under the Griffin Agreement and contains a non-solicitation provision applicable to Mr. Griffin while he is employed by the Company and for twelve (12) months following the termination of his employment.
The terms “change in control,” “cause,” and “good reason” are each defined in the Griffin Agreement. Change in control means, in summary: (i) the acquisition by a person or a group of 40% or more of the outstanding stock of the Company; (ii) a change, without approval by the Board of Directors, of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company; (iii) the acquisition of the Company by means of a reorganization, merger, consolidation, or asset sale; or (iv) stockholder approval of a liquidation or dissolution of the Company. Cause means, in summary: (i) deliberate dishonesty that is significantly detrimental to the best interests of the Company; (ii) conduct constituting an act of moral turpitude; (iii) willful disloyalty or insubordination; or (iv) incompetent performance or substantial or continuing inattention to or neglect of duties. Good reason means, in summary: (i) a material diminution in his base compensation, authority, duties, responsibilities, or budget over which he retains authority; (ii) a requirement that Mr. Griffin report to a corporate officer or employee instead of reporting directly to the Board of Directors;

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(iii) a material change in his office location; or (iv) any action or inaction constituting a material breach by the Company of the terms of the agreement.
Messrs. Sennesael, Bori, Gammel, and Terry
The Company entered into Change in Control / Severance Agreements with each of Messrs. Gammel, Sennesael, Bori, and Terry on December 16, 2014, August 29, 2016, November 9, 2016, and November 10, 2016, respectively. Each such Change in Control / Severance Agreement is referred to herein as a “CIC Agreement.”
Each CIC Agreement sets out severance benefits that become payable if, within the period of time commencing three (3) months prior to and ending twelve (12) months following a change in control, the executive officer’s employment is either (i) terminated by reference.the Company without cause, or (ii) terminated by the executive for good reason (for each such executive, a “Qualifying Termination”). The severance benefits provided to the executive in such circumstances would consist of the following: (i) a lump sum payment equal to one and one-half (1½) times (two (2) times, in the case of Mr. Gammel) the sum of (A) his annual base salary immediately prior to the change in control, and (B) the CIC Bonus Amount; (ii) all of the executive’s then-outstanding stock options would remain exercisable for a period of eighteen (18) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) COBRA continuation for up to eighteen (18) months after the termination date.
Each CIC Agreement also provides that in the event of a Qualifying Termination, the executive is entitled to full acceleration of the vesting of all of his outstanding equity awards (including stock options, restricted stock awards, RSU awards, and all earned but unissued performance-based equity awards). At the time of a change in control, all such outstanding equity awards would continue to be subject to the same time-based vesting schedule to which the awards were subject prior to the change in control (including performance-based equity awards that are deemed earned at the time of the change in control as described below). For performance-based equity awards where the change in control occurs prior to the end of the performance period, such awards would be deemed earned as to the greater of (i) the target level of shares for such awards, or (ii) the number of shares that would have been earned pursuant to the terms of such awards based upon performance up through and including the day prior to the date of the change in control. In the event that the successor or surviving company does not agree to assume, or to substitute for, such outstanding equity awards on substantially similar terms with substantially equivalent economic benefits as exist for such award immediately prior to the change in control, then such awards would accelerate in full as of the change in control.
The CIC Agreement for each of Messrs. Gammel, Bori, and Terry also provides that all outstanding equity awards held by the executive on the effective date of the agreement (January 22, 2015, in the case of Mr. Gammel, and November 10, 2016, in the case of Mr. Bori and Mr. Terry) that were granted under the Company’s Amended and Restated 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan will continue, following the agreement effective date, to be governed by the terms of the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan and the applicable award agreements thereunder, which terms include automatic accelerated vesting upon a change in control event; provided, however, that for purposes of these awards, a “change in control event” will be deemed to have occurred in the event of a change in control as defined in the CIC Agreement. On May 18, 2015, the Company’s stockholders approved the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan, which does not provide for automatic accelerated vesting of outstanding equity awards upon a change in control. Since May 18, 2015, no awards have been made, and in the future no awards will be made, to the Named Executive Officers or other employees under the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Each CIC Agreement also sets out severance benefits outside a change in control that become payable if the executive’s employment is terminated by the Company without cause. The severance benefits provided to the executive under such circumstance would consist of the following: (i) in the case of Mr. Gammel, a lump sum payment equal to the sum of (x) his annual base salary, and (y) any short-term cash incentive award then due, and in the case of Messrs. Sennesael, Bori, and Terry, biweekly compensation continuation payments for a period of twelve (12) months, with each such compensation continuation payment being equal to the aggregate payment amount divided by twenty-six (26), where the aggregate payment is equal to the sum of (x) his annual base salary, and (y) any short-term cash incentive award then due; (ii) all then-vested outstanding stock options would remain exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months after the termination date (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms); and (iii) COBRA continuation coverage for up to twelve (12) months after the termination date.
In the event of the executive’s death or permanent disability (within the meaning of Section 22(e)(3) of the IRC), each CIC Agreement provides for full acceleration of the vesting of all then-outstanding equity awards subject to time-based vesting (including stock options, restricted stock awards, RSU awards, and all performance-based equity awards where the performance period has ended and the shares are earned but unissued). Each CIC Agreement also provides that for a performance-based equity award where the executive’s death or permanent disability occurs prior to the end of the performance period, such award would be deemed earned as to the greater of (i) the target level of shares for such award, or (ii) the number of shares that would have been earned pursuant to the terms of such award had the executive remained employed through the end of the performance period, and such earned shares would become vested and issuable to the executive after the performance period ends. In addition, all

24



outstanding stock options would remain exercisable for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of employment (but not beyond the expiration of their respective maximum terms).
Each CIC Agreement is intended to be exempt from or compliant with Section 409A of the IRC and has an initial two (2) year term, and thereafter renews automatically on an annual basis for up to five (5) additional years unless either the Company or the executive timely provides a notice of non-renewal to the other prior to the end of the then-current term. The payments due to each executive under his CIC Agreement are subject to potential reduction in the event that such payments would otherwise become subject to excise tax incurred under Section 4999 of the IRC, if such reduction would result in the executive retaining a larger amount, on an after-tax basis, than if he had received all of the payments due.
Additionally, each CIC Agreement requires that the executive sign a release of claims in favor of the Company before he is eligible to receive any benefits under the agreement. The CIC Agreement for Mr. Gammel contains non-compete and non-solicitation provisions applicable to the executive while he is employed by the Company and for a period of twenty-four (24) months following the termination of his employment. The CIC Agreement for each of Messrs. Sennesael, Bori, and Terry contains non-solicitation provisions applicable to the executive while he is employed by the Company and for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of his employment.
The terms “change in control,” “cause,” and “good reason” are each defined in the CIC Agreements. Change in control means, in summary: (i) the acquisition by a person or a group of 40% or more of the outstanding stock of the Company; (ii) a change, without approval by the Board of Directors, of a majority of the Board of Directors of the Company; (iii) the acquisition of the Company by means of a reorganization, merger, consolidation, or asset sale; or (iv) stockholder approval of a liquidation or dissolution of the Company. Cause means, in summary: (i) deliberate dishonesty that is significantly detrimental to the best interests of the Company; (ii) conduct constituting an act of moral turpitude; (iii) willful disloyalty or insubordination; or (iv) incompetent performance or substantial or continuing inattention to or neglect of duties. Good reason means, in summary: (i) a material diminution in the executive’s base compensation, authority, duties, or responsibilities; (ii) a material diminution in the authority, duties, or responsibilities of the executive’s supervisor; (iii) a material change in the executive’s office location; or (iv) any action or inaction constituting a material breach by the Company of the terms of the agreement.


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The following table summarizes the payments and benefits that would be made to the Named Executive Officers, with the exception of Mr. Aldrich, as of September 28, 2018, in the following circumstances as of such date:
termination without cause outside of a change in control;
termination without cause or for good reason in connection with a change in control;
in the event of a termination of employment because of death or disability; and
upon a change in control not involving a termination of employment.
The accelerated equity values in the table reflect a price of $90.71 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on September 28, 2018. The table does not reflect any equity awards made after September 28, 2018.
Name Benefit
Termination
w/o Cause
Outside
Change in
Control ($)(1)
 
Termination
w/o Cause
or for Good
Reason, After
Change in
Control ($)
 
Death/
Disability ($)
 
Change in
Control w/o
Termination
($)(2)
Liam K. Griffin(3)Salary and Short-Term Incentive4,680,000
(4)5,850,000(5)
 
 Accelerated Options1,907,991
 1,907,991 1,907,991
 312,270
 Accelerated RSUs4,477,718
 4,477,718 4,477,718
 
 Accelerated PSAs10,079,877
 10,079,877 10,079,877
 
 Medical21,612
 25,934 
 
 TOTAL21,167,198
 22,341,520 16,465,586
 312,270
Kris Sennesael(3)Salary and Short-Term Incentive460,000
(6)1,311,000(7)
 
 Accelerated Options
 434,780 434,780
 
 Accelerated RSUs
 2,171,053 2,171,053
 
 Accelerated PSAs
 2,698,895 2,698,895
 
 Medical18,853
 28,280 
 
 TOTAL478,853
 6,644,008 5,304,728
 
Carlos S. Bori(3)Salary and Short-Term Incentive403,000
(6)1,027,650(7)
 
 Accelerated Options
 180,386 180,386
 44,610
 Accelerated RSUs
 1,028,379 1,028,379
 
 Accelerated PSAs
 2,687,737 2,687,737
 
 Medical18,853
 28,280 
 
 TOTAL421,853
 4,952,432 3,896,502
 44,610
Peter L. Gammel(3)Salary and Short-Term Incentive402,000
(6)1,366,800(8)
 
 Accelerated Options
 286,851 286,851
 133,830
 Accelerated RSUs
 584,263 584,263
 
 Accelerated PSAs
 1,927,588 1,927,588
 
 Medical18,853
 28,280 
 
 TOTAL420,853
 4,193,782 2,798,702
 133,830
Robert J. Terry(3)Salary and Short-Term Incentive413,000
(6)1,053,150(7)
 
 Accelerated Options
 169,311 169,311
 52,045
 Accelerated RSUs
 668,623 668,623
 
 Accelerated PSAs
 1,856,834 1,856,834
 
 Medical18,853
 28,280 
 
 TOTAL431,853
 3,776,198 2,694,768
 52,045
          

(1)For Mr. Griffin, includes amounts payable pursuant to a termination for good reason outside of a change in control.
(2)Represents the value of unvested equity awards granted to Named Executive Officers under the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan, which accelerate automatically upon a change in control of the Company. Equity awards granted to Named Executive Officers under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan are not subject to accelerated vesting solely upon a change in control of the Company (unless the successor or surviving company does not agree to assume, or to substitute for, outstanding

26



equity awards on substantially similar terms with substantially equivalent economic benefits as exist for such award immediately prior to the change in control, in which case the awards would accelerate in full as of the change in control).
(3)Excludes the value of accrued vacation/paid time off required by law to be paid upon termination.
(4)Represents an amount equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) Mr. Griffin’s annual base salary as of September 28, 2018, and (B) an Incentive Plan payment, which is equal to Mr. Griffin’s “target” short-term cash incentive award for fiscal year 2018, since such “target” payout level is greater than the three (3) year average of the actual incentive payments made to Mr. Griffin for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
(5)Represents an amount equal to two and one-half (2½) times the sum of (A) Mr. Griffin’s annual base salary as of September 28, 2018, and (B) an Incentive Plan payment, which is equal to Mr. Griffin’s “target” short-term cash incentive award for fiscal year 2018, since such “target” payout level is greater than the three (3) year average of the actual incentive payments made to Mr. Griffin for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
(6)Represents an amount equal to the Named Executive Officer’s annual base salary as of September 28, 2018.
(7)Represents an amount equal to one and one-half (1½) times the sum of (A) the Named Executive Officer’s annual base salary as of September 28, 2018, and (B) an Incentive Plan payment, which is equal to the Named Executive Officer’s “target” short-term cash incentive award for fiscal year 2018, since such “target” payout level is greater than the three (3) year average of the actual incentive payments made to the Named Executive Officer for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
(8)Represents an amount equal to two (2) times the sum of (A) Mr. Gammel’s annual base salary as of September 28, 2018, and (B) an Incentive Plan payment, which is equal to Mr. Gammel’s “target” short-term cash incentive award for fiscal year 2018, since such “target” payout level is greater than the three (3) year average of the actual incentive payments made to Mr. Gammel for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017.
The following table summarizes the payments and benefits that were made to Mr. Aldrich in fiscal year 2018 in connection with the cessation of his employment as Executive Chairman in May 2018, pursuant to the Aldrich Agreement.
Benefit($) 
Cash Payment2,776,448(1)
Accelerated Options2,504,711(2)
Accelerated RSUs2,392,808(2)
Accelerated FY16 and FY17 PSAs7,150,342(2)
Accelerated FY18 PSAs1,013,525(3)
Medical28,280(4)
TOTAL15,866,114 
   

(1)
Represents an amount equal to the sum of (A) Mr. Aldrich’s annual base salary as of May 9, 2018, (B) an Incentive Plan payment, which is equal to Mr. Aldrich’s “target” short-term cash incentive award for fiscal year 2018, since such “target” payout level is greater than the three (3) year average of the actual incentive payments made to Mr. Aldrich for fiscal years 2015, 2016, and 2017, and (C) Mr. Aldrich’s actual Incentive Plan payment earned for fiscal year 2018, prorated for the portion of fiscal year 2018 during which he was employed. Excludes the value of accrued vacation/paid time off required by law to be paid upon termination as well as distributions under the Executive Compensation Plan (see the discussion above regarding this inactive plan in the “Nonqualified Deferred Compensation Table”).
(2)The accelerated option, RSU, FY16 PSA, and FY17 PSA values reflect a price of $99.58 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 24, 2018, the date on which such awards became fully vested. In accordance with the Aldrich Agreement, only a prorated portion of the RSUs granted to Mr. Aldrich on November 7, 2017, during the final fiscal year of the term of the Aldrich Agreement, was accelerated, with such proration based on the number of days Mr. Aldrich performed services for the Company in fiscal year 2018, and with the remainder of such RSUs being forfeited.
(3)The FY18 PSA value reflects a price of $99.58 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 24, 2018, the date on which Mr. Aldrich’s outstanding awards became

27



fully vested, even though the number of shares to be awarded under the FY18 PSAs had not yet been established as of such date. In accordance with the Aldrich Agreement, Mr. Aldrich became entitled to only a prorated portion of the FY18 PSAs granted to him, with such proration based on the number of days Mr. Aldrich performed services for the Company in fiscal year 2018, and with the remainder of the FY18 PSAs being forfeited. The FY18 PSA value includes only the portion of the FY18 PSAs earned with respect to the EBITDA growth performance metric, which was subject to a one-year performance period, and does not include the value of the portion of the FY18 PSAs to be earned with respect to the TSR percentile ranking performance metric, which is subject to a three-year performance period as described above. The maximum value to which Mr. Aldrich would be entitled with respect to such portion, assuming maximum performance with respect to the TSR percentile ranking performance metric and assuming a price of $99.58 per share, is $2,031,233.
(4)Reflects anticipated cost of COBRA continuation for a period of eighteen (18) months based on rates as of May 9, 2018.
CEO Pay Ratio
Following is a reasonable estimate, prepared under applicable SEC rules, of the ratio of the annual total compensation of our CEO to the median of the annual total compensation of our other employees. For fiscal year 2018:
The annual total compensation of our CEO was $9,342,113.
The annual total compensation of our median compensated employee was $20,881.
Based on the foregoing, we estimate that our CEO’s total annual compensation was approximately 447 times that of our median employee.
To determine the median of the annual total compensation of our employees, we applied the following methodology and material assumptions:
We did not use the de minimis exception to exclude any non-U.S. employees. We have a globally diverse workforce with total headcount of approximately 9,400 as of September 28, 2018, of which approximately 7,200 are located outside the United States, primarily in locations employing large direct labor forces such as Mexico and Singapore where wages are significantly lower than in the United States. The median employee identified within this employee population as of September 28, 2018, is a full-time employee in our Mexicali, Mexico facility.
To identify the median employee, we used a consistently applied compensation measure that included total taxable earnings paid to our employees in the most recently completed taxable year in their respective jurisdictions. This included base salary, overtime pay, shift premiums, recognition bonuses, annual cash incentive awards, and long-term stock-based incentive awards. We annualized the compensation of permanent, full-time, and part-time employees who were hired after the beginning of the most recently completed taxable year in their respective jurisdictions. We applied an exchange rate as of September 28, 2018, to convert all international currencies into U.S. dollars.
Using this consistently applied compensation measure, we identified an employee at the median, as well as other employees nearest the median, and calculated each such employee’s total compensation for fiscal year 2018 in accordance with Item 402(c)(2)(x) of Regulation S-K. We determined that the originally identified median employee’s total compensation had anomalous characteristics, so we exercised discretion as permitted by SEC rules to select as the median employee an employee whose compensation we viewed to be more representative of the population near the median.
We did not use any cost-of-living adjustments in identifying the median employee.
The annual total compensation of our CEO is the amount reported in the “Total” column of our 2018 Summary Compensation Table.
We believe our pay ratio presented above is a reasonable estimate calculated in a manner consistent with Item 402(u) of Regulation S-K. The SEC rules for identifying the median compensated employee and calculating the pay ratio based on that employee’s annual total compensation allow companies to adopt a variety of methodologies, to apply certain exclusions, and to make reasonable estimates and assumptions. As a result, the pay ratio reported by other companies may not be comparable to the pay ratio reported above, as other companies may have different employment and compensation practices and may utilize different methodologies, exclusions, estimates, and assumptions in calculating their own pay ratios.

28



Director Compensation
The Board of Directors sets the compensation for the Company’s non-employee directors, after receiving the recommendations of the Compensation Committee. In formulating its recommendations, the Compensation Committee seeks and receives input from Aon/Radford related to the amounts, terms and conditions of director cash compensation and stock-based compensation awards, with the goal of establishing non-employee director compensation that is similar to, and competitive with, the compensation of non-employee directors at peer companies in the semiconductor industry.
Cash Compensation
Currently, non-employee directors of the Company are paid, in quarterly installments, an annual retainer of $70,000. Additional annual retainers for Chairman, Lead Independent Director, and/or committee service (paid in quarterly installments) are as follows: any non-employee Chairman of the Board ($130,000); the Lead Independent Director, if one has been appointed ($50,000); the Chairman of the Audit Committee ($30,000); the Chairman of the Compensation Committee ($20,000); the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee ($15,000); non-chair member of Audit Committee ($12,000); non-chair member of Compensation Committee ($10,000); and non-chair member of Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee ($5,000). In addition, the Compensation Committee continues to retain discretion to recommend to the full Board of Directors that additional cash payments be made to a non-employee director for extraordinary service during a fiscal year.
Equity Compensation
Currently, following each annual meeting of stockholders, each non-employee director who is reelected will receive a grant of RSUs having a value of approximately $200,000. Any newly appointed non-employee director will receive an initial equity grant of RSUs having a value of approximately $200,000. The number of shares subject to a non-employee director’s initial RSU award or annual award is determined by dividing the approximate value of the award, as stated above, by the average closing price per share of the Company’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (or if the common stock is not then traded on such market, such other market on which the common stock is traded) for each trading day during the 30 consecutive trading day period ending on, and including, the grant date. Unless otherwise determined by the Board of Directors, (a) a non-employee director’s initial equity grant of RSUs will vest in three (3) equal annual installments on the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, and (b) a non-employee director’s annual equity grant of RSUs will vest on the first anniversary of the date of grant. In the event of a change in control of the Company, any outstanding options and RSUs awarded under the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan will become fully exercisable and deemed fully vested, respectively.
No director who is also an employee receives separate compensation for services rendered as a director. Mr. Griffin is currently the only director who is also an employee of the Company. As discussed above, Mr. Aldrich was an employee of the Company until May 9, 2018, at which time he began receiving compensation for services rendered as a non-employee director.
Director Compensation Table
The following table summarizes the compensation paid to the Company’s non-employee directors for fiscal year 2018. The compensation paid to Mr. Aldrich, who retired as an employee of the Company effective May 9, 2018, and thereafter began receiving compensation as a non-employee director, is included above in the “Summary Compensation Table,” as required by Item 402(c) of Regulation S-K.
Name 
Fees Earned or
Paid in Cash
($)
Stock
Awards
($)(1)(2)
Total
($)
David J. McLachlan, Lead Independent Director137,000201,611338,611
Kevin L. Beebe92,000201,611293,611
Timothy R. Furey85,000201,611286,611
Balakrishnan S. Iyer95,750201,611297,361
Christine King90,000201,611291,611
David P. McGlade85,000201,611286,611
Robert A. Schriesheim98,500201,611300,111
Kimberly S. Stevenson14,457190,546205,003
     

(1)The non-employee members of the Board of Directors who held such positions on September 28, 2018, held the following aggregate number of unvested RSU awards as of such date:

29




Name
Number of
Shares Subject to
Unvested RSUs
David J. McLachlan, Lead Independent Director2,110
Kevin L. Beebe2,110
Timothy R. Furey2,110
Balakrishnan S. Iyer2,110
Christine King2,110
David P. McGlade2,110
Robert A. Schriesheim2,110
Kimberly S. Stevenson2,017
(2)Reflects the grant date fair value of 2,110 RSUs granted on May 9, 2018, to each non-employee director elected at the 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, computed in accordance with the provisions of ASC 718 using a price of $95.55 per share, which was the closing sale price of the Company’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Select Market on May 9, 2018. For Ms. Stevenson, reflects the grant date fair value of 2,017 RSUs granted on July 24, 2018, upon her initial appointment to the Board of Directors.
Director Stock Ownership Requirements
We have adopted Director Stock Ownership guidelines with the objective of more closely aligning the interests of our directors with those of our stockholders. The minimum number of shares of the Company’s common stock that the Director Stock Ownership guidelines require non-employee directors to hold while serving in their capacity as directors is the director base compensation (currently $70,000) multiplied by five (5), divided by the fair market value of the Company’s common stock (rounded to the nearest 100 shares). For purposes of the Director Stock Ownership guidelines, the fair market value of the Company’s common stock is the average closing price per share of the Company’s common stock as reported on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (or if the common stock is not then traded on such market, such other market on which the common stock is traded) for the twelve (12) month period ending with the determination date. As of January 15, 2019, the Director Stock Ownership guidelines require non-employee directors to hold a minimum of 3,800 shares, and all directors were in compliance with such guidelines as of such date (with the exception of Ms. Stevenson, who is not required to comply with the guidelines until the fifth anniversary of her appointment to the Board of Directors).


30



Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation
The Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors currently consists of, and during fiscal year 2018 consisted of, Messrs. Beebe, Furey, and McGlade and Ms. King (Chairman). No member of this committee was at any time during fiscal year 2018 an officer or employee of the Company, was formerly an officer of the Company or any of its subsidiaries, or had any employment relationship with the Company or any of its subsidiaries. No executive officer of the Company has served as a director or member of the compensation committee (or other committee serving an equivalent function) of any other entity, one of whose executive officers served as a director of or member of the Compensation Committee.
Compensation Committee Report
The Compensation Committee has reviewed and discussed the Compensation Discussion and Analysis included herein with management, and based on the review and discussions, the Compensation Committee recommended to the Board of Directors that the Compensation Discussion and Analysis be included in the annual report on this Form 10-K for the year ended September 28, 2018.

THE COMPENSATION COMMITTEE
Kevin L. Beebe
Timothy R. Furey
Christine King, Chairman
David P. McGlade



31






ITEM 12. SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT AND RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS.
The information to be included under the captions “SecuritySecurity Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management”Management
To the Company’s knowledge, the following table sets forth the beneficial ownership of the Company’s common stock as of January 15, 2019, by the following individuals or entities: (i) each person or entity who beneficially owns five percent (5%) or more of the outstanding shares of the Company’s common stock as of January 15, 2019; (ii) the Named Executive Officers (as defined above in Item 11 “Executive Compensation”); (iii) each director and “Equitynominee for director; and (iv) all current executive officers and directors of the Company, as a group.
Beneficial ownership is determined in accordance with the rules of the SEC, is not necessarily indicative of beneficial ownership for any other purpose, and does not constitute an admission that the named stockholder is a direct or indirect beneficial owner of those shares. As of January 15, 2019, there were 174,059,816 shares of the Company’s common stock issued and outstanding.
In computing the number of shares of Company common stock beneficially owned by a person and the percentage ownership of that person, shares of Company common stock that are subject to stock options or other rights held by that person that are currently exercisable or that will become exercisable within sixty (60) days of January 15, 2019, are deemed outstanding. These shares are not, however, deemed outstanding for the purpose of computing the percentage ownership of any other person.
Names and Addresses of Beneficial Owners(1) 
Number of Shares
Beneficially Owned(2)
Percent of Class
The Vanguard Group, Inc.18,647,000(3)
10.71%
BlackRock, Inc.13,206,360(4)
7.59%
Capital Research Global Investors11,131,443(5)
6.40%
David J. Aldrich467,645(6)
(*)
Kevin L. Beebe55,163
(*)
Carlos S. Bori27,051(6)
(*)
Timothy R. Furey24,714
(*)
Peter L. Gammel43,459(6)
(*)
Liam K. Griffin155,746(6)
(*)
Balakrishnan S. Iyer18,322
(*)
Christine King14,928
(*)
David P. McGlade67,688
(*)
David J. McLachlan67,088
(*)
Robert A. Schriesheim71,095
(*)
Kris Sennesael45,227
(*)
Kimberly S. Stevenson
(*)
Robert J. Terry21,798(6)
(*)
All current directors and executive officers as a group (14 persons)1,079,924(6)
(*)

*Less than 1%
(1)Unless otherwise set forth in the following notes, each person’s address is the address of the Company’s principal executive offices at Skyworks Solutions, Inc., 20 Sylvan Road, Woburn, MA 01801, and stockholders have sole voting and sole investment power with respect to the shares, except to the extent such power may be shared by a spouse or otherwise subject to applicable community property laws.
(2)Includes the number of shares of Company common stock subject to stock options held by that person that are currently exercisable or will become exercisable within sixty (60) days of January 15, 2019 (the “Current Options”), as follows: Mr. Aldrich—246,559 shares under Current Options; Mr. Bori—8,477 shares under Current Options; Mr. Gammel—24,344 shares under Current Options; Mr. Griffin—63,461 shares under Current Options; Mr. Sennesael—26,386 shares

32



under Current Options; Mr. Terry—5,486 shares under Current Options; current directors and executive officers as a group (14 persons)—374,713 shares under Current Options.
The table does not reflect the number of shares of Company common stock to be issued pursuant to unvested restricted stock units (the “Unvested RSUs”) and earned, but unissued, performance share awards subject to time-based vesting only (the “Unvested PSAs”) that are not scheduled to vest within sixty (60) days of January 15, 2019, as follows: Mr. Aldrich—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Beebe—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Bori—21,345 shares under Unvested RSUs and 17,291 shares under Unvested PSAs; Mr. Furey—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Gammel—9,493 shares under Unvested RSUs and 11,735 shares under Unvested PSAs; Mr. Griffin—87,708 shares under Unvested RSUs and 64,937 shares under Unvested PSAs; Mr. Iyer—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Ms. King—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. McGlade—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. McLachlan—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Schriesheim—2,110 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Sennesael—34,393 shares under Unvested RSUs and 17,677 shares under Unvested PSAs; Ms. Stevenson—2,017 shares under Unvested RSUs; Mr. Terry—13,591 shares under Unvested RSUs and 11,951 shares under Unvested PSAs; current directors and executive officers as a group (14 persons)—185,427 shares under Unvested RSUs and 123,591 shares under Unvested PSAs.
(3)Consists of shares beneficially owned by The Vanguard Group, Inc. (“Vanguard”), which has sole voting power with respect to 259,831 shares, shared voting power with respect to 47,633 shares, sole dispositive power with respect to 18,340,420 shares and shared dispositive power with respect to 306,580 shares. Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Vanguard, is the beneficial owner of 205,022 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of collective trust accounts. Vanguard Investments Australia, Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Vanguard, is the beneficial owner of 155,142 shares as a result of its serving as investment manager of Australian investment offerings. With respect to the information relating to Vanguard, the Company has relied on information supplied by Vanguard on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 12, 2018. The address of Vanguard is 100 Vanguard Blvd., Malvern, PA, 19355.
(4)Consists of shares beneficially owned by BlackRock, Inc. (“BlackRock”), in its capacity as a parent holding company of various subsidiaries under Rule 13d-1(b)(1)(ii)(G). In its capacity as a parent holding company or control person, BlackRock has sole voting power with respect to 11,475,691 shares and sole dispositive power with respect to 13,206,360 shares which are held by the following of its subsidiaries: BlackRock (Luxembourg) S.A., BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V., BlackRock (Singapore) Limited, BlackRock Advisors (UK) Limited, BlackRock Advisors, LLC, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Deutschland AG, BlackRock Asset Management Ireland Limited, BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited, BlackRock Asset Management Schweiz AG, BlackRock Capital Management, Inc., BlackRock Financial Management, Inc., BlackRock Fund Advisors, BlackRock Fund Managers Ltd, BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A., BlackRock International Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management (UK) Limited, BlackRock Investment Management, LLC, BlackRock Japan Co. Ltd., and BlackRock Life Limited. With respect to the information relating to BlackRock and its affiliated entities, the Company has relied on information supplied by BlackRock on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on February 8, 2018. The address of BlackRock is 55 East 52nd Street, New York, NY, 10055.
(5)Consists of shares beneficially owned by Capital Research Global Investors (“Capital Research”), a division of Capital Research and Management Company. Capital Research has sole voting power and sole dispositive power with respect to 11,131,443 shares. With respect to the information relating to Capital Research, the Company has relied on information supplied by Capital Research on a Schedule 13G/A filed with the SEC on November 9, 2018. The address of Capital Research is 333 South Hope Street, Los Angeles, CA, 90071.
(6)Includes shares held in the Company’s 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan as of January 15, 2019.
Equity Compensation Plan Information” in our definitive proxy statementInformation
As of September 28, 2018, the Company has the following equity compensation plans under which its equity securities were authorized for issuance to its employees and/or directors:
the 1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan
the 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
the Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan
the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan

33



AATI 2005 Equity Incentive Plan
the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan
the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan
Except for the 2019 Annual Meeting1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan (the “1999 Employee Plan”) and the Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan (the “Non-Qualified ESPP”), each of Stockholdersthe foregoing equity compensation plans was approved by the Company’s stockholders. A description of the material features of each non-stockholder approved plan is incorporated hereinprovided below under the headings “1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan” and “Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan.”
The following table presents information about these plans as of September 28, 2018.
 
Number of Securities to be
Issued Upon Exercise of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants, and Rights (#)
(a)
Weighted Average
Exercise Price of
Outstanding Options,
Warrants and Rights ($)
(b)
Number of Securities
Remaining Available for
Future Issuance Under
Equity Compensation
Plans (Excluding
Securities Reflected in
Column (a)) (#)
(c)
Equity compensation plans approved by security holders1,854,438(1)
58.5414,515,549(2)
Equity compensation plans not approved by security holders52,600
7.13142,027(3)
TOTAL1,907,038
57.1214,657,576
   

(1)Excludes 1,181,861 unvested shares under restricted stock and RSU awards and 1,325,017 unvested shares under PSAs, which figure assumes achievement of performance goals under the FY18 PSAs at target levels.
(2)Includes 377,419 shares available for future issuance under the 2002 Employee Stock Purchase Plan, 13,448,078 shares available for future issuance under the 2015 Long-Term Incentive Plan, and 650,052 shares available for future issuance under the 2008 Director Long-Term Incentive Plan. No further grants will be made under the AATI 2005 Equity Incentive Plan or the 2005 Long-Term Incentive Plan.
(3)Represents shares available under the Non-Qualified ESPP. No further grants will be made under the 1999 Employee Plan.
1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan
The 1999 Employee Plan provided for the grant of non-qualified stock options to purchase shares of the Company’s common stock to employees, other than officers and non-employee directors. The term of these options may not exceed 10 years. The 1999 Employee Plan contains provisions, which permit restrictions on vesting or transferability, as well as continued exercisability upon a participant’s termination of employment with the Company, of options granted thereunder. The 1999 Employee Plan provides for full acceleration of the vesting of options granted thereunder upon a “change in control” of the Company, as defined in the 1999 Employee Plan. The Board of Directors generally may amend, suspend or terminate the 1999 Employee Plan in whole or in part at any time; provided that any amendment that affects outstanding options be consented to by reference.the holder of the options. As of April 26, 2009, no additional grants were issuable under the 1999 Employee Long-Term Incentive Plan.
Non-Qualified Employee Stock Purchase Plan
The Company also maintains the Non-Qualified ESPP to provide employees of the Company and participating subsidiaries with an opportunity to acquire a proprietary interest in the Company through the purchase, by means of payroll deductions, of shares of the Company’s common stock at a discount from the market price of the common stock at the time of purchase. The Non-Qualified ESPP is intended for use primarily by employees of the Company located outside the United States. Under the plan, eligible employees may purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 10% of compensation. The price per share is the lower of 85% of the market price at the beginning or end of each six-month offering period.



34





ITEM 13. CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS, AND DIRECTOR INDEPENDENCE.
The information to be included under the captions “CertainCertain Relationships and Related Transactions”Transactions: Other than compensation agreements and “Corporate Governance─Director Independence”other arrangements which are described above in Item 11 “Executive Compensation,” since September 29, 2017, there has not been a transaction or series of related transactions to which the Company was or is a party involving an amount in excess of $120,000 and in which any director, executive officer, holder of more than five percent (5%) of any class of our definitive proxy statementvoting securities, or any member of the immediate family of any of the foregoing persons, had or will have a direct or indirect material interest. In January 2008, the Board of Directors adopted a written related person transaction approval policy, which was amended in November 2018, and which sets forth the Company’s policies and procedures for the 2019 Annual Meetingreview, approval or ratification of Stockholdersany transaction required to be reported in its filings with the SEC. The Company’s policy with regard to related person transactions is incorporated hereinthat all related person transactions between the Company and any related person (as defined in Item 404 of Regulation S-K) or their affiliates, in which the amount involved is equal to or greater than $120,000, be reviewed by reference.the Company’s General Counsel and approved by the Audit Committee. In addition, the Company’s Code of Business Conduct and Ethics requires that employees discuss with the Company’s Compliance Officer any significant relationship (or transaction) that might raise doubt about such employee’s ability to act in the best interest of the Company.

Director Independence: Each year, the Board of Directors reviews the relationships that each director has with the Company and with other parties. Only those directors who do not have any of the categorical relationships that preclude them from being independent within the meaning of applicable Nasdaq Rules and who the Board of Directors affirmatively determines have no relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director are considered to be independent directors. The Board of Directors has reviewed a number of factors to evaluate the independence of each of its members. These factors include its members’ current and historic relationships with the Company and its competitors, suppliers and customers; their relationships with management and other directors; the relationships their current and former employers have with the Company; and the relationships between the Company and other companies of which a member of the Company’s Board of Directors is a director or executive officer. After evaluating these factors, the Board of Directors has determined that a majority of the members of the Board of Directors, namely, Kevin L. Beebe, Timothy R. Furey, Balakrishnan S. Iyer, Christine King, David J. McLachlan, David P. McGlade, Robert A. Schriesheim, and Kimberly S. Stevenson, do not have any relationships that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out their responsibilities as directors and that each such director is an independent director of the Company within the meaning of applicable Nasdaq Rules.

35





ITEM 14. PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTING FEES AND SERVICES.
KPMG LLP provided audit services to the Company consisting of the annual audit of the Company’s 2018 consolidated financial statements contained in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and reviews of the financial statements contained in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for fiscal year 2018. The following table summarizes the fees of KPMG LLP billed to the Company for the last two fiscal years.
Fee Category 
Fiscal Year
2018 ($)
% of
Total (%)
Fiscal Year
2017 ($)
% of
Total (%)
Audit Fees(1)2,479,090
89.9
1,741,700
93.7
Audit-Related Fees



Tax Fees(2)240,500
8.7
67,000
3.6
All Other Fees(3)38,500
1.4
49,560
2.7
Total Fees2,758,090
100
1,858,260
100
      

(1)Audit fees consist of fees for the audit of our annual financial statements, review of the interim financial statements included in our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, statutory audits and related filings in various foreign locations and audit procedures related to acquisition activity during fiscal years 2018 and 2017. Fiscal year 2018 and 2017 audit fees included fees for services incurred in connection with rendering an opinion under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
(2)Tax fees consist of fees for tax compliance, tax advice and tax planning services. Tax compliance services, which primarily relate to the review of our U.S. tax returns and certain trade and customs forms, accounted for $230,000 and $57,000 of the total tax fees for fiscal years 2018 and 2017, respectively.
(3)All other fees for fiscal years 2018 and 2017 relate to fees incurred for conflict mineral reporting compliance and licenses to accounting and research software.
The informationIn 2003, the Audit Committee adopted a formal policy concerning approval of audit and non-audit services to be included underprovided to the caption “Ratification of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm—Company by its independent registered public accounting firm, KPMG LLP. The policy requires that all services provided by KPMG LLP, including audit services and permitted audit-related and non-audit services, be preapproved by the Audit Fees” in our definitive proxy statement for the 2019 Annual Meeting of Stockholders is incorporated hereinCommittee. The Audit Committee preapproved all audit and non-audit services provided by reference.KPMG LLP during fiscal year 2018 and fiscal year 2017.


36





PART IV

ITEM 15. EXHIBITS, FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
(a)    The following are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

(a)The following are filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K:

1.Index to Financial StatementsPage number in this reportof the Original Filing
   
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Page 34
Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three years ended September 28, 2018
Page 36
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income for the three years ended September 28, 2018
Page 38
Consolidated Balance Sheets at September 28, 2018, and September 29, 2017
Page 38
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the three years ended September 28, 2018
Page 39
Consolidated Statements of Stockholders’ Equity for the three years ended September 28, 2018
Page 40
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements
Pages 41 through 62
   
2.The schedule listed below is filed as part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K: 
 Schedule II-Valuation and Qualifying AccountsPage 70
All other required schedule information is included in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements or is omitted because it is either not required or not applicable. 
3.The Exhibits listed in the Exhibit Index immediately following Item 16 are filed as a part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. 

(b)Exhibits
(b)    Exhibits

The exhibits required by Item 601 of Regulation S-K are filed herewith and incorporated by reference herein. The response to this portion of Item 15 is submitted under Item 15 (a) 15(a)(3).

ITEM 16. FORM 10-K SUMMARY.

None







37



EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit
  Number
Exhibit DescriptionFormIncorporated by ReferenceFiled Herewith
File No.ExhibitFiling Date
2.110-Q001-055602.17/30/2014 
2.210-K001-055602.511/25/2014 
2.310-K001-055602.311/15/2018 
3.110-Q001-055603.18/3/2016 
3.210-Q001-055603.12/5/2018 
4.1S-3333-9239447/15/2002 
10.1*10-K001-0556010.D12/14/2005 
10.2*10-K001-0556010.L12/23/2002 
10.3*10-Q001-0556010.D1/31/2013 
10.4*10-Q001-0556010.E1/31/2013 
10.5*8-K001-0556010.15/13/2013 
10.6*10-Q001-0556010.B1/31/2013 
10.7*10-Q001-0556010.C1/31/2013 
10.8*8-K001-0556010.15/9/2014 
10.9*10-Q001-0556010.15/4/2018 
10.10*10-Q001-0556010.NN5/7/2008 
10.11*10-Q001-0556010.OO5/7/2008 
10.12*10-Q001-0556010.25/4/2016 

38



Exhibit
Number    
Exhibit DescriptionFormIncorporated by ReferenceFiled Herewith
File No.ExhibitFiling Date
2.110-Q001-055602.17/30/2014 
2.210-K001-055602.511/25/2014 
2.3    X
3.110-Q001-055603.18/3/2016 
3.210-Q001-055603.12/5/2018 
4.1S-3333-9239447/15/2002 
10.1*10-K001-0556010.D12/14/2005 
10.2*10-K001-0556010.L12/23/2002 
10.3*10-Q001-0556010.D1/31/2013 
10.4*10-Q001-0556010.E1/31/2013 
10.5*8-K001-0556010.15/13/2013 
10.6*10-Q001-0556010.B1/31/2013 
10.7*10-Q001-0556010.C1/31/2013 
10.8*8-K001-0556010.15/9/2014 
10.9*10-Q001-0556010.15/4/2018 
10.10*10-Q001-0556010.NN5/7/2008 
10.11*10-Q001-0556010.OO5/7/2008 
Exhibit
  Number
Exhibit DescriptionFormIncorporated by ReferenceFiled Herewith
File No.ExhibitFiling Date
10.13*10-Q001-0556010.18/5/2015 
10.14*10-Q001-0556010.28/5/2015 
10.15*10-Q001-0556010.38/5/2015 
10.16*10-Q001-0556010.48/5/2015 
10.17*10-K001-0556010.DD11/21/2012 
10.18*10-Q001-0556010.22/5/2018 
10.19*10-Q001-0556010.17/20/2018 
10.20*10-Q001-0556010.18/3/2016 
10.21*10-Q001-0556010.28/3/2016 
10.22*10-K001-0556010.3111/24/2015 
10.23*10-K001-0556010.3211/22/2016 
10.24*

10-Q001-0556010.22/7/2017 
10.25*

10-K001-0556010.2711/13/2017 
10.26*

10-K001-0556010.2811/13/2017 
2110-K001-055602111/15/2018 
23.110-K001-0556023.111/15/2018 
31.110-K001-0556031.111/15/2018 
31.210-K001-0556031.211/15/2018 
31.3    X

39



Exhibit
Number    
Exhibit DescriptionFormIncorporated by ReferenceFiled Herewith
File No.ExhibitFiling Date
10.12*10-Q001-0556010.25/4/2016
10.13*10-Q001-0556010.18/5/2015
10.14*10-Q001-0556010.28/5/2015
10.15*10-Q001-0556010.38/5/2015
10.16*10-Q001-0556010.48/5/2015
10.17*10-K001-0556010.DD11/21/2012
10.18*10-Q001-0556010.22/5/2018
10.19*10-Q001-0556010.17/20/2018
10.20*10-Q001-0556010.18/3/2016
10.21*10-Q001-0556010.28/3/2016
10.22*10-K001-0556010.3111/24/2015
10.23*10-K001-0556010.3211/22/2016
10.24*10-Q001-0556010.22/7/2017
10.25*

10-K001-0556010.2711/13/2017
10.26*10-K001-0556010.2811/13/2017
21X
23.1X
31.1X
31.2X
32.1X

Exhibit
Number    
Exhibit DescriptionFormIncorporated by ReferenceFiled Herewith
File No.ExhibitFiling Date
32.2X
101.INSXBRL Instance DocumentX
101.SCHXBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema DocumentX
101.CALXBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase DocumentX
101.DEFXBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase DocumentX
101.LABXBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase DocumentX
101.PREXBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase DocumentX

* Indicates a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.



40



SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

Date: November 14, 2018

 SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS, INC.
 Registrant
   
Date:January 25, 2019By:/s/   /s/ Liam K. Griffin
  Liam K. Griffin
  President and Chief Executive Officer
Director



41











Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the capacities indicated on November 14, 2018.

Signature and TitleSignature and Title
/s/ Liam K. Griffin/s/ David J. Aldrich
Liam K. GriffinDavid J. Aldrich
Chief Executive OfficerChairman of the Board
President and Director
(principal executive officer)/s/ Kevin L. Beebe
Kevin L. Beebe
/s/ Kris SennesaelDirector
Kris Sennesael
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer/s/Timothy R. Furey
(principal accounting and financial officer)Timothy R. Furey
Director
/s/ Balakrishnan S. Iyer
Balakrishnan S. Iyer
Director
/s/ Christine King
Christine King
Director
/s/ David P. McGlade
David P. McGlade
Director
/s/ David J. McLachlan
David J. McLachlan
Director
/s/ Robert A. Schriesheim
Robert A. Schriesheim
Director
/s/ Kimberly S. Stevenson
Kimberly S. Stevenson
Director

71