National Semiconductor Reports Results for Third Quarter Fiscal 2011

* National Semiconductor Corp. (NYSE:NSM) today reported sales of $343.9 million and net income of $59.4 million, or 24 cents per diluted share, for the third quarter of fiscal 2011, which ended Feb. 27, 2011.

National’s third quarter sales were 12 percent lower than the $390.4 million in sales reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2011 due to inventory adjustments in the distribution channel and seasonally lower shipments to wireless handset customers following the holiday sales period. Sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 were
5 percent lower than the $361.9 million reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2010.

Third quarter net income of $59.4 million, or 24 cents per diluted share, was a decrease from the $83.5 million, or 34 cents per diluted share, in the second quarter of fiscal 2011. One year ago, National reported net income of $53.2 million, or 22 cents per diluted share for the third quarter of fiscal 2010.

Gross margin of 66.5 percent decreased from 68.9 percent in the second quarter of 2011, driven by lower factory utilization in connection with the reduced sales volume. National reported gross margin of 67.3 percent in the third quarter of fiscal 2010.

Bookings for Q3, Fiscal 2011
National’s total company bookings in the third quarter of fiscal 2011 were approximately the same as in the preceding quarter. Bookings were up sequentially in the North America and Asia Pacific regions, and down in Europe and Japan. During the third quarter of fiscal 2011, billings exceeded bookings.

Notable Items in Q3, Fiscal 2011
Third quarter fiscal 2011 results included a $6 million pre-tax impairment charge related to assets held for sale. This amount is included within the $8.2 million of total restructuring expenses associated with previously announced plant closures.

Outlook for Q4, Fiscal 2011
For the fourth quarter of fiscal 2011, National projects the following:

* Revenues between $360 million and $370 million, an increase of approximately 4 percent to 7 percent sequentially
* Gross margin percentage between 66 percent and 67 percent
* Combined R&D and SG&A expenses between $132 million and $138 million

“As we move beyond the inventory correction, and the post-holiday slowdown in the mobile phone market, we are looking forward to resuming revenue growth,” said Don Macleod, National’s chief executive officer. “We see our power management and, in particular, energy efficiency solutions driving revenue growth in broad industrial and mobile device markets.”

Company Declares Dividend
The company announced today that the Board of Directors has declared a cash dividend of $0.10 per outstanding share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on April 11, 2011 to shareholders of record at the close of business on March 21, 2011.

Special Note
This release contains forward-looking statements dependent on a number of risks and uncertainties pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Except for historical information contained herein, the matters set forth in this press release, including management’s expectations regarding future performance, are forward-looking statements that involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not restricted to, such factors as new orders received and shipped during the quarter, the degree of factory utilization, the sale of inventories at existing prices, and the ramp up and sale of new analog products. Other risk factors are included in the company's annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended May 30, 2010 under the captions “Outlook,” “Risk Factors” and “Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” contained therein, and the quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended Nov. 28, 2010. # Q3 sales of $343.9 million decreased 12% from Q2 of fiscal 2011 and decreased 5% from Q3 of fiscal 2010
# GAAP earnings per share of 24 cents was down from 34 cents in Q2 but up from 22 cents one year ago
# Gross margin of 66.5% decreased from 68.9% in Q2 and from the 67.3% posted in Q3 of last year
# Sales outlook for Q4 of fiscal 2011 expected to increase sequentially to a range of $360 million to $370 million