Keysight Technologies 10-K 2018-10-31

10-K 1 keys-10312018x10k.htm 10-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 10-K

Commission File Number: 001-36334

Keysight Technologies, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Address of principal executive offices: 1400 Fountaingrove Parkway, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (800) 829-4444

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes o No x

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. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) 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. o

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting 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.

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). Yes o No x

The aggregate market value of common equity held by non-affiliates as of April 30, 2018 was approximately $6 billion, based upon the closing price of the Registrant's common stock as quoted on New York Stock Exchange on such date. Shares of stock held by officers, directors and 5 percent or more stockholders have been excluded in that such persons may be deemed to be affiliates. This determination of affiliate status is not necessarily a conclusive determination for other purposes.

As of December 10, 2018, there were 187,641,764 shares of our common stock outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Forward-Looking Statements

This report contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding trends, seasonality, cyclicality and growth in, and drivers of, the markets we sell into, our strategic direction, our future effective tax rate and tax valuation allowance, earnings from our foreign subsidiaries, remediation activities, new solution and service introductions, the ability of our solutions to meet market needs, changes to our manufacturing processes, the use of contract manufacturers, the impact of local government regulations on our ability to pay vendors or conduct operations, our liquidity position, our ability to generate cash from operations, growth in our businesses, our investments, the potential impact of adopting new accounting pronouncements, our financial results, our purchase commitments, our contributions to our pension plans, the selection of discount rates and recognition of any gains or losses for our benefit plans, our cost-control activities, savings and headcount reduction recognized from our restructuring programs and other cost saving initiatives, and other regulatory approvals, the integration of our completed acquisitions and other transactions, our transition to lower-cost regions, the existence of political or economic instability, and our and the combined group's estimated or anticipated future results of operations, that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed in Item 1A and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

PART I

Overview

Keysight Technologies, Inc. ("we," "us," "Keysight" or the "company"), incorporated in Delaware on December 6, 2013, is a technology company providing electronic design and test solutions that are used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment, validation, optimization and secure operation of electronics systems to communications, networking and electronics industries. We also offer customization, consulting and optimization services throughout the customer's product lifecycle, including start-up assistance, instrument productivity, application services and instrument calibration and repair.

We have a comprehensive sales strategy that uses our direct sales force, distributors, resellers and manufacturer's representatives. The strategy varies based on the size of customer, the complexity of solutions and geographical coverage. We generated $3.9 billion, $3.2 billion and $2.9 billion of net revenue in 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. As of October 31, 2018, we had approximately 12,900 employees worldwide.

Net revenue, income from operations and assets by business segment as of and for the fiscal years ended October 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016 are shown in Note 19, "Segment Information," to our consolidated financial statements.

We had more than 17,000 direct customers for our solutions and services in fiscal year 2018 and greater than 32,000 customers including indirect channels. No single customer represented 10 percent or more of our net revenue. Many of our customers acquire solutions and services across multiple segments.

Strategies

With a singular focus on electronic design and test and optimization, we deliver market-leading solutions across a wide range of industries, including commercial communications, networking, aerospace, defense and government, automotive, energy, semiconductor and electronic industrial. Our research and development efforts support our customers' design and test challenges across the entire development lifecycle, beginning with simulation and prototype development and validation, through volume manufacturing test and operational optimization in the network. Our goal is to increase the productivity of our customers and reduce their project time-to-market independent of the specific form factor required. These form factors range from complete application-specific solutions and feature-rich benchtop or handheld instruments to customer configurable modular solutions. All of these solutions utilize a common portfolio of market leading software and hardware technologies, along with the ability to provide multi-vendor managed services built upon Keysight’s global repair and calibration capabilities. This enables our customers to develop and deploy solutions to address the most rapidly evolving new technologies.

support of this strategy, over the prior two years, we have introduced 70 new solutions covering vehicle intelligence, connectivity, power and security. With the addition of ScienLab, we significantly enhanced our ability to deliver application-optimized, customer-specific test solutions for the development and production of charging technology and infrastructure, energy storages, battery management systems, inverters, and DC/DC converters.

Strengths

Our electronic measurement business originated in 1939. Our legacy encompasses more than 75 years of innovation, measurement science expertise and deep customer relationships. We conduct business annually with over 32,000 customers that are developing electronic products, including many Fortune 1000 companies. We help accelerate innovation to connect and secure the world. The following strengths are significant:

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Risks, Uncertainties and Other Factors That May Affect Future Results

Risks Related to Our Business

Failure to introduce successful new solutions and services in a timely manner to address increased competition, rapid technological changes, and changing industry standards could result in our solutions and services becoming obsolete.

We generally sell our solutions in industries that are characterized by increased competition through frequent new solution and service introductions, rapid technological changes and changing industry standards. In addition, many of the markets in which we operate are seasonal and cyclical. Without the timely introduction of new solutions, services and enhancements, our solutions and services will become technologically obsolete over time, in which case our revenue and operating results would suffer. Our ability to offer new solutions and services and to deploy them in a timely manner depend on several factors, including but not limited to our ability to:

Our future operating results may fluctuate significantly if our investments in innovative technologies are not as profitable as we anticipate.

On a regular basis, we review the existing technologies available in the market and identify strategic new technologies to develop and invest in. We are currently devoting significant resources to the 5G technology, in the automotive and battery industries, in the Internet of Things, and mobile industries. We are investing in R&D, developing relationships with customers and suppliers, and re-directing our corporate and operational resources to grow within these innovative technologies. Our income could be harmed if we fail to gain sufficient market share, if demand for our solutions is lower than we expect, or if our income related to the innovative technologies is lower than we anticipate. For example, when the 5G standards are published, we may not be able to produce a satisfactory return on investment if our strategic vision and the resources that we are spending on developing our presence in the 5G technology industry turn out to be misaligned with such standards.

Failure to adjust our purchases due to changing market conditions or failure to estimate our customers' demand could adversely affect our income.

Our income could be harmed if we are unable to adjust our purchases to market fluctuations, including those caused by the seasonal or cyclical nature of the markets in which we operate. The sale of our solutions and services are dependent, to a large degree, on customers whose industries are subject to seasonal or cyclical trends in the demand for their products. For example, the consumer electronics market is particularly volatile, making demand difficult to anticipate. During a market upturn, we may not be able to purchase sufficient supplies or components to meet increasing product demand, which could materially affect our results. In the past, we have seen a shortage of parts for some of our products. In addition, some of the parts that require custom design are not readily available from alternate suppliers due to their unique design or the length of time necessary for design work. Should a supplier cease manufacturing such a component, we would be forced to re-engineer our solution. In addition to discontinuing parts, suppliers may also extend lead times, limit supplies or increase prices due to capacity constraints or other factors. In order to secure components for the production of products, we may continue to enter into non-cancellable purchase commitments with vendors, or at times make advance payments to suppliers, which could impact our ability to adjust our inventory to declining market demands. Prior commitments of this type have resulted in an excess of parts when demand for electronic products has decreased. If demand for our solutions is less than we expect, we may experience additional excess and obsolete inventories and be forced to incur additional charges.

Economic and political policies favoring national interests could adversely affect our results of operations.

Our overall performance depends largely upon domestic and international economic and political conditions. Many of our suppliers, vendors, partners, and other entities with whom we do business have strong ties to doing business in China and their ability to supply materials to us or otherwise work with us is strongly affected by their ability to do business in China. If the U.S.’s relationship with China deteriorates or results in trade protection measures, retaliatory actions, tariffs and increased barriers,

policies that favor domestic industries, or increased import or export licensing requirements or restrictions, then our operations may be adversely affected due to such changes in the economic and political ecosystem in which our suppliers, vendors, partners, and other entities with whom we do business operate.

We have significant operations, including a large number of employees, manufacturing facilities, and operations centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Singapore, Malaysia and China among other countries. Nationalistic economic policies and political trends in these territories, such as opposition to globalization and free trade, sanctions or trade restrictions, withdrawal from or re-negotiation of global trade agreements, tax policies that favor domestic industries and interests, the anticipated exit of the United Kingdom from the European Union (known as Brexit), the distancing or potential exit of other countries from the European Union, and other similar actions may result in increased transaction costs, reduced ability to hire employees, reduced access to supplies and materials, reduced demand or access to customers in international markets, and inability to conduct our operations as they have been conducted historically. Each of these factors may adversely affect our business.

Economic, political, and other risks associated with international sales and operations could adversely affect our results of operations.

Because we sell our solutions worldwide, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. We anticipate that revenue from international operations will continue to represent a majority of our total revenue. However, there can be no assurances that our international sales will continue at existing levels or grow in accordance with our effort to increase foreign market penetration. In addition, many of our employees, contract manufacturers, suppliers, job functions and manufacturing facilities are located outside the United States. Accordingly, our future results could be harmed by a variety of factors, including but not limited to:

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None.

Our executive offices are located in the United States in an owned facility in Santa Rosa, California. We own or lease a total of approximately 130 operating facilities located throughout the world that handle manufacturing production, research and development, administration, assembly, sales, quality, assurance testing, distribution and packaging of our products. These facilities are primarily located in the following countries: China, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom and the United States. As of October 31, 2018, we own or lease approximately 6.2 million square feet of space worldwide, of which we own approximately 4.2 million square feet and lease 2.0 million square feet. Our sales and support facilities occupy a total of approximately 0.5 million square feet. Our manufacturing plants, R&D facilities and warehouse and administrative facilities occupy approximately 5.7 million square feet. All of these facilities are well maintained and suitable for the operations conducted in them.

We are involved in lawsuits, claims, investigations and proceedings, including, but not limited to, patent, commercial and environmental matters, which arise in the ordinary course of business. There are no matters pending that we currently believe are reasonably possible of having a material impact to our business, consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Centripetal Lawsuit

On July 20, 2017, Centripetal Networks, Inc. ("Centripetal") filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, Centripetal Networks, Inc. v. Keysight Technologies, Inc. and Ixia, Case No. 17-cv-00383-HCM-LRL (E.D. Va), alleging the infringement of Centripetal patents related to certain of Ixia’s products. Through July 31, 2018, we had accrued an immaterial amount, which represented a settlement offer made early in the litigation. At that time, we did not believe that a loss was probable or reasonably estimable, nor did we believe there was a reasonable possibility of a material loss. No settlement demands were made, nor were estimates of damages provided prior to court-ordered mediation.

Mediation was held in September 2018 but did not result in resolution of the case. On October 2, 2018, trial started before a jury. During the trial, the parties agreed to settle the case for a worldwide, royalty-bearing, non-transferable, irrevocable, non-terminable, non-exclusive license to Centripetal’s worldwide patent portfolio that ends on December 31, 2021, as well as a monetary, one-time payment of $25 million for past damages that was recognized in selling, general and administrative expense in the consolidated statement of operations. The complaint was dismissed on October 12, 2018. The payment for past damages was recognized and paid as of October 31, 2018.

Not applicable.

PART II

Our common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") with the ticker symbol "KEYS.’’

There were 21,227 shareholders of record of Keysight common stock as of December 10, 2018.

We have not paid any dividends, and we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. All decisions regarding the declaration and payment of dividends and stock repurchases are at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will be evaluated regularly in light of our financial condition, earnings, growth prospects, funding requirements, applicable law, and any other factors that our Board deems relevant.

The information required by this item with respect to equity compensation plans will be included under the caption Equity Compensation Plans in our proxy statement for the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission pursuant to Regulation 14A, and is incorporated herein by reference.

ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

The table below summarizes information about the company’s purchases, based on trade date; of its equity securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act during the quarterly period ended October 31, 2018. The total number of shares of common stock purchased by the company during the fiscal year ended October 31, 2018 is 2,075,460 shares.

The following table presents the selected combined and consolidated financial data, which should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. We derived the selected financial data as of October 31, 2018 and for each of the fiscal years in the three-year period ended October 31, 2018 from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Form 10-K. We derived the selected financial data as of October 31, 2015 and October 31, 2014 from audited combined financial statements that are not included in this Form 10-K.

Our historical combined and consolidated financial statements before November 1, 2014 include certain expenses of Agilent that were allocated to us for certain functions, including general corporate expenses related to information technology, research and development, finance, legal, insurance, compliance and human resources activities. These costs may not be representative of the costs we have incurred or will incur as an independent public company. The historical financial information included here may not necessarily reflect our financial position and results of operations or what our financial position and results of operations would have been had we been an independent, publicly-traded company during the historical periods presented or be indicative of our future performance as an independent company.

(a) Fiscal years 2018 and 2017 financial data includes our acquisition of Ixia on April 18, 2017.

(b) On November 1, 2014, Agilent Technologies, Inc. distributed 167 million shares of Keysight common stock to existing holders of Agilent common stock. Basic and diluted net income per share for all periods through October 31, 2014 is calculated using the shares distributed on November 1, 2014. Refer to Note 6 of the consolidated financial statements for information regarding net income per share.

(a) Fiscal years 2018 and 2017 financial data reflect the impact of our acquisition of Ixia on April 18, 2017.

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This report contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, statements regarding trends, seasonality, cyclicality and growth in, and drivers of, the markets we sell into, our strategic direction, our future effective tax rate and tax valuation allowance, earnings from our foreign subsidiaries, remediation activities, new solution and service introductions, the ability of our solutions to meet market needs, changes to our manufacturing processes, the use of contract manufacturers, the impact of local government regulations on our ability to pay vendors or conduct operations, our liquidity position, our ability to generate cash from operations, growth in our businesses, our investments, the potential impact of adopting new accounting pronouncements, our financial results, our purchase commitments, our contributions to our pension plans, the selection of discount rates and recognition of any gains or losses for our benefit plans, our cost-control activities, savings and headcount reduction recognized from our restructuring programs and other cost saving initiatives, and other regulatory approvals, the integration of our completed acquisitions and other transactions, our transition to lower-cost regions, the existence of political or economic instability, and our and the combined group's estimated or anticipated future results of operations, that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results could differ materially from the results contemplated by these forward-looking statements due to various factors, including but not limited to those risks and uncertainties discussed in Part II Item 1A and elsewhere in this Form 10-K.

Overview and Executive Summary

Keysight Technologies, Inc. ("we," "us," "Keysight" or the "company"), incorporated in Delaware on December 6, 2013, is a technology company providing electronic design and test solutions that are used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment, validation, optimization and secure operation of electronics systems to communications, networking and electronics industries. We also offer customization, consulting and optimization services throughout the customer's product lifecycle, including start-up assistance, instrument productivity, application services and instrument calibration and repair.

We invest in product development to address the changing needs of the market and facilitate growth. We are investing in research and development to design measurement solutions that will satisfy the changing needs of our customers. These opportunities are being driven by evolving technology standards and the need for faster data rates and new form factors.

On April 18, 2017, we completed the acquisition of Ixia, which became a separate reportable operating segment, the Ixia Solutions Group. As a result, Keysight has four segments: Communications Solutions Group, Electronic Industrial Solutions Group, Ixia Solutions Group and Services Solutions Group. The Communications Solutions Group provides electronic design and test software, instruments, and systems spanning the worldwide commercial communications and aerospace, defense and government end markets. The Electronic Industrial Solutions Group provides test and measurement solutions across a broad set of electronic industrial end markets. The Ixia Solutions Group provides testing, visibility and security solutions, strengthening applications across physical and virtual networks for enterprises, service providers and network equipment manufacturers. The Services Solutions Group provides repair, calibration and consulting services, and resells used Keysight equipment. Also, our global team of experts provides startup assistance, consulting, optimization and application support across all our end markets.

Years ended October 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016

Keysight’s total orders in 2018 were $4,082 million, an increase of 20 percent when compared to 2017. Foreign currency movements had a favorable impact of 1 percentage point on the year-over-year comparison. Orders associated with acquisitions accounted for 7 percentage points of order growth for the year ended October 31, 2018 when compared to 2017. Total orders in 2017 were $3,406 million, an increase of 15 percent when compared to 2016. Foreign currency movements had a negligible impact on the year-over-year comparison. Orders associated with acquisitions accounted for 9 percentage points of order growth for the year ended October 31, 2017 when compared to 2016.

Net revenue of $3,878 million for the year ended October 31, 2018 increased 22 percent when compared to 2017. Foreign currency movements had a favorable impact of 2 percentage points on the year-over-year comparison. Revenue associated with acquisitions accounted for 6 percentage points of revenue growth for the year ended October 31, 2018 when compared to 2017. Revenue excluding acquisitions grew year over year, with growth in all our operating segments and across all our markets. Net revenue of $3,189 million for the year ended October 31, 2017 increased 9 percent when compared to 2016. Foreign currency movements had a negligible impact on the year-over-year comparison. Revenue associated with acquisitions accounted for 7 percentage points of revenue growth for the year ended October 31, 2017 when compared to 2016. Revenue excluding acquisitions grew year over year, with growth in the Electronic Industrial Solutions Group driven by semiconductor measurement and automotive and energy markets, and growth in the Services Solutions Group. The Communications Solution Group revenue was flat as gains in the commercial communications market were offset by declines in the aerospace, defense and government market.

Net income was $165 million in 2018 compared to net income of $102 million and $335 million in 2017 and 2016, respectively. In 2018, 2017 and 2016, we generated operating cash flows of $555 million, $328 million and $420 million, respectively. The increase in net income for the year ended October 31, 2018 when compared to 2017 was driven by higher revenue volume and a favorable tax impact from the new U.S. tax legislation and Singapore tax incentives, partially offset by an unfavorable impact from a goodwill impairment charge and increases in variable people-related costs. The decline in net income for the year ended October 31, 2017 when compared to 2016 is primarily driven by the unfavorable impact from amortization of acquisition-related balances.

Impact of Northern California Wildfires

During the week of October 8, 2017, wildfires in northern California adversely impacted the Keysight corporate headquarters site in Santa Rosa, CA. Our headquarters was under mandatory evacuation for more than three weeks, and while direct damage to our core facilities was limited, our buildings did experience some smoke and other fire-related impacts. Cleaning and restoration efforts are largely complete, and we have fully re-occupied the site. Keysight is insured for the damage caused by the fire.

For the years ended October 31, 2018 and 2017, we recognized costs of $7 million and $16 million, respectively, net of estimated insurance recoveries of $90 million and $2 million, respectively. Expenses were primarily for cleaning and restoration activities, write-off of damaged fixed assets and other direct costs related to recovery from this event.

As of October 31, 2018, we have received insurance proceeds of $68 million and have a receivable of $24 million for losses and expenses for which insurance reimbursement is probable. The receivable is included in other current assets in the consolidated balance sheet. In addition, for the year ended October 31, 2018, we made investments in property, plant and equipment related to fire recovery of $27 million

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At various times, we use derivative financial instruments to limit exposure to changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates. Because derivative instruments are used solely as hedges and not for speculative trading purposes, fluctuations in the market values of such derivative instruments are generally offset by reciprocal changes in the underlying economic exposures that the instruments are intended to hedge. For further discussion of derivative financial instruments, refer to Note 13, "Derivatives."

Currency exchange rate risk

We are exposed to foreign currency exchange rate risks inherent in our sales commitments, anticipated sales, and assets and liabilities denominated in currencies other than the functional currency of our subsidiaries. We hedge future cash flows denominated in currencies other than the functional currency using sales and expense forecasts up to twelve months in advance. Our exposure to exchange rate risks is managed on an enterprise-wide basis. This strategy utilizes derivative financial instruments, including option and forward contracts, to hedge certain foreign currency exposures with the intent of offsetting gains and losses that occur on the underlying exposures with gains and losses on the derivative contracts hedging them. We do not currently and do not intend to utilize derivative financial instruments for speculative trading purposes.

Our operations generate non-functional currency cash flows such as revenue, third-party vendor payments and inter-company payments. In anticipation of these foreign currency cash flows and in view of the volatility of the currency market, we enter into such foreign exchange contracts as described above to substantially mitigate our currency risk. Approximately 76 percent in 2018 and 71 percent of our revenues in each of 2017 and 2016 were generated in U.S. dollars.

We performed a sensitivity analysis assuming a hypothetical 10 percent adverse movement in foreign exchange rates to the hedging contracts and the underlying exposures described above. As of October 31, 2018 and 2017, the analysis indicated that these hypothetical market movements would not have a material effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

Interest rate risk

As of October 31, 2018, we had $1,800 million in principal amount of senior debt outstanding. The carrying amount of the fixed-rate senior notes was $1,790 million, and the related fair value based on quoted prices was $1,802 million. A change in interest rates on long-term debt impacts the fair value of the company’s fixed-rate long-term debt but not the company’s earnings or cash flow because the interest on such debt is fixed. Generally, the fair market value of fixed-rate debt will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise.

As of October 31, 2018, a hypothetical 10 percent increase in interest rates would have decreased the fair value of the company’s fixed-rate long-term debt by approximately $37 million. However, since the company currently has no plans to repurchase its outstanding fixed-rate instruments before their maturity nor do the investors in our fixed-rate debt obligations have the right to demand we pay off these obligations prior to maturity, the impact of market interest rate fluctuations on the company’s fixed-rate long-term debt does not affect the company’s results of operations or stockholders’ equity.

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

To the Stockholders and Board of Directors of Keysight Technologies, Inc.:

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Keysight Technologies, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) as of October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017, and the related consolidated statements of operations, of comprehensive income, of equity and of cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2018, including the related notes and financial statement schedule of valuation and qualifying accounts for each of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2018 appearing under Item 15(a)(2) (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2018 based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of October 31, 2018 and October 31, 2017 and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended October 31, 2018 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2018, based on criteria established in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Change in Accounting Principle

As discussed in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company changed the manner in which it accounts for stock-based compensation in 2018.

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 Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting under Item 9A. Our responsibility is to express opinions on the Company’s consolidated financial statements and 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 (i) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (ii) 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 (iii) 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/ PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP

San Jose, California

December 18, 2018

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2013.

KEYSIGHT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF OPERATIONS

(in millions, except per share data)

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None.

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management has evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of October 31, 2018, pursuant to and as required by Rule 13a-15(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (“Exchange Act”). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that, as of October 31, 2018, the company's disclosure controls and procedures, as defined by Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act, were effective and designed to ensure that (i) information required to be disclosed in the company's reports filed under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC's rules and forms, and (ii) information is accumulated and communicated to management, including the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosures.

Management's Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

Our management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting, as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(f). Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting based on the framework in Internal Control - Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. Based on the results of this evaluation, our management concluded that our internal control over financial reporting was effective as of October 31, 2018. During the year ended October 31, 2018, a majority of Ixia Solutions Group's financial activity was integrated into the existing Keysight internal control structure.

The effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of October 31, 2018 has been audited by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, an independent registered public accounting firm, as stated in their report which appears in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred during our last fiscal quarter that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

None.

PART III

Information regarding our directors will appear under “Proposal No. 1 - Election of Directors” in our Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Stockholders (“Proxy Statement”). That portion of the Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference into this report. Information regarding our executive officers appears in Item 1 of this report under “Executive Officers of the Registrant.” Information regarding our Audit and Finance Committee and our Audit and Finance Committee's financial expert appears under “Audit and Finance Committee Report” and “Board Structure and Compensation” in our Proxy Statement. That portion of the Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference into this report.

There were no material changes to the procedures by which security holders may recommend nominees to our Board of Directors. Information regarding our code of ethics (the company's Standards of Business Conduct) applicable to our principal executive officer, our principal financial officer, our controller and other senior financial officers appears in Item 1 of this report under “Investor Information.” We will post amendments to or waivers from a provision of the Standards of Business Conduct with respect to those persons on our website at www.investor.keysight.com.

In order for a stockholder proposal to be considered for inclusion in Keysight’s proxy statement for the 2019 annual meeting of stockholders, the written proposal must be received by Keysight no later than December 24, 2018 and should contain such

information as is required under Keysight’s Bylaws. Such proposals will need to comply with the SEC’s regulations regarding the inclusion of stockholder proposals in Keysight sponsored proxy materials.

Compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act

Information about compliance with Section 16(a) of the Exchange Act appears under “Section 16(a) Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance” in the Proxy Statement. That portion of the Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference into this report.

Information about compensation of our named executive officers appears under “Executive Compensation,” “Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation” in the Proxy Statement. Information about compensation of our directors appears under “Director Compensation” and “Compensation Committee Report” and “Stock Ownership Guidelines” in the Proxy Statement. Those portions of the Proxy Statement are incorporated by reference into this report.

Information about security ownership of certain beneficial owners and management appears under "Common Stock Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management" in the Proxy Statement. That portion of the Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference into this report.

EQUITY COMPENSATION PLAN INFORMATION

The following table summarizes information about our equity compensation plans as of October 31, 2018. All outstanding awards relate to our common stock.

Information about certain relationships and related transactions appears under "Related Person Transaction Policy and Procedures" in the Proxy Statement. Information about director independence appears under the heading "Board Structure and Compensation — Director Independence" in the Proxy Statement. Each of those portions of the Proxy Statement is incorporated by reference into this report.

Information about principal accountant fees and services as well as related pre-approval policies appears under "Fees Paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers" and "Policy on Audit and Finance Committee Preapproval of Audit and Permissible Non-Audit Services of Independent Registered Auditors" in the Proxy Statement. Those portions of the Proxy Statement are incorporated by reference into this report.

PART IV

See Index to Consolidated Financial Statements under Item 8 of this report.

The following additional financial statement schedule should be considered in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements. All other schedules have been omitted because the required information is either not applicable or not sufficiently material to require submission of the schedule.

SCHEDULE II

VALUATION AND QUALIFYING ACCOUNTS

• Additions include current year additions charged to expenses and current year build due to increases in net deferred tax assets, return to provision true-ups, other adjustments and Other Comprehensive Income ("OCI") impact to deferred taxes.

** Deductions include current year releases credited to expenses and current year reductions due to decreases in net deferred tax assets, return to provision true-ups, other adjustments and OCI impact to deferred taxes.

Exhibits are incorporated herein by reference or are filed with this report as indicated below (numbered in accordance with Item 601 of Regulation S-K):

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: December 18, 2018

POWER OF ATTORNEY

KNOW ALL PERSONS BY THESE PRESENTS, that each person whose signature appears below constitutes and appoints Stephen D. Williams and Jeffrey Li, or any of them, his or her attorneys-in-fact, for such person in any and all capacities, to sign any amendments to this report and to file the same, with exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, hereby ratifying and confirming all that any of said attorneys-in-fact, or substitute or substitutes, may do or cause to be done by virtue hereof. 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 and on the dates indicated.