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ACORN ENERGY, INC. - Quarter Report: 2019 September (Form 10-Q)

 

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

 

FORM 10-Q

 

QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

 

For the quarterly period ended September 30, 2019

 

Commission file number: 001-33886

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

Delaware   22-2786081

(State or other jurisdiction

of incorporation or organization)

 

(I.R.S. Employer

Identification No.)

 

1000 N West, Suite 1200, Wilmington, Delaware   19801
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

 

410-654-3315

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

 

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

 

Title of each class   Trading Symbol(s)   Name of each exchange on which registered
None        

 

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 [  ]

 

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). Yes [X] No [  ]

 

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 [  ]   Accelerated filer [  ]
       
  Non-accelerated filer [X]   Smaller reporting company [X]
       
  Emerging growth company [  ]    

 

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. [  ]

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes [  ] No [X]

 

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

 

Class   Outstanding at November 9, 2019
Common Stock, $0.01 par value per share   40,393,259

 

 

 

 

 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC.

Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q

for the Quarterly Period Ended September 30, 2019

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

  PAGE
PART I Financial Information  
   
Item 1. Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements: 3 
   
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018 3
   
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 4
   
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity(Deficit) for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 5
   
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 7
   
Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements 8
   
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations 15
   
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk 24
   
Item 4. Controls and Procedures 25
   
PART II Other Information  
   
Item 6. Exhibits 26
   
Signatures 27

 

Certain statements contained in this report are forward-looking in nature. These statements are generally identified by the inclusion of phrases such as “we expect”, “we anticipate”, “we believe”, “we estimate” and other phrases of similar meaning. Whether such statements ultimately prove to be accurate depends upon a variety of factors that may affect our business and operations. Many of these factors are described in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

2
 

 

PART I

 

ITEM 1. UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (UNAUDITED)

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT SHARE AND PER SHARE DATA)

 

  

As of

September 30, 2019

  

As of

December 31, 2018

 
ASSETS          
Current assets:          
Cash and cash equivalents  $1,338   $973 
Restricted cash   311    290 
Accounts receivable, net   761    665 
Inventory, net   358    261 
Deferred charges   690    803 
Other current assets   132    144 
Total current assets   3,590    3,136 
Property and equipment, net   118    73 
Other assets   774    710 
Total assets  $4,482   $3,919 
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY(DEFICIT)          
Current liabilities:          
Short-term credit  $143    $ 
Accounts payable   253    246 
Accrued expenses   198    430 
Deferred revenue   2,881    2,734 
Due to former Acorn director (resigned as of August 6, 2018) (Note 3)       250 
Other current liabilities   94    127 
Total current liabilities   3,569    3,787 
Non-current liabilities:          
Deferred revenue   1,484    1,327 
Due to former Acorn director (resigned as of August 6, 2018) (Note 3)       33 
Other non-current liabilities   13    2 
Total non-current liabilities   1,497    1,362 
Commitments and contingencies          
Equity (deficit):          
Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders          
Common stock - $0.01 par value per share:          
Authorized – 42,000,000 shares; Issued – 40,393,259 and 30,357,706 shares at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively   396    304 
Additional paid-in capital   101,557    100,340 
Warrants   1,118    1,118 
Accumulated deficit   (100,621)   (100,064)
Treasury stock, at cost – 801,920 shares at September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018   (3,036)   (3,036)
Total Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders’ deficit   (586)   (1,338)
Non-controlling interests   2    108 
Total equity(deficit)   (584)   (1,230)
Total liabilities and deficit  $4,482   $3,919 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

3
 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (UNAUDITED)

(IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

 

  

Nine months ended

September 30,

  

Three months ended

September 30,

 
   2019   2018   2019   2018 
                 
Revenue  $4,090   $3,776   $1,386   $1,337 
Cost of sales – products and services   1,417    1,464    465    506 
Cost of sales - other   29        (1)    
Gross profit   2,644    2,312    922    831 
Operating expenses:                    
Research and development expenses   420    399    137    139 
Selling, general and administrative expenses   2,809    3,055    906    922 
Total operating expenses   3,229    3,454    1,043    1,061 
Operating loss   (585)   (1,142)   (121)   (230)
Finance expense, net   (1)   (76)       3 
Loss before income taxes   (586)   (1,218)   (121)   (227)
Income tax expense                
Net loss after income taxes   (586)   (1,218)   (121)   (227)
Share of income in DSIT       33         
Impairment of investment in DSIT       (33)        
(Loss)gain on sale of interest in DSIT, net of withholding taxes and transaction costs       (607)       222 
Net loss   (586)   (1,825)   (121)   (5)
Non-controlling interest share of net loss   29    69        9 
Net loss attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders  $(557)  $(1,756)  $(121)  $4 
                     
Basic and diluted net loss per share attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders:  $(0.02)  $(0.06)  $(0.00)  $0.00 
Weighted average number of shares outstanding attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders – basic   33,844    29,535    40,393    29,555 
Weighted average number of shares outstanding attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc. shareholders –diluted   33,844    29,535    40,393    29,555 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

4
 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (DEFICIT) (UNAUDITED)

(IN THOUSANDS)

 

   Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 
   Number of Shares   Common Stock   Additional Paid-
In
Capital
   Warrants   Accumulated Deficit   Number of Treasury Shares   Treasury Stock   Total Acorn
Energy, Inc.
Shareholders’
Equity
(Deficit)
   Non-
controlling interests
   Total Equity (Deficit) 
Balances as of December 31, 2018   29,556   $296   $100,348   $1,118   $(100,064)   802   $(3,036)  $(1,338)  $108   $(1,230)
Net loss                   (237)           (237)   (24)   (261)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (20)   (20)
Stock option compensation           6                    6        6 
Balances as of March 31, 2019   29,556   $296   $100,354   $1,118   $(100,301)   802   $(3,036)  $(1,569)  $64   $(1,505)
Net loss                   (199)           (199)   (5)   (204)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (20)   (20)
Shares granted in lieu of professional fees   60    *    18                    18        18 
Rights offering, proceeds net of expenses   9,975    100    2,106                    2,206        2,206 
Stock option compensation           6                    6        6 
Balances as of June 30, 2019   39,591   $396   $102,484   $1,118   $(100,500)   802   $(3,036)  $462   $39   $501 
Net loss                   (121)            (121)       (121)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (1)   (1)
Purchase of non-controlling interest           (914)                   (914)   (36)   (950)
Rights offering, proceeds net of expenses       *    (20)                   (20)       (20)
Stock option compensation           7                    7        7 
Balances as of September 30, 2019   39,591   $396   $101,557   $1,118   $(100,621)   802   $(3,036)  $(586)  $2   $(584)

 

5
 

 

   Three and Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 
   Number of Shares   Common Stock   Additional Paid-
In
Capital
   Warrants   Accumulated Deficit   Number of Treasury shares   Treasury Stock   Total Acorn Energy, Inc. Shareholders’
Equity (Deficit)
   Non-
controlling interests
   Total Equity (Deficit) 
Balances as of December 31, 2017   29,500   $295   $99,827   $1,600   $(98,215)   802   $(3,036)  $471   $281   $752 
Adjustment of retained earnings in accordance with ASC 606                   152            152        152 
Net loss                   (1,222)            (1,222)   (27)   (1,249)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (25)   (25)
Shares granted in lieu of director fees   19    *    4                    4        4 
Stock option compensation           7                    7        7 
Balances as of March 31, 2018   29,519   $295   $99,838   $1,600   $(99,285)   802   $(3,036)  $(588)  $229   $(359)
Net loss                   (538)           (538)   (33)   (571)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (25)   (25)
Shares granted in lieu of director fees   18    *    5                    5        5 
Stock option compensation           11                    11        11 
Balances as of June 30, 2018   29,537   $295   $99,854   $1,600   $(99,823)   802   $(3,036)  $(1,110)  $171   $(939)
Net loss                   4             4    (9)   (5)
Accrued dividend in OmniMetrix preferred shares                                   (17)   (17)
Shares granted in lieu of director fees   19    1    4                    5        5 
Stock option compensation           3                    3        3 
Balances as of September 30, 2018   29,556   $296   $99,861   $1,600   $(99,819)   802   $(3,036)  $(1,098)  $145   $(953)

 

* Less than $1

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

6
 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (UNAUDITED)

(IN THOUSANDS)

 

   Nine months ended September 30, 
   2019   2018 
Cash flows used in operating activities:          
Net loss  $(586)  $(1,825)
Depreciation and amortization   56    49 
Loss on sale of investment in DSIT, net of income taxes and transaction costs       607 
Impairment of investment in DSIT       33 
Share of income in DSIT       (33)
Stock-based compensation   19    21 
Professional fees paid in common stock   18     
Director fees paid in common stock       14 
Change in operating assets and liabilities:          
Decrease (increase) in accounts receivable   (96)   316 
Increase in inventory   (97)   (96)
Decrease in deferred charges   113    120 
Increase in other current assets and other assets   (26)   (131)
Increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses   (270)   (110)
Increase in deferred revenue   304    323 
Decrease in amounts due to DSIT and directors   (323)   (1,418)
Decrease in other current liabilities and non-current liabilities   (45)   (133)
Net cash used in operating activities   (933)   (2,263)
           
Cash flows provided by investing activities:          
Purchases of software   (60)    
Purchase of non-controlling interest in Omnimetrix   (950)    
Proceeds from the sale of interests in DSIT, net of transaction costs       4,971 
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities   (1,010)   4,971 
           
Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities:          
Short-term credit, net   143    (114)
Proceeds from rights offering, net of expenses of $208   2,186     
Repayment of director loans       (1,300)
Repayments of loans from DSIT       (340)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities   2,329    (1,754)
           
Net increase in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash   386    941 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the beginning of the year   1,263    481 
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash at the end of the period  $1,649   $1,422 
           
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash consist of the following:          
End of period          
Cash and cash equivalents  $1,338   $1,422 
Restricted cash   311     ― 
   $1,649   $1,422 
           
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash consist of the following:          
Beginning of period          
Cash and cash equivalents  $973   $481 
Restricted cash   290     
   $1,263   $481 
           
Supplemental cash flow information:          
Cash paid during the year for:          
Interest  $15   $46 
           
Non-cash investing and financing activities:          
Purchase of equipment under installment agreement  $7   $ 
Accrued preferred dividends to former Acorn director and CEO of OmniMetrix (see Note 3)  $41   $67 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.

 

7
 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (UNAUDITED)

(DOLLAR AMOUNTS IN THOUSANDS, EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA)

 

NOTE 1— BASIS OF PRESENTATION

 

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements of Acorn Energy, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for interim financial information and with the instructions to Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2019 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2019. All dollar amounts in the notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements are in thousands except for per share data.

 

These unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018.

 

NOTE 2—RECENT AUTHORITATIVE GUIDANCE

 

Recently Issued

 

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-07, which simplifies the accounting for nonemployee share-based payment transactions. The amendments specify that Topic 718 applies to all share-based payment transactions in which a grantor acquires goods or services to be used or consumed in a grantor’s own operations by issuing share-based payment awards. The standard will be effective in the first quarter of fiscal year 2020, although early adoption is permitted (but no sooner than the adoption of Topic 606). The Company is currently evaluating the effect the adoption of this ASU will have on its consolidated financial statements.

 

Other recently issued accounting updates are not expected to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

 

8
 

 

Recently Adopted

 

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases, which is effective for fiscal years beginning as of December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those years with early adoption permitted. Under ASU 2016-02, lessees will be required to recognize for all leases at the commencement date a lease liability, which is a lessee’s obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease measured on a discounted basis, and a right-to-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee’s right to use or control the use of a specified asset for the lease term.

 

The Company adopted this standard on January 1, 2019 and applied the transition guidance as of the date of adoption, under the current period adjustment method. As a result, the Company recognized right-of-use assets and lease liabilities associated with its leases on January 1, 2019, with a cumulative-effect adjustment to the opening balance of accumulated deficit, while the comparable prior periods in its consolidated financial statements will continue to be reported in accordance with Topic 840, including the disclosures of Topic 840.

 

The standard includes a number of optional practical expedients under the transaction guidance. The Company has elected the package of practical expedients which allows it to not reassess prior conclusions about lease identification, lease classification, and initial direct costs. The Company also made accounting policy elections by class of underlying asset to not apply the recognition requirements of the standard to leases with terms of 12 months or less and to not separate non-lease components from lease components. Consequently, each separate lease component and the non-lease components associated with that lease component will be accounted for as a single lease component for lease classification, recognition, and measurement purposes. Upon adoption of the standard, the Company recognized a lease obligation liability of $44 recorded in other current liabilities, and a right-of-use asset of $44 recorded in property and equipment, net. An adjustment of $26 was made to reduce the right-of-use asset and deferred rent to reflect the impact of the retrospective approach on adopting this guidance. The lease obligation liability was $25 as of September 30, 2019 which includes the original lease as well as a new lease entered in to during the quarter.

 

NOTE 3—INVESTMENT IN OMNIMETRIX

 

In 2015, one of the Company’s then-current directors (the “Investor”) acquired a 20% interest in the Company’s OMX Holdings, Inc. subsidiary (“Holdings”) through the purchase of $1,000 of OmniMetrix Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”). Holdings is the holder of 100% of the membership interests of OmniMetrix, LLC through which the Company operates its Power Generation and Cathodic Protection monitoring activities. The $1,000 investment by the Investor was recorded as an increase in non-controlling interests.

 

A dividend of 10% per annum accrued on the Preferred Stock. The dividend was payable on the first anniversary of the funding of the investment and quarterly thereafter for so long as the Preferred Stock was outstanding and had not been converted to Common Stock. Through December 31, 2016, a dividend payable of $115 was recorded with respect to the Preferred Stock. On December 31, 2016, the Investor agreed to treat the $115 of accrued dividends and all subsequent accrued and unpaid dividends as a loan to Holdings which bore interest at 8% per year. In December 2016, the Investor provided Holdings with an additional $50 loan under the same terms as the abovementioned accrued dividends.

 

On May 14, 2018, Holdings and the Investor entered into an agreement whereby effective May 1, 2018, the dividend on the Preferred Stock was reduced to 8%. In addition, all the amounts due to the Investor (accrued dividends, loan and accrued interest) and all future dividends that would accrue on the Preferred Stock through September 30, 2020, were to be paid by Holdings pursuant to an agreed-upon payment schedule which was scheduled to end on June 30, 2020. During the six months ended June 30, 2019, the Company accrued $40 for quarterly dividends in the aggregate. At June 30, 2019, the obligation to the Investor was $323, representing unpaid accrued dividends.

 

On July 1, 2019, in accordance with terms established in 2015 at the time of the original investment, the Company repurchased from the Investor the shares of Preferred Stock then held by the Investor for a purchase price of $1,273 in cash (which included the $323 of unpaid accrued dividends through June 30, 2019). The repurchase raised the Company’s ownership in Holdings from 80% to 99%, with the remaining 1% owned by the CEO of OmniMetrix, LLC.

 

9
 

 

NOTE 4—DEBT

 

In March 2019, OmniMetrix reinstated its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1,000. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of 6% and prime (5.0% at September 30, 2019) plus 1.5% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.75% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for an effective rate of interest on advances of 15.5% during the nine months ended September 30, 2019. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of two years beginning March 1, 2019. From time to time, the balance outstanding may fall below $150 based on collections applied against the loan balance and the timing of loan draws. The monthly service charge and interest is calculated on the greater of the outstanding balance or $150. Interest expense for the three months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 was $6 and $6, respectively. Interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 was $15 and $46, respectively.

 

OmniMetrix had an outstanding balance of $143 at September 30, 2019, pursuant to the Loan and Security Agreement and $251 was available to borrow.

 

NOTE 5—EQUITY

 

(a) Rights Offering

 

On June 28, 2019, the Company completed a rights offering, raising $2,186 in proceeds, net of $208 in expenses. Pursuant to the rights offering, Acorn securityholders and parties to a backstop agreement purchased 9,975,553 shares of Acorn common stock for $0.24 per share.

 

Under the terms of the rights offering, each right entitled securityholders as of June 3, 2019, the record date for the rights offering, to purchase 0.312 shares of Acorn common stock at a subscription price of $0.24 per whole share. No fractional shares were issued. The closing price of Acorn’s common stock on the record date of the rights offering was $0.2925. Distribution of the rights commenced on June 6, 2019 and were exercisable through June 24, 2019.

 

In connection with the rights offering, Acorn entered into a backstop agreement with certain of its directors and Leap Tide Capital Management LLC, the sole manager of which is Acorn’s President and CEO, pursuant to which they agreed to purchase from Acorn any and all unsubscribed shares of common stock in the rights offering, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the backstop agreement. The backstop purchasers did not receive any compensation or other consideration for entering into or consummating the backstop agreement. See Note 3 for further discussion.

 

On July 1, 2019, the Company utilized a portion of the rights offering proceeds to complete the planned reacquisition of a 19% interest in its OMX Holdings, Inc. subsidiary (“Holdings”) for $1,273. Holdings owns 100% of the membership interests of OmniMetrix, LLC. The purchase price was based on terms established in November 2015 at the time of the original investment. The purchase raised Acorn’s ownership in Holdings from 80% to 99%, with the remaining 1% owned by the CEO of OmniMetrix, LLC.

 

The balance of the rights offering net proceeds provides OmniMetrix with additional sales and marketing resources to facilitate expansion into additional geographic markets and new product applications, to support next-generation product development and for general working capital purposes.

 

(b) Summary Employee Option Information

 

At September 30, 2019, 1,383,614 options were available for grant under the 2006 Amended and Restated Stock Incentive Plan and no options were available for grant under the 2006 Director Plan. During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, 30,000 options were granted to directors, 60,000 to officers and 137,500 to employees. The fair value of the options issued was $52.

 

10
 

 

No options were exercised in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The intrinsic value of options outstanding and of options exercisable at September 30, 2019 was $14 and $21, respectively.

 

A summary of stock option activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 is as follows:

 

   

Number

of Options

(in shares)

   

Weighted

Average

Exercise

Price Per
Share

    Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
    Aggregate
Intrinsic
Value
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2018     1,466,489     $ 3.01       1.88 years     $ 13  
Granted     227,500       0.31                  
Exercised                              
Forfeited or expired     (192,334 )     7.28                  
Outstanding at September 30, 2019     1,501,655     $ 2.05       2.0 years     $ 14  
Exercisable at September 30, 2019     1,282,321     $ 2.35       1.3 years     $ 14  

 

The fair value of the options granted of $58 was estimated on the grant date using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following weighted average assumptions:

 

Risk-free interest rate   2.3%
Expected term of options   4.7 years 
Expected annual volatility   119%
Expected dividend yield   %

 

(c) Stock-based Compensation Expense

 

Stock-based compensation expense included in selling, general and administrative expenses in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations was $6 and $11 for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively, and $19 and $18 for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, respectively.

 

The total compensation cost related to non-vested awards not yet recognized was $49 as of September 30, 2019.

 

(d) Warrants

 

The Company previously issued warrants at exercise prices equal to or greater than market value of the Company’s common stock at the date of issuance. A summary of warrant activity follows:

 

  

Number

of Warrants

(in shares)

   Weighted
Average
Exercise
Price Per Share
   Weighted
Average
Remaining
Contractual Life
 
Outstanding at December 31, 2018   2,392,142   $1.28    1.3 years  
Granted             
Exercised             
Forfeited or expired             
Outstanding at September 30, 2019   2,392,142   $1.28    .6 years 

 

(e) Shares granted in lieu of professional fees

 

Pursuant to a contractual agreement, 60,000 shares of common stock were issued on May 31, 2019 to the Company’s investor relations consultants for professional fees rendered. The shares were valued at the market price at the time of issuance of approximately $18 in the aggregate.

 

11
 

 

NOTE 6— SEGMENT REPORTING

 

As of September 30, 2019, the Company operates in two reportable operating segments, both of which are performed through the Company’s OmniMetrix subsidiary:

 

  The PG (Power Generation) segment provides wireless remote monitoring and control systems and services for critical assets as well as Internet of Things applications.
     
  The CP (Cathodic Protection) segment provides for remote monitoring of cathodic protection systems on gas pipelines for gas utilities and pipeline companies.

 

The Company’s reportable segments are strategic business units, offering different products and services and are managed separately as each business requires different technology and marketing strategies.

 

The following tables represent segmented data for the nine- and three-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018:

 

   PG   CP   Total 
Nine months ended September 30, 2019:               
Revenues from external customers  $3,143   $947   $4,090 
Segment gross profit   2,206    438    2,644 
Depreciation and amortization   43    13    56 
Segment income(loss) before income taxes  $231   $(160)  $71 
                
Nine months ended September 30, 2018:               
Revenues from external customers  $2,698   $1,078   $3,776 
Segment gross profit   1,847    465    2,312 
Depreciation and amortization   35    14    49 
Segment income (loss) before income taxes  $47   $(235)  $(188)
                
Three months ended September 30, 2019:               
Revenues from external customers  $1,090   $296   $1,386 
Segment gross profit   772    150    922 
Depreciation and amortization   18    4    22 
Segment income (loss) before income taxes  $126   $(26)  $100 
                
Three months ended September 30, 2018:               
Revenues from external customers  $931   $406   $1,337 
Segment gross profit   666    165    831 
Depreciation and amortization   11    5    16 
Segment income (loss) before income taxes  $86   $(80)  $6 

 

12
 

 

The gross profit of the PG segment during the nine months ended September 30, 2019 included a $29 accrual, which unfavorably impacted gross margin by approximately 1%. The accrual was for an estimated payment of approximately $29 related to a long-term purchase commitment of what is now discontinued technology that has been replaced with upgraded technology. This adjustment is recorded in cost of sales – other.

 

The Company does not currently break out total assets by reportable segment as there is a high level of shared utilization between the segments. Further, the Chief Decision Maker (CDM) does not review the assets by segment.

 

Reconciliation of Segment Loss to Consolidated Net Loss Before Income Taxes

 

    Nine months ended
September 30,
    Three months ended
September 30,
 
    2019     2018     2019     2018  
Total net income (loss) before income taxes for reportable segments   $ 71     $ (188 )   $ 100     $ 6  
Unallocated cost of corporate headquarters     (657 )     (1,030 )     (221 )     (233 )
Consolidated loss before income taxes   $ (586 )   $ (1,218 )   $ (121 )   $ (227 )

 

NOTE 7—REVENUE

 

The following table disaggregates the Company’s revenue for the nine- and three-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018:

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Nine months ended September 30, 2019:               
PG Segment  $906   $2,237   $3,143 
CP Segment   767    180    947 
Total Revenue  $1,673   $2,417   $4,090 

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Nine months ended September 30, 2018:               
PG Segment  $860   $1,838   $2,698 
CP Segment   926    152    1,078 
Total Revenue  $1,786   $1,990   $3,776 

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Three months ended September 30, 2019:               
PG Segment  $305   $785   $1,090 
CP Segment   234    62    296 
Total Revenue  $539   $847   $1,386 

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Three months ended September 30, 2018:               
PG Segment  $292   $639   $931 
CP Segment   354    52    406 
Total Revenue  $646   $691   $1,337 

 

13
 

 

Deferred revenue activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 can be seen in the table below:

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Balance at December 31, 2018  $2,432   $1,629   $4,061 
Additions during the period   1,396    2,651    4,047 
Recognized as revenue   (1,326)   (2,417)   (3,743)
Balance at September 30, 2019  $2,502   $1,863   $4,365 
                
Amounts to be recognized as revenue in the year ending:               
September 30, 2020  $1,231   $1,650   $2,881 
September 30, 2021   974    209    1,183 
September 30, 2022 and thereafter   297    4    301 
   $2,502   $1,863   $4,365 

 

Other revenue of approximately $347 is related to accessories, repairs, and other miscellaneous charges that are recognized to revenue when sold and are not deferred.

 

Deferred charges relate only to the sale of equipment. Deferred charges activity for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 can be seen in the table below:

 

Balance at December 31, 2018  $1,438 
Additions during the period   727 
Recognized as cost of sales   (777)
Balance at September 30, 2019  $1,388 
      
Amounts to be recognized as cost of sales in the year ending:     
September 30, 2020  $690 
September 30, 2021   543*
September 30, 2022 and thereafter   155*
   $1,388 

 

* Amounts included in other assets in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2019.

 

The following table provides a reconciliation of the Company’s sales commissions contract assets for the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019:

 

   Hardware   Monitoring   Total 
Balance at December 31, 2018  $107   $36   $143 
Additions during the period   53    14    67 
Amortization of sales commissions   (60)   (12)   (72)
Balance at September 30, 2019  $100   $38   $138 

 

The capitalized sales commissions are included in other current assets ($71) and other assets ($67) in the Company’s unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets at September 30, 2019. The capitalized sales commissions are included in other current assets ($76) and other assets ($67) in the Company’s consolidated balance sheets at December 31, 2018.

 

14
 

 

ACORN ENERGY, INC.

 

ITEM 2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

 

This Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” relating to the Company which represent the Company’s current expectations or beliefs including, but not limited to, statements concerning the Company’s operations, performance, financial condition and growth. For this purpose, any statements contained in this Form 10-Q that are not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as “may”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “could”, “estimate” or “continue” or the negative or other comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements by their nature involve substantial risks and uncertainties, such as credit losses, dependence on management and key personnel, variability of quarterly results, and the ability of the Company to continue its growth strategy and the Company’s competition, certain of which are beyond the Company’s control. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize or should the underlying assumptions prove incorrect, or any of the other risks set out under the caption “Risk Factors” in the Company’s 10-K report for the year ended December 31, 2018 occur, actual outcomes and results could differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements.

 

Any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which such statement is made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. New factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for management to predict all of such factors, nor can it assess the impact of each such factor on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

 

FINANCIAL RESULTS BY COMPANY

 

The following table shows, for the periods indicated, the financial results (dollar amounts in thousands) attributable to each of our consolidated companies.

 

   Nine months ended September 30, 2019 
   OmniMetrix   Acorn   Total Continuing Operations 
Revenue  $4,090   $   $4,090 
Cost of sales   1,417        1,417 
Cost of sales – other   29        29 
Gross profit   2,644        2,644 
Gross profit margin   65%        65%
R& D expenses   420        420 
Selling, general and administrative expenses   2,130    679    2,809 
Operating income (loss)  $94   $(679)  $(585)

 

    Nine months ended September 30, 2018  
    OmniMetrix     Acorn     Total Continuing Operations  
Revenue   $ 3,776     $     $ 3,776  
Cost of Sales     1,464             1,464  
Gross profit     2,312             2,312  
Gross profit margin     61 %             61 %
R& D expenses     399             399  
Selling, general and administrative expenses     2,025       1,030       3,055  
Operating loss   $ (112 )   $ (1,030 )   $ (1,142 )

 

   Three months ended September 30, 2019 
   OmniMetrix   Acorn   Total Continuing Operations 
Revenue  $1,386   $   $1,386 
Cost of Sales   464        464 
Gross profit   922        922 
Gross profit margin   67%        67%
R& D expenses   137        137 
Selling, general and administrative expenses   679    227    906 
Operating income (loss)  $106   $(227)  $(121)

 

15
 

 

   Three months ended September 30, 2018 
   OmniMetrix   Acorn   Total Continuing Operations 
Revenue  $1,337   $   $1,337 
Cost of Sales   506        506 
Gross profit   831        831 
Gross profit margin   62%        62%
R& D expenses   139        139 
Selling, general and administrative expenses   671    251    922 
Operating income (loss)  $21   $(251)  $(230)

 

In the three months ended March 31, 2019, OmniMetrix recorded an accrual for an estimated payment of approximately $30,000, subsequently reduced to $29,000, for a long-term purchase commitment of what is now discontinued technology that has been replaced with upgraded technology. This adjustment is recorded as cost of sales – other and is included in the OmniMetrix gross profit in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 in the table above. Gross profit excluding this non-recurring adjustment would be $2,673,000, or 65%.

 

BACKLOG

 

As of September 30, 2019, our backlog of work to be completed (primarily deferred revenue) at our OmniMetrix subsidiary totaled approximately $4,400,000.

 

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS

 

In March 2019, OmniMetrix reinstated its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1 million. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of 6% and prime (4.75% at November 9, 2019) plus 1.5% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.75% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 15.25%. The monthly service charge and interest is calculated on the greater of the outstanding balance or $150,000. From time to time, the balance outstanding may fall below $150,000 based on collections applied against the loan balance and the timing of loan draws.

 

OVERVIEW AND TREND INFORMATION

 

Acorn Energy, Inc. (“Acorn” or “the Company”) is a holding company focused on technology driven solutions for energy infrastructure asset management. We provide the following services and products through our OmniMetrixTM, LLC (“OmniMetrix”) subsidiary:

 

  Power Generation (“PG”) monitoring. OmniMetrix’s PG activities provide wireless remote monitoring and control systems and services for critical assets as well as Internet of Things applications.
     
  Cathodic Protection (“CP”) monitoring. OmniMetrix’s CP activities provide for remote monitoring of cathodic protection systems on gas pipelines for gas utilities and pipeline companies.

 

On January 18, 2018, we entered into a Share Purchase Agreement for the sale of our remaining interest in DSIT to an Israeli investor group (the “2018 DSIT Transaction”). Following the closing of the transaction on February 14, 2018, we no longer report DSIT’s results on the equity method.

 

Each of our PG and CP activities represents a reportable segment. The following analysis should be read together with the segment information provided in Note 6 to the interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this quarterly report.

 

16
 

 

OmniMetrix

 

OmniMetrix LLC is a Georgia limited liability company based in Buford, Georgia that develops and markets wireless remote monitoring and control systems and services for multiple markets in the Internet of Things (“IoT”) ecosystem: critical assets (including stand-by power generators, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers, turbines, compressors and other industrial equipment) as well as cathodic protection for the pipeline industry (gas utilities and pipeline companies). Acorn owned 80% of OmniMetrix until July 1, 2019 when it purchased 19% of the minority interest, which brought its ownership interest to 99%, with the remaining 1% owned by OmniMetrix’s CEO.

 

Following the emergence of machine-to-machine (“M2M”) and IoT applications whereby companies aggregate multiple sensors and monitors into a simplified dashboard for customers, OmniMetrix believes it plays a key role in this new economic ecosystem. In addition, OmniMetrix sees a rapidly growing need for backup power infrastructure to secure critical military, government, and private sector assets against emergency events including terrorist attacks, natural disasters, and cybersecurity threats. As residential and industrial standby generators, turbines, compressors, pumps, pumpjacks, light towers and other industrial equipment are part of the critical infrastructure increasingly becoming monitored in Internet of Things applications, and given that OmniMetrix monitors all major brands of critical equipment, OmniMetrix believes it is well-positioned as a competitive participant in this new market.

 

Sales of OmniMetrix monitoring systems include the sale of equipment and of monitoring services. Revenue (and related costs) associated with sale of equipment are recorded to deferred revenue (and deferred charges) upon shipment for PG and CP monitoring units. Revenue and related costs with respect to the sale of equipment are recognized over the estimated life of the units which are currently estimated to be three years (two years up to December 31, 2017). Revenues from the prepayment of monitoring fees (generally paid twelve months in advance) are initially recorded as deferred revenue upon receipt of payment from the customer and then amortized to revenue over the monitoring service period.

 

OmniMetrix has two divisions: PG and CP. In the first nine months of 2019, OmniMetrix recognized $4,090,000 of revenue ($3,143,000 in PG activities and $947,000 in CP activities) as compared to $3,776,000 ($2,698,000 in PG activities and $1,078,000 in CP activities) recorded in the first nine months of 2018, representing an increase in revenue of 8%. Revenue from monitoring increased 21% from $1,990,000 in the first nine months of 2018 to $2,417,000 in the first nine months of 2019 while revenue recognized from the sale of hardware decreased 6% from $1,786,000 in the first nine months of 2018 as compared to $1,673,000 in the first nine months of 2019. The increase in revenue is driven by a significant increase in monitoring revenue resulting from the increased number of units being monitored as a result of focused sales initiatives on the industrial and commercial markets. The decrease in hardware revenue was due to the sales team not being fully-staffed during this period. OmniMetrix has since made additions to its sales team and expects to continue to add to the sales team to facilitate growth and expansion.

 

Gross profit of $2,644,000 for the first nine months of 2019 reflected a gross margin of 65% on the period’s revenue. However, the gross profit during this period included a $29,000 accrual. The accrual was for an estimated payment of $29,000 for a long-term purchase commitment of what is now discontinued technology that has been replaced with upgraded technology. This adjustment is recorded in cost of sales – other.

 

Such gross profit represents significant increase from first nine months of 2018’s gross profit of $2,312,000 (gross margin of 61%). The increase in the gross profit compared to the first nine months of 2018 was attributable to increased revenue, increased margin on hardware sales, and more favorable product and segment mix as monitoring has a higher gross margin than hardware. OmniMetrix’s gross margin on hardware revenue increased 4% from 35% in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to 39% in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. The margin on monitoring revenue increased 1% to 84% in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 when compared to the same period in the prior year.

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, OmniMetrix recorded $420,000 of Research and Development (“R&D”) expense as compared to approximately $399,000 of R&D expense in the first nine months of 2018. The increase is related to the continued development of next-generation PG and CP monitors.

 

17
 

 

During the nine months ended September 30, 2019, OmniMetrix recorded $2,130,000 of selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense. Such costs reflect an increase of $105,000 (5%) as compared to SG&A expense of $2,025,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018. This increase is primarily due to an increase in software expenses and license fees of $44,000 from the same period in the prior year as a result of investments in the growth of the business. The Company is currently making investments to expand its sales department, upgrade its software monitoring options, and implement a new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system to provide more integrated backoffice operations, so we expect OmniMetrix SG&A expenses to increase.

 

Third quarter 2019 SG&A expense of $679,000 was down $43,000 compared to second quarter 2019 SG&A expense which was $722,000. The decrease was due to certain sales positions that were vacant in third quarter 2019 and the reclass of certain software costs from expense to capital.

 

Corporate

 

Corporate selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expense of $679,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 reflected a decrease of $351,000, or 34%, from the $1,030,000 of SG&A expense reported in the nine months ended September 30, 2018. The decrease is primarily due to a material reduction in personnel costs as well as a reduction in board fees and other professional service fees. Third quarter 2019 SG&A expense decreased $16,000, or 6%, from second quarter 2019 SG&A expense of $243,000 due to tax and other seasonal expenses incurred during second quarter. We do not expect the quarterly corporate overhead to change materially except as may be required to support the growth of our OmniMetrix subsidiary.

 

On February 14, 2018, we closed on the 2018 DSIT Transaction initially entered into on January 18, 2018 for the sale of our remaining 41.15% interest in our DSIT Solutions Ltd. business to an Israeli investor group. At closing, we received gross proceeds of $5,800,000 before transaction costs, professional fees and withholding taxes. From the gross proceeds, we paid $388,000 of withholding taxes, paid or accrued $441,000 of transaction costs and recorded a loss of $829,000 as the carrying value of our investment in DSIT had previously been written down to the gross proceeds of the 2018 DSIT Transaction. From the proceeds, we also repaid $1,600,000 of amounts due to DSIT and the entire $1,300,000 of loan principal borrowed from certain directors during 2017 along with accrued interest thereon of $128,000.

 

18
 

 

Results of Operations

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the consolidated results of operations of the Company for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and 2018, including the percentage of total revenues during each period attributable to selected components of the operations statement data and for the period-to-period percentage changes in such components. For segment data, see Notes 6 and 7 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this quarterly report.

 

   Nine months ended September 30, 
   2019   2018   Change 
   ($,000)  

 

% of revenues

   ($,000)   % of revenues  

from

2018

to 2019

 
Revenue  $4,090    100%  $3,776    100%   8%
Cost of sales   1,446    35%   1,464    39%   (1)%
Gross profit   2,644    65%   2,312    61%   14%
R&D expense   420    10%   399    11%   5%
SG&A expense   2,809    69%   3,055    81%   (8)%
Operating loss   (585)   (14)%   (1,142)   (30)%   (49)%
Finance expense, net   (1)   * %   (76)   (2)%   (99)%
Loss before income taxes   (586)   (14)%   (1,218)   (32)%   (52)%
Income tax expense       %       %     
Net loss after income taxes   (586)   (14)%   (1,218)   (32)%   (52)%
Share of income in DSIT       %    33    1%   (100)%
Impairment of investment in DSIT       %   (33)   (1)%   100%
Loss on sale of DSIT       %   (607)   (16)%   100%
Net loss   (586)   (14)%   (1,825)   (48)%   (68)%
Non-controlling interests share of net loss   29    1%   69    2%   (58)%
Net loss attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc.  $(557)   (14)%  $(1,756)   (47)%   (68)%

 

*result is less than 1%.

 

19
 

 

The following table sets forth certain information with respect to the consolidated results of operations of the Company for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2019 and September 30, 2018, including the percentage of total revenues during each period attributable to selected components of the operations statement data and for the period-to-period percentage changes in such components. For segment data, see Notes 6 and 7 to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements included in this quarterly report.

 

   Three months ended September 30, 
   2019   2018   Change 
   ($,000)  

 

% of revenues

   ($,000)   % of revenues  

from

2018

to 2019

 
Revenue  $1,386    100%  $1,337    100%   4%
Cost of sales   464    33%   506    38%   (8)%
Gross profit   922    67%   831    62%   11%
R&D expenses   137    10%   139    10%   (1)%
SG&A expenses   906    65%   922    69%   (2)%
Operating loss   (121)   (9)%   (230)   (17)%   (47)%
Finance expense, net       *%    3    (0)%   (100)%
Loss before income taxes   (121)   (9)%   (227)   (17)%   (47)%
Gain on sale of DSIT       %   222    %   (100)%
Net loss   (121)   (9)%   (5)   0%   2,320%
Non-controlling interests share of net loss       *%    9    1%   (100)%
Net loss attributable to Acorn Energy, Inc.  $(121)   (9)%  $4    0%   (3,125)%

 

*result is less than 1%.

 

Revenue. Revenue increased by $49,000, or 4%, from $1,337,000 in the third quarter of 2018 to $1,386,000 in the third quarter of 2019. OmniMetrix’s increased revenue was primarily attributable to increased monitoring which increased $156,000, or 23%, from $691,000 in the third quarter of 2018 to $847,000 in the third quarter of 2019. The increase in monitoring revenue resulted from an increase in the number of units being monitored (units connected). Hardware sales revenue decreased by $107,000, or 17%, from $646,000 in the third quarter of 2018 to $539,000 in the third quarter of 2019. The decrease in hardware sales was due to several vacancies on our sales team which have since been filled.

 

Revenue increased by $314,000, or 8%, from $3,776,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $4,090,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. OmniMetrix’s increased revenue was primarily attributable to an increase of $427,000, or 21%, in monitoring revenue which increased from $1,990,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $2,417,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Hardware sales revenue decreased $113,000, or 6%, from $1,786,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $1,673,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Hardware sales revenue is recognized over the estimated useful life of the hardware which is thirty-six months. The increase in monitoring revenue resulted from an increase in the number of units being monitored.

 

Gross profit. OmniMetrix’s gross profit increased $332,000, or 14%, in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 to $2,644,000 from $2,312,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018. However, the gross profit during this period included a $29,000 accrual. The accrual was for a payment of approximately $29,000 for a long-term purchase commitment of what is now discontinued technology that has been replaced with upgraded technology. This adjustment was recorded in the first quarter in cost of sales – other. The increase in gross profit in the first nine months of 2019 was attributable to OmniMetrix’s increased revenue as described above.

 

OmniMetrix’s gross profit increased $91,000, or 11%, to $922,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to $831,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2018. The increase in the third quarter of 2019 was attributed to the same reason as the increase in the nine-month period ended September 30, 2019 discussed above.

 

Research and development expenses. OmniMetrix’s R&D expense increased $21,000, or 5%, from $399,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $420,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 as it continues development of next-generation PG and CP monitors. OmniMetrix’s R&D expense for the three months ended September 30, 2019 was flat compared to the same period last year at $137,000 and $139,000, respectively.

 

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Selling, general and administrative expenses. SG&A expenses in the nine months ended September 30, 2019 reflected a decrease of $246,000, or 8%, as compared to the nine months ended September 30, 2018. OmniMetrix’s SG&A expense increased $105,000, or 5%, from $2,025,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $2,130,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Corporate SG&A expense decreased $351,000, or 34%, from $1,030,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2018 to $679,000 in the nine months ended September 30, 2019. As previously noted, the increase in OmniMetrix SG&A expense was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs from the same period in the prior year as a result of investments in the growth of the business, and the decrease in Corporate SG&A expense is due to a material reduction in personnel costs as well as a reduction in board fees and other professional service fees.

 

SG&A expenses in the three months ended September 30, 2019 reflected a decrease of $16,000, or 2%, as compared to the three months ended September 30, 2018. OmniMetrix’s SG&A expense increased $8,000, or 1%, from $671,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2018 to $679,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2019. Corporate SG&A expense decreased $24,000, or 10%, from $251,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2018 to $227,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2019. As previously noted, the increase in OmniMetrix SG&A expense was primarily due to an increase in personnel costs from the same period in the prior year as a result of investments in the growth of the business, and the decrease in Corporate SG&A expense is due to a material reduction in personnel costs as well as a reduction in board fees and other professional service fees.

 

Loss on sale of DSIT. In the first quarter of 2018, we closed on the sale of our remaining interests in DSIT Solutions Ltd., receiving gross proceeds of $5,800,000 before transaction costs, professional fees and withholding taxes. We recorded a loss on the sale of $829,000 as the carrying value of our investment in DSIT had previously been written down to the gross proceeds of the 2018 DSIT Transaction. This loss was offset by $266,000, net of fees of $44,000, as a tax benefit in 2018 offsetting the loss on the transaction which reduced the loss to $607,000.

 

Net loss attributable to Acorn Energy. We recognized a net loss attributable to Acorn shareholders of $557,000 in the first nine months of 2019 compared to a net loss of $1,756,000 in the first nine months of 2018. The 2019 net loss was due to corporate expenses of $657,000 offset by OmniMetrix’s net income of $71,000. The consolidated loss was partially offset by $29,000 representing the non-controlling interest share of our prior quarter losses in OmniMetrix.

 

We recognized a net loss attributable to Acorn shareholders of $121,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2019 compared to net income of $4,000 in the three months ended September 30, 2018. Our loss in the third quarter 2019 is comprised of corporate expenses of $220,000 offset by net income at OmniMetrix of $99,000.

 

Liquidity and Capital Resources

 

At September 30, 2019, we had negative working capital of $295,000. Our working capital includes approximately $1,338,000 of cash (excluding restricted cash) and deferred revenue of approximately $2,900,000. Such deferred revenue does not require significant cash outlay for the revenue to be recognized.

 

During the first nine months of 2019, our OmniMetrix subsidiary used $290,000 in its operations while our corporate headquarters used $643,000 during the same period.

 

Net cash of $1,010,000 was used in investing activities during the first nine months of 2019 which included purchases of software of $60,000, and $950,000 used in the reacquisition of a 19% interest in our OmniMetrix subsidiary as described below under the “Purchase of Non-Controlling Interest” heading.

 

Net cash of $2,329,000 was provided by financing activities during the first nine months of 2019 which included $2,186,000 in net proceeds of our rights offering (gross proceeds of $2,394,000 less expenses of $208,000) and draws against our line of credit of $143,000.

 

In March 2019, OmniMetrix reinstated its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1,000,000. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of 6% and prime (4.75% at November 9, 2019) plus 1.5% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.75% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 15.25%. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of two years beginning March 1, 2019. The monthly service charge and interest is calculated on the greater of the outstanding balance or $150,000. From time to time, the balance outstanding may fall below $150,000 based on collections applied against the loan balance and the timing of loan draws.

 

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OmniMetrix had an outstanding balance of $143,000 at September 30, 2019, pursuant to the Loan and Security Agreement and $251,000 was available to borrow.

 

Rights Offering

 

On June 28, 2019, we completed a rights offering, raising $2,186,000 in proceeds, net of $208,000 in expenses. Pursuant to the rights offering, our securityholders and parties to a backstop agreement purchased 9,975,553 shares of our common stock for $0.24 per share.

 

Under the terms of the rights offering, each right entitled securityholders as of June 3, 2019, the record date for the rights offering, to purchase 0.312 shares of our common stock at a subscription price of $0.24 per whole share. No fractional shares were issued. The closing price of our common stock on the record date of the rights offering was $0.2925. Distribution of the rights commenced on June 6, 2019 and were exercisable through June 24, 2019.

 

In connection with the rights offering, we entered into a backstop agreement with certain of our directors and Leap Tide Capital Management LLC, the sole manager of which is our President and CEO, pursuant to which they agreed to purchase from us any and all unsubscribed shares of common stock in the rights offering, subject to the terms, conditions and limitations of the backstop agreement. The backstop purchasers did not receive any compensation or other consideration for entering into or consummating the backstop agreement.

 

On July 1, 2019, we utilized a portion of the rights offering proceeds to complete the planned reacquisition of a 19% interest in our OMX Holdings, Inc. subsidiary (“Holdings”) for $1,273,000. Holdings owns 100% of the membership interests of OmniMetrix, LLC. The purchase price was based on terms established in November 2015 at the time of the original investment. The purchase raised our ownership in Holdings from 80% to 99%, with the remaining 1% owned by the CEO of OmniMetrix, LLC.

 

The balance of the rights offering net proceeds provides OmniMetrix with additional sales and marketing resources to facilitate expansion into additional geographic markets and new product applications, to support next-generation product development and for general working capital purposes.

 

Purchase of Non-Controlling Interest

 

In 2015, one of our then-current directors (the “Investor”) acquired a 20% interest in the our OMX Holdings, Inc. subsidiary (“Holdings”) through the purchase of $1,000,000 of OmniMetrix Preferred Stock (“Preferred Stock”). Holdings is the holder of 100% of the membership interests of OmniMetrix, LLC through which we operate our Power Generation and Cathodic Protection monitoring activities. The $1,000,000 investment by the Investor was recorded as an increase in non-controlling interests.

 

A dividend of 10% per annum accrued on the Preferred Stock. The dividend was payable on the first anniversary of the funding of the investment and quarterly thereafter for so long as the Preferred Stock was outstanding and had not been converted to Common Stock. Through December 31, 2016, a dividend payable of $115,000 was recorded with respect to the Preferred Stock. On December 31, 2016, the Investor agreed to treat the $115,000 of accrued dividends and all subsequent accrued and unpaid dividends as a loan to Holdings which bore interest at 8% per year. In December 2016, the Investor provided Holdings with an additional $50,000 loan under the same terms as the above mentioned accrued dividends.

 

On May 14, 2018, Holdings and the Investor entered into an agreement whereby effective May 1, 2018, the dividend on the Preferred Stock was reduced to 8%. In addition, all the amounts due to the Investor (accrued dividends, loan and accrued interest) and all future dividends that would accrue on the Preferred Stock through June 30, 2020, were to be paid by Holdings pursuant to an agreed-upon payment schedule which was scheduled to end on June 30, 2020. During the three months ended June 30, 2019, the Company accrued $20,000 for the quarterly dividend. During the six months ended June 30, 2019, the Company accrued $40,000 in quarterly dividends in the aggregate. At June 30, 2019, the obligation to the Investor was $323,000, representing unpaid accrued dividends.

 

On July 1, 2019, in accordance with terms established in 2015 at the time of the original investment, the Company repurchased from the Investor the shares of Preferred Stock then held by the Investor for a purchase price of $1,273,000 (which included the $323,000 of unpaid accrued dividends through June 30, 2019). The repurchase raised the Company’s ownership in Holdings from 80% to 99%, with the remaining 1% owned by the CEO of OmniMetrix, LLC.

 

Other Liquidity Matters

 

OmniMetrix owes Acorn approximately $4,400,000 for loans, accrued interest and expenses advanced to it by Acorn.

 

We had approximately $1,338,000 of cash (excluding restricted cash of $311,000) on September 30, 2019, and approximately $1,333,000 (excluding restricted cash of $311,000) on November 9, 2019. OmniMetrix had $147,000 outstanding on its line of credit and had $175,000 available to draw under its credit line as of November 9, 2019. We believe that our current cash plus the cash expected to be generated from operations and borrowing from available lines of credit will provide sufficient liquidity to finance the operating activities of Acorn and the operations of OmniMetrix for at least the next twelve months.

 

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Contractual Obligations and Commitments

 

The table below provides information concerning obligations under certain categories of our contractual obligations as of September 30, 2019.

 

CASH PAYMENTS DUE TO CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS

 

   Years Ending September 30, (in thousands) 
   Total   2020   2021-2022   2022-2023  

2024 and

thereafter

 
Debt  $143   $143   $   $   $ 
Service agreements   25    10    15         
Software agreements   275    206    69         
Capital leases   7    3    4         
Operating leases   42    31    6    5     
                          
Total contractual cash obligations  $492   $393   $94   $5   $ 

 

We expect to finance the contractual commitments from cash currently on hand and cash generated from operations.

 

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ITEM 3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURE ABOUT MARKET RISK

 

Concentrations of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments, which potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk, consist principally of cash and cash equivalents, escrow deposits and trade accounts receivable. The Company’s cash, cash equivalents and escrow deposits were deposited primarily with U.S. banks and brokerage firms and amounted to approximately $1,338,000 at September 30, 2019. The Company does not believe there is significant risk of non-performance by these counterparties. Approximately 23% of the accounts receivable at September 30, 2019 was due from two customers who pay their receivables over usual credit periods (the Company collected $151,000 of the $181,000 due from these customers as of November 9, 2019). Credit risk with respect to the balance of trade receivables is generally diversified due to the number of entities comprising the Company’s customer base.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

Fair values of financial instruments included in current assets and current liabilities are estimated to approximate their book values due to the short maturity of such investments.

 

Interest Rate Risk

 

In March 2019, OmniMetrix reinstated its Loan and Security Agreement providing OmniMetrix with access to accounts receivable formula-based financing of the lesser of 75% of eligible receivables or $1 million. Debt incurred under this financing arrangement bears interest at the greater of 6% and prime (4.75% at November 9, 2019) plus 1.5% per year. In addition, OmniMetrix is to pay a monthly service charge of 0.75% of the average aggregate principal amount outstanding for the prior month, for a current effective rate of interest on advances of 15.25%. OmniMetrix also agreed to continue to maintain a minimum loan balance of $150,000 in its line-of-credit with the lender for a minimum of two years beginning March 1, 2019. The monthly service charge and interest is calculated on the greater of the outstanding balance or $150,000. From time to time, the balance outstanding may fall below $150,000 based on collections applied against the loan balance and the timing of loan draws.

 

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ITEM 4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES

 

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

 

As of the end of the period covered by this report, we carried out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Financial Officer, of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)). Based on this evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective due to material weaknesses noted in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, to ensure that the information required to be disclosed by us in the reports we file or submit under the Exchange Act is (i) accumulated and communicated to our management (including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer) in a timely manner, and (ii) recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms.

 

As noted in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2018, we employ a decentralized internal control methodology, coupled with management’s oversight, whereby our subsidiary is responsible for mitigating its risks to financial reporting by implementing and maintaining effective control policies and procedures and subsequently translating that respective risk mitigation up and through to the parent level and to our external financial statements. In addition, as our operating subsidiary is not large enough to effectively mitigate certain risks by segregating incompatible duties, management must employ compensating mechanisms throughout our company in a manner that is feasible within the constraints it operates.

 

The material weaknesses management identified were caused by an insufficient complement of resources at our OmniMetrix subsidiary and limited IT system capabilities, such that individual control policies and procedures at the subsidiary could not be implemented, maintained, or remediated when and where necessary. As a result, a majority of the significant process areas management identified for our OmniMetrix subsidiary had one or more material weaknesses present.

 

Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

 

There was no change in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during the period covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

 

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PART II

 

ITEM 6. EXHIBITS.

 

#31.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
   
#31.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
   
#32.1 Certification of Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
   
#32.2 Certification of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
   
#101.1 The following financial statements from Acorn Energy’s Form 10-Q for the quarter and year-to-date period ended September 30, 2019, filed on November 14, 2019, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations, (iii) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity, (iv) Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows and (v) Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, tagged as blocks of text.

 

# This exhibit is filed or furnished herewith.

 

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SIGNATURES

 

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by its principal financial officer thereunto duly authorized.

 

  ACORN ENERGY, INC.
     
Dated: November 14, 2019    
     
  By: /s/ TRACY S. CLIFFORD
    Tracy S. Clifford
    Chief Financial Officer

 

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