AMERICAS CARMART INC - Annual Report: 2007 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark
One)
x
|
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
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For
the fiscal year ended April 30, 2007
OR
o
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TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934
|
For
the transition period
from to
Commission
file number 0-14939
AMERICA’S
CAR-MART, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
63-0851141
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|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
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(IRS
Employer Identification Number)
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802
Southeast Plaza Avenue, Suite 200
Bentonville,
Arkansas
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72712
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(Address
of principal executive offices)
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(Zip
Code)
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(479) 464-9944
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
NONE
Securities
registered pursuant to section 12(g) of the Act:
Common
Stock, $.01 par value
(Title
of
Class)
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined
in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes o No x
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 if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the
best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements
incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any
amendment to this Form 10-K. o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
(Check one):
o
Large
accelerated
filer Accelerated
filer x
Non-accelerated
filer 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 the registrant’s common stock held by non-affiliates
on October 31, 2006 was $154,068,451 (10,312,480 shares), based on the closing
price of the registrant’s common stock of $14.94.
There
were 11,878,110 shares of the registrant’s common stock outstanding as
of July 13, 2007.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions
of the registrant’s Proxy Statement to be furnished to stockholders in
connection with its 2007 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by
reference in response to Part III of this report.
PART
I
Forward-Looking
Statements
This
Annual Report on Form 10-K contains numerous “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. These forward-looking statements address the Company’s future
objectives, plans and goals, as well as the Company’s intent, beliefs and
current expectations regarding future operating performance, and can generally
be identified by words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “believe,” “expect,”
“anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “foresee,” and other similar words or
phrases. Specific events addressed by these forward-looking
statements include, but are not limited to:
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new
store openings;
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same
store revenue growth;
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•
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future
revenue growth;
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•
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receivables
growth greater than revenue growth;
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•
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future
credit losses;
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•
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the
Company’s business and growth
strategies;
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•
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financing
the majority of growth from profits;
and
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•
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having
adequate liquidity to satisfy its capital
needs.
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These
forward-looking statements are based on the Company’s current estimates and
assumptions and involve various risks and uncertainties. As a result,
you are cautioned that these forward-looking statements are not guarantees
of
future performance, and that actual results could differ materially from those
projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause
actual results to differ materially from the Company’s projections include those
risks described elsewhere in this report, as well as:
•
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the
availability of credit facilities to support the Company’s
business;
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•
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the
Company’s ability to underwrite and collect its loans
effectively;
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•
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competition;
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•
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dependence
on existing management;
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•
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changes
in lending laws or regulations; and
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•
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general
economic conditions in the markets in which the Company operates,
including fluctuations in employment
levels.
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The
Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the dates on which they
are
made.
Item
1. Business
Business
and Organization
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly
held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Buy
Here/Pay Here” segment of the used car market. References to the
Company typically include the Company’s consolidated
subsidiaries. The Company’s operations are principally conducted
through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car-Mart, Inc, an Arkansas
corporation, (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”) and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an
Arkansas corporation, (“Colonial”). Collectively, Car-Mart of
Arkansas and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart.” The
Company primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for
substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited
financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result
of limited credit histories or past credit problems. As of April 30,
2007, the Company operated 92 stores located primarily in small cities
throughout the South-Central United States.
In
October 2001, the Company made the decision to sell all of its operating
subsidiaries except Car-Mart, and relocate its corporate headquarters to
Bentonville, Arkansas where Car-Mart is based. As a result of this
decision, all of the Company’s other operating subsidiaries were
sold. The Company sold its last remaining discontinued operation in
July 2002.
Business
Strategy
In
general, it is the Company’s objective to continue to expand its Buy Here/Pay
Here used car operation using the same business model that has been developed
by
Car-Mart over the last 26 years. This business strategy focuses
on:
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·
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Collecting
Customer Accounts. Collecting customer accounts is
perhaps the single most important aspect of operating a Buy Here/Pay
Here
used car business and is a focal point for store level and corporate
office personnel on a daily basis. Periodically, the Company
measures and monitors the collection results of its stores using
internally developed delinquency and account loss
standards. Substantially all associate incentive compensation
is tied directly or indirectly to collection results. Over the
last five years, Car-Mart’s annual credit losses as a percentage of sales
have ranged from a low of 18.5% in 2003 to a high of 29.1% in 2007
(average of 22.1%). The Company believes that it can continue
to be successful provided it maintains its credit losses within or
below
its historical credit loss range.
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Maintaining
a Decentralized Operation. The Company’s dealerships
will continue to operate on a decentralized basis. Each store
is responsible for buying (with the assistance of a corporate office
purchasing agent) and selling its own vehicles, making credit decisions
and collecting the loans it originates in accordance with established
policies and procedures. Most customers make their payments in
person at one of the Company’s dealerships. This decentralized
structure is complemented by the oversight and involvement of corporate
office management and the maintenance of centralized financial controls,
including establishing standards for down-payments and contract terms
as
well as an internal compliance
function.
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2
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·
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Expanding
Through Controlled Organic Growth. The Company plans
to continue to expand its operations by increasing revenues at existing
dealerships and opening new dealerships. The Company has
decided to curtail its new store openings until operational initiatives
have shown positive results. The focus will be on improving performance
of
existing dealerships prior to opening significant numbers of new
stores.
The Company acquired one existing Buy Here/Pay Here dealership in
March
2006 and another in May 2006 and may consider acquiring additional
existing dealerships if conditions and terms are favorable. However,
the
Company will continue to view organic growth as its primary source
for
growth.
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·
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Selling
Basic Transportation. The Company will continue to
focus on selling basic and affordable transportation to its
customers. The Company generally does not sell luxury cars or
sports cars. The average retail sales price was $8,125 in
fiscal 2007. By selling vehicles at this price point, the
Company is able to keep the terms of its installment sales contracts
relatively short (overall portfolio average of 27.1 months), while
requiring relatively low payments.
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·
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Operating
in Smaller Communities. The majority of the Company’s
dealerships are located in cities and towns with a population of
50,000 or
less. The Company believes that by operating in smaller
communities it experiences better collection results. Further,
the Company believes that operating costs, such as salaries, rent
and
advertising, are lower in smaller communities than in major metropolitan
areas.
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Enhance
Management including Promoting from Within. It has
been the Company’s practice to try to hire honest and hardworking
individuals to fill entry level positions, nurture and develop these
associates, and attempt to fill the vast majority of its managerial
positions from within the Company. By promoting from within,
the Company believes it is better able to train its associates in
the
Car-Mart way of doing business, maintain the Company’s unique culture and
develop the loyalty of its associates. Additionally, the Company
looks
outside for associates possessing requisite skills who share the
values
and appreciate the Company’s unique culture developed over the
years.
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·
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Cultivating
Customer Relationships. The Company believes that
developing and maintaining a relationship with its customers are
critical
to the success of the Company. A large percentage of sales at
mature stores are made to repeat customers, and the Company estimates
an
additional 10% to 15% of sales result from customer
referrals. By developing a personal relationship with its
customers, the Company believes it is in a better position to assist
a
customer, and the customer is more likely to cooperate with the Company,
should the customer experience financial difficulty during the term
of his
or her installment loan with the Company. The Company is able
to cultivate these relationships as the majority of its customers
make
their payments in person at one of the Company’s dealerships on a weekly
or bi-weekly basis.
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Business
Strengths
The
Company believes it possesses a number of strengths or advantages that
distinguish it from most of its competitors. These business strengths
include:
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Experienced
and Motivated Management. The Company’s executive
operating officers have an average tenure of approximately 17
years. Several of Car-Mart’s store managers have been with the
Company for more than 10 years. Each store manager is
compensated, at least in part (some entirely), based upon the net
income
of his or her store. A significant portion of the compensation
of Car-Mart senior management is incentive
based.
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3
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·
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Proven
Business Practices. The Company’s operations are
highly structured. While stores are operated on a decentralized
basis, the Company has established policies, procedures and business
practices for virtually every aspect of a store’s
operations. Detailed operating manuals are available to assist
the store manager and office, sales and collections personnel in
performing their daily tasks. As a result, each store is
operated in a uniform manner. Further, corporate office
personnel monitor the stores’ operations through weekly visits and a
number of daily, weekly and monthly communications and
reports.
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Low
Cost Operator. The Company has structured its store
and corporate office operations to minimize operating
costs. The number of associates employed at the store level is
dictated by the number of active customer accounts each store
services. Associate compensation is standardized for each store
position. Other operating costs are closely monitored and
scrutinized. Technology is utilized to maximize
efficiency. The Company believes its operating costs as a
percentage of revenues, or per unit sold, are among the lowest in
the
industry.
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Well
Capitalized / Limited External Capital Required for
Growth. As of April 30, 2007, the Company’s debt to
equity ratio was 0.33 to 1.0, which the Company believes is lower
than the
majority of its competitors. Further, the Company believes it
can fund a significant amount of its planned growth from net income
generated from operations. Of the external capital that will be
needed to fund growth, the Company plans to draw on its existing
credit
facilities, or renewals or replacements of those
facilities.
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Significant
Expansion Opportunities. The Company generally targets
smaller communities to locate its dealerships (i.e., populations
from
20,000 to 50,000), but has had success in larger cities such as Tulsa,
Oklahoma and Little Rock, Arkansas. The Company believes there
are numerous suitable communities within the nine states and other
contiguous states in which the Company currently operates to satisfy
any
anticipated store growth for the next several years. However,
the Company does not currently plan to add locations in fiscal 2008
until
the operational initiatives which are underway have proven successful.
Additionally, existing lots will be analyzed to ensure that they
are
producing desired results and have potential to provide adequate
returns
on invested capital.
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Operations
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Store
Organization. Stores are operated on a decentralized
basis. Each store is responsible for buying (with the
assistance of a corporate office buyer) and selling vehicles, making
credit decisions, and servicing and collecting the installment loans
it
originates. Stores also maintain their own records and make
daily deposits. Store-level financial statements are prepared
by the corporate office on a monthly basis. Depending on the
number of active customer accounts, a store may have as few as two
or as
many as 25 full-time associates employed at that
location. Associate positions at a large store may include a
store manager, assistant store manager, manager trainee, office manager,
assistant office manager, service manager, buyer, collections personnel,
salesmen and lot attendants. Stores are open Monday through
Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The Company has both
regular and satellite stores. Satellite stores are similar to
regular stores, except that they tend to be smaller, sell fewer vehicles
and their financial performance is not captured in a stand alone
financial
statement, but rather is included in the financial results of the
sponsoring regular store.
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4
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Store
Locations and Facilities. Below is a summary of stores opened
during the fiscal years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005:
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Years
Ended April 30,
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2007
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2006
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2005
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Stores
at beginning of year
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85
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76
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70
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New
stores opened/acquired
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7
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10
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6
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Stores
closed
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-
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(1)
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-
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Stores
at end of year
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92
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85
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76
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Below
is
a summary of store locations by state as of April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005:
As
of April 30,
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Stores
by State
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2007
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2006
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2005
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Arkansas
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34
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34
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34
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Oklahoma
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17
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15
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13
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Texas
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16
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16
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14
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Kentucky
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9
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8
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7
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Missouri
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10
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9
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6
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Kansas
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1
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1
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1
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Indiana
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1
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1
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1
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Tennessee
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1
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1
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-
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Alabama
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3
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-
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-
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Total
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92
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85
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76
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Stores
are typically located in smaller communities. As of April 30, 2007,
approximately 74% of the Company’s stores were located in cities with
populations of less than 50,000. Stores are located on leased or
owned property between one and three acres in size. When opening a
new store the Company will typically use an existing structure on the property
to conduct business, or purchase a modular facility while business at the new
location develops. Store facilities typically range in size from
1,500 to 5,000 square feet.
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Purchasing. The
Company purchases vehicles primarily through wholesalers, new car
dealers
and from auctions. The majority of vehicle purchasing is
performed by the Company’s buyers, although certain store managers are
authorized to purchase vehicles. On average, a buyer will
purchase vehicles for three stores. Buyers report to the store
manager, or managers, for whom they make purchases, and to a regional
purchasing director. The regional purchasing directors monitor
the quantity and quality of vehicles purchased and compare the cost
of
similar vehicles purchased among different
buyers.
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Generally,
the Company’s buyers purchase vehicles between three and 10 years of age with
80,000 to 120,000 miles, and pay between $3,000 and $6,000 per
vehicle. The Company focuses on providing basic transportation to its
customers. The Company generally does not purchase sports cars or
luxury cars. Some of the more popular vehicles the Company sells
include the Ford Taurus and Escort, Chevrolet Lumina and Cavalier, Dodge Neon,
Pontiac Grand Am and Oldsmobile Cutlass. The Company also sells a
number of trucks and sport utility vehicles. Buyers inspect and
test-drive almost every vehicle they purchase. Buyers attempt to
purchase vehicles that require little or no repair as the Company has limited
facilities to repair or recondition vehicles.
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Selling,
Marketing and Advertising. Stores generally maintain
an inventory of 15 to 75 vehicles depending on the maturity of the
dealership. Inventory turns over approximately 10 to 12 times
each year. Selling is done principally by the store manager,
assistant manager, manager trainee or sales associate. Sales
associates are paid a commission for sales that they make in addition
to
an hourly wage. Sales are made on an “as is” basis; however,
customers are given an option to purchase a five month or 5,500 mile
service contract for $395 which covers certain vehicle components
and
assemblies. For covered components and assemblies, the Company
coordinates service with third party service centers with which the
Company typically has previously negotiated labor rates and mark-up
percentages on parts. The majority of the Company’s customers
elect to purchase a service contract when purchasing a
vehicle.
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5
The
Company’s objective is to offer its customers basic transportation at a fair
price and treat each customer in such a manner as to earn his or her repeat
business. The Company attempts to build a positive reputation in each
community where it operates and generate new business from such reputation
as
well as from customer referrals. The Company estimates that
approximately 10% to 15% of the Company’s sales result from customer
referrals. The Company recognizes repeat customers with silver, gold
and platinum plaques representing the purchase of 5, 10 and 15 vehicles,
respectively. These plaques are prominently displayed at the
dealership where the vehicles were purchased. For mature dealerships,
a large percentage of sales are to repeat customers.
The
Company primarily advertises in local newspapers, on the radio and on
television. In addition, periodically the Company conducts
promotional sales campaigns in order to increase sales.
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Underwriting
and Finance. The Company provides financing to
substantially all of its customers who purchase a vehicle at one
of its
stores. The Company only provides financing to its customers
for the purchase of its vehicles, and the Company does not provide
any
type of financing to non-customers. The Company’s installment
sales contracts typically include down payments ranging from 0% to
17%
(average of 7%), terms ranging from 12 months to 36 months (average
of
27.1 months), and annual interest charges ranging from 6% to 19%
(average
of 13.6 % at April 30, 2007). The Company requires that payments
be made
on a weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly or monthly basis to coincide
with the
day the customer is paid by his or her employer. Upon the
customer and the Company reaching a preliminary agreement as to financing
terms, the Company obtains a credit application from the customer
which
includes information regarding employment, residence and credit history,
personal references and a detailed budget itemizing the customer’s monthly
income and expenses. Certain information is then verified by
Company personnel. After the verification process, the store
manager makes the decision to accept, reject or modify (perhaps obtain
a
greater down payment or require an acceptable co-buyer or suggest
a lower
priced vehicle) the proposed transaction. In general, the store
manager attempts to assess the stability and character of the
applicant. The store manager who makes the credit decision is
ultimately responsible for collecting the loan, and his or her
compensation is directly related to the collection results of his
or her
store.
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·
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Collections. All
of the Company’s retail installment contracts are serviced by Company
personnel at the store level. The majority of the Company’s
customers make their payments in person at the store where they purchased
their vehicle, although some customers send their payments through
the
mail. Each store closely monitors its customer accounts using
the Company’s proprietary receivables and collections software that
stratifies past due accounts by the number of days past
due. The Company believes that the timely response to past due
accounts is critical to its collections
success.
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The
Company has established standards with respect to the percentage of accounts
one
and two weeks past due, the percentage of accounts three or more weeks past
due,
and for larger stores, one and two weeks past due, 15 to 44 days past due and
45-plus days past due (delinquency standards), and the percentage of accounts
where the vehicle was repossessed or the account was charged off that month
(account loss standard).
6
The
Company works very hard to keep its delinquency percentages low, and not to
repossess vehicles. Accounts one day late are sent a notice in the
mail. Accounts three days late are contacted by
telephone. Notes from each telephone contact are electronically
maintained in the Company’s computer system. If a customer becomes
severely delinquent in his or her payments, and management determines that
timely collection of future payments is not probable, the Company will take
steps to repossess the vehicle. The Company attempts to resolve
payment delinquencies amicably prior to repossessing a
vehicle. Periodically, the Company enters into contract modifications
with its customers to extend the payment terms. The Company only
enters into a contract modification or extension if it believes such action
will
increase the amount of monies the Company will ultimately realize on the
customer’s account. For those vehicles that are repossessed, the
majority are returned or surrendered by the customer on a voluntary
basis. Other repossessions are performed by Company personnel or
third party repossession agents. Depending on the condition of a
repossessed vehicle, it is either resold on a retail basis through a Company
store, or sold for cash on a wholesale basis primarily through physical and/or
on-line auctions.
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·
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New
Store Openings. The Company plans to curtail new store
openings until operational initiatives have shown positive results.
Senior
management, with the assistance of the corporate office staff, will
make
decisions with respect to the communities in which to locate a new
store
and the specific sites within those communities. New stores
have historically been located in the general proximity of existing
stores
to facilitate the corporate office’s oversight of the Company’s
stores.
|
The
Company’s approach with respect to new store openings has been one of gradual
development. The manager in charge of a new store is normally a
recently promoted associate who was an assistant manager at a larger store
or a
manager trainee. The corporate office provides significant resources
and support with pre-opening and initial operations of new dealerships. The
facility may be of a modular nature or an existing structure. New
stores operate with a low level of inventory and personnel. As a
result of the modest staffing level, the new store manager performs a variety
of
duties (i.e., selling, collecting and administrative tasks) during the early
stages of his or her store’s operations. As the store develops and
the customer base grows, additional staff is hired.
Typically,
monthly sales levels at new stores are substantially less than sales levels
at
mature stores. Over time new stores gain recognition in their
communities, and a combination of customer referrals and repeat business
generally facilitate sales growth. Sales growth at new stores can
exceed 20% per year for a number of years. Historically, mature
stores typically experience annual sales growth, but at a lower percentage
than
new stores. However, in 2007 the Company experienced a decrease in sales at
mature stores as it focused on improving the quality of sales in the face of
increased credit losses.
New
stores are generally provided with approximately $500,000 to $750,000 in capital
from the corporate office during the first 12 to 24 months of
operation. These funds are used principally to fund receivables
growth. After this 12 to 24 month start-up period, new stores
typically become cash flow positive. That is, receivables growth is
funded from store profits rather than additional capital from the corporate
office. This limitation of capital to new, as well as existing,
stores serves as an important operating discipline. Essentially,
stores must be profitable in order to grow. Typically, new stores are
profitable within the first year of opening.
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·
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Corporate
Office Oversight and Management. The corporate office,
based in Bentonville, Arkansas, consists of area operations managers,
regional vice presidents, regional purchasing directors, a vice president
of purchasing, compliance auditors, associate and management development
personnel, accounting and management information systems personnel,
administrative personnel and senior management. The corporate
office monitors and oversees store operations. The Company’s
stores transmit and submit operating and financial information and
reports
to the corporate office on a daily, weekly and monthly
basis. This information includes cash receipts and
disbursements, inventory and receivables levels, receivables agings
and
sales and account loss data. The corporate office uses this
information to compile Company-wide reports, plan store visits and
prepare
monthly financial statements.
|
7
Periodically,
area operations managers, regional vice presidents, compliance auditors and
senior management visit the Company’s stores to inspect, review and comment on
operations. Often, the corporate office assists in training new
managers and other store level associates. Compliance auditors visit
lots quarterly to ensure policies and procedures are being followed and that
the
Company’s assets are being safe-guarded. In addition to financial results, the
corporate office uses delinquency and account loss standards and a point system
to evaluate a store’s performance. Also, bankrupt and legal action accounts and
other accounts that have been written off at dealerships are handled corporately
in an effort to allow store personnel time to focus on more current
accounts.
The
Company’s store managers meet monthly on an area, regional or Company-wide
basis. At these meetings, corporate office personnel provide training
and recognize achievements of store managers. Near the end of every
fiscal year, the respective area operations manager, regional vice president
and
senior management conduct “projection” meetings with each store
manager. At these meetings, the year’s results are reviewed and
ranked relative to other stores, and both quantitative and qualitative goals
are
established for the upcoming year. The qualitative goals may focus on
staff development, effective delegation, and leadership and organization
skills. Quantitatively, the Company establishes unit sales goals and,
depending on the circumstances, may establish delinquency, account loss or
expense goals.
The
corporate office is also responsible for establishing policy, maintaining the
Company’s management information systems, conducting compliance audits,
orchestrating new store openings and setting the strategic direction for the
Company.
Industry
|
·
|
Used
Car Sales. The market for used car sales in the United
States is significant. Used car retail sales typically occur
through franchised new car dealerships that sell used cars or independent
used car dealerships. The Company operates in the Buy Here/Pay
Here segment of the independent used car sales and finance
market. Buy Here/Pay Here dealers sell and finance used cars to
individuals with limited credit histories or past credit
problems. Buy Here/Pay Here dealers typically offer their
customers certain advantages over more traditional financing sources,
such
as broader and more flexible underwriting guidelines, flexible payment
terms (including scheduling payments on a weekly or bi-weekly basis
to
coincide with a customer’s payday), and the ability to make payments in
person, an important feature to individuals who may not have a checking
account.
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·
|
Used
Car Financing. The used automobile financing industry
is served by traditional lending sources such as banks, savings and
loans,
and captive finance subsidiaries of automobile manufacturers, as
well as
by independent finance companies and Buy Here/Pay Here
dealers. Despite significant opportunities, many of the
traditional lending sources do not consistently provide financing
to
individuals with limited credit histories or past credit
problems. Management believes traditional lenders avoid this
market because of its high credit risk and the associated collections
efforts.
|
8
Competition
The
used
automotive retail industry is highly competitive and fragmented. The
Company competes principally with other independent Buy Here/Pay Here dealers,
and to a lesser degree with (i) the used vehicle retail operations of franchised
automobile dealerships, (ii) independent used vehicle dealers, and (iii)
individuals who sell used vehicles in private transactions. The
Company competes for both the purchase and resale of used vehicles.
Management
believes the principal competitive factors in the sale of its used vehicles
include (i) the availability of financing to consumers with limited credit
histories or past credit problems, (ii) the breadth and quality of vehicle
selection, (iii) pricing, (iv) the convenience of a dealership’s location, (v)
the option to purchase a service contract, and (vi) customer
service. Management believes that its dealerships are competitive in
each of these areas.
Regulation
and Licensing
The
Company’s operations are subject to various federal, state and local laws,
ordinances and regulations pertaining to the sale and financing of
vehicles. Under various state laws, the Company’s dealerships must
obtain a license in order to operate or relocate. These laws also
regulate advertising and sales practices. The Company’s financing
activities are subject to federal truth-in-lending and equal credit opportunity
regulations as well as state and local motor vehicle finance laws, installment
finance laws, usury laws and other installment sales laws. Among
other things, these laws require that the Company limit or prescribe terms
of
the contracts it originates, require specified disclosures to customers,
restrict collections practices, limit the Company’s right to repossess and sell
collateral, and prohibit discrimination against customers on the basis of
certain characteristics including age, race, gender and marital
status.
The
states in which the Company operates impose limits on interest rates the Company
can charge on its loans. These limits are generally based on either (i) a
specified margin above the federal primary credit rate, (ii) the age of the
vehicle, or (iii) a fixed rate. Management believes the Company is in
compliance in all material respects with all applicable federal, state and
local
laws, ordinances and regulations. However, the adoption of additional
laws, changes in the interpretation of existing laws, or the Company’s entrance
into jurisdictions with more stringent regulatory requirements could have a
material adverse effect on the Company’s used vehicle sales and finance
business.
Employees
As
of
April 30, 2007, the Company, including its consolidated subsidiaries, employed
approximately 800 persons full time. None of the Company's employees are covered
by a collective bargaining agreement and the Company believes that its relations
with its employees are good.
Available
Information
The
Company’s website is located at www.car-mart.com. The Company makes
available on this website, free of charge, access to the annual report on Form
10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and all
amendments to those reports, as well as proxy statements and other information
the Company files with, or furnishes to, the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”) as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically
submits this material to the SEC. The information contained on the
website or available by hyperlink from the website is not incorporated into
this
Annual Report on Form 10-K or other documents the Company files with, or furnish
to, the SEC.
9
Executive
Officers
The
executive officers of the Company are as follows:
Name
|
Age
|
Position
with the Company
|
|
Tilman
J. Falgout, III
|
58
|
Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive Officer,
General
Counsel and Director
|
|
William
H. Henderson
|
43
|
Vice
Chairman of the Board, President and Director
|
|
Eddie
L. Hight
|
44
|
Chief
Operating Officer
|
|
Jeffrey
A. Williams
|
44
|
Chief
Financial Officer, Vice President Finance and
Secretary
|
Tilman
J. Falgout, III has served as Chairman of the Board since May 2004,
Chief Executive Officer of the Company since May 2002, General Counsel since
1995 and a director of the Company since 1992. From 1995 until May
2002, Mr. Falgout also served as Executive Vice President of the
Company. From 1978 through June 1995, Mr. Falgout was a partner in
the law firm of Stumpf & Falgout, Houston, Texas.
William
H. Henderson has served as Vice Chairman of the Board since May 2004
and as President of the Company since May 2002. From 1999 until May
2002, Mr. Henderson served as Chief Operating Officer of
Car-Mart. From 1992 through 1998, Mr. Henderson served as General
Manager of Car-Mart. From 1987 to 1992, Mr. Henderson primarily held
the positions of District Manager and Regional Manager at Car-Mart.
Eddie
L. Hight has served as Chief Operating Officer of the Company since May
2002. From 1984 until May 2002, Mr. Hight held a number of positions
at Car-Mart including Store Manager and Regional Manager.
Jeffrey
A. Williams has served as Chief Financial Officer, Vice President
Finance and Secretary of the Company since October 1, 2005. From October 2004
until his employment by the Company, he served as the Chief Financial Officer
of
Budgetext Corporation, a distributor of new and used textbooks. From February
2004 to October 2004, Mr. Williams was the President and founder of Clearview
Enterprises, LLC, a regional distributor of animal health products. From January
1999 to January 2004, Mr. Williams was Chief Financial Officer and Vice
President of Operations of Wynco, LLC, a nationwide distributor of animal health
products.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
10
Risks
Related to the Used Automotive Retail and Finance Industry
The
Company may have a higher risk of delinquency and default than traditional
lenders because it loans money to credit-impaired borrowers.
Substantially
all of Car-Mart’s
automobile contracts involve loans made to individuals with impaired or limited
credit histories, or higher debt-to-income ratios than permitted by traditional
lenders. Loans made to borrowers who are restricted in their ability
to obtain financing from traditional lenders generally entail a higher risk
of
delinquency, default and repossession, and higher losses than loans made to
borrowers with better credit. Delinquency interrupts the flow of
projected interest income and repayment of principal from a loan, and a default
can ultimately lead to a loss if the net realizable value of the automobile
securing the loan is insufficient to cover the principal and interest due on
the
loan or the vehicle cannot be recovered. Car-Mart’s profitability
depends, in part, upon its ability to properly evaluate the creditworthiness
of
non-prime borrowers and efficiently service such loans. Although the
Company believes that its underwriting criteria and collection methods enable
it
to manage the higher risks inherent in loans made to non-prime borrowers, no
assurance can be given that such criteria or methods will afford adequate
protection against such risks. If the Company experiences higher
losses than anticipated, its financial condition, results of operations and
business prospects could be materially and adversely affected.
A
decrease in market interest rates would likely have an adverse effect on the
Company’s profitability.
The
Company’s earnings are impacted by
its net interest income, which is the difference between the income earned
on
interest-bearing assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing notes
payable. The Company’s finance receivables generally bear interest at
fixed rates ranging from 6% to 19%, while its revolving notes payable contain
variable interest rates that fluctuate with market interest
rates. However, interest rates charged on finance receivables
originated in the State of Arkansas are limited to the federal primary credit
rate plus 5%. Typically, the Company charges interest on its Arkansas
loans at or near the maximum rate allowed by law. Thus, while the
interest rates charged on the Company’s loans do not fluctuate once established,
new loans originated in Arkansas are set at a spread above the federal primary
credit rate which does fluctuate. At April 30, 2007, approximately
57% of the Company’s finance receivables were originated in
Arkansas. Assuming that this percentage is held constant for future
loan originations, the long-term effect of decreases in the federal primary
credit rate would generally have a negative effect on the profitability of
the
Company because the amount of interest income lost on Arkansas originated loans
would likely exceed the amount of interest expense saved on the Company’s
variable rate borrowings.
The
Company’s allowance for credit losses may not be sufficient to cover actual
credit losses, which could adversely affect its financial condition and
operating results.
From
time
to time, the Company has to recognize losses resulting from the inability of
certain borrowers to repay loans and the insufficient realizable value of the
collateral securing loans. The Company maintains an allowance for
credit losses in an attempt to cover credit losses inherent in its loan
portfolio. Additional credit losses will likely occur in the future
and may occur at a rate greater than the Company has experienced to
date. The allowance for credit losses is based primarily upon
historical credit loss experience, with consideration given to delinquency
levels, collateral values, economic conditions and underwriting and collections
practices. This evaluation is inherently subjective as it requires estimates
of
material factors that may be susceptible to significant change. If
the Company’s assumptions and judgments prove to be incorrect, its current
allowance may not be sufficient and adjustments may be necessary to allow for
different economic conditions or adverse developments in its loan
portfolio.
11
A
reduction in the availability or access to sources of inventory would adversely
affect the Company’s business by increasing the costs of vehicles
purchased.
Car-Mart
acquires vehicles primarily through wholesalers, new car dealers and from
auctions. There can be no assurance that sufficient inventory will
continue to be available to the Company or will be available at comparable
costs. Any reduction in the availability of inventory or increases in
the cost of vehicles would adversely affect gross profit percentages as the
Company focuses on keeping payments affordable to its customer
base. The Company could have to absorb cost increases.
The
used automotive retail industry is highly competitive and fragmented, which
could result in increased costs to the Company for vehicles and adverse price
competition.
The
Company competes principally with other independent Buy Here/Pay Here dealers,
and to a lesser degree with (i) the used vehicle retail operations of franchised
automobile dealerships, (ii) independent used vehicle dealers, and (iii)
individuals who sell used vehicles in private transactions. The
Company competes for both the purchase and resale of used vehicles. The
Company’s competitors may sell the same or similar makes of vehicles that
Car-Mart offers in the same or similar markets at competitive
prices. Increased competition in the market, including new entrants
to the market, could result in increased wholesale costs for used vehicles
and
lower-than-expected vehicle sales and margins. Further, if any of
Car-Mart’s competitors seek to gain or retain market share by reducing prices
for used vehicles, the Company would likely reduce its prices in order to remain
competitive, which may result in a decrease in its sales and profitability
and
require a change in its operating strategies.
An
economic slowdown will have adverse consequences for the used automotive
industry and may have greater consequences for the non-prime segment of the
industry.
In
the
normal course of business, the used automotive retail industry is subject to
changes in regional U.S. economic conditions, including, but not limited to,
interest rates, gasoline prices, inflation, personal discretionary spending
levels, and consumer sentiment about the economy in general. Any significant
changes in economic conditions could adversely affect consumer demand and/or
increase costs, resulting in lower profitability for the
Company. Due to the Company’s focus on non-prime borrowers, its
actual rate of delinquencies, repossessions and credit losses on loans could
be
higher under adverse economic conditions than those experienced in the
automotive retail finance industry in general.
The
used automotive industry operates in a highly regulated environment with
significant attendant compliance costs and penalties for
non-compliance.
The
used
automotive industry is subject to a wide range of federal, state, and local
laws
and regulations, such as local licensing requirements and laws regarding
advertising, vehicle sales, financing, and employment
practices. Facilities and operations are also subject to federal,
state, and local laws and regulations relating to environmental protection
and
human health and safety. The violation of these laws and regulations could
result in administrative, civil, or criminal penalties against the Company,
or
in a cease and desist order. As a result, the Company has incurred,
and will continue to incur, capital and operating expenditures, and other costs
in complying with these laws and regulations. Further, over the past several
years, private plaintiffs and federal, state, and local regulatory and law
enforcement authorities have increased their scrutiny of advertising, sales,
and
finance and insurance activities in the sale of motor vehicles.
12
Inclement
weather can adversely impact the Company’s operating results.
The
occurrence of weather events, such as rain, snow, wind, storms, hurricanes,
or
other natural disasters, adversely affecting consumer traffic at Car-Mart’s
automotive dealerships, could negatively impact the Company’s operating
results.
Risks
Related to the Company
The
Company’s business is geographically concentrated; therefore, the Company’s
results of operations may be adversely affected by unfavorable conditions in
its
local markets.
The
Company’s performance is subject to local economic, competitive, and other
conditions prevailing in the nine states where Car-Mart operates. The Company
provides financing in connection with the sale of substantially all of its
vehicles. These sales are made primarily to customers residing in
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Missouri, with approximately 54% of
revenues resulting from sales to Arkansas customers. The Company’s
current results of operations depend substantially on general economic
conditions and consumer spending habits in these local markets.
Car-Mart’s
success depends upon the continued contributions of its management
teams.
The
Company is dependent upon the continued contributions of its management teams
and other key employees. Since the Company maintains a decentralized
operation in which each store is responsible for buying and selling its own
vehicles, making credit decisions and collecting loans it originates, the key
employees at each store are important factors in the Company’s ability to
implement its business strategy. Consequently, the loss of the
services of key employees could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
results of operations. In addition, when Car-Mart decides to open new lots,
the
Company will need to hire additional personnel. The market for qualified
employees in the industry and in the regions in which Car-Mart operates is
highly competitive and may subject the Company to increased labor costs during
periods of low unemployment.
The
Company’s business is dependent upon the efficient operation of its information
systems.
Car-Mart
relies on its information systems to manage its sales, inventory, consumer
financing, and customer information effectively. The failure of the
Company’s information systems to perform as designed, or the failure to maintain
and continually enhance or protect the integrity of these systems, could disrupt
the Company’s business, impact sales and profitability, or expose the Company to
customer or third-party claims.
Changes
in the availability or cost of capital and working capital financing could
adversely affect the Company’s growth and business strategies.
The
Company generates cash from income from continuing operations. The
cash is primarily used to fund finance receivables growth, which have
historically grown slightly faster than revenues. To the extent
finance receivables growth exceeds income from continuing operations, generally
the Company increases its borrowings under its revolving credit facilities
to
provide the cash necessary to make loans. On a long-term basis, the
Company expects its principal sources of liquidity to consist of income from
continuing operations and borrowings under revolving credit facilities and/or
fixed interest term loans. Any adverse changes in
the Company’s ability to borrow under revolving credit facilities or
fixed interest term loans, or any increase in the cost of such borrowings,
would
likely have a negative impact on the Company’s ability to finance receivables
growth which would adversely affect the Company’s growth and business
strategies.
13
Further,
Car-Mart’s current credit facilities contain various reporting and performance
covenants. Any failure by the Company to comply with these covenants could
have
a material adverse effect on the Company’s ability to implement its business
strategy.
The
Company’s growth is dependent upon the availability of suitable lot
sites.
The
Company leases a majority of the properties where its stores are
located. If and when the Company decides to open new stores, the
inability to acquire suitable real estate, either through lease or purchase,
at
favorable terms could limit the expansion of the Company’s lot base and could
have a material adverse effect on the Company’s expansion strategy and future
operating results.
Car-Mart’s
business is subject to seasonal fluctuations.
The
Company’s third fiscal quarter (November through January) is historically the
slowest period for car and truck sales. Conversely, the Company’s first and
fourth fiscal quarters (May through July and February through April) are
historically the busiest times for car and truck sales. Therefore, Car-Mart
generally realizes a higher proportion of its revenue and operating profit
during the first and fourth fiscal quarters. If conditions arise that impair
vehicle sales during the first or fourth fiscal quarters, the adverse effect
on
the Company’s revenues and operating profit for the year could be
disproportionately large.
Item
1B. Unresolved Staff Comments
Not
applicable.
Item
2. Properties
As
of
April 30, 2007, the Company leased approximately 78% of its facilities,
including dealerships and the Company’s corporate offices. These
facilities are located principally in the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas,
Kentucky and Missouri. The Company’s corporate offices are located in
approximately 12,000 square feet of leased space in Bentonville,
Arkansas. For additional information regarding the Company’s
properties, see “Contractual Payment Obligations” and “Off-Balance Sheet
Arrangements” under Item 7 of Part II.
Item
3. Legal Proceedings
In
the
ordinary course of business, the Company has become a defendant in various
types
of legal proceedings. The Company does not expect the final outcome
of any of these actions, individually or in the aggregate, to have a material
adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, annual results of operations
or cash flows. However, the results of legal proceedings cannot be
predicted with certainty, and an unfavorable resolution of one or more of these
legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
financial position, annual results of operations or cash flows.
Item
4. Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security
Holders
No
matters were submitted to a vote of security holders of the Company during
the
fourth quarter ended April 30, 2007.
14
PART
II
Item
5. Market for Registrant's Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters
and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities
General
The
Company's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol
CRMT. The following table sets forth, by fiscal quarter, the high and
low closing sales prices reported by NASDAQ for the Company's common stock
for
the periods indicated.
Fiscal
2007
|
Fiscal
2006
|
|||||||||||||||
High
|
Low
|
High
|
Low
|
|||||||||||||
First
quarter
|
$ |
20.58
|
$ |
15.04
|
$ |
23.37
|
$ |
19.96
|
||||||||
Second
quarter
|
17.01
|
13.90
|
21.72
|
15.94
|
||||||||||||
Third
quarter
|
15.08
|
10.41
|
18.65
|
14.29
|
||||||||||||
Fourth
quarter
|
13.84
|
10.56
|
22.06
|
17.45
|
As
of
July 13, 2007, there were approximately 1,054 stockholders of
record. This number excludes stockholders holding stock under nominee
security position listings.
Stockholder
Return Performance Graph
Set
forth
below is a line graph comparing the fiscal year end percentage change in the
cumulative total stockholder return on the Company’s common stock to (i) the
cumulative total return of the NASDAQ Market Index (U.S. companies), and (ii)
the Hemscott Group 744 Index – Auto Dealerships (“Automobile Index”), for the
period of five fiscal years commencing on May 1, 2002 and ending on April 30,
2007. The graph assumes that the value of the investment in the
Company’s common stock and each index was $100 on May 1, 2002.
15
The
dollar value at April 30, 2007 of $100 invested in the Company’s common stock on
May 1, 2002 was $143.44, compared to $137.22 for the Automobile Index described
above and $159.29 for the NASDAQ Market Index (U.S. Companies ).
Dividend
Policy
Since
its
inception the Company has paid no cash dividends on its common
stock. The Company currently intends to follow a policy of retaining
earnings to finance future growth. Payment of cash dividends in the
future will be determined by the Company's Board of Directors and will depend
upon, among other things, the Company's future earnings, operations, capital
requirements and surplus, general financial condition, contractual restrictions
that may exist, and such other factors as the Board of Directors may deem
relevant. Colonial’s revolving credit facility prohibits dividends to the
Company and Car-Mart of Arkansas’s revolving credit facility limits dividends to
the Company to 75% of Car-Mart of Arkansas’s net income. Thus, the
Company is limited in the amount of cash dividends or other distributions it
can
make to its shareholders.
Stock
Split
In
March
2005, the Company’s Board of Directors declared a three-for-two common stock
split, effected in the form of a 50% stock dividend, that was paid in April
2005. All share and per share numbers and amounts in this Form
10-K have been adjusted to reflect this three-for-two common stock
split.
16
Equity
Compensation Plan Information
The
following table provides information as of April 30, 2007 with respect to the
Company’s equity compensation plans:
Plan
Category
|
Number
of Securities to be Issued upon
Exercise
of Outstanding Options, Warrants and Rights
|
Weighted-Average
Exercise Price of Outstanding Options, Warrants and
Rights
|
Number
of Securities Remaining Available for Future Issuance under Equity
Compensation Plans
|
|||||||||
Equity
compensation plans:
|
||||||||||||
Approved
by security holders
|
274,545
|
$
10.59
|
28,558
|
|||||||||
Not
approved by security holders (1)
|
18,750
|
13.11
|
-
|
|||||||||
Total
|
293,295
|
$
10.75
|
28,558
|
_________________________________
(1)
|
For
a description of equity compensation plans not approved by security
holders, see “Warrants” in Note J to the Company’s financial statements
included elsewhere herein.
|
Issuer
Purchases of Equity Securities
The Company
is authorized to
repurchase up to 1 million shares of its common stock under the common stock
repurchase program last amended and approved by the Board of Directors and
announced on December 2, 2005. During the quarter ended April 30, 2007, the
Company did not repurchase any shares of the common stock under the stock
repurchase program. As of April 30, 2007, the remaining number of shares that
may be purchased under the plan was 888,750.
17
Item
6. Selected Financial Data
The
financial data set forth below was derived from the audited consolidated
financial statements of the Company and should be read in conjunction with
the
consolidated financial statements and related notes thereto, and Management's
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
contained elsewhere herein.
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
||||||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ |
240,334
|
$ |
234,207
|
$ |
204,788
|
$ |
176,184
|
$ |
154,885
|
||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
$ |
4,232
|
$ |
16,705
|
$ |
17,976
|
$ |
15,639
|
$ |
13,569
|
||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
4,232
|
$ |
16,705
|
$ |
17,976
|
$ |
15,804
|
$ |
14,075
|
||||||||||
Diluted
earnings per share
|
$ |
0.35
|
$ |
1.39
|
$ |
1.49
|
$ |
1.31
|
$ |
1.16
|
Total
assets
|
$ |
173,598
|
$ |
177,613
|
$ |
143,668
|
$ |
117,241
|
$ |
101,841
|
||||||||||
Total
debt
|
$ |
40,829
|
$ |
43,588
|
$ |
29,145
|
$ |
22,534
|
$ |
25,968
|
||||||||||
Stockholders’
equity
|
$ |
123,728
|
$ |
119,251
|
$ |
103,265
|
$ |
84,577
|
$ |
65,961
|
||||||||||
Shares
outstanding
|
11,875
|
11,848
|
11,844
|
11,637
|
10,812
|
_________________________________
Item
7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with the Company's
consolidated financial statements appearing elsewhere in this annual
report.
Overview
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly
held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Buy
Here/Pay Here” segment of the used car market. References to the
Company typically include the Company’s consolidated
subsidiaries. The Company’s operations are principally conducted
through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car-Mart, Inc, an Arkansas
corporation (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”), and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an
Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”). Collectively, Car-Mart of Arkansas
and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart.” The Company
primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for
substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited
financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result
of limited credit histories or past credit problems. As of April 30,
2007, the Company operated 92 stores located primarily in small cities
throughout the South-Central United States.
Car-Mart
has been operating since 1981. Car-Mart has grown its revenues
between approximately 3% and 21% per year over the last ten
years. Historically, finance receivables have tended to grow slightly
faster than revenues. In fiscal 2007, revenues increased 2.6% while finance
receivables decreased 3.6% due to higher charge offs experienced for the year.
In fiscal 2006, finance receivables grew 21.6% compared to revenue growth of
14.4%. The increase in 2006 primarily related to 1) an increase in the average
term for installment sales contracts (to 27.25 months), 2) the timing of
customer payments, particularly at year-end, 3) the purchase of finance
receivables from Dan’s Auto Sales in Lexington, KY in March 2006, 4) the
increase in the percentage of 30-day plus past due amounts at year-end (to
3.7%), and 5) an increase in the average interest rate charged resulting in
a
higher percentage of customer payments going to interest as opposed to principal
reduction. Revenue growth results from same store revenue growth and the
addition of new stores. Going forward, it is anticipated that the
historical experience of finance receivables growing slightly faster than
revenues will again be the trend.
18
The
Company’s primary focus is on collections. Each store is responsible
for its own collections with supervisory involvement of the corporate
office. Over the last five fiscal years, Car-Mart’s credit losses as
a percentage of sales have ranged between approximately 18.5% in 2003 and 29.1%
in 2007 (average of 22.1%). For the last two fiscal years, credit
losses as a percentage of sales have averaged 25.2%. Credit losses in fiscal
2007 (29.1%) were higher than the Company’s average over the last five years.
Credit losses in fiscal 2007 were negatively affected by higher losses
experienced during the Company’s second through fourth quarters (31.4%). The
2007 credit losses included an approximate $5 million pre-tax charge (2.3%)
to
increase the allowance for credit losses to 22% of the finance receivables
principal balance from 19.2%. Credit losses were higher due to several factors
and included higher losses experienced in most of the dealerships, including
mature dealerships, as the Company saw weakness in the performance of its
portfolio as customers had difficulty making payments under the terms of their
loans. Additionally, significant negative external economic issues, including
higher fuel prices, were prevalent throughout fiscal 2007.
The
Company’s gross margins as a percentage of sales have been fairly consistent
from year to year. Over the last ten fiscal years, Car-Mart’s gross margins as a
percentage of sales have ranged between approximately 42% and 48%. Gross margins
as a percentage of sales for fiscal 2007 were 42.3% (41.5% for the fourth
quarter). This is down from 44.3% for fiscal 2006 (43.2% for the fourth
quarter). The Company’s gross margins are set based upon the cost of the vehicle
purchased, with lower-priced vehicles having higher gross margin percentages.
The Company’s gross margins have been negatively affected by the increase in the
average retail sales price (a function of a higher purchase price) and higher
operating costs, mostly related to increased vehicle repair costs and higher
fuel costs. Additionally, the percentage of wholesale sales to retail sales,
which relate for the most part to repossessed vehicles sold at or near cost,
was
higher in fiscal 2007 due to the increased level of repossession activity
coupled with relatively flat retail sales levels. The Company expects that
its
gross margin percentage will not change significantly in the future from its
current level.
Hiring,
training and retaining qualified associates are critical to the Company’s
success. The rate at which the Company adds new stores and is able to
implement operating initiatives is limited by the number of trained managers
the
Company has at its disposal. Excessive turnover, particularly at the
Store Manager level, could impact the Company’s ability to add new stores and to
meet operational initiatives. In fiscal 2005 through 2007, the
Company added resources to recruit, train and develop personnel. The
Company expects to continue to invest in the development of its workforce in
fiscal 2008 and beyond.
19
Consolidated
Operations
(Operating
Statement Dollars in Thousands)
%
Change
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years
Ended April 30,
|
vs.
|
vs.
|
As
a % of Sales
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Operating
Statement:
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
2006
|
2005
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sales
|
$ |
216,898
|
$ |
214,482
|
$ |
189,343
|
1.1 | % | 13.3 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | 100.0 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Interest
income and other
|
23,436
|
19,725
|
15,445
|
18.8
|
27.7
|
10.8
|
9.2
|
8.2
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
240,334
|
234,207
|
204,788
|
2.6
|
14.4
|
110.8
|
109.2
|
108.2
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
125,073
|
119,433
|
101,769
|
4.7
|
17.4
|
57.7
|
55.7
|
53.7
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Selling,
gen and admin
|
41,778
|
39,261
|
34,788
|
6.4
|
12.9
|
19.3
|
18.3
|
18.4
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Provision
for credit loss
|
63,077
|
45,810
|
38,094
|
37.7
|
20.3
|
29.1
|
21.4
|
20.1
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
expense
|
3,728
|
2,458
|
1,227
|
51.7
|
100.3
|
1.7
|
1.1
|
.6
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amort
|
994
|
724
|
426
|
37.3
|
70.0
|
.5
|
.3
|
.2
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
234,650
|
207,686
|
176,304
|
13.0
|
17.8
|
108.2
|
96.8
|
93.1
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pretax
income
|
$ |
5,684
|
$ |
26,521
|
$ |
28,484
|
(78.6 | ) | (6.9 | ) |
2.6
|
12.4
|
15.0
|
Operating
Data:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Retail
units sold
|
25,199
|
27,415
|
25,399
|
(8.1 | %) | 7.9 | % | |||||||||||||
Average
stores in operation
|
89.7
|
81.5
|
74.5
|
10.1
|
9.4
|
|||||||||||||||
Average
units sold per store
|
281
|
336
|
341
|
(16.4 | ) | (1.5 | ) | |||||||||||||
Average
retail sales price
|
$ |
8,125
|
$ |
7,494
|
$ |
7,163
|
8.4
|
4.6
|
||||||||||||
Same
store revenue growth
|
(3.2 | %) | 9.8 | % | 11.8 | % | ||||||||||||||
Receivables
average yield
|
12.5 | % | 11.6 | % | 10.8 | % |
2007
Compared to 2006
Revenues
increased $6.1 million, or 2.6%, in fiscal 2007 as compared to fiscal 2006,
principally as a result of (i) revenue growth from stores opened during fiscal
2006 or stores that opened or closed a satellite location during fiscal 2007
or
fiscal 2006 ($7.4 million), (ii) revenues from stores opened during fiscal
2007
($5.9 million), (iii) offset by a $7.2 million decrease in revenues for stores
that operated a full 12 months in both periods.
Revenues
increased 2.6% in fiscal 2007 as compared to revenue growth of 14.4% in fiscal
2006. The decrease in revenue growth year over year is attributable
to (i) a decrease in retail unit volumes in 2007 offset by an 8.4% increase
in
the average unit sales price, (ii) a lower growth rate for interest and other
income, offset by (iii) increased wholesale sales during
2007. Presently, the Company expects that its average retail sales
price will increase in fiscal 2008, but at a rate slightly lower than its
historical average annual price increase of 3% to 5%.
Cost
of
sales, as a percentage of sales, increased 2.0% to 57.7% in fiscal 2007 from
55.7% in fiscal 2006. The Company’s gross margins are set based upon the cost of
the vehicle purchased, with lower-priced vehicles having higher gross margin
percentages. The Company’s gross margins have been negatively affected by the
increase in the average retail sales price (a function of a higher purchase
price) and higher operating costs, mostly related to increased vehicle repair
costs and higher fuel costs. Additionally, the percentage of wholesale sales
was
higher in 2007 versus 2006 which had a negative effect on gross margins.
Consumer demand for the primary vehicles the Company acquires for its stores
remains high and has been exacerbated by the slow down in domestic new car
sales, resulting in higher purchase costs for vehicles.
20
Selling,
general and administrative expense, as a percentage of sales, increased 1.0%
to
19.3% in fiscal 2007 from 18.3% in fiscal 2006. The percentage
increase was principally the result of an increase in advertising and payroll
costs and additional lot level expenditures associated with the opening of
new
dealerships. Included in payroll costs for 2007 is approximately $533,000 in
stock based compensation associated with the adoption of SFAS 123R on May 1,
2006. Also, the percentage was negatively affected by the lower sales level
increase. Had sales levels been at planned volumes, selling, general
and administrative expense, as a percentage of sales, would have been lower.
Additionally, the Company incurred increased costs associated with strengthening
controls and enhancing the corporate infrastructure to improve efficiencies
and
allow for future growth.
Provision
for credit losses, as a percentage of sales, increased 7.7% to 29.1% in fiscal
2007 from 21.4% in fiscal 2006. Credit losses in fiscal 2007
were negatively affected by higher losses experienced during the Company’s
second through fourth quarters (31.4%). The 2007 credit losses included an
approximate $5 million pre-tax charge (2.3%) to increase the allowance for
credit losses to 22% of the finance receivable principal balance from 19.2%.
Credit losses were higher due to several factors and included higher losses
experienced in most of the dealerships, including mature dealerships, as the
Company saw weakness in the performance of its portfolio as customers had
difficulty making payments under the terms of their loans. Additionally,
significant negative external economic issues, including higher fuel prices,
were prevalent throughout fiscal year 2007.
Interest
expense, as a percentage of sales, increased .6% to 1.7% in fiscal 2007 from
1.1% in fiscal 2006. The increase was principally the result of
higher average borrowing levels and higher average interest rates on the credit
facility during fiscal 2007.
The
effective income tax rate in 2007 was 26%. This lower tax rate resulted
primarily from the elimination of tax reserves established in prior years
related to Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) examinations of the Company’s 2002
tax returns and certain items in subsequent years. The reserves were eliminated
based on notification received from the IRS that the Company would not be
assessed any additional taxes, penalties or interest related to the
examinations. Going forward, the Company expects its effective tax rate to
be
closer to historical rates.
2006
Compared to 2005
Revenues
increased $29.4 million, or 14.4%, in fiscal 2006 as compared to fiscal 2005,
principally as a result of (i) revenue growth from stores that operated a full
12 months in both periods ($19.5 million, or 9.8%), (ii) revenue growth from
stores opened during fiscal 2005 or stores that opened or closed a satellite
location during fiscal 2006 or fiscal 2005 ($2.5 million), and (iii) revenues
from stores opened during fiscal 2006 ($7.4 million).
Revenues
increased 14.4% in fiscal 2006 as compared to revenue growth of 16.2% in fiscal
2005. The decrease in revenue growth year over year is attributable
to a larger increase in the average retail sales price in fiscal 2005
(10.1%) as compared to fiscal 2006 (4.6%) offset by an increase in retail units
sold and an increase in interest income and other. In February 2004,
the Company made the decision to substantially reduce its purchase and sale
of
lower-priced vehicles and began purchasing and selling slightly higher-priced
vehicles.
Cost
of
sales, as a percentage of sales, increased 2.0% to 55.7% in fiscal 2006 from
53.7% in fiscal 2005. The Company’s gross margins are set based upon the cost of
the vehicle purchased, with lower-priced vehicles having higher gross margin
percentages. The Company’s gross margins have been negatively affected by the
increase in the average retail sales price (a function of a higher purchase
price) and to a lesser extent by higher operating costs, mostly related to
increased vehicle repair costs and higher fuel and transport costs.
Additionally, the percentage of wholesale sales was higher in 2006 versus 2005
which had a negative effect on gross margins. Short-term supply issues during
fiscal 2006, most prevalent during the final three quarters brought on by
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and by the slow down in domestic new car sales,
resulted in higher purchase costs for vehicles.
21
Selling,
general and administrative expense, as a percentage of sales, decreased .1%
to
18.3% in fiscal 2006 from 18.4% in fiscal 2005. The percentage
decrease was principally the result of a decrease, as a percentage of sales,
in
compensation expense. The decrease in compensation expense, as a percentage
of
sales, is partially the result of selling higher-priced vehicles. Selling
higher-priced vehicles increases sales without necessarily increasing
compensation expense. The decrease in compensation expense was offset, to an
extent, by other expense increases including 1) utility and travel costs which
increased as a result of the increase in fuel prices during the year, 2) charges
associated with the legal settlement with Astoria Entertainment, Inc., and
3) increased costs in the Information Technology Department and other corporate
infrastructure areas to strengthen controls, improve efficiencies and allow
for
continued growth.
Provision
for credit losses, as a percentage of sales, increased 1.3% to 21.4% in fiscal
2006 from 20.1% in fiscal 2005. Credit losses in fiscal 2006 were
negatively affected by higher losses experienced during the Company’s second
quarter (24.6%). Significant negative external economic issues, including higher
fuel prices, were prevalent during fiscal 2006, concentrated to a large extent
in the second quarter. Also during the second quarter, significant
efforts were made by store management to identify, clean-up and write off
uncollectible accounts. Credit losses were 20.9%, 20.6% and 19.6% for the first,
third and fourth quarters of fiscal 2006.
Interest
expense, as a percentage of sales, increased .5% to 1.1% in fiscal 2006 from
.6%
in fiscal 2005. The increase was principally the result of higher
average borrowing levels and higher average interest rates on the credit
facility during fiscal 2006.
Financial
Condition
The
following table sets forth the major balance sheet accounts of the Company
at
April 30, 2007, 2006 and 2005 (in thousands):
April
30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||||||
Finance
receivables, net
|
$ |
139,194
|
$ |
149,379
|
$ |
123,099
|
||||||
Inventory
|
13,682
|
10,923
|
7,985
|
|||||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
16,883
|
15,436
|
11,305
|
|||||||||
Liabilities:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
8,706
|
11,838
|
8,819
|
|||||||||
Revolving
credit facilities
|
40,829
|
43,588
|
29,145
|
Historically,
finance receivables have tended to grow slightly faster than revenue
growth. This has historically been due, to a large extent, to an
increasing average term necessitated by increases in the average retail sales
price. In fiscal 2007, revenues increased 2.6% while finance
receivables decreased 3.6% due to higher charge offs experienced for the year.
In fiscal 2006, finance receivables grew 21.6% compared to revenue growth of
14.4%. The increase in 2006 primarily related to 1) an increase in the average
term for installment sales contracts (to 27.25 months), 2) the timing of
customer payments, particularly at year-end, 3) the purchase of finance
receivables from Dan’s Auto Sales in Lexington, KY in March 2006, 4) the
increase in the percentage of 30-day plus past due amounts at year-end (to
3.7%), and 5) an increase in the average interest rate charged resulting in
a
higher percentage of customer payments going to interest as opposed to principal
reduction. It is anticipated that the historical experience of finance
receivables growing slightly faster than revenues will again be the trend into
the future.
22
In
fiscal
2007, inventory grew by 25% ($2.8 million) as compared to revenue growth of
2.6%. Inventory grew at a faster pace than revenues as a result of
(i) an increase in the level of inventory at many stores to provide an adequate
mix of vehicles and to facilitate sales growth, (ii) an increase in the average
inventory cost per unit and (iii) lower sales levels, particularly toward fiscal
year end resulting in additional vehicles at dealerships. In fiscal
2007, the average retail sales price increased 8.4% over fiscal
2006.
Property
and equipment, net increased $1.4 million in fiscal 2007 as the Company
purchased real estate for stores and incurred expenditures to refurbish and
expand a number of existing locations.
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities decreased in fiscal 2007 due to the
significantly lower sales volume, most pronounced toward the end of fiscal
2007.
Unit sales were 17% lower in the fourth quarter of 2007 versus the fourth
quarter of 2006.
Borrowings
on the Company’s revolving credit facilities fluctuate primarily based upon a
number of factors including (i) net income, (ii) finance receivables changes,
(iii) capital expenditures, and (iv) common stock
repurchases. Historically, income from continuing operations, as well
as borrowings on the revolving credit facilities, have funded the finance
receivables growth and capital asset purchases.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
following table sets forth certain historical information with respect to the
Company’s statements of cash flows (in thousands):
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
4,232
|
$ |
16,705
|
$ |
17,976
|
||||||
Provision
for credit losses
|
63,077
|
45,810
|
38,094
|
|||||||||
Finance
receivable originations
|
(196,200 | ) | (196,190 | ) | (173,446 | ) | ||||||
Finance
receivable collections
|
124,092
|
111,315
|
105,973
|
|||||||||
Inventory
|
16,811
|
10,692
|
7,954
|
|||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(3,695 | ) |
1,509
|
(89 | ) | |||||||
Other
receivables
|
124
|
(294 | ) | (14 | ) | |||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
(692 | ) |
1,389
|
1,482
|
||||||||
Other
|
560
|
(440 | ) |
584
|
||||||||
Total
|
8,309
|
(9,504 | ) | (1,486 | ) | |||||||
Investing
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(2,716 | ) | (5,011 | ) | (6,174 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from sale of property and equipment
|
357
|
157
|
-
|
|||||||||
Payment
for business acquired
|
(460 | ) | (1,200 | ) |
-
|
|||||||
Total
|
(2,819 | ) | (6,054 | ) | (6,174 | ) | ||||||
Financing
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Debt
facilities, net
|
(2,759 | ) |
14,444
|
6,610
|
||||||||
Change
in cash overdrafts
|
(2,441 | ) |
1,629
|
(331 | ) | |||||||
Purchase
of common stock
|
(454 | ) | (1,312 | ) | (531 | ) | ||||||
Exercise
of stock options and warrants, including tax
benefits
|
166
|
593
|
1,243
|
|||||||||
Total
|
(5,488 | ) |
15,354
|
6,991
|
||||||||
Cash
provided by (used in) continuing operations
|
$ |
2
|
$ | (204 | ) | $ | (669 | ) |
23
The
Company generates cash flow from income from
operations. Historically, most or all of this cash is used to fund
finance receivables growth. To the extent finance receivables growth
exceeds income from operations, generally the Company increases its borrowings
under its revolving credit facilities. The majority of the Company’s
growth has been self-funded.
The
Company has had a tendency to lease the majority of the properties where its
stores are located. As of April 30, 2007, the Company leased
approximately 78% of its store properties. The Company expects to
continue to lease the majority of the properties where its stores are
located.
Car-Mart’s
revolving credit facilities limit distributions from Car-Mart to the Company
beyond (i) the repayment of an intercompany loan ($10.0 million at April 30,
2007), and (ii) dividends equal to 75% of Car-Mart of Arkansas’ net
income. At April 30, 2007, the Company’s assets (excluding its $110
million equity investment in Car-Mart) consisted of $25,000 in cash, $3.0
million in other assets and a $10.0 million receivable from
Car-Mart. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or
other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of
Car-Mart’s lender. Beginning in February 2003, Car-Mart assumed
substantially all of the operating costs of the Company.
At
April
30, 2007, the Company had $.3 million of cash on hand and an additional $10.2
million of availability under its revolving credit facilities (see Note F to
the
consolidated financial statements). On a short-term basis, the
Company’s principal sources of liquidity include income from operations and
borrowings under its revolving credit facilities. On a longer-term
basis, the Company expects its principal sources of liquidity to consist of
income from operations and borrowings under revolving credit facilities and/or
fixed interest term loans. Further, while the Company has no specific
plans to issue debt or equity securities, the Company believes, if necessary,
it
could raise additional capital through the issuance of such
securities.
The
Company expects to use cash to (i) grow its finance receivables portfolio by
a
percentage that is larger than the percentage that its revenues grow, (ii)
purchase property and equipment of approximately $2 million in the next 12
months in connection with refurbishing existing stores, and (iii) reduce debt,
to the extent excess cash is available, if any. In addition, from
time to time the Company may use cash to repurchase its common
stock.
The
Company’s revolving credit facilities mature in April 2009. The
Company expects that it will be able to renew or refinance its revolving credit
facilities on or before the date they mature. The Company believes it
will have adequate liquidity to satisfy its capital needs for the foreseeable
future.
Contractual
Payment Obligations
The
following is a summary of the Company’s contractual obligations as of April 30,
2007, including renewal periods under operating leases that are reasonably
assured (in thousands):
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
Less
Than
1
Year
|
1-3
Years
|
3-5
Years
|
More
Than
5
Years
|
|||||||||||||||
Revolving
line of credit
|
$ |
30,311
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
30,311
|
$ |
-
|
$ |
-
|
||||||||||
Notes
payable
|
10,518
|
751
|
1,693
|
1,986
|
6,088
|
|||||||||||||||
Interest
payments
|
4,598
|
809
|
1,427
|
1,135
|
1,227
|
|||||||||||||||
Operating
leases
|
27,151
|
2,685
|
5,224
|
4,779
|
14,463
|
|||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ |
72,578
|
$ |
4,245
|
$ |
38,655
|
$ |
7,900
|
$ |
21,778
|
24
We
calculated estimated interest payments for the long term debt using the
applicable rates and payment dates. We typically expect to settle
such interest payments with cash flows from operations and short-term
borrowings.
The
above
excludes estimated interest payments on the Company’s revolving line of
credit. The Company paid $2.9 million in interest payments on the
revolving line of credit debt in fiscal 2007.
The
$27.2
million of lease commitments includes $6.7 million of non-cancelable lease
commitments under the primary lease terms, and $20.5 million of lease
commitments for renewal periods at the Company’s option that are reasonably
assured.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
The
Company has entered into operating leases for approximately 78% of its store
and
office facilities. Generally these leases are for periods of three to
five years and usually contain multiple renewal options. The Company
uses leasing arrangements to maintain flexibility in its store locations and
to
preserve capital. The Company expects to continue to lease the
majority of its store and office facilities under arrangements substantially
consistent with the past. For the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006
and 2005, rent expense for all operating leases amounted to approximately $2.8
million, $2.4 million and $2.1 million, respectively.
Other
than its operating leases, the Company is not a party to any off-balance sheet
arrangement that management believes is reasonably likely to have a current
or
future effect on the Company’s financial condition, revenues or expenses,
results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources
that
is material to investors.
Related
Finance Company Contingency
Car-Mart
of Arkansas and Colonial do not meet the affiliation standard for filing
consolidated income tax returns, and as such they file separate federal and
state income tax returns. Car-Mart of Arkansas routinely sells its
finance receivables to Colonial at what the Company believes to be fair market
value and is able to take a tax deduction at the time of sale for the difference
between the tax basis of the receivables sold and the sales
price. These types of transactions, based upon facts and
circumstances, have been permissible under the provisions of the Internal
Revenue Code (“IRC”) as described in the Treasury Regulations. For
financial accounting purposes, these transactions are eliminated in
consolidation, and a deferred tax liability has been recorded for this timing
difference. The sale of finance receivables from Car-Mart of
Arkansas to Colonial provides certain legal protection for the Company’s finance
receivables and, principally because of certain state apportionment
characteristics of Colonial, also has the effect of reducing the Company’s
overall effective state income tax rate by approximately 240 basis
points. The actual interpretation of the Regulations is in part a
facts and circumstances matter. The Company believes it satisfies the
material provisions of the Regulations. Failure to satisfy those
provisions could result in the loss of a tax deduction at the time the
receivables are sold, and have the effect of increasing the Company’s overall
effective income tax rate as well as the timing of required tax
payments.
The
Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has not yet formally concluded the previously
disclosed examinations of the Company’s tax returns for fiscal 2002 and certain
items in subsequent years. However, on May 8, 2007, the Company received
notification from the IRS that the Company would not be assessed any additional
taxes, penalties or interest related to the examinations. The formal
notification of the examination results are expected in the near future. The
examinations focused on whether or not the Company satisfied the provisions
of
the Treasury Regulations which would entitle Car-Mart of Arkansas to a tax
deduction at the time it sells its finance receivables to
Colonial. Based upon the favorable notification, the Company
recognized $500,000 of net income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007 for
the
elimination of associated tax reserves.
25
Critical
Accounting Policies
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America requires the Company
to
make estimates and assumptions in determining the reported amounts of assets
and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from the
Company’s estimates. The Company believes the most significant
estimate made in the preparation of the accompanying consolidated financial
statements relates to the determination of its allowance for credit losses,
which is discussed below. The Company’s accounting policies are
discussed in Note B to the accompanying consolidated financial
statements.
The
Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis at a
level it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of
its
finance receivables. The allowance for credit losses is based
primarily upon historical credit loss experience, with consideration given
to
recent credit loss trends and changes in loan characteristics (i.e., average
amount financed and term), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic
conditions and underwriting and collection practices. The allowance
for credit losses is periodically reviewed by management with any changes
reflected in current operations. Although it is at least reasonably
possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not
presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially
different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes
that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has
made
reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit
losses.
At
October 31, 2006 (the end of the Company’s second quarter), management increased
the allowance for credit loss percentage from 19.2% to 22% due to recent higher
credit loss experience and trends. A change in accounting estimate
was recognized to reflect the decision to increase the allowance for credit
losses, resulting in a pretax, non-cash charge of $5,271,000 for the Company’s
second quarter of fiscal 2007. No such charge was required in the
third or fourth quarters of fiscal 2007.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
On
May 1,
2006, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards 123R, “Share Based Payment” (“SFAS 123R”), which revises Statement
123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” and supersedes APB Opinion 25,
“Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” SFAS 123R requires the
Company to recognize expense related to the fair value of stock-based
compensation awards, including employee stock options.
Prior
to
the adoption of SFAS 123R, the Company accounted for stock-based compensation
awards using the intrinsic value method of Opinion 25. Accordingly,
the Company did not recognize compensation expense in the statement of
operations for options granted that had an exercise price equal to the market
value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. As
required by Statement 123, the Company also provided certain pro forma
disclosures for stock-based awards as if the fair-value-based approach of
Statement 123 had been applied.
26
The
Company has elected to use the modified prospective transition method as
permitted by SFAS 123R and therefore has not restated financial results for
prior periods. Under this transition method, the Company will apply
the provisions of SFAS 123R to new awards and to awards modified, repurchased,
or cancelled after May 1, 2006. All stock options and warrants
outstanding at May 1, 2006 were fully vested.
In
June
2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in
Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”), which will require companies to assess each income tax
position taken using a two-step process. A determination is first
made as to whether it is more likely than not that the position will be
sustained, based upon the technical merits, upon examination by the taxing
authorities. If the tax position is expected to meet the more likely
than not criteria, the benefit recorded for the tax position equals the largest
amount that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement
of the respective tax position. The interpretation applies to income
tax expense as well as any related interest and penalty expense.
FIN
48
requires that changes in tax positions recorded in a company’s financial
statements prior to the adoption of this interpretation be recorded as an
adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for the period of
adoption. FIN 48 will generally be effective for public companies for
the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2006. The Company
will adopt the provisions of this interpretation during the first quarter of
fiscal 2008. No determination has yet been made regarding the
materiality of the potential impact of this interpretation on the Company’s
financial statement.
FASB
Statement No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections – a replacement of
APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” (“SFAS No. 154”) was issued in May
2005. SFAS No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for
and reporting of a change in accounting principle. SFAS No 154 is
effective for accounting changes and corrections of errors made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005. The adoption of this new
pronouncement in fiscal 2007 did not impact the Company’s financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”), which defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.
SFAS 157 does not require any new fair value measurements, but provides guidance
on how to measure fair value by providing a fair value hierarchy used to
classify the source of the information. The Company will be required to adopt
this standard in the first quarter of the fiscal year ending April 30,
2009. The Company is in the process of evaluating the anticipated effect of
SFAS
157 on its consolidated financial statements and is not currently in a position
to determine such effects.
In
September 2006, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 108, “Financial
Statements - Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when
Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements.” SAB
108 requires quantification of the impact of all prior year misstatements from
both an income statement and a balance sheet perspective to determine if the
misstatements are material. SAB 108 is effective for the Company’s
fiscal year ending April 30, 2007. The adoption of this new
pronouncement in fiscal 2007 did not impact the Company’s financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement 159, “The Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an Amendment of FASB
Statement 115”. The statement permits entities to choose to measure certain
financial instruments and other items at fair value. The objective is to improve
financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate
volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets and
liabilities differently without having to apply complex hedge accounting
provisions. Unrealized gains and losses on any items for which Car-Mart elects
the fair value measurement option would be reported in earnings. Statement
159
is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. However,
early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning on or before
November 15, 2007, provided Car-Mart also elects to apply the provisions of
Statement 157, “Fair Value Measurements”, at the same time. Car-Mart is
currently assessing the effect, if any, the adoption of Statement 159 will
have
on its financial statements and related disclosures.
27
Seasonality
The
Company’s automobile sales and finance business is seasonal in
nature. The Company’s third fiscal quarter (November through January)
is historically the slowest period for car and truck sales. Many of
the Company’s operating expenses such as administrative personnel, rent and
insurance are fixed and cannot be reduced during periods of decreased
sales. Conversely, the Company’s fourth fiscal quarter (February
through April) is historically the busiest time for car and truck sales, as
many
of the Company’s customers use income tax refunds as a down payment on the
purchase of a vehicle.
Impact
of Inflation
Inflation
has not historically been a significant factor impacting the Company’s results.
Recent purchase price increases for vehicles coupled with higher interest rates
on finance receivables, however, have had a negative effect on the Company’s
gross profit percentages as the Company focuses on keeping payments affordable
to its customer base.
Item
7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market
Risk
The
Company is exposed to market risk on its financial instruments from changes
in
interest rates. In particular, the Company has exposure to changes in
the federal primary credit rate and the prime interest rate of its
lender. The Company does not use financial instruments for trading
purposes or to manage interest rate risk. The Company’s earnings are
impacted by its net interest income, which is the difference between the income
earned on interest-bearing assets and the interest paid on interest-bearing
notes payable. As described below, a decrease in market interest
rates would generally have an adverse effect on the Company’s
profitability.
The
Company’s financial instruments consist of fixed rate finance receivables,
variable rate revolving notes payable and a $10 million fixed rate term loan
(funded in May 2006 – see note F to the consolidated financial statements). The
Company’s finance receivables generally bear interest at fixed rates ranging
from 6% to 19%. These finance receivables generally have remaining
maturities from one to 36 months. The Company’s revolving notes
payable contain variable interest rates that fluctuate with market interest
rates (i.e., the rate charged on the Company’s revolving credit facility
fluctuates with the prime interest rate of its lender). However,
interest rates charged on finance receivables originated in the State of
Arkansas are limited to the federal primary credit rate (6.25% at April 30,
2007) plus 5.0%. Typically, the Company charges interest on its
Arkansas loans at or near the maximum rate allowed by law. Thus,
while the interest rates charged on the Company’s loans do not fluctuate once
established, new loans originated in Arkansas are set at a spread above the
federal primary credit rate which does fluctuate. At April 30, 2007,
approximately 57% of the Company’s finance receivables were originated in
Arkansas. The remaining loan portfolio carries interest rates
approximating 17%. Assuming that these percentages are held constant for future
loan originations, the long-term effect of decreases in the federal primary
credit rate would generally have a negative effect on the profitability of
the
Company. This is the case because the amount of interest income lost
on Arkansas originated loans would likely exceed the amount of interest expense
saved on the Company’s variable rate borrowings (assuming the prime interest
rate of its lender decreases by the same percentage as the decrease in the
federal primary credit rate). The initial impact within the first few
months on profitability resulting from a decrease in the federal primary credit
rate and the rate charged on its variable interest rate borrowings would be
positive, as the immediate interest expense savings would outweigh the loss
of
interest income on new loan originations. However, as the amount of
new loans originated at the lower interest rate increases to an amount in excess
of the amount of variable interest rate borrowings, the effect on profitability
would become negative.
28
The
table
below illustrates the estimated impact that hypothetical changes in the federal
primary credit rate would have on the Company’s continuing pretax
earnings. The calculations assume (i) the increase or decrease in the
federal primary credit rate remains in effect for two years, (ii) the increase
or decrease in the federal primary credit rate results in a like increase or
decrease in the rate charged on the Company’s variable rate borrowings, (iii)
the principal amount of finance receivables ($178.5 million) and variable
interest rate borrowings ($30.3 million), and the percentage of Arkansas
originated finance receivables (57%), remain constant during the periods, and
(iv) the Company’s historical collection and charge-off experience continues
throughout the periods.
Year
1
|
Year
2
|
|||||||||
Increase
(Decrease)
|
Increase
(Decrease)
|
Increase
(Decrease)
|
||||||||
in
Interest Rates
|
in
Pretax Earnings
|
in
Pretax Earnings
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||||
+200
basis points
|
$ |
187
|
$ |
1,177
|
||||||
+100
basis points
|
93
|
589
|
||||||||
-100
basis points
|
(93 | ) | (589 | ) | ||||||
-200
basis points
|
(187 | ) | (1,177 | ) |
Item
8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data
The
following financial statements and accountant’s report are included in Item 8 of
this report:
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of April 30, 2007 and 2006
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005
Consolidated
Statements of Stockholders' Equity for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006
and
2005
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
29
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Stockholders
and Board of Directors
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
We
have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of America’s Car-Mart, Inc.
(a Texas Corporation) and subsidiaries as of April 30, 2007 and 2006, and the
related consolidated statements of operations, cash flows and stockholders’
equity for each of the three years in the period ended April 30, 2007. These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these consolidated financial
statements based on our audits.
We
conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require that we
plan
and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial
statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures
in
the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as
well
as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe that
our
audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.
In
our
opinion, the consolidated financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the financial position of America’s Car-Mart, Inc. and
subsidiaries as of April 30, 2007 and 2006, and the results of their operations
and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended April
30,
2007 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United
States of America.
As
discussed in Note B to the consolidated financial statements, the Company
adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No.
123(R), Share-Based Payment effective May 1,
2006.
We
also
have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting
Oversight Board (United States), the effectiveness of America’s Car-Mart, Inc.
and subsidiaries’ internal control over financial reporting as of
April 30, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring
Organizations of the Treadway Commission and our report dated July 13,
2007 (included in item 9 A) expressed unqualified opinions on the
effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting and management’s
evaluation thereof.
Tulsa,
Oklahoma
July
13,
2007
30
Consolidated
Balance Sheets
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
(Dollars
in thousands)
April
30, 2007
|
April
30, 2006
|
|||||||
Assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ |
257
|
$ |
255
|
||||
Accrued
interest on finance receivables
|
694
|
818
|
||||||
Finance
receivables, net
|
139,194
|
149,379
|
||||||
Inventory
|
13,682
|
10,923
|
||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
600
|
447
|
||||||
Income
tax receivable
|
1,933
|
-
|
||||||
Goodwill
|
355
|
355
|
||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
16,883
|
15,436
|
||||||
$ |
173,598
|
$ |
177,613
|
Liabilities
and stockholders’ equity:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ |
2,473
|
$ |
3,095
|
||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
6,233
|
8,743
|
||||||
Income
taxes payable
|
-
|
1,847
|
||||||
Deferred
tax liabilities, net
|
335
|
1,089
|
||||||
Revolving
credit facilities and notes payable
|
40,829
|
43,588
|
||||||
Total
liabilities
|
49,870
|
58,362
|
||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
Stockholders’
equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, par value $.01 per share, 1,000,000 shares
|
||||||||
authorized;
none issued or outstanding
|
-
|
-
|
||||||
Common
stock, par value $.01 per share, 50,000,000 shares
authorized;
|
||||||||
11,985,958
issued (11,929,274 at April 30, 2006)
|
120
|
119
|
||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
35,286
|
34,588
|
||||||
Retained
earnings
|
90,274
|
86,042
|
||||||
Treasury
stock, at cost (111,250 and 81,250 shares at April 30, 2007 and
2006)
|
(1,952 | ) | (1,498 | ) | ||||
Total
stockholders’ equity
|
123,728
|
119,251
|
||||||
$ |
173,598
|
$ |
177,613
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
31
Consolidated
Statements of Operations
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
(Dollars
in thousands)
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||
Sales
|
$ |
216,898
|
$ |
214,482
|
$ |
189,343
|
||||||
Interest
and other income
|
23,436
|
19,725
|
15,445
|
|||||||||
240,334
|
234,207
|
204,788
|
||||||||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of sales
|
125,073
|
119,433
|
101,769
|
|||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
41,778
|
39,261
|
34,788
|
|||||||||
Provision
for credit losses
|
63,077
|
45,810
|
38,094
|
|||||||||
Interest
expense
|
3,728
|
2,458
|
1,227
|
|||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
994
|
724
|
426
|
|||||||||
234,650
|
207,686
|
176,304
|
||||||||||
Income
before taxes
|
5,684
|
26,521
|
28,484
|
|||||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
1,452
|
9,816
|
10,508
|
|||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
4,232
|
$ |
16,705
|
$ |
17,976
|
||||||
Earnings
per share:
|
||||||||||||
Basic
|
$ |
.36
|
$ |
1.41
|
$ |
1.53
|
||||||
Diluted
|
$ |
.35
|
$ |
1.39
|
$ |
1.49
|
||||||
Weighted
average number of shares outstanding:
|
||||||||||||
Basic
|
11,850,247
|
11,852,804
|
11,737,398
|
|||||||||
Diluted
|
11,953,987
|
12,018,541
|
12,026,745
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
32
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
(In
thousands)
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Operating
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ |
4,232
|
$ |
16,705
|
$ |
17,976
|
||||||
Adjustments
to reconcile income from operations
|
||||||||||||
to
net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
|
||||||||||||
Provision
for credit losses
|
63,077
|
45,810
|
38,094
|
|||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
994
|
709
|
426
|
|||||||||
Loss
(gain) on sale of property and equipment
|
(82 | ) |
15
|
-
|
||||||||
Share
based compensation
|
533
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(754 | ) | (898 | ) |
370
|
|||||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||||||
Finance
receivable originations
|
(196,200 | ) | (196,190 | ) | (173,446 | ) | ||||||
Finance
receivable collections
|
124,092
|
111,315
|
105,973
|
|||||||||
Accrued
interest on finance receivables
|
124
|
(294 | ) | (14 | ) | |||||||
Inventory
|
16,811
|
10,692
|
7,954
|
|||||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
(46 | ) | (152 | ) |
92
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
(692 | ) |
1,389
|
1,482
|
||||||||
Income
taxes payable
|
(3,695 | ) |
1,509
|
(89 | ) | |||||||
Excess
tax benefit from share-based payments
|
(85 | ) | (114 | ) | (304 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
|
8,309
|
(9,504 | ) | (1,486 | ) | |||||||
Investing
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(2,716 | ) | (5,011 | ) | (6,174 | ) | ||||||
Proceeds
from sale of property and equipment
|
357
|
157
|
-
|
|||||||||
Payment
for business acquired
|
(460 | ) | (1,200 | ) |
-
|
|||||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(2,819 | ) | (6,054 | ) | (6,174 | ) | ||||||
Financing
activities:
|
||||||||||||
Exercise
of stock options and warrants
|
81
|
479
|
939
|
|||||||||
Excess
tax benefits from share based compensation
|
85
|
114
|
304
|
|||||||||
Purchase
of common stock
|
(454 | ) | (1,312 | ) | (531 | ) | ||||||
Change
in cash overdrafts
|
(2,441 | ) |
1,629
|
(331 | ) | |||||||
Proceeds
from notes payable
|
11,200
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||
Principal
payments on notes payable
|
(682 | ) |
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from revolving credit facilities
|
68,456
|
121,025
|
65,796
|
|||||||||
Payments
on revolving credit facilities
|
(81,733 | ) | (106,581 | ) | (59,186 | ) | ||||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) financing activities
|
(5,488 | ) |
15,354
|
6,991
|
||||||||
Increase
(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
2
|
(204 | ) | (669 | ) | |||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at: Beginning of
period
|
255
|
459
|
1,128
|
|||||||||
End
of period
|
$ |
257
|
$ |
255
|
$ |
459
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
33
Consolidated
Statements of Stockholders’ Equity
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
(Dollars
in thousands)
For
the Years Ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and 2005
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Additional
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Common
Stock
|
Paid-In
|
Retained
|
Treasury
|
Stockholders’
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Capital
|
Earnings
|
Stock
|
Equity
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2004
|
11,636,762
|
$ |
116
|
$ |
33,100
|
$ |
51,361
|
$ |
0
|
$ |
84,577
|
|||||||||||||
Stock
options/warrants exercised
|
233,199
|
2
|
937
|
939
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase
of common stock
|
(17,773 | ) |
-
|
(345 | ) | (345 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
Purchase
of 8,450 treasury shares
|
(186 | ) | (186 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tax
benefit of options exercised
|
304
|
304
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
17,976
|
17,976
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2005
|
11,852,188
|
118
|
33,996
|
69,337
|
(186 | ) |
103,265
|
|||||||||||||||||
Stock
options/warrants exercised
|
77,086
|
1
|
478
|
479
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase
of 72,800 treasury shares
|
(1,312 | ) | (1,312 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tax
benefit of options exercised
|
114
|
114
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
16,705
|
16,705
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2006
|
11,929,274
|
$ |
119
|
$ |
34,588
|
$ |
86,042
|
$ | (1,498 | ) | $ |
119,251
|
||||||||||||
Stock
options/warrants exercised
|
13,750
|
-
|
81
|
81
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Purchase
of 30,000 treasury shares
|
(454 | ) | (454 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tax
benefit of options exercised
|
22,329
|
-
|
85
|
85
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Stock
based compensation
|
20,605
|
1
|
532
|
533
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
4,232
|
4,232
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2007
|
11,985,958
|
$ |
120
|
$ |
35,286
|
$ |
90,274
|
$ | (1,952 | ) | $ |
123,728
|
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated financial
statements.
34
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
A
- Organization and Business
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc., a Texas corporation (the “Company”), is the largest publicly
held automotive retailer in the United States focused exclusively on the “Buy
Here/Pay Here” segment of the used car market. References to the
Company typically include the Company’s consolidated
subsidiaries. The Company’s operations are principally conducted
through its two operating subsidiaries, America’s Car-Mart, Inc, an Arkansas
corporation (“Car-Mart of Arkansas”) and Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., an
Arkansas corporation (“Colonial”). Collectively, Car-Mart of Arkansas
and Colonial are referred to herein as “Car-Mart.” The Company
primarily sells older model used vehicles and provides financing for
substantially all of its customers. Many of the Company’s customers have limited
financial resources and would not qualify for conventional financing as a result
of limited credit histories or past credit problems. As of April 30,
2007, the Company operated 92 stores located primarily in small cities
throughout the South-Central United States.
In
October 2001, the Company made the decision to sell all of its operating
subsidiaries except Car-Mart, and relocate its corporate headquarters to
Bentonville, Arkansas where Car-Mart is based. As a result of this
decision, all of the Company’s other operating subsidiaries were
sold. The Company sold its last remaining discontinued operation in
July 2002.
B
- Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
Principles
of Consolidation
The
consolidated financial statements include the accounts of America’s Car-Mart,
Inc. and its subsidiaries. All intercompany accounts and transactions
have been eliminated.
Adjustments
to Reflect Stock Split
All
references to the number of shares of common stock, stock options and warrants,
earnings per share amounts, exercise prices of stock options and warrants,
common stock prices, and other share and per share data or amounts have been
adjusted, as necessary, to retroactively reflect the three-for-two common stock
split effected in the form of a 50% stock dividend in April 2005.
Use
of Estimates
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles
generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amount of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the period. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.
Concentration
of Risk
The
Company provides financing in connection with the sale of substantially all of
its vehicles. These sales are made primarily to customers residing in
Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky and Missouri, with approximately 54% of
revenues resulting from sales to Arkansas customers. Periodically,
the Company maintains cash in financial institutions in excess of the amounts
insured by the federal government. Car-Mart’s revolving credit
facilities mature in April 2009. The Company expects that these
credit facilities will be renewed or refinanced on or before the scheduled
maturity dates.
35
Restrictions
on Subsidiary Distributions/Dividends
Car-Mart’s
revolving credit facilities limit distributions from Car-Mart to the Company
beyond (i) the repayment of an intercompany loan ($10.0 million at April 30,
2007), and (ii) dividends equal to 75% of Car-Mart of Arkansas’ net
income. At April 30, 2007, the Company’s assets (excluding its $110
million equity investment in Car-Mart) consisted of $25,000 in cash, $3.0
million in other assets and a $10.0 million receivable from
Car-Mart. Thus, the Company is limited in the amount of dividends or
other distributions it can make to its shareholders without the consent of
Car-Mart’s lender. Beginning in February 2003, Car-Mart assumed
substantially all of the operating costs of the Company.
Cash
Equivalents
The
Company considers all highly liquid instruments purchased with maturities of
three months or less to be cash equivalents.
Finance
Receivables, Repossessions and Charge-offs and Allowance for Credit
Losses
The
Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles
at
its dealerships. Finance receivables are collateralized by vehicles
sold and consist of contractually scheduled payments from installment contracts
net of unearned finance charges and an allowance for credit
losses. Unearned finance charges represent the balance of interest
income remaining from the total interest to be earned over the term of the
related installment contract. An account is considered delinquent
when a contractually scheduled payment has not been received by the scheduled
payment date. At April 30, 2007 and 2006, respectively, 3.4% and 3.7%
of the Company’s finance receivable balances were 30 days or more past
due.
The
Company takes steps to repossess a vehicle when the customer becomes delinquent
in his or her payments, and management determines that timely collection of
future payments is not probable. Accounts are charged-off after the
expiration of a statutory notice period for repossessed accounts, or when
management determines that the timely collection of future payments is not
probable for accounts where the Company has been unable to repossess the
vehicle. For accounts with respect to which the vehicle was
repossessed, the fair value of the repossessed vehicle is charged as a reduction
of the gross finance receivable balance charged-off. On average,
accounts are approximately 52 days past due at the time of
charge-off. For previously charged-off accounts that are subsequently
recovered, the amount of such recovery is credited to the allowance for credit
losses.
The
Company maintains an allowance for credit losses on an aggregate basis at a
level it considers sufficient to cover estimated losses in the collection of
its
finance receivables. The allowance for credit losses is based
primarily upon historical credit loss experience, with consideration given
to
recent credit loss trends and changes in loan characteristics (i.e., average
amount financed and term), delinquency levels, collateral values, economic
conditions and underwriting and collection practices. The allowance
for credit losses is periodically reviewed by management with any changes
reflected in current operations. Although it is at least reasonably
possible that events or circumstances could occur in the future that are not
presently foreseen which could cause actual credit losses to be materially
different from the recorded allowance for credit losses, the Company believes
that it has given appropriate consideration to all relevant factors and has
made
reasonable assumptions in determining the allowance for credit
losses.
36
At
October 31, 2006 (the end of the Company’s second quarter), management increased
the allowance for credit loss percentage from 19.2% to 22% due to recent higher
credit loss experience and trends. A change in accounting estimate
was recognized to reflect the decision to increase the allowance for credit
losses, resulting in a pretax, non-cash charge of $5,271,000 for the Company’s
second quarter of fiscal 2007. No such charge was required in the
third or fourth quarters of fiscal 2007.
Inventory
Inventory
consists of used vehicles and is valued at the lower of cost or market on a
specific identification basis. Vehicle reconditioning costs are
capitalized as a component of inventory. Repossessed vehicles are
recorded at fair value, which approximates wholesale value. The cost
of used vehicles sold is determined using the specific identification
method.
Goodwill
Goodwill
reflects the excess of purchase price over the fair value of specifically
identified net assets purchased. In accordance with Statement of Financial
Accounting Standards No. 142, “Goodwill and Other Intangibles”
(“SFAS 142”), goodwill and intangible assets deemed to have indefinite
lives are not amortized but are subject to annual impairment tests. The
impairment tests are based on the comparison of the fair value of the reporting
unit to the carrying value of such unit. If the fair value of the reporting
unit
falls below its carrying value, goodwill is deemed to be impaired and a
write-down of goodwill would be recognized. There was no impairment
of goodwill during fiscal 2007 and 2006.
Property
and Equipment
Property
and equipment are stated at cost. Expenditures for additions,
renewals and improvements are capitalized. Costs of repairs and
maintenance are expensed as incurred. Leasehold improvements are
amortized over the shorter of the estimated life of the improvement or the
lease
period. The lease period includes the primary lease term plus any
extensions that are reasonably assured. Depreciation is computed
principally using the straight-line method generally over the following
estimated useful lives:
Furniture,
fixtures and equipment
|
3
to 7 years
|
Leasehold
improvements
|
5
to 15 years
|
Buildings
and improvements
|
18
to 39 years
|
Property
and equipment are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in
circumstances indicate the carrying amount of an asset may not be
recoverable. Recoverability of assets to be held and used is measured
by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to future undiscounted net
cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. If such assets are
considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the
amount by which the carrying values of the impaired assets exceed the fair
value
of such assets. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of
the carrying amount or fair value less costs to sell.
Cash
Overdraft
The
Company’s primary disbursement bank account is set up to operate with a fixed
$100,000 cash balance. As checks are presented for payment, monies
are automatically drawn against cash collections for the day and, if necessary,
are drawn against one of its revolving credit facilities. The cash
overdraft balance principally represents outstanding checks, net of any deposits
in transit that as of the balance sheet date had not yet been presented for
payment.
37
Deferred
Sales Tax
Deferred
sales tax represents a sales tax liability of the Company for vehicles sold
on
an installment basis in the State of Texas. Under Texas law, for
vehicles sold on an installment basis, the related sales tax is due as the
payments are collected from the customer, rather than at the time of
sale.
Income
Taxes
Income
taxes are accounted for under the liability method. Under this
method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences
between financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and are
measured using the enacted tax rates expected to apply in the years in which
these temporary differences are expected to be recovered or
settled.
From
time
to time, the Company is audited by taxing authorities. These audits
could result in proposed assessments of additional taxes. The Company
believes that its tax positions comply in all material respects with applicable
tax law. However, tax law is subject to interpretation, and
interpretations by taxing authorities could be different from those of the
Company, which could result in the imposition of additional taxes.
Revenue
Recognition
Revenues
are generated principally from the sale of used vehicles, which in most cases
includes a service contract, and interest income and late fees earned on finance
receivables. Revenues are net of taxes collected from customers and
remitted to government agencies.
Revenues
from the sale of used vehicles are recognized when the sales contract is signed,
the customer has taken possession of the vehicle and, if applicable, financing
has been approved. Revenues from the sale of service contracts are
recognized ratably over the five-month service contract
period. Service contract revenues are included in sales and the
related expenses are included in cost of sales. Interest income is
recognized on all active finance receivable accounts using the interest
method. Active accounts include all accounts except those that have
been paid-off or charged-off. At April 30, 2007 and 2006, finance
receivables more than 90 days past due were approximately $115,000 and $178,000,
respectively. Late fees are recognized when collected and are
included in interest income.
Advertising
Costs
Advertising
costs are expensed as incurred and consist principally of radio, television
and
print media marketing costs. Advertising costs amounted to
$2,912,000, $2,326,000 and $2,006,000 for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006
and 2005, respectively.
Employee
Benefit Plans
The
Company has 401(k) plans for all of its employees meeting certain eligibility
requirements. The plans provide for voluntary employee contributions
and the Company matches 50% of employee contributions up to a maximum of 2%
of
each employee’s compensation. The Company contributed approximately
$156,000, $155,000, and $103,000 to the plans for the years ended April 30,
2007, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
Effective
February 1, 2007, the Company began offering employees the right to purchase
common shares at a 15% discount from market price under the 2006 Employee Stock
Purchase Plan which was approved by shareholders in October 2006. The Company
will take a charge to earnings for the 15% discount. Amounts for
fiscal 2007 were not material. A total of 200,000 shares have been registered
and are available for issuance at April 30, 2007.
38
Earnings
per Share
Basic
earnings per share are computed by dividing net income by the average number
of
common shares outstanding during the period. Diluted earnings per
share takes into consideration the potentially dilutive effect of common stock
equivalents, such as outstanding stock options and warrants, which if exercised
or converted into common stock would then share in the earnings of the
Company. In computing diluted earnings per share, the Company
utilizes the treasury stock method and anti-dilutive securities are
excluded.
Stock-based
Compensation
On
May 1,
2006, the Company adopted the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting
Standards 123R, “Share Based Payment” (“SFAS 123R”), which revises Statement
123, “Accounting for Stock-Based Compensation,” and supersedes APB Opinion 25,
“Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” SFAS 123R requires the
Company to recognize expense related to the fair value of stock-based
compensation awards, including employee stock options.
Prior
to
the adoption of SFAS 123R, the Company accounted for stock-based compensation
awards using the intrinsic value method of Opinion 25. Accordingly,
the Company did not recognize compensation expense in the statement of
operations for options granted that had an exercise price equal to the market
value of the underlying common stock on the date of grant. As
required by Statement 123, the Company also provided certain pro forma
disclosures for stock-based awards as if the fair-value-based approach of
Statement 123 had been applied.
The
Company has elected to use the modified prospective transition method as
permitted by SFAS 123R and therefore has not restated financial results for
prior periods. Under this transition method, the Company applied the
provisions of SFAS 123R to new awards and to awards modified, repurchased,
or
cancelled after May 1, 2006. All stock options and warrants
outstanding at May 1, 2006 were fully vested.
The
Company recorded compensation cost for stock-based employee awards of $533,000
($336,000 after tax effects) during the year ended April 30,
2007. The pretax amount includes $397,000 for restricted shares
issued on May 1, 2006 and $136,000 for stock options granted in fiscal
2007. The Company had not previously issued restricted
shares. Tax benefits were recognized for these costs at the Company’s
overall expected effective tax rate.
As
a
result of the adoption of SFAS 123R, earnings were lower than under the previous
accounting method for share-based compensation by the following
amounts:
(Dollars
in thousands)
|
Year
Ended
April
30, 2007
|
Income
before taxes
|
$136
|
Net
income
|
$
85
|
Basic
and diluted net earnings per common share
|
$
.01
|
39
Prior
to
the adoption of SFAS 123R, the Company presented all tax benefits resulting
from
the exercise of non-qualified stock options and any disqualifying disposition
of
vested stock options as operating cash flows in the Consolidated Statement
of
Cash Flows. During the years ended April 30, 2006 and 2005, tax
benefits relating to stock options exercised in the amounts of $114,000 and
$304,000, respectively, were included in operating cash flows. SFAS
123R requires that cash flows from the exercise of stock options resulting
from
tax benefits in excess of recognized cumulative compensation cost (excess tax
benefits) be classified as financing cash flows. For the year ended
April 30, 2007, excess tax benefits relating to option and warrant exercises
in
the amount of $85,000 were included in financing cash flows. The 2006
and 2005 excess tax benefits have been reclassified as a financing cash flow
to
conform to the 2007 presentation.
The
following table illustrates the effect on net income after tax and net income
per common share as if the Company had applied the fair value recognition
provisions of SFAS 123 to stock-based compensation for the years ended April
30,
2006 and 2005:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||
(Dollars
in thousands)
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||
Net
income, as reported
|
$
16,705
|
$
17,976
|
||||
Deduct:
|
Stock-based
employee compensation expense determined under fair value-based method
for
all awards, net of related tax effects
|
(100)
|
(624)
|
|||
Pro
forma net income
|
$
16,605
|
$
17,352
|
||||
Basic
earnings per common share:
|
||||||
As
reported
|
$ 1.41
|
$ 1.53
|
||||
Pro
forma
|
$ 1.40
|
$ 1.48
|
||||
Diluted
earnings per common share:
|
||||||
As
reported
|
$ 1.39
|
$ 1.49
|
||||
Pro
forma
|
$ 1.38
|
$ 1.44
|
||||
The
fair value of options granted is estimated on the date of grant using the
Black-Scholes option pricing model based on the weighted average assumptions
in
the table below.
April
30, 2007
|
April
30, 2006
|
April
30, 2005
|
|||
Expected
term (years)
|
4.8
|
5.0
|
5.0
|
||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
5.14%
|
4.5%
|
4.9%
|
||
Volatility
|
62%
|
45%
|
40%
|
||
Dividend
yield
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
The
expected term of the options is based on evaluations of historical and expected
future employee exercise behavior. The risk-free interest rate is
based on the U.S. Treasury rates at the date of grant with maturity dates
approximately equal to the expected life at the grant
date. Volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s
stock. The Company has not historically issued any dividends and does
not expect to do so in the foreseeable future.
Stock
Options
The
shareholders of the Company have approved three stock option plans, including
the 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan (“1986 Plan”), the 1991 Non-Qualified Stock
Option Plan (“1991 Plan”) and the 1997 Stock Option Plan (“1997
Plan”). While previously granted options remain outstanding, no
additional option grants may be made under the 1986 and 1991
Plans. The 1997 Plan set aside 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock for grants to employees, directors and certain advisors of the
Company at a price not less than the fair market value of the stock on the
date
of grant and for periods not to exceed ten years. The options vest
upon issuance. At April 30, 2007, there were 28,558 shares of common
stock available for grant under the 1997 Plan. Options granted under
the Company’s stock option plans expire in the calendar years 2008 through
2016.
40
|
Plan
|
||
|
|
||
|
1986
|
1991
|
1997
|
|
|
|
|
Minimum
exercise price as a percentage of fair market value at date of
grant
|
100%
|
100%
|
100%
|
Last
expiration date for outstanding options
|
N/A
|
N/A
|
April
30, 2016
|
Shares
available for grant at April 30, 2007
|
0
|
0
|
28,558
|
The
following is a summary of the changes in outstanding options for the year ended
April 30, 2007:
|
|
Weighted
|
|
|
Weighted
|
Average
|
|
|
Average
|
Remaining
|
|
Exercise
|
Contractual
|
||
Shares
|
Price
|
Life
|
|
Outstanding
at beginning of period
|
287,295
|
$10.38
|
61.2
Months
|
Granted
|
12,250
|
$19.75
|
103.9
Months
|
Exercised
|
(13,750)
|
$5.89
|
--
|
Canceled
|
(11,250)
|
$20.82
|
--
|
Outstanding
at end of period
|
274,545
|
$10.59
|
50.3
Months
|
The
grant-date fair value of options granted, net of tax, during fiscal 2007 and
2006 was $85,000 and $100,000, respectively. The total intrinsic
value of options exercised during fiscal 2007 and 2006 was $155,621 and
$754,257, respectively. The aggregate intrinsic value of outstanding
options at April 30, 2007 is $1,487,609.
The
Company received cash from options exercised during fiscal 2007 of
$81,030. The impact of these cash receipts is included in financing
activities in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Cash
Flows.
Warrants
As
of
April 30, 2007, the Company had outstanding stock purchase warrants issued
in
2004 to purchase 18,750 shares at prices ranging from $11.83 to $18.23 per
share
(weighted average exercise price of $13.11). All of the warrants are
presently exercisable and expire between 2008 and 2009. The warrants
have a weighted average remaining contractual life of 15.8 months at April
30,
2007. There were 22,329 shares of stock purchased as the result of
warrants exercised during the year ended April 30, 2007. The
intrinsic value of the warrants exercised was $374,000. The outstanding warrants
at April 30, 2007 had an aggregate intrinsic value of $14,800.
41
Stock
Incentive Plan
The
Company has a Stock Incentive Plan wherein a total of 39,728 shares were
available for award at April 30, 2007. The associated compensation
expense for grants of restricted stock is spread equally over the service
periods established at award date and is subject to the employee’s continued
employment by the Company. During the first quarter of fiscal 2007,
57,500 restricted shares were granted with a fair value of $20.07 per share,
the
market price of the Company’s stock on grant date. These restricted
shares had a weighted average vesting period of 3.3 years and began vesting
on
May 1, 2006. In the second quarter of fiscal 2007, 2,522 restricted
shares were issued as part of the executive bonus plan. In the third
quarter, 250 shares were issued to an employee as a service
award. These shares are fully vested.
The
Company recorded a pre-tax expense of $397,000 related to the Stock Incentive
Plan during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2007.
There
have been no modifications to any of the Company’s outstanding share-based
payment awards during fiscal 2007.
As
of
April 30, 2007, the Company has $796,000 of total unrecognized compensation
cost
related to unvested awards granted under the Company’s Stock Incentive Plan,
which the Company expects to recognize over a weighted-average remaining period
of 2.4 years.
Treasury
Stock
The
Company purchased 30,000 and 72,800 shares of its common stock to be held as
treasury stock for a total cost of $454,029 and $1,312,189 during 2007 and
2006,
respectively. Treasury stock may be used for issuances under the Company’s stock
option plan or for other general corporate purposes. All other common shares
which have been purchased by the Company under its stock repurchase plan have
been cancelled and retired.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
From
time
to time, new accounting pronouncements are issued by the Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“FASB”) or other standard setting bodies which the Company
adopts as of the specified effective date. Unless otherwise discussed, the
Company believes the impact of recently issued standards which are not yet
effective will not have a material impact on our consolidated financial
statements upon adoption.
In
June
2006, the FASB issued Interpretation No. 48, “Accounting for Uncertainty in
Income Taxes” (“FIN 48”), which will require companies to assess each income tax
position taken using a two-step process. A determination is first
made as to whether it is more likely than not that the position will be
sustained, based upon the technical merits, upon examination by the taxing
authorities. If the tax position is expected to meet the more likely
than not criteria, the benefit recorded for the tax position equals the largest
amount that is greater than 50% likely to be realized upon ultimate settlement
of the respective tax position. The interpretation applies to income
tax expense as well as any related interest and penalty expense.
42
FIN
48
requires that changes in tax positions recorded in a company’s financial
statements prior to the adoption of this interpretation be recorded as an
adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings for the period of
adoption. FIN 48 will generally be effective for public companies for
the first fiscal year beginning after December 15, 2006. The Company
will adopt the provisions of this interpretation during the first quarter of
fiscal 2008. No determination has yet been made regarding the
materiality of the potential impact of this interpretation on the Company’s
financial statements.
FASB
Statement No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections – a replacement of
APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” (“SFAS No. 154”) was issued in May
2005. SFAS No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for
and reporting of a change in accounting principle. SFAS No 154 is
effective for accounting changes and corrections of errors made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005. The adoption of this new
pronouncement in fiscal 2007 did not impact the Company’s financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standard
No. 157, “Fair Value Measurements” (“SFAS 157”), which defines fair value,
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in generally accepted
accounting principles, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements.
SFAS 157 does not require any new fair value measurements, but provides guidance
on how to measure fair value by providing a fair value hierarchy used to
classify the source of the information. The Company will be required to adopt
this standard in the first quarter of the fiscal year ending April 30,
2009. The Company is in the process of evaluating the anticipated effect of
SFAS
157 on its consolidated financial statements and is not currently in a position
to determine such effects.
In
September 2006, the SEC issued Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 108, “Financial
Statements - Considering the Effects of Prior Year Misstatements when
Quantifying Misstatements in Current Year Financial Statements.” SAB
108 requires quantification of the impact of all prior year misstatements from
both an income statement and a balance sheet perspective to determine if the
misstatements are material. SAB 108 is effective for the Company’s
fiscal year ending April 30, 2007. The adoption of this new
pronouncement in fiscal 2007 did not impact the Company’s financial condition,
results of operations or cash flows.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued Statement 159, “The Fair Value Option for
Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities – Including an Amendment of FASB
Statement 115”. The statement permits entities to choose to measure certain
financial instruments and other items at fair value. The objective is to improve
financial reporting by providing entities with the opportunity to mitigate
volatility in reported earnings caused by measuring related assets and
liabilities differently without having to apply complex hedge accounting
provisions. Unrealized gains and losses on any items for which Car-mart elects
the fair value measurement option would be reported in earnings. Statement
159
is effective for fiscal years beginning after November 15, 2007. However,
early adoption is permitted for fiscal years beginning on or before
November 15, 2007, provided Car-mart also elects to apply the provisions of
Statement 157, “Fair Value Measurements”, at the same time. Car-mart is
currently assessing the effect, if any, the adoption of Statement 159 will
have
on its financial statements and related disclosures.
Reclassifications
Certain
prior year amounts in the accompanying financial statements have been
reclassified to conform to the fiscal 2007 presentation. Excess tax
benefits related to equity instruments and cash overdrafts have been classified
as financing cash flows. Proceeds from and repayments of the
revolving credit facility have been presented on a gross basis in the financing
activities section of the statements of cash flows.
43
C
- Finance Receivables, Net
The
Company originates installment sale contracts from the sale of used vehicles
at
its dealerships. These installment sale contracts typically include
interest rates ranging from 6% to 19% per annum, are collateralized by the
vehicle sold and provide for payments over periods ranging from 12 to 36
months. The components of finance receivables as of April 30, 2007
and 2006 are as follows:
April
30,
|
|||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Gross
contract amount
|
$ |
199,677
|
$ |
207,378
|
|||||
Less
unearned finance charges
|
(21,158 | ) | (22,135 | ) | |||||
Principal
balance
|
178,519
|
185,243
|
|||||||
Less
allowance for credit losses
|
(39,325 | ) | (35,864 | ) | |||||
Finance
receivables, net
|
$ |
139,194
|
$ |
149,379
|
Changes
in the finance receivables, net balance for the years ended April 30, 2007,
2006
and 2005 are as follows:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$ |
149,379
|
$ |
123,099
|
$ |
103,684
|
|||||||
Finance
receivable originations
|
196,200
|
196,190
|
173,446
|
||||||||||
Finance
receivables from acquisition of business
|
354
|
845
|
0
|
||||||||||
Finance
receivable collections
|
(124,092 | ) | (111,315 | ) | (105,973 | ) | |||||||
Provision
for credit losses
|
(63,077 | ) | (45,810 | ) | (38,094 | ) | |||||||
Inventory
acquired in repossession
|
(19,570 | ) | (13,630 | ) | (9,964 | ) | |||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$ |
139,194
|
$ |
149,379
|
$ |
123,099
|
44
Changes
in the finance receivables allowance for credit losses for the years ended
April
30, 2007, 2006 and 2005 are as follows:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
$ |
35,864
|
$ |
29,251
|
$ |
25,036
|
|||||||
Provision
for credit losses
|
63,077
|
45,810
|
38,094
|
||||||||||
Allowance
related to acquisition of business, net change
|
(366 | ) |
527
|
0
|
|||||||||
Charge-offs,
net of recovered collateral
|
(59,250 | ) | (39,724 | ) | (33,879 | ) | |||||||
Balance
at end of year
|
$ |
39,325
|
$ |
35,864
|
$ |
29,251
|
D
- Property and Equipment
A
summary
of property and equipment as of April 30, 2007 and 2006 is as
follows:
April
30,
|
||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Land
|
$ |
5,221
|
$ |
5,234
|
||||
Buildings
and improvements
|
5,890
|
5,093
|
||||||
Furniture,
fixtures and equipment
|
4,000
|
3,673
|
||||||
Leasehold
improvements
|
4,588
|
3,292
|
||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(2,816 | ) | (1,856 | ) | ||||
$ | 16,883 | $ |
15,436
|
E
- Accrued Liabilities
A
summary
of accrued liabilities as of April 30, 2007 and 2006 is as follows:
April
30,
|
|||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
|||||||
Compensation
|
$ |
1,970
|
$ |
2,594
|
|||||
Cash
overdraft (see Note B)
|
-
|
2,441
|
|||||||
Deferred
service contract revenue (see Note B)
|
1,812
|
1,627
|
|||||||
Deferred
sales tax (see Note B)
|
928
|
1,012
|
|||||||
Subsidiary
redeemable preferred stock (see Note H)
|
500
|
500
|
|||||||
Interest
|
286
|
258
|
|||||||
Other
|
737
|
311
|
|||||||
$ |
6,233
|
$ |
8,743
|
45
F
– Revolving Credit Facilities
A
summary
of revolving credit facilities is as follows:
Revolving
Credit Facilities
|
||||||||||||||||
Aggregate
|
Interest
|
Balance
at
|
||||||||||||||
Primary
Lender
|
Amount
|
Rate
|
Maturity
|
April
30, 2007
|
April
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||
Bank
of Oklahoma
|
$
|
50.0
million
|
Prime
+/-
|
Apr
2009
|
$
|
30,311,142
|
$
|
43,588,443
|
On
April
28, 2006, Car-Mart and its lenders amended the credit facilities. The amended
facilities set total borrowings allowed on the revolving credit facilities
at
$50 million and established a new $10 million term loan. The term loan was
funded in May 2006 and called for 120 consecutive and substantially equal
installments beginning June 1, 2006. The interest rate on the term loan is
fixed
at 8.08%. The principal balance on the term loan was $9.4 million at April
30,
2007. The interest rate on the term loan could decrease to as low as
7.33% in the future if funded debt to EBITDA, as defined, is below 2.25 to
1.00. The combined total for the Company’s credit facilities is $60
million. On March 12, 2007 (effective December 31, 2006) Car-Mart and its
lenders again amended the credit facilities. The March 12, 2007 amendments
served to change the Company’s financial covenant requirements and to and adjust
the Company’s interest rate pricing grid on its revolving credit
facilities. The pricing grid is based on funded debt to EBITDA, as
defined, and the interest rate on the revolving credit facilities can range
from
prime minus .25 or LIBOR plus 2.75 to prime plus 1.00 or LIBOR plus
4.00.
The
facilities are collateralized by substantially all the assets of Car-Mart
including finance receivables and inventory. Interest is payable
monthly under the revolving credit facilities at the bank’s prime lending rate
plus .75% per annum at April 30, 2007 (9.0%) and at the bank’s prime lending
rate less .25% per annum at April 30, 2006 (7.50%). The interest rate
on the revolving credit facilities increased between years due to increases
in
the prime rate and to the Company’s financial performance. The
facilities contain various reporting and performance covenants including (i)
maintenance of certain financial ratios and tests, (ii) limitations on
borrowings from other sources, (iii) restrictions on certain operating
activities, and (iv) limitations on the payment of dividends or distributions
to
the Company. The Company was in compliance with the covenants at
April 30, 2007. The amount available to be drawn under the facilities is a
function of eligible finance receivables and inventory. Based upon
eligible finance receivables and inventory at April 30, 2007, Car-Mart could
have drawn an additional $10.2 million under its facilities.
The
Company also has a $1.2 million term loan secured by the corporate
aircraft. The term loan is payable over ten years and has a fixed
interest rate of 6.87%. The principal balance on this loan was $1.1
million at April 30, 2007.
G
- Income Taxes
The
provision for income taxes for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2007, 2006
and
2005 was as follows:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
||||||||||||
Current
|
$ |
2,206
|
$ |
10,714
|
$ |
10,138
|
||||||
Deferred
|
(754 | ) | (898 | ) |
370
|
|||||||
$ |
1,452
|
$ |
9,816
|
$ |
10,508
|
46
The
provision for income taxes is different from the amount computed by applying
the
statutory federal income tax rate to income before income taxes for the
following reasons:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||||||
Tax
provision at statutory rate
|
$ |
1,938
|
$ |
9,282
|
$ |
9,970
|
||||||
State
taxes, net of federal benefit
|
13
|
643
|
751
|
|||||||||
Reduction
of tax reserves
|
(500 | ) |
-
|
-
|
||||||||
Other,
net
|
1
|
(109 | ) | (213 | ) | |||||||
$ |
1,452
|
$ |
9,816
|
$ |
10,508
|
The
effective income tax rate in 2007 was 26%. This tax rate resulted primarily
from
the elimination of $500,000 of tax reserves established in prior years for
potential issues from the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) examinations of the
Company’s 2002 tax returns and certain items in subsequent years. The reserves
were eliminated based on notification received from the IRS that the Company
would not be assessed any additional taxes, penalties or interest related to
the
examinations. Also, the Company’s state income taxes for 2007 were lower due to
the distribution of taxable income among the Company’s operating
subsidiaries.
Deferred
income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the
carrying amounts of assets and liabilities for financial reporting purposes
and
the amounts used for income tax purposes. Significant components of
the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities as of April 30, 2007 and 2006
were as follows:
April
30,
|
||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
||||||
Deferred
tax liabilities related to:
|
||||||||
Finance
receivables
|
$ |
1,671
|
$ |
2,520
|
||||
Property
and equipment
|
413
|
259
|
||||||
Total
|
2,084
|
2,779
|
||||||
Deferred
tax assets related to:
|
||||||||
Accrued
liabilities
|
1,112
|
1,035
|
||||||
Inventory
|
586
|
479
|
||||||
Share
based compensation
|
51
|
-
|
||||||
Other
|
-
|
176
|
||||||
Total
|
1,749
|
1,690
|
||||||
Deferred
tax liabilities, net
|
$ |
335
|
$ |
1,089
|
H
- Capital Stock
The
Company is authorized to issue up to one million shares of $.01 par value
preferred stock in one or more series having such respective terms, rights
and
preferences as are designated by the Board of Directors. The Company
has not issued any preferred stock.
A
subsidiary of the Company has issued 500,000 shares of $1.00 par value preferred
stock which carries a 6% cumulative dividend. Accumulated but
undeclared dividends at April 30, 2007 and 2006 were $30,000. The Company’s
subsidiary can redeem the preferred stock at any time at par value plus any
unpaid dividends. After April 30, 2007, a holder of 400,000 shares of
the subsidiary preferred stock can require the Company’s subsidiary to redeem
such stock for $400,000 plus any unpaid dividends. The subsidiary
preferred stock is included in accrued liabilities.
47
I
– Weighted Average Shares Outstanding
Weighted
average shares outstanding used in the calculation of basic and diluted earnings
per share were as follows for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Average
shares outstanding – basic
|
11,850,247
|
11,852,804
|
11,737,398
|
|||||||||
Dilutive
options and warrants
|
103,740
|
165,737
|
289,347
|
|||||||||
Average
shares outstanding – diluted
|
11,953,987
|
12,018,541
|
12,026,745
|
|||||||||
Antidilutive
securities not included:
|
||||||||||||
Options
and warrants
|
88,500
|
77,250
|
21,563
|
|||||||||
Restricted
Stock
|
39,667
|
-
|
-
|
J
- Stock Options and Warrants
Stock
Options
Since
inception, the shareholders of the Company have approved three stock option
plans including the 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan ("1986 Plan"), the 1991
Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan ("1991 Plan") and the 1997 Stock Option Plan
(“1997 Plan”). While previously granted options remain outstanding,
no additional option grants may be made under the 1986 and 1991
Plans. The 1997 Plan sets aside 1,500,000 shares of the Company’s
common stock for grants to employees, directors and certain advisors of the
Company at a price not less than the fair market value of the stock on the
date
of grant and for periods not to exceed ten years. At April 30, 2007
and 2006, there were 28,558 and 40,808 shares of common stock available for
grant, respectively, under the 1997 Plan. Options granted under the
Company’s stock option plans expire in the calendar years 2008 through
2016. The following is an aggregate summary of the activity in the
Company’s stock option plans from April 30, 2004 to April 30, 2007:
Number
of
Shares
|
Exercise
Price
per
Share
|
Proceeds
on
Exercise
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price per Share
|
|||||||||||||
Outstanding
at April 30, 2004
|
508,391
|
$ |
2.58
to 11.83
|
2,520,687
|
$ |
4.96
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
86,250
|
19.83
to 23.75
|
2,004,550
|
23.24
|
||||||||||||
Exercised
|
(224,256 | ) |
2.58
to 6.59
|
(939,175 | ) |
4.19
|
||||||||||
Canceled
|
(165 | ) |
6.59
|
(1,087 | ) |
6.59
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
at April 30, 2005
|
370,220
|
$ |
3.67
to $23.75
|
3,584,975
|
$ |
9.68
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
15,000
|
22.17
|
332,550
|
22.17
|
||||||||||||
Exercised
|
(72,650 | ) |
3.67
to 8.77
|
(479,971 | ) |
6.61
|
||||||||||
Canceled
|
(25,275 | ) |
6.59
to 23.75
|
(456,715 | ) |
18.07
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
at April 30, 2006
|
287,295
|
$ |
3.67
to $23.75
|
2,980,839
|
$ |
10.38
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
12,250
|
11.62
to 20.47
|
241,908
|
19.75
|
||||||||||||
Exercised
|
(13,750 | ) |
3.67
to 11.83
|
(81,030 | ) |
5.89
|
||||||||||
Canceled
|
(11,250 | ) |
19.83
to 22.17
|
(234,250 | ) |
20.82
|
||||||||||
Outstanding
at April 30, 2007
|
274,545
|
$ |
3.67
to $23.75
|
$ |
2,907,467
|
$ |
10.59
|
48
As
of
April 30, 2007, 2006 and 2005, all stock options were exercisable. A
summary of stock options outstanding as of April 30, 2007 is as
follows:
Weighted
Average
|
Weighted
|
||||||||||||||
Range
of
|
Number
|
Remaining
|
Average
|
||||||||||||
Exercise
Prices
|
of
Shares
|
Contractual
Life
|
Exercise
Price
|
||||||||||||
$ 3.67
to $ 8.77
|
185,045
|
2.52
|
$ |
4.81
|
|||||||||||
11.62 to 23.75
|
89,500
|
7.66
|
22.55
|
||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||
274,545
|
4.19
|
$ |
10.59
|
Warrants
As
of
April 30, 2007, the Company had stock purchase warrants outstanding to purchase
18,750 shares, issued during fiscal 2004 at a weighted average grant date fair
value of $4.05, with prices ranging from $11.83 to $18.23 per share (weighted
average exercise price of $13.11). All of the warrants are presently
exercisable and expire in fiscal year 2009.
K
- Commitments and Contingencies
Facility
Leases
The
Company leases certain dealership and office facilities under various
non-cancelable operating leases. Dealership leases are generally for
periods from three to five years and contain multiple renewal
options. As of April 30, 2007, the aggregate rentals due under such
leases, including renewal options that are reasonably assured, were as
follows:
Years
Ending
|
Amount
|
|||
April
30,
|
(In
thousands)
|
|||
2008
|
$ |
2,685
|
||
2009
|
2,640
|
|||
2010
|
2,584
|
|||
2011
|
2,460
|
|||
2012
|
2,319
|
|||
Thereafter
|
14,463
|
|||
$ |
27,151
|
The
$27.2
million of lease commitments includes $6.7 million of non-cancelable lease
commitments under the primary lease terms, and $20.5 million of lease
commitments for renewal periods at the Company’s option that are reasonably
assured. For the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and 2005, rent
expense for all operating leases amounted to approximately $2,757,000,
$2,440,000 and $2,114,000, respectively.
Litigation
In
the
ordinary course of business, the Company has become a defendant in various
types
of other legal proceedings. The Company does not expect the final
outcome of any of these actions, individually or in the aggregate, to have
a
material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position, annual results of
operations or cash flows. However, the results of legal proceedings
cannot be predicted with certainty, and an unfavorable resolution of one or
more
of these legal proceedings could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s
financial position, annual results of operations or cash flows.
49
Related
Finance Company
Car-Mart
of Arkansas and Colonial do not meet the affiliation standard for filing
consolidated income tax returns, as such they file separate federal and state
income tax returns. Car-Mart of Arkansas routinely sells its finance
receivables to Colonial at what the Company believes to be fair market value
and
is able to take a tax deduction at the time of sale for the difference between
the tax basis of the receivables sold and the sales price. These
types of transactions, based upon facts and circumstances, have been permissible
under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (“IRC”) as described in the
Treasury Regulations. For financial accounting purposes, these
transactions are eliminated in consolidation, and a deferred tax liability
has
been recorded for this timing difference. The sale of finance
receivables from Car-Mart of Arkansas to Colonial provides certain legal
protection for the Company’s finance receivables and, principally because of
certain state apportionment characteristics of Colonial, also has the effect
of
reducing the Company’s overall effective state income tax rate by approximately
240 basis points. The actual interpretation of the Regulations is in
part a facts and circumstances matter. The Company believes it
satisfies the material provisions of the Regulations. Failure to
satisfy those provisions could result in the loss of a tax deduction at the
time
the receivables are sold, and have the effect of increasing the Company’s
overall effective income tax rate as well as the timing of required tax
payments.
The
Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) has not yet formally concluded its examinations
of the Company’s tax returns for fiscal 2002 and certain items in subsequent
years. However, on May 8, 2007, the Company received notification from the
IRS
that the Company would not be assessed any additional taxes, penalties or
interest related to the examinations. The formal notification of the examination
results are expected in the near future. The examinations focused on whether
or
not the Company satisfied the provisions of the Treasury Regulations which
would
entitle Car-Mart of Arkansas to a tax deduction at the time it sells its finance
receivables to Colonial. Based upon the favorable notification, the
Company recognized $500,000 of net income in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007
for the elimination of associated tax reserves.
50
L
- Fair Value of Financial Instruments
The
table
below summarizes information about the fair value of financial instruments
included in the Company’s financial statements at April 30, 2007 and
2006:
April
30, 2007
|
April
30, 2006
|
|||||||||||||||
Carrying
|
Fair
|
Carrying
|
Fair
|
|||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
Value
|
||||||||||||
Cash
|
$ |
257
|
$ |
257
|
$ |
255
|
$ |
255
|
||||||||
Finance
receivables, net
|
139,194
|
133,840
|
149,379
|
138,719
|
||||||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
2,473
|
2,473
|
3,095
|
3,095
|
||||||||||||
Revolving
credit facilities
|
30,311
|
30,311
|
43,588
|
43,588
|
||||||||||||
Notes
payable
|
10,518
|
10,518
|
-
|
-
|
Because
no market exists for certain of the Company’s financial instruments, fair value
estimates are based on judgments and estimates regarding yield expectations
of
investors, credit risk and other risk characteristics, including interest rate
and prepayment risk. These estimates are subjective in nature and
involve uncertainties and matters of judgment and therefore cannot be determined
with precision. Changes in assumptions could significantly affect
these estimates. The methodology and assumptions utilized to estimate
the fair value of the Company’s financial instruments are as
follows:
Financial
Instrument
|
Valuation
Methodology
|
Cash
|
The
carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair
value
due to the short-term nature of the financial
instrument.
|
Finance
receivables, net
|
The
fair value was estimated based upon discussions with third party
purchasers of finance receivables.
|
Accounts
payable
|
The
carrying amount is considered to be a reasonable estimate of fair
value
due to the short-term nature of the financial
instrument.
|
Revolving
credit facilities
|
The
fair value approximates carrying value due to the variable interest
rates
charged on the borrowings.
|
Notes
payable
|
The
fair value approximates carrying value due to the nature of the collateral
and the recent placement of the
debt.
|
M
- Supplemental Cash Flow Information
Supplemental
cash flow disclosures for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and 2005 are
as
follows:
Years
Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||
(In
thousands)
|
2007
|
2006
|
2005
|
|||||||||
Supplemental
disclosures:
|
||||||||||||
Interest
paid
|
$ |
3,700
|
$ |
2,336
|
$ |
1,179
|
||||||
Income
taxes paid, net
|
5,856
|
9,204
|
10,227
|
|||||||||
Non-cash
transactions:
|
||||||||||||
Inventory
acquired in repossession
|
19,570
|
13,630
|
9,964
|
51
N
- Quarterly Results of Operations (unaudited)
A
summary
of the Company’s quarterly results of operations for the years ended April 30,
2007 and 2006 is as follows (in thousands, except per share
information):
Year
Ended April 30, 2007
|
||||||||||||||||||||
First
|
Second
|
Third
|
Fourth
|
|||||||||||||||||
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ |
62,191
|
$ |
59,539
|
$ |
59,308
|
$ |
59,296
|
$ |
240,334
|
||||||||||
Net
income (loss)
|
4,155
|
(1,928 | ) | (50 | ) |
2,055
|
4,232
|
|||||||||||||
Earnings
per share:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
.35
|
(.16 | ) |
-
|
.17
|
.36
|
||||||||||||||
Diluted
|
.35
|
(.16 | ) |
-
|
.16
|
.35
|
Year
Ended April 30, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||||||
First
|
Second
|
Third
|
Fourth
|
|||||||||||||||||
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Quarter
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||
Revenues
|
$ |
58,179
|
$ |
55,329
|
$ |
58,248
|
$ |
62,451
|
$ |
234,207
|
||||||||||
Net
income
|
4,887
|
2,799
|
4,465
|
4,554
|
16,705
|
|||||||||||||||
Earnings
per share:
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Basic
|
.41
|
.24
|
.38
|
.38
|
1.41
|
|||||||||||||||
Diluted
|
.41
|
.23
|
.37
|
.38
|
1.39
|
52
Item
9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and
Financial Disclosure
None
Item
9A. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
As
of the
end of the period covered by this report (April 30, 2007), the Company carried
out an evaluation, under the supervision and with the participation of
management, including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
of the effectiveness of the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as
defined in 13a-15(e) of the Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, the
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures are effective in timely alerting them to
material information relating to the Company (including its consolidated
subsidiaries) required to be included in this report.
Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting
Management
of the Company is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal
control over financial reporting as defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and
15d-15(f) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company’s internal
control over financial reporting is 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.
Because
of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may
not
prevent or detect misstatements. Therefore, even those systems determined to
be
effective can provide only reasonable assurance with respect to financial
statement preparation and presentation. 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.
Management
assessed the effectiveness of the Company’s internal control over financial
reporting as of April 30, 2007. In making this assessment, management used
the
criteria set forth by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway
Commission (COSO) in Internal Control-Integrated
Framework.
Based
on
management’s assessment and those criteria, management believes that the Company
maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of April
30,
2007.
The
Company’s independent auditors have issued an attestation report on management’s
assessment of the Company’s internal control over financial reporting. That
report appears below.
53
Report
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Stockholders
and Board of Directors
America’s
Car-Mart, Inc.
We
have
audited management’s assessment, included in the accompanying Management’s
Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting, that America’s Car-Mart
Inc. (a Texas Corporation) and subsidiaries maintained effective internal
control over financial reporting as of April 30, 2007, based on criteria
established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the
Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission
(“COSO”). America’s Car-Mart Inc.’s management is responsible for
maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its
assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial
reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on
management’s assessment and an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company’s
internal control over financial reporting based on our audit.
We
conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the Public Company
Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards require
that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether
effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all
material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal
control over financial reporting, evaluating management’s assessment, testing
and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control,
and
performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the
circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis
for our opinions.
In
our
opinion, management’s assessment that America’s Car-Mart Inc., and subsidiaries
maintained effective internal control over financial reporting as of April
30,
2007, is fairly stated, in all material respects, based on criteria established
in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by
COSO. Also in our opinion, America’s Car-Mart Inc., and subsidiaries
maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial
reporting as of April 30, 2007, based on criteria established in Internal
Control—Integrated Framework issued by COSO.
54
Tulsa,
Oklahoma
July
13,
2007
55
Changes
in Internal Control Over Financial
Reporting
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting (as
defined in Rule 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) that occurred during
the Company’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected or are
reasonably likely to materially affect the Company’s internal control over
financial reporting.
Item
9A(T). Controls and Procedures
Not
Applicable
Item
9B. Other Information
None.
56
PART
III
Except
as
to information with respect to executive officers which is contained in a
separate heading under Part I, Item 1 of this Form 10-K, the information
required by Items 10 through 14 of this Form 10-K is, pursuant to General
Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K, incorporated by reference herein from the
Company's definitive proxy statement to be filed pursuant to Regulation 14A
for
the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders to be held in October 2007 (the
“Proxy Statement”). The Company will, within 120 days of the end of
its fiscal year, file with the SEC a definitive proxy statement pursuant to
Regulation 14A.
Item
10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate
Governance
The
information required by this item will be contained in the Proxy Statement
and
such information is incorporated herein by reference. Information
regarding the executive officers of the Company is set forth under the heading
"Executive Officers" in Part I, Item 1 of this report.
Item
11. Executive Compensation
The
information required by this item will be contained in the Proxy Statement
and
such information is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management
and Related Stockholder Matters
The
information required by this item will be contained in the Proxy Statement
and
such information is incorporated herein by reference. See also
“Equity Compensation Plan Information” in Item 5 of this report in response to
this item.
Item
13. Certain Relationships and Related Transactions and Director
Independence
The
information required by this item will be contained in the Proxy Statement
and
such information is incorporated herein by reference.
Item
14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services
The
information required by this item is will be contained in the Proxy Statement
and such information is incorporated herein by reference.
57
PART
IV
Item
15. Exhibits and Financial Statement
Schedules
(a)1.
|
Financial
Statements and Accountant's
Report
|
The
following financial statements and accountant’s report are included in Item 8 of
this report:
Report
of
Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of April 30, 2007 and 2006
Consolidated
Statements of Operations for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005
Consolidated
Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006 and
2005
Consolidated
Statements of Stockholders' Equity for the years ended April 30, 2007, 2006
and
2005
Notes
to
Consolidated Financial Statements
(a)2.
|
Financial
Statement Schedules
|
The
financial statement schedules are omitted since the required information is
not
present, or is not present in amounts sufficient to require submission of the
schedules, or because the information required is included in the consolidated
financial statements and notes thereto.
(a)3.
|
Exhibits
|
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
of Exhibit
|
3.1
|
Articles
of Incorporation of the Company, as amended. (2)
|
|
3.2
|
Bylaws
dated August 24, 1989. (3)
|
|
4.1
|
Specimen
stock certificate. (4)
|
|
4.2
|
Amended
and Restated Agented Revolving Credit Agreement, dated June 23, 2005,
among Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., as borrower, Bank of Arkansas,
N.A.,
Great Southern Bank, Arvest Bank, First State Bank, Bank of Oklahoma,
N.A., and Liberty Bank of Arkansas and one or more additional lenders
to
be determined at a later date, Bank of Arkansas, N.A., as agent for
the
banks and Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., as the paying agent.
(5)
|
|
4.2.1
|
First
Amendment to the Amended and Restated Agented Revolving Credit Agreement,
dated September 30, 2005, among Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., as borrower,
Bank of Arkansas, N.A., Great Southern Bank, Arvest Bank, First State
Bank, Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., and Liberty Bank of Arkansas and one
or more
additional lenders to be determined at a later date, Bank of Arkansas,
N.A., as agent for the
banks. (6)
|
58
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
of Exhibit
|
4.2.2
|
Third
Amendment to the Amended and Restated Agented Revolving Credit Agreement,
dated February 24, 2006, among Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., as borrower,
Bank of Arkansas, N.A., Great Southern Bank, Arvest Bank, First State
Bank, Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., and Liberty Bank of Arkansas and one
or more
additional lenders to be determined at a later date, Bank of Arkansas,
N.A., as agent for the banks. (7)
|
|
4.2.3
|
Fourth
Amendment to the Amended and Restated Agented Revolving Credit Agreement,
dated April 28, 2006, among Colonial Auto Finance, Inc., as borrower,
Bank
of Arkansas, N.A., Great Southern Bank, Arvest Bank, First State
Bank,
Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., and Liberty Bank of Arkansas and one or more
additional lenders to be determined at a later date, Bank of Arkansas,
N.A., as agent for the banks. (8)
|
|
4.2.4
|
Fifth
Amendment to Amended and Restated Agented Revolving Credit Agreement,
dated March 8, 2007 (effective December 31, 2006), among Colonial
Auto
Finance, Inc., as borrower, Bank of Arkansas, N.A., Great Southern
Bank,
First State Bank of Northwest Arkansas, Enterprise Bank and Trust,
Sovereign Bank, Commerce Bank, N.A. and First State Bank.
(16)
|
|
4.3
|
Revolving
Credit Agreement, dated June 23, 2005, among America’s Car-Mart, Inc., an
Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart, Inc., as borrowers, and
Bank of
Oklahoma, N.A., as lender. (5)
|
|
4.3.1
|
Second
Amendment to Revolving Credit Agreement, dated September 30, 2005,
among
America’s Car-Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart,
Inc., as borrowers, and Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., as lender.
(6)
|
|
4.3.2
|
Third
Amendment to Revolving Credit Agreement, dated April 28, 2006, among
America’s Car-Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Texas Car-Mart,
Inc., as borrowers, and Bank of Oklahoma, N.A., as
lender. (8)
|
|
4.3.3
|
Fourth
Amendment to Revolving Credit Agreement, dated March 8, 2007 (effective
December 31, 2006), among America’s Car-Mart, Inc. an Arkansas
corporation, and Texas Car-Mart, Inc. as borrowers, and Bank of Arkansas,
N.A., as lender. (16)
|
|
4.3.4
|
Guaranty
Agreement dated March 8, 2007 (effective December 31, 2006), among
America’s Car-Mart, Inc., an Arkansas corporation, and Bank of Arkansas,
N.A., as lender. (16)
|
|
10.1
|
1986
Incentive Stock Option Plan. (9)
|
|
10.1.1
|
Amendment
to 1986 Incentive Stock Option Plan adopted September 27, 1990.
(10)
|
|
10.2
|
1991
Non-Qualified Stock Option Plan. (11)
|
|
10.3
|
1997
Stock Option Plan. (12)
|
|
10.4
|
2005
Restricted Stock
Plan. (15)
|
59
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
of Exhibit
|
10.4.1
|
Amendment
to 2005 Restricted Stock Plan (17)
|
|
10.5
|
Form
of Indemnification Agreement between the Company and certain officers
and
directors of the Company. (13)
|
|
10.6
|
Employment
Agreement, dated May 1, 2006, between the Company and Tilman J. Falgout,
III. (18)
|
|
10.7
|
Employment
arrangements with Jeffrey A. Williams. (18)
|
|
10.8
|
Employment
Agreement, dated May 1, 2006, between the Company and William H.
Henderson. (18)
|
|
10.9
|
Employment
Agreement, dated May 1, 2006, between the Company and Eddie Lee
Hight. (18)
|
|
14.1
|
Code
of Business Conduct and Ethics. (14)
|
|
21.1
|
Subsidiaries
of America’s Car-Mart, Inc. (1)
|
|
23.1
|
Consent
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. (1)
|
|
24.1
|
Power
of Attorney of William H. Henderson. (1)
|
|
24.2
|
Power
of Attorney of Tilman J. Falgout, III. (1)
|
|
24.3
|
Power
of Attorney of J. David Simmons. (1)
|
|
24.4
|
Power
of Attorney of William A. Swanston. (1)
|
|
24.5
|
Power
of Attorney of William M. Sams. (1)
|
|
24.6
|
Power
of Attorney of Daniel J. Englander. (1)
|
|
31.1
|
Rule
13a-14(a) certification. (1)
|
|
31.2
|
Rule
13a-14(a) certification. (1)
|
|
32.1
|
Section
1350 certification. (1)
|
___________________________
(1)
|
Filed
herewith.
|
|
(2)
|
Previously
filed as Exhibits 4.1-4.8 to the Company's Registration Statement
on Form
S-8 initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on
November 16, 2005 (No. 333-129727) and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(3)
|
Previously
filed as Exhibit 4.9 to the Company's Registration Statement on Form
S-8
initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November
16, 2005 (No. 333-129727) and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(4)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the
year ended April 30, 1994 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(5)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K initially
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 29, 2005
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
60
(6)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K initially
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 6, 2005
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
(7)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K initially
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 27,
2006 and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
(8)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Current Report on Form 8-K initially
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 3, 2006
and
incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
(9)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Registration Statement on Form
10, as
amended, (No. 0-14939) and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(10)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the
year ended April 30, 1991 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(11)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the
year ended April 30, 1992 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(12)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-8,
as amended, initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
on
October 20, 1997 (No. 333-38475) and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(13)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q
for the
quarter ended July 31, 1993 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(14)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended April 30, 2004 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(15)
|
Previously
filed as Appendix B to the Company's Proxy Statement on Schedule
14A
initially filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on August
29,
2005 and incorporated herein by reference.
|
|
(16)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended January 31, 2007 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(17)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the
quarter ended October 31, 2006 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
|
(18)
|
Previously
filed as an Exhibit to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year ended April 30, 2006 and incorporated herein by
reference.
|
(b)
|
The
exhibits are listed in Item 15(a)3.
above.
|
(c)
|
Refer
to Item 15(a)2. above.
|
61
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.
AMERICA’S CAR-MART, INC. | |||
Dated:
July
13,
2007
|
By:
|
/s/ Tilman J. Falgout, III | |
Tilman
J. Falgout, III
Chief
Executive Officer
(principal
executive officer)
|
Dated:
July
13,
2007
|
By:
|
/s/ Jeffrey A. Williams | |
Jeffrey
A. Williams
Vice
President Finance and Chief Financial Officer
(principal
financial and accounting officer)
|
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has
been
signed by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
Signature
|
Title
|
Date
|
|
*
|
Chairman
of the Board, Chief Executive
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
Tilman
J. Falgout, III
|
Officer
and Director
|
||
*
|
Vice
Chairman of the Board,
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
William
H. Henderson
|
President
and Director
|
||
*
|
Director
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
J.
David Simmons
|
|||
*
|
Director
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
Daniel
J. Englander
|
|||
*
|
Director
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
William
M. Sams
|
|||
*
|
Director
|
July
13, 2007
|
|
William
A. Swanston
|
*
By/s/ Jeffrey A. Williams
Jeffrey
A. Williams
As
Attorney-in-Fact
Pursuant
to Powers of
Attorney
filed herewith
62
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
of Exhibit
|
|
21.1
|
Subsidiaries
of America’s Car-Mart, Inc.
|
|
23.1
|
Consent
of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm.
|
|
24.1
|
Power
of Attorney of William H. Henderson.
|
|
24.2
|
Power
of Attorney of Tilman J. Falgout, III.
|
|
24.3
|
Power
of Attorney of J. David Simmons.
|
|
24.4
|
Power
of Attorney of William A. Swanston.
|
|
24.5
|
Power
of Attorney of William M. Sams.
|
|
24.6
|
Power
of Attorney of Daniel J. Englander
|
|
31.1
|
Rule
13a-14(a) certification.
|
|
31.2
|
Rule
13a-14(a) certification.
|
|
32.1
|
Section
1350 certification.
|
63