AstroNova, Inc. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

 

 

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

 

 

FORM 10-K

 

 

 

☒	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended January 31, 2020

OR

 

:=¨	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 0-13200

 

 

AstroNova, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

 

Rhode Island		05-0318215
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)		(I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
600 East Greenwich Avenue, West Warwick, Rhode Island		02893
(Address of principal executive offices)		(Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (401) 828-4000

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

 

Title of each class		Trading Symbol		Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $.05 Par Value		ALOT		NASDAQ Global Market

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

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

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  :=¨    No  ☒

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  ☒    No  :=¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  :=¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

 

Large accelerated filer    ☐		Accelerated filer    ☒		Non-accelerated filer    ☐		Smaller reporting company    ☒
						Emerging growth company    ☐

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.  :=¨

The aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting common equity held by non-affiliates at August 2, 2019 was approximately $158,496,000 based on the closing price on the Nasdaq Global Market on that date.

As of April 3, 2020, there were 7,097,000 shares of Common Stock (par value $0.05 per share) of the registrant outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated.

 

 

 

ASTRONOVA, INC.

FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

				Page
PART I
Item 1.		Business		3-7
Item 1A.		Risk Factors		7-19
Item 1B.		Unresolved Staff Comments		19
Item 2.		Properties		20
Item 3.		Legal Proceedings		20
Item 4.		Mine Safety Disclosures		20
PART II
Item 5.		Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities		21
Item 6.		Selected Financial Data		22
Item 7.		Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations		22-33
Item 7A.		Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk		33-34
Item 8.		Financial Statements and Supplementary Data		35
Item 9.		Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure		35
Item 9A.		Controls and Procedures		35
Item 9B.		Other Information		35
PART III
Item 10.		Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance		36
Item 11.		Executive Compensation		37
Item 12.		Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters		37
Item 13.		Certain Relationships, Related Transactions and Director Independence		37
Item 14.		Principal Accountant Fees and Services		38
PART IV
Item 15.		Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule		39
Item 16.		Form 10-K Summary		39

 

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ASTRONOVA, INC.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are not statements of historical fact, but rather reflect our current expectations concerning future events and results. We generally use the words “believes,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “likely,” “continues,” “may,” “will,” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements, including those concerning our expectations, involve risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond our control, which may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and factors include, but are not limited to, those factors set forth in this Annual Report on Form 10-K under “Item 1A. Risk Factors.” We undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. The reader is cautioned not to unduly rely on such forward-looking statements when evaluating the information presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

PART I

Item 1. Business

General

Unless otherwise indicated, references to “AstroNova,” the “Company,” “we,” “our,” and “us” in this Annual Report on Form 10-K refer to AstroNova, Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

AstroNova designs, develops, manufactures and distributes a broad range of specialty printers and data acquisition and analysis systems, including both hardware and software, which incorporate advanced technologies to acquire, store, analyze, and present data in multiple formats. Target markets for hardware and software products of the Company include aerospace, apparel, automotive, avionics, chemicals, computer peripherals, communications, distribution, food and beverage, general manufacturing, packaging and transportation.

The Company’s products are distributed around the world through its own sales force, authorized dealers and through independent dealers and representatives.

Our business consists of two segments, Product Identification (“PI”) and Test & Measurement (“T&M”). The PI segment includes specialty printing systems and related supplies sold under the brand names QuickLabel^®, TrojanLabel^® and GetLabels^™. The T&M segment includes the Company’s line of aerospace flight deck printers and test and measurement data acquisition systems sold under the AstroNova^® brand name. Refer to Note 15, “Nature of Operations, Segment Reporting and Geographical Information,” in our audited consolidated financial statements elsewhere in this report for financial information regarding the Company’s segments.

The following description of our business should be read in conjunction with “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Conditions and Results of Operations” on pages 21 through 33 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Description of Business

Product Overview

AstroNova leverages its expertise in data visualization technologies to design, manufacture and market specialty printing systems, test and measurement systems and related services for select growing markets on a global basis.

 

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Product Identification products sold under the QuickLabel, TrojanLabel and GetLabels brands are used in brand owner and commercial applications to provide product packaging, marketing, tracking, branding and labeling solutions to a wide array of industries. The PI segment offers a variety of digital color label tabletop printers, high-volume presses and specialty OEM printing systems, as well as a wide range of label, tag and flexible packaging material substrates and other supplies, including ink and toner, that allow customers to mark, track, protect and enhance the appearance of their products. In the T&M segment, the Company has a long history of using its technologies to provide networking systems and high-resolution light-weight flight deck and cabin printers for the aerospace market. In addition, the T&M segment includes data acquisition recorders, sold under the AstroNova brand, to enable our customers to acquire and record visual and electronic signal data from local and networked data streams and sensors. The recorded data is processed and analyzed and then stored and presented in various visual output formats.

Product Identification

AstroNova’s PI segment includes three brands: QuickLabel, TrojanLabel, and GetLabels. Printers and supplies are sold to brand owners, manufacturers and retailers who label or mark products on a short to mid-size run basis. AstroNova PI customers benefit from the efficiency, flexibility and cost-savings of digitally printing labels in their facility, on-demand, with the ability to accommodate multiple SKUs or variable data such as bar codes, lot numbers or expiration dates. QuickLabel brand products include tabletop printers, production-ready digital color label printers and specialty OEM printing systems for either standalone output or inline integration with existing pre-processing and finishing systems. Customers use the Company’s digital label printer products in a wide variety of industries, including chemical, cosmetics, food and beverage, medical products, nutraceutical, pharmaceutical, and many others. TrojanLabel expands the Company’s customer market by providing a range of higher volume digital color printers, OEM printing systems and supplies that target the more demanding needs of commercial printers, label converters and packaging manufacturers, giving them the ability to digitally mark or encode products directly or to produce labels for post printing applications. GetLabels brand products include a full line of media supplies, including label materials, tags, inks, toners and thermal transfer ribbons designed for optimal performance with the Company’s printing hardware. In addition, GetLabels media is compatible with a wide variety of competitive and third-party printing hardware.

Current QuickLabel models include a selection of professional tabletop digital color label printers. The high-speed QL-120X was built on AstroNova’s pioneering and successful Kiaro! platform. Introduced early in 2019, the high-performance QL-300 was the first 5-color toner-based electrophotographic tabletop production label printer in the market. In addition, our QuickLabel line of printers includes the QL-850, our next-generation wide-format inkjet color label printer, the QL-30 and QL-60 series, a family of high-end monochrome printers, and the QLS-4100 XE, a unique solution with the ability to digitally print full color labels and tags using thermal transfer ribbon technology.

Our TrojanLabel portfolio includes a range of products from professional digital color label mini-presses to large-scale all-in-one inline specialty printing systems. The T2-C, a compact, digital mini-press designed for 24/7 label production, includes numerous differentiating features for several end-use market applications. The T2-L is a narrow format digital press designed specifically for flexible packaging substrates. Beyond label printing, the T3-OPX, introduced in late 2019, allows printing directly onto a range of flat products, including cardboard, paper bags, flat wood planks and many other items using pigment inks that are water-resistant and highly resistant to UV exposure. A professional label press and finishing system, the T4, enables print, die-cut, and lamination in an all-in-one machine with a much smaller footprint than others in the market. Expanding on the T4 with additional features, the T5 incorporates capabilities of a compact converter unit featuring UV varnish, lamination, rotary die-cutting, slitting and waste removal to offer an all-in-one digital print and finish inline labeling solution.

GetLabels provides a broad range of high-quality supplies for both AstroNova printers and third-party printers. Supplies include label and tag materials, inks, toner and thermal transfer material. Label materials and

 

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substrates are specifically designed and constructed for a wide variety of labeling applications. Each label material and substrate is qualified and tested in our on-site Materials Research Laboratory to ensure durability and compatibility with our QuickLabel and TrojanLabel branded products, along with a variety of third-party printers.

The PI segment additionally develops and licenses various specialized software used to design and manage labels and print images, as well as manage and operate our printers and presses and coordinate printing on an automated basis directly over networked systems. PI also provides worldwide training and support.

T&M

Products sold under AstroNova’s T&M segment are designed and manufactured for airborne printing solutions and for data acquisition. AstroNova’s aerospace applications include flight deck printing solutions, networking hardware and thermal paper. The Company’s data acquisition systems are used in research and development, flight testing, missile/rocket telemetry production monitoring and maintenance applications. These products are sold to customers in a variety of industries, including aerospace & defense, automotive, commercial airline, energy, manufacturing and transportation, to meet the need to acquire and record data from local and networked data streams and sensors.

Airborne printers include the Company’s flagship ToughWriter^® series used in the flight decks and cabins of military, commercial and business aircraft to print hard copies of data required for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft, including navigation maps, arrival and departure information, flight itineraries, weather maps, performance data, passenger data, and various air traffic control data. ToughSwitch^® Ethernet switches are used primarily in military aircraft and military vehicles to connect multiple computers or Ethernet devices. The airborne printers and Ethernet switches are ruggedized to comply with rigorous military and commercial flight worthiness standards for operation under extreme environmental conditions. The Company is currently furnishing ToughWriter airborne printers for many aircraft made by Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, Bombardier, Lockheed, Gulfstream and others. In addition to the ToughWriter products, the Company manufactures other flight deck printers, including Miltope-brand and RITEC-brand airborne printers that the Company acquired in 2015 and 2014, respectively, and the PTA-45 cockpit printer. The PTA-45B is subject to the Asset Purchase and Licenses Agreement with Honeywell International, Inc. (the “Honeywell Agreement”), pursuant to which in 2017 the Company acquired an exclusive perpetual world-wide license to manufacture and support Honeywell’s narrow-format flight deck printers for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 aircraft. Over time we expect that customers will chose to replace those printers with ToughWriter products because they have numerous technical features and functional advantages and significant weight savings.

Other T&M products include: the TMX^® all-in-one high speed data acquisition system for applications requiring high channel counts and acquisition rates, the Daxus^® DXS-100 distributed data acquisition platform, the SmartCorder^® DDX-100, a portable all-in-one data acquisition system for facilities maintenance and field testing and the Everest^® EV-5000 digital strip chart recording system used mainly in telemetry applications. The Daxus DXS-100 can be connected to the SmartCorder to increase channel count or networked as part of a distributed measurement system spanning vast distances.

Technology

Our core technologies are data visualization technologies that relate to (1) acquiring data, (2) conditioning the data, (3) displaying or printing the data on hard copy, monitor or electronic storage media and (4) analyzing the data. To service data visualization, AstroNova maintains technological core competencies and trade know-how concerning the subject matter peculiar to each business unit. The technological disciplines are diverse and contain aspects of electronic, software, mechanical and industrial engineering. Additionally, AstroNova possesses engineering expertise in the areas of digital signal processing, image processing, fluidics, color theory, high-speed material handling and design for airworthiness.

Patents and Copyrights

We hold several product patents in the United States and in foreign countries. We rely on a combination of copyright, patent, trademark and trade secret laws in the United States and other jurisdictions to protect our

 

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technology and brand name. We consider our intellectual property to be important to the operation of our business. In particular, we believe that the loss of the trademarks QuickLabel, TrojanLabel, ToughWriter or ToughSwitch or the loss of the license provided under the Honeywell Agreement could have a material adverse impact on the Company’s business taken as a whole.

Manufacturing and Supplies

We manufacture many of the products that we design and sell. Raw materials and supplies are typically available from a wide variety of sources. We manufacture many of the sub-assemblies and parts in-house, including certain specialty printed circuit board assemblies and harnesses, and we have extensive electronic and mechanical final assembly and test operations. Many parts not manufactured in-house are standard electronic items available from multiple sources. Other printers and parts are designed or modified by us and manufactured by outside vendors according to our specifications. We purchase certain components, assembled products and supplies used in the manufacture of our products from a single source or limited supplier source. While we believe the majority of these sole or limited source components, assembled products and supplies could be sourced elsewhere with appropriate changes in the design of our products, such design might not be feasible on a timely basis, and any interruption in these components, products or supplies could adversely affect our business. When circumstances cause us to anticipate that the Company may not be able to acquire such components, products or supplies on a timely basis, the Company’s practice is to procure a sufficient quantity in advance. In the past we have made such advance purchases primarily for aerospace products and in quantities that we anticipate will suffice for the life of the aircraft program for which those printers are designed.

Marketing and Competition

The Company competes worldwide in multiple markets. In the specialty printing field, we believe we are a market leader in tabletop digital color label printing technology, a market leader in flight deck printers, and an innovator in digital color mini-press systems. In the data acquisition area, we are one of the leaders in general-purpose portable, high-speed data acquisition systems.

Our management believes that we have a market leadership position in many of the markets we serve. We retain our leadership position by virtue of proprietary technology, product reputation, delivery, our channels to market, technical assistance and service to customers. The number of competitors varies by product line. Key competitive factors vary among our product lines, but include technology, quality, service and support, distribution network and breadth of product and service offerings.

Our products are sold by direct field salespersons as well as independent dealers and representatives. In the United States, the Company has factory-trained direct field salespeople located in major cities from coast to coast specializing in either Product Identification or Test & Measurement products. We also have direct field sales or service centers in Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, and the United Kingdom staffed by our own employees and dedicated third party contractors. Additionally, we utilize over 225 independent dealers and representatives selling and marketing our products in over 60 countries.

No single customer accounted for 10% or more of our net revenue in any of the last three fiscal years.

Order Backlog

Our backlog varies regularly. It consists of a blend of orders for end-user customers as well as original equipment manufacturer customers. Manufacturing production is designed to meet forecasted demands and customer requirements. Accordingly, the amount of order backlog may not indicate future sales trends. Backlog at January 31, 2020 and 2019 was $25.2 million and $25.6 million, respectively.

Employees

As of January 31, 2020, we employed 365 people. We are generally able to satisfy our employment requirements. No employees are represented by a union. We believe that our employee relations are good.

 

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Other Information

The Company’s business is not seasonal in nature. However, our revenue is impacted by the size of certain individual transactions, which can cause fluctuations in revenue from quarter to quarter.

Available Information

We make available on our website (www.astronovainc.com) the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and, if applicable, amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Sections 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 as soon as reasonably practicable after the Company electronically files such material with, or furnishes it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). These filing are also accessible on the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

The following risk factors should be carefully considered in evaluating AstroNova, because such factors may have a significant impact on our business, operating results, liquidity and financial condition. As a result of the risk factors set forth below, actual results could differ materially from those projected in any forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us, or that we currently consider to be immaterial, may also impact our business operations.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may adversely affect our revenues, results of operations and financial condition.

Our business could be materially adversely affected by the widespread outbreak of contagious disease, including the recent outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel coronavirus known as COVID-19. COVID-19 has been declared by the World Health Organization to be a “pandemic” and has spread to many of the countries in which we, our customers, our suppliers and our other business partners do business. National, state and local governments in affected regions have implemented and may continue to implement safety precautions, including quarantines, travel restrictions, business closures, cancellations of public gatherings and other measures. Other organizations and individuals are taking additional steps to avoid or reduce infection, including limiting travel and staying home from work. These measures are disrupting normal business operations both in and outside of affected areas and have had significant negative impacts on businesses and financial markets worldwide.

We continue to monitor our operations and government recommendations and have made modifications to our normal operations because of the COVID-19 outbreak, including requiring most non-production related team members to work remotely. We have maintained a substantial portion of our manufacturing operational capacity at our manufacturing facilities located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, as well as our manufacturing facilities in Canada and Germany, at this time, and we have instituted heightened cleaning and sanitization standards and several health and safety protocols and procedures to safeguard our team members.

However, the COVID-19 outbreak has caused the Company to experience a number of adverse impacts, including reductions in demand for its products, delays and cancellations of orders for its products, difficulties in obtaining raw materials and components for its products, shortages of labor to manufacture products, inefficiencies caused by remote worker’s difficulties in performing their normal work outputs, closures of the facilities of some of its suppliers and customers, and delays in collecting accounts receivable.

While it is not possible at this time to estimate the entirety of the impact that COVID-19 will have on our business, customers, suppliers or other business partners, we expect that the continued spread of COVID-19, the measures taken by the governments of affected countries, actions taken to protect employees, and the impact of the pandemic on all business activities to further adversely impact our operational capacity and the efficiency of our team members and will materially adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

Disruptions in the capital markets as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak may also adversely affect the Company if these impacts continue for a prolonged period and the Company needs additional liquidity.

 

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The aerospace industry, which we serve through our aerospace product line, has been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, both inside and outside of the United States. The impact of the decline in air travel will likely have a material adverse impact on the Company’s financial results, the scope of which cannot be estimated at this time. Should one of more of our airplane OEM manufacturing customers or a significant number of airline customers fail to continue business as a going concern or declare bankruptcy, or otherwise reduce the demand for our products as a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, it would have a material adverse impact on our business operations and financial results.

AstroNova’s operating results and financial condition could be harmed if the markets into which we sell our products decline or do not grow as anticipated.

Any decline in our customers’ markets or in their general economic conditions would likely result in a reduction in demand for our products. For example, the current grounding and suspension of production of the Boeing 737 MAX has reduced demand for our airborne printers that are placed on that aircraft, as well as the related repairs and supplies, and that has negatively affected our results of operations. In addition, the current worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the airline industry as a whole, which could result in a reduction in orders by the airlines for new planes and reduce demand for retrofitting airplanes already in service and, therefore, a further reduction in demand for our airborne printer products. The effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and any future action relating to the 737 MAX on our business is currently unknown, but we expect any resulting changes in production schedules will likely have an adverse effect on our business, which could be material. Some of our customers may be reluctant to make capital equipment purchases or may defer certain of these purchases to future quarters. Some of our customers may also limit consumable product purchases to quantities necessary to satisfy immediate needs with no provisions to stock supplies for future use. Also, if our customers’ markets decline, we may not be able to collect on outstanding amounts due to us. Such declines could harm our results of operations, financial position and cash flows and could limit our ability to continue to remain profitable.

AstroNova’s future revenue growth depends on our ability to develop and introduce new products and services on a timely basis and achieve market acceptance of these new products and services.

The markets for our products are characterized by rapidly changing technologies and accelerating product introduction cycles. Our future success depends largely upon our ability to address the rapidly changing needs of our customers by developing and supplying high-quality, cost-effective products, product enhancements and services on a timely basis and by keeping pace with technological developments and emerging industry standards. The success of our new products will also depend on our ability to differentiate our offerings from our competitors’ offerings, price our products competitively, anticipate our competitors’ development of new products, and maintain high levels of product quality and reliability. AstroNova spends a significant amount of time and effort related to the development of our airborne and color printer products as well as our data recorder products. Failure to meet our customers’ changing business needs or to further develop any of our new products and their related markets as anticipated could adversely affect our future revenue growth and operating results.

As we introduce new or enhanced products, we must also successfully manage the transition from older products to minimize disruption in customers’ ordering patterns, avoid excessive levels of older product inventories and provide sufficient supplies of new products to meet customer demands. The introduction of new or enhanced products may shorten the life cycle of our existing products, or replace sales of some of our current products, thereby offsetting the benefit of even a successful product introduction and may cause customers to defer purchasing existing products in anticipation of the new products. Additionally, when we introduce new or enhanced products, we face numerous risks relating to product transitions, including the inability to accurately forecast demand, manage excess and obsolete inventories, address new or higher product cost structures, and manage different sales and support requirements due to the type or complexity of the new products. Any customer uncertainty regarding the timeline for rolling out new products or AstroNova’s plans for future support of existing products may cause customers to delay purchase decisions or purchase competing products which would adversely affect our business and operating results.

 

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AstroNova is dependent upon contract manufacturers for some of our products. If these manufacturers do not meet our requirements, either in volume or quality, then we could be materially harmed.

We subcontract the manufacturing and assembly of certain of our products to independent third parties at facilities located in various countries. Relying on subcontractors involves a number of significant risks, including:

 

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Disruptions in the global supply chain as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak;

 

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Limited control over the manufacturing process;

 

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Potential absence of adequate production capacity;

 

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Potential delays in production lead times;

 

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Unavailability of certain process technologies; and

 

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Reduced control over delivery schedules, manufacturing yields, quality and costs.

If one of our significant subcontractors becomes unable or unwilling to continue to manufacture or provide these products in required volumes or fails to meet our quality standards, we will have to identify qualified alternate subcontractors or take over the manufacturing ourselves. Additional qualified subcontractors may not be available or may not be available on a timely or cost competitive basis. Any interruption in the supply or increase in the cost of the products manufactured by third party subcontractors or failure of a subcontractor to meet quality standards could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

For certain components, assembled products and supplies, AstroNova is dependent upon single or limited source suppliers. If these suppliers do not meet demand, either in volume or quality, then we could be materially harmed.

Although we use standard parts and components for our products where possible, we purchase certain components, assembled products and supplies used in the manufacture of our products from a single source or limited supplier sources. If the supply of a key component, assembled products or certain supplies were to be delayed or curtailed or, in the event a key manufacturing or sole supplier delays shipment of such components or assembled products, our ability to ship products in desired quantities and in a timely manner would be adversely affected. For example, due to the recent outbreak of COVID-19, there has been and likely will continue to be disruption to our supply chain due to the delays of component shipments from our vendors in China and other jurisdictions in which normal business operations are disrupted. Our business, results of operations and financial position could also be adversely affected, depending on the time required to obtain sufficient quantities from the original source or, if possible, to identify and obtain sufficient quantities from an alternative source. Additionally, if any single or limited source supplier becomes unable or unwilling to continue to supply these components, assembled products or supplies in required volumes, we will have to identify and qualify acceptable replacements or redesign our products with different components. Alternative sources may not be available, or product redesign may not be feasible on a timely basis. Any interruption in the supply of or increase in the cost of the components, assembled products and supplies provided by single or limited source suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, operating results and financial condition.

AstroNova faces significant competition, and our failure to compete successfully could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition.

We operate in an environment of significant competition, especially in the markets in which we sell our PI printers and T&M data acquisition products. This competition is driven by rapid technological advances, evolving industry standards, frequent new product introductions and the demands of customers to become more efficient. Our competitors range from large international companies to relatively small firms. We compete based on technology, performance, price, quality, reliability, brand, distribution and customer service and support. Our success in future performance is largely dependent upon our ability to compete successfully in the markets we

 

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currently serve and to expand into additional market segments. Additionally, current competitors or new market entrants may develop new products or services with features that could adversely affect the competitive position of our products. To remain competitive, we must develop new products, services and applications and periodically enhance our existing offerings. If we are unable to compete successfully, our customers could seek alternative solutions from our competitors and we could lose market share, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial position.

AstroNova’s profitability is dependent upon our ability to obtain adequate pricing for our products and to control our cost structure.

Our success depends on our ability to obtain adequate pricing for our products and services which provides a reasonable return to our shareholders. Depending on competitive market factors, future prices we obtain for our products and services may decline from previous levels. In addition, pricing actions to offset the effect of currency devaluations may not prove sufficient to offset further devaluations or may not hold in the face of customer resistance and/or competition. If we are unable to obtain adequate pricing for our products and services, our results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected.

We are continually reviewing our operations with a view towards reducing our cost structure, including but not limited to reducing our labor cost-to-revenue ratio, improving process and system efficiencies and outsourcing certain internal functions. From time to time we also engage in restructuring actions to reduce our cost structure. If we are unable to maintain process and systems changes resulting from cost reduction and prior restructuring actions, our results of operations and financial position could be materially adversely affected.

AstroNova’s inability to adequately enforce and protect our intellectual property, defend against assertions of infringement or lose certain licenses could prevent or restrict our ability to compete.

We rely on patents, trademarks, licenses, and proprietary knowledge and technology, both internally developed and acquired, in order to maintain a competitive advantage. Our competitors may develop technologies that are similar or superior to the Company’s proprietary technologies or design technologies around the intellectual property protections or licenses that the Company currently owns. The loss of the trademarks QuickLabel, TrojanLabel, ToughWriter and ToughSwitch or the loss of the licenses provided under the Honeywell Agreement could have a material adverse impact on our business taken as a whole. Operating outside the United States also exposes us to additional intellectual property risk. The laws and enforcement practices of certain jurisdictions in which we operate do not protect our intellectual property rights to the same extent as in the United States. Any diminution in our ability to defend against the unauthorized use of these rights and assets could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition. Litigation may be necessary to protect our intellectual property rights or defend against claims of infringement, which could result in significant costs and divert our management’s focus away from operations.

AstroNova has significant inventories on hand.

We maintain a significant amount of inventory. Although we have provided an allowance for slow-moving and obsolete inventory, any significant unanticipated changes in future product demand or market conditions, including obsolescence or the uncertainty in the global market, as well as prolonged reduced demand for the Company’s products due to the COVID-19 outbreak, could have an impact on the value of inventory and adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

Economic, political and other risks associated with international sales and operations could adversely affect AstroNova’s results of operations and financial position.

Because we sell our products worldwide, our business is subject to risks associated with doing business internationally. Revenue from international operations, which includes both direct and indirect sales to customers

 

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outside the U.S., accounted for 37% of our total revenue for fiscal year 2020, and we anticipate that international sales will continue to account for a significant portion of our revenue. In addition, we have employees, suppliers, contractors and facilities located outside the U.S. Accordingly, our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed by a variety of factors, including:

 

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Interruption to transportation flows for delivery of parts to us and finished goods to our customers;

 

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Customer and vendor financial stability;

 

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Fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates;

 

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Changes in a specific country’s or region’s environment including political, economic, monetary, regulatory or other conditions;

 

•

Trade protection measures and import or export licensing requirements;

 

•

Negative consequences from changes in tax laws;

 

•

Difficulty in managing and overseeing operations that are distant and remote from corporate headquarters;

 

•

Difficulty in obtaining and maintaining adequate staffing;

 

•

Differing labor regulations;

 

•

Differing protection of intellectual property;

 

•

Unexpected changes in regulatory requirements; and

 

•

Geopolitical turmoil, including terrorism, war and public health disruptions, such as that caused by the current COVID-19 outbreak.

Brexit

The U.K. formally left the E.U. on January 31, 2020 and has entered a transition period until December 31, 2020. During the transition period, the U.K. and the E.U. will seek to negotiate a trade deal, and the U.K. will remain in both the E.U. customs union and single market. The announcement of Brexit caused significant volatility in global stock markets and currency exchange rate fluctuations that resulted in the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the foreign currencies in which we conduct business. The withdrawal of the U.K. from the E.U. may also create further global economic uncertainty, which may adversely impact the economies of the U.K., the E.U. countries and other nations. Brexit could subject us to disruptions in trade and the free movement of goods, services and people to and from the UK, increased foreign exchange volatility with respect to the British pound and disruptions to our workforce and that of our suppliers and business partners.

AstroNova could incur liabilities as a result of installed product failures due to design or manufacturing defects.

AstroNova has incurred and could incur additional liabilities as a result of installed product failures due to design or manufacturing defects. Our products may have defects despite our internal testing or testing by current or potential customers. These defects could result in among other things, a delay in recognition of sales, loss of sales, loss of market share, failure to achieve market acceptance or substantial damage to our reputation. We could be subject to material claims by customers and may incur substantial expenses to correct any product defects.

In addition, through our acquisitions, we have assumed, and may in the future assume, liabilities related to products previously developed by an acquired company that have not been subjected to the same level of product development, testing and quality control processes we employ, and may have unknown or undetected errors. Some types of errors may not be detected until the product is installed in a user environment. This may cause

 

11

AstroNova to incur significant warranty and repair or re-engineering costs and may divert the attention of engineering personnel from product development efforts which may cause significant customer relations problems such as reputational problems with customers resulting in increased costs and lower profitability.

Certain of our products require certifications by customers, regulators or standards organizations, and our failure to obtain or maintain such certifications could negatively impact our business.

In certain industries and for certain products, such as those used in aircraft, we must obtain certifications for our products by customers, regulators or standards organizations. If we fail to obtain required certifications for our products, or if we fail to maintain such certifications on our products after they have been certified, our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be materially and adversely affected.

Changes in our tax rates or exposure to additional income tax liabilities or assessments could affect our profitability. In addition, audits by tax authorities could result in additional tax payments for prior periods.

As a global company, we are subject to taxation in numerous countries, states and other jurisdictions. As a result, our effective tax rate is based on the tax rates in effect where we operate. In preparing our financial statements, we estimate the amount of tax that will become payable in each jurisdiction. Our effective tax rate may vary as a result of numerous factors, including changes in the mix of our profitability from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, the results of examinations and audits of our tax filings, whether we secure or sustain acceptable arrangements with tax authorities, adjustments to the value of our uncertain tax positions, changes in accounting for income taxes and changes in tax laws, including the 2017 U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Tax Act”). Any of these factors could cause us to experience an effective tax rate significantly different from previous periods or our current expectations.

The Tax Act significantly revises the U.S. federal corporate income tax law and includes a broad range of tax reform measures affecting business including among other things, the reduction of the corporate income tax rate from 35% to 21%, the loss of certain business deductions, the acceleration of first-year expensing of certain capital expenditures and a one-time tax imposed on unremitted cumulative non-U.S. earnings of foreign subsidiaries. The Tax Act is complex and far-reaching, and we continue to evaluate the actual impact of its enactment on the Company. Any material adverse impact resulting from the Tax Act that has not yet been identified could have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flow.

Further changes in the tax laws of foreign jurisdictions could arise as a result of the base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) project undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which represents a coalition of member countries. On October 5, 2015, the OECD issued a series of reports recommending changes to numerous long-standing tax principles. Many of these recommendations or similar concepts are being adopted by various countries in which we do business and may increase our taxes in these countries. Changes to these and other areas in relation to international tax reform, including future actions taken by foreign governments in response to the Tax Act, could increase uncertainty and may adversely affect our tax rate and cash flow in future years.

Changes to tax laws and regulations or changes to the interpretation thereof (including regulations and interpretations pertaining to the Tax Act), the ambiguity of tax laws and regulations, the subjectivity of factual interpretations, uncertainties regarding the geographic mix of earnings in any particular period, and other factors, could have a material impact on our estimates of our effective tax rate and our deferred tax assets and liabilities. The impact of these factors may be substantially different from period-to-period.

In addition, the amount of income taxes we pay is subject to ongoing audits by U.S. federal, state and local tax authorities. If audits result in payments or assessments different from our reserves, our future results may include unfavorable adjustments to our tax liabilities and our financial statements could be adversely affected. Any further significant changes to the tax system in the United States or in other jurisdictions (including changes in the taxation of international income as further described below) could adversely affect our financial statements.

 

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We may have exposure to additional tax liabilities, which could negatively impact our income tax expense, net income and cash flow.

We are subject to income and other taxes in both the U.S. and the foreign jurisdictions in which we operate. The determination of our worldwide provision for income taxes and current and deferred tax assets and liabilities requires significant judgment and estimation. In the ordinary course of our business, there are many transactions and calculations where the ultimate tax determination is uncertain. We are subject to regular review and audit by both domestic and foreign tax authorities and to the prospective and retrospective effects of changing tax regulations and legislation. Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable, the ultimate tax outcome may materially differ from the amounts recorded in our consolidated financial statements and may materially affect our income tax benefit or expense, net loss or income, and cash flows in the period in which such determination is made. As of January 31, 2020, we did not record any liabilities for uncertain tax positions.

Deferred tax assets are recognized for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the carrying amount for financial reporting purposes and the tax bases of assets and liabilities, and for net operating losses and tax credit carry forwards. In some cases, we may record a valuation allowance to reduce our deferred tax assets to estimated realizable value. We review our deferred tax assets and valuation allowance requirements quarterly. If we are unable to demonstrate that it is more likely than not that we will not be able to generate sufficient future taxable income to realize the net carrying value of deferred tax assets, we will record a valuation allowance to reduce the deferred tax assets to estimated realizable value, which could result in a material income tax charge. As part of our review, we consider positive and negative evidence, including cumulative results of recent years.

The agreements governing our indebtedness subject us to various restrictions that limit our ability to pursue business opportunities.

The credit agreement governing our credit facility with Bank of America, N.A., as amended, contains, and any future debt agreements may include, several restrictive covenants that impose significant operating and financial restrictions on us and our subsidiaries. Such restrictive covenants may significantly limit our ability to:

 

•

Incur future indebtedness;

 

•

Place liens on assets;

 

•

Pay dividends or distributions on our and our subsidiaries’ capital stock;

 

•

Repurchase or acquire our capital stock;

 

•

Conduct mergers or acquisitions;

 

•

Sell assets; and/or

 

•

Alter our or our subsidiaries’ capital structure, to make investments and loans, to change the nature of their business, and to prepay subordinated indebtedness.

Our credit agreement with Bank of America also requires us to satisfy other requirements, including maintaining certain financial ratios and condition tests. Our ability to meet these requirements can be affected by events beyond our control, and specifically because of the decline in revenue caused by the demand for aircraft cockpit printers for the 737 MAX, the anticipated decline in revenue due to the demand for aircraft due to the current COVID-19 pandemic driven decline in revenue passenger miles, as well as the likely decline in demand for some of our PI and other T&M products as a result of the COVID-19 driven slowdown in general economic activity. At this time, we expect that it is likely that we will violate the current terms of our credit agreement with Bank of America at the end of our first or second quarter of fiscal year 2021. While we expect to be able to renegotiate the terms of the credit agreement, if we are unable to do so or to secure alternative financing on acceptable terms, it will have a material adverse impact on us. To the extent we fail to meet any such requirements and are in default under our debt obligations, our financial condition may be materially adversely

 

13

affected. These restrictions may limit our ability to engage in activities that could otherwise benefit us. To the extent that we are unable to engage in activities that support the growth, profitability and competitiveness of our business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

In addition, the agreement governing our credit facility permits us to elect to pay interest on our revolving line of credit based on LIBOR or a base rate as specified in the agreement. We also have term loans under our credit facility, as well as derivative instruments with variable interest rates, that are indexed to LIBOR. In July 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority, the authority that regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to stop compelling banks to submit rates for the calculation of LIBOR after 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) has proposed the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR) as the preferred alternative to U.S. Dollar LIBOR (“USD-LIBOR”) for use in debt instruments, derivatives and other financial contracts that are currently indexed to USD-LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR from USD-LIBOR, and organizations are currently working on an industry wide and/or company specific transition from LIBOR to an alternative that will not result in financial market disruptions, significant increases in benchmark rates or financing costs to borrowers. It is not possible to predict the effect of these changes, other reforms or the establishment of alternative reference rates in the United States or elsewhere. To the extent these changes cause the interest rates on our borrowings to increase, our interest expense will increase, which could adversely affect our financial condition, operating results and cash flows.

AstroNova may not realize the anticipated benefits of past or future acquisitions, divestitures and strategic partnerships, and integration of acquired companies or divestiture of businesses may negatively impact AstroNova’s overall business.

We have made strategic investments in other companies, products and technologies. We may continue to identify and pursue acquisitions of complementary companies and strategic assets, such as customer bases, products and technology. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify suitable acquisition opportunities. In any acquisition that we complete we cannot be certain that:

 

•

We will successfully integrate the operations of the acquired business with our own;

 

•

All the benefits expected from such integration will be realized;

 

•

Management’s attention will not be diverted or divided, to the detriment of current operations;

 

•

Amortization of acquired intangible assets or possible impairment of acquired intangibles will not have a negative impact on operating results or other aspects of our business;

 

•

Delays or unexpected costs related to the acquisition will not have a detrimental impact on our business, operating results and financial condition;

 

•

Customer dissatisfaction with, or performance problems at, an acquired company will not have an adverse impact on our reputation; and

 

•

Respective operations, management and personnel will be compatible.

In certain instances, as permitted by applicable law and NASDAQ rules, acquisitions may be consummated without seeking and obtaining shareholder approval, in which case shareholders will not have an opportunity to consider and vote upon the merits of such an acquisition. Although we will endeavor to evaluate the risks inherent in an acquisition, there can be no assurance that we will properly ascertain or assess such risks.

We may also divest certain businesses from time to time. Divestitures will likely involve risks, such as difficulty splitting up businesses, distracting employees, potential loss of revenue and negatively impacting margins, and potentially disrupting customer relationships. A successful divestiture depends on various factors, including our ability to:

 

•

Effectively transfer assets, liabilities, contracts, facilities and employees to the purchaser;

 

14

•

Identify and separate the intellectual property to be divested from the intellectual property that we wish to keep; and

 

•

Reduce fixed costs previously associated with the divested assets or business.

All of these efforts require varying levels of management resources, which may divert our attention from other business operations. Further, if market conditions or other factors lead us to change our strategic direction, we may not realize the expected value from such transactions.

If we are not able to successfully integrate or divest businesses, products, technologies or personnel that we acquire or divest, or able to realize expected benefits of our acquisitions, divestitures or strategic partnerships, AstroNova’s business, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Adverse conditions in the global banking industry and credit markets could impair our liquidity or interrupt our access to capital markets, borrowings or financial transactions to hedge certain risks.

At the end of fiscal 2020, we had approximately $4.2 million of cash and cash equivalents. Our cash and cash equivalents are held in a mix of money market funds, bank demand deposit accounts and foreign bank accounts. Disruptions in the financial markets such as those caused by the current COVID-19 outbreak may, in some cases, result in an inability to access assets such as money market funds that traditionally have been viewed as highly liquid. Any failure of our counterparty financial institutions or funds in which we have invested may adversely impact our cash and cash equivalent positions and, in turn, our financial position.

To date, we have been able to access financing that has allowed us to make investments in growth opportunities and fund working capital requirements as needed. In addition, we occasionally enter into financial transactions to hedge certain foreign exchange and interest rate risks. Our continued access to capital markets, the stability of our lenders and their willingness to support our needs, and the stability of the counter parties to our financial transactions that hedge risks are essential for us to meet our current and long-term obligations, fund operations, and fund our future strategic initiatives. An interruption in our access to external financing or financial transactions to hedge risk could materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

AstroNova could experience a significant disruption in or security breach of our information technology system which could harm our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

We employ information technology systems to support our business. Any security breaches or other disruptions to our information technology infrastructure could interfere with operations, compromise our information and that of our customers and suppliers, and expose us to liability which could adversely impact our business and reputation. In the ordinary course of business, we rely on information technology networks and systems, some of which are managed by third parties, to process, transmit and store electronic proprietary or confidential information regarding our customers, employees, suppliers and others including personally identifiable information, credit card data, and other confidential information. While we continually work to safeguard our systems and mitigate potential risks, there is no assurance that such actions will be sufficient to prevent cyber-attacks or security breaches. As a result, our information technology networks and infrastructure may still be vulnerable to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to attack by hackers or breaches, employee error, power outages, computer viruses, telecommunication or utility failures, systems failures, natural disasters, catastrophic events or other unforeseen events and in any such circumstance our system redundancy and other disaster recovery planning may be ineffective or inadequate. While we have experienced, and expect to continue to experience, these types of threats to our information technology networks and infrastructure, none of them to date has had a material impact. Any such events could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or penalties under privacy laws, disruption in operations, and damage to the Company’s brand and reputation, which could adversely affect our business, operating results and financial condition.

 

15

AstroNova could experience risks related to the implementation of our new global enterprise resource planning system.

We are currently engaged in a multi-year process of conforming all our operations to one global enterprise resource planning (“ERP”) system. The ERP system is designed to improve the efficiency of our supply chain and financial transaction processes, improve the efficiency of how we accurately maintain our books and records and enhance the speed and quality of information provided to our management team for use in the operation and management of our business. The implementation of the ERP system will continue to require significant investment of human and financial resources. As a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, we will experience delays and increased costs as factors such as limited on-site availability of Company personnel and outside consultants due to travel restrictions and remote work conditions, as well as a redirection of personnel efforts toward responding to the COVID-19 outbreak from the implementation of the new ERP system. Significant disruption in the implementation and transition to the new ERP system as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak could negatively impact our ability to obtain the benefits that the new ERP system is intended to bring. The length of these delays and the related cost are unknown because of the uncertainty of the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Additionally, any significant disruption or deficiency in the design, implementation and transition to the new ERP system could negatively impact our ability to:

 

•

record and process orders,

 

•

manufacture and ship our products in a timely manner, and

 

•

process data and electronic communications among our business locations,

any of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, consolidated financial condition or results of operations.

We also face the challenge of supporting our older systems while we implement the new ERP system. While we have invested significant resources in planning and project management, significant implementation issues may arise that impact our normal business operations and could have a material adverse impact on our operating results and cash flow.

AstroNova depends on our key employees and other highly qualified personnel and our ability to attract and develop new, talented professionals. Our inability to attract and retain key employees could compromise our future success and our business could be harmed.

Our future success depends upon our ability to attract and retain professional and executive employees, including sales, operating, marketing, and financial management personnel. There is substantial competition for skilled personnel, and the failure to attract, develop, retain and motivate qualified personnel could negatively impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects. In order to hire new personnel or retain or replace our key personnel, we may be required to increase compensation, which would decrease net income. Additionally, a number of key employees have special knowledge of customers, supplier relationships, business processes, manufacturing operations, and financial management issues and the loss of any of these employees could harm the company’s ability to perform efficiently and effectively until their knowledge and skills are replaced, which might be difficult to do quickly, and as a result could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

AstroNova is subject to laws and regulations; failure to address or comply with these laws and regulations could harm our business and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our operations are subject to laws, rules, regulations, including environmental regulations, government policies and other requirements in each of the jurisdictions in which we conduct business. Changes in laws, rules, regulations, policies or requirements could result in the need to modify our products and could affect the demand for our products, which may have an adverse impact on our future operating results. In addition, we must comply with regulations restricting our ability to include lead and certain other substances in our products. If we do not

 

16

comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations we could be subject to costs and liabilities and our business may be adversely impacted.

Certain of our operations and products are subject to environmental, health and safety laws and regulations, which may result in substantial compliance costs or otherwise adversely affect our business.

Our operations are subject to numerous federal, state, local and foreign laws and regulations relating to protection of the environment, including those that impose limitations on the discharge of pollutants into the air and water, establish standards for the use, treatment, storage and disposal of solid and hazardous materials and wastes, and govern the cleanup of contaminated sites. We have used and continue to use various substances in our products and manufacturing operations, and have generated and continue to generate wastes, which have been or may be deemed to be hazardous or dangerous. As such, our business is subject to and may be materially and adversely affected by compliance obligations and other liabilities under environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. These laws and regulations affect ongoing operations and require capital costs and operating expenditures in order to achieve and maintain compliance.

As the result of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, we have been required by U.S. federal and state governmental authorities and governmental authorities in non-U.S. jurisdictions, as well as our own desire to adhere to best health and safety practices, to implement a number of policies and procedures that have increased our costs and added complexity and inefficiency to our manufacturing operations and all administrative and office-based functions.

Our operations are subject to anti-corruption laws, including the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and any determination that the Company or any of its subsidiaries has violated the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act could have a material adverse effect on our business.

The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), the UK Bribery Act and similar worldwide anti-corruption laws generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to government officials and others for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. Our internal policies mandate compliance with these anti-corruption laws. We operate in parts of the world that have experienced governmental corruption to some degree, and in certain circumstances, strict compliance with anti-corruption laws may conflict with local customs and practices. Despite our training and compliance programs, there can be no assurance that our internal control policies and procedures will protect us from reckless or criminal acts committed by those of our employees or agents who violate our policies.

Unauthorized access to personal data could give rise to liabilities as a result of governmental regulation, conflicting legal requirements or differing views of personal privacy rights and compliance with laws designed to prevent unauthorized access of personal data could be costly.

AstroNova collects and stores certain data, including proprietary business information, and may have access to confidential or personal information that is subject to privacy and security laws, regulations and customer-imposed controls. Security breaches or other unauthorized access to, or the use or transmission of, personal user information could result in a variety of claims against us, including privacy-related claims. There are numerous federal, state, local, and international laws and regulations regarding privacy and the storage, sharing, use, processing, disclosure and protection of this kind of information, the scope of which are changing, inconsistent and conflicting and subject to differing interpretations.

We also expect that there will continue to be new laws, regulations, and industry standards concerning privacy, data protection, and information security proposed and enacted in various jurisdictions. For example, in 2016 the European Commission adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), a comprehensive privacy and data protection reform that became effective in May 2018. The GDPR, which is applicable to all companies processing data of European Union residents, imposes significant fines and sanctions for violations. Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 , which was enacted in June 2018 and came into effect

 

17

on January 1, 2020, provides a new private right of action for data breaches and requires companies that process information on California residents to make new disclosures to consumers about their data collection, use and sharing practices and allow consumers to opt out of certain data sharing with third parties.

Additionally, other jurisdictions have enacted or are enacting data localization laws that require data generated in or relating to the residents of those jurisdictions to be physically stored within those jurisdictions. In many cases, these laws and regulations apply not only to transfers between unrelated third parties but also to transfers between the Company and its subsidiaries. All of these evolving compliance and operational requirements impose significant costs that are likely to increase over time.

While we continue to assess these requirements and the ways they may impact the conduct of our business, we believe that we materially comply with applicable laws and industry codes of conduct relating to privacy and data protection. There is no assurance that we will not be subject to claims that we have violated applicable laws or codes of conduct, that we will be able to successfully defend against such claims or that we will not be subject to significant fines and penalties in the event we are found not to be in compliance with such laws or codes of conduct.

Any failure or perceived failure by us (or any third parties with whom we have contracted to store such information) to comply with applicable privacy and security laws, policies or related contractual obligations or any compromise of security that results in unauthorized access to personal information may result in governmental enforcement actions, significant fines, litigation, claims of breach of contract and indemnity by third parties and adverse publicity. In the case of such an event, our reputation may be harmed, we could lose current and potential users and the competitive positions of our various brands could be diminished, any or all of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may record future impairment charges, which could materially adversely impact our results of operations.

We test our goodwill balances annually, or more frequently if indicators are present or changes in circumstances suggest that impairment may exist. We assess goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level and, in evaluating the potential for impairment of goodwill, we make assumptions regarding estimated revenue projections, growth rates, cash flows and discount rates. We monitor the key drivers of fair value to detect events or other changes that would warrant an interim impairment test of our goodwill and intangible assets. Relatively small declines in the future performance and cash flows of a reporting unit or asset group, changes in our reporting units or in the structure of our business as a result of future reorganizations, acquisitions or divestitures of assets or businesses, or small changes in other key assumptions, may result in the recognition of significant asset impairment charges, which could have a material adverse impact on our results of operations.

We also review our long-lived assets including property, plant and equipment, and other intangibles assets for impairment when events or changes in circumstances indicate the carrying value may not be recoverable. Factors we consider, whether as result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the 737 MAX grounding or otherwise, include significant under-performance relative to expected historical or projected future operating results, significant negative industry or economic trends and our market capitalization relative to net book value. We may be required in the future to record a significant charge to earnings in our financial statements during the period in which any impairment of our long-lived assets is determined. Such charges could have a significant adverse impact on our results of operations and our financial condition.

Inadequate self-insurance accruals or insurance coverage for employee health care benefits, could have an adverse effect on our business, financial results or financial condition.

In the U.S., we maintain an employee health insurance coverage plan on a self-insured basis backed by stop-loss coverage which sets a limit on our liability for both individual and aggregate claim costs. We record expenses based on actual claims incurred and estimates of the costs of expected claims, administrative costs, and stop-loss insurance premiums.

 

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We record a liability for our estimated cost of U.S. claims incurred and unpaid as of each balance sheet date. Our estimated liability is recorded on an undiscounted basis and is based on historical trends. Our history of claims activity is closely monitored, and liabilities are adjusted as warranted based on changing circumstances. It is possible, however, that our actual liabilities may exceed our estimates of loss. We may also experience an unexpectedly large number of claims that result in costs or liabilities in excess of our projections, which could cause us to record additional expenses, which could adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flow. We believe, that the liabilities we have recorded to date will be sufficient to provide for losses we may incur due to increased COVID-19 related employee health care insurance costs. However, the ultimate amount of these costs cannot be estimated at this time, and a prolonged period of spread of the disease could further increase our costs and liabilities, the impact of which may be material.

Changes in accounting standards and subjective assumptions, estimates, and judgments by management related to complex accounting matters could significantly affect our financial results or financial condition.

Generally accepted accounting principles and related accounting pronouncements, implementation guidelines, and interpretations with regard to a wide range of matters that are relevant to our business, such as revenue recognition, asset impairment and fair value determinations, inventories, business combinations and intangible asset valuations, leases, and litigation, are highly complex and involve many subjective assumptions, estimates and judgments. Changes in these rules or their interpretation or changes in underlying assumptions, estimates, or judgments could significantly change our reported or expected financial performance or financial condition.

Compliance with rules governing “conflict minerals” could adversely affect the availability of certain product components and our costs and results of operations could be materially harmed.

SEC rules require disclosures regarding the use of “conflict minerals” mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries necessary to the functionality or production of products manufactured or contracted to be manufactured. We have determined that we use gold, tin and tantalum, each of which is considered a “conflict mineral” under the SEC rules, as they occur in electronic components supplied to us in the manufacture of our products. Because of this finding, we are required to conduct inquiries designed to determine whether any of the conflict minerals contained in our products originated or may have originated in the conflict region or come from recycled or scrap sources. There are costs associated with complying with these disclosure requirements, including performing due diligence in regards to the source of any conflict minerals used in our products, in addition to the cost of remediation or other changes to products, processes or services of supplies that may be necessary as a consequence of such verification activities. As we use contract manufacturers for some of our products, we may not be able to sufficiently verify the origins of the relevant minerals used in our products through the due diligence procedures that we implement. We may also encounter challenges to satisfy those customers who require that all of the components of our products be certified as conflict-free, which could place us at a competitive disadvantage if we are unable to do so. As a result, our business, operating results and financial condition could be harmed.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments

None.

 

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Item 2. Properties

The following table sets forth information regarding the Company’s principal owned properties, all of which are included in the consolidated balance sheet appearing elsewhere in this annual report.

 

Location		Approximate Square Footage				Principal Use
West Warwick, Rhode Island, United States			135,500			Corporate headquarters, research and development, manufacturing, sales and service

AstroNova also leases facilities in various other locations. The following information pertains to each location:

 

Location		Approximate Square Footage				Principal Use
Dietzenbach, Germany			18,630			Manufacturing, sales and service
Copenhagen, Denmark			4,800			R&D, sales and service
Brossard, Quebec, Canada			4,500			Manufacturing, sales and service
Elancourt, France			4,150			Sales and service
Schaumburg, Illinois, United States			3,428			Sales (Product Identification only)
Irvine, California, United States			3,100			Sales (Product Identification only)
Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia			2,067			Sales (Product Identification only)
Mexico City, Mexico			1,023			Sales (Product Identification only)
Maidenhead, England			1,021			Sales and service
Shanghai, China			461			Sales (Product Identification only)

We believe our facilities are well maintained, in good operating condition and generally adequate to meet our needs for the foreseeable future.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings

We are not a party to any pending, material legal proceedings. However, because of the nature of our business, we may be subject in the future to lawsuits or other claims, including those pertaining to product liability, patent infringement, commercial, employment, employee benefits, environmental and stockholder matters.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

 

20

PART II

 

Item 5.

Market for the Registrant’s Common Stock, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

AstroNova common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Market under the symbol “ALOT.”

AstroNova had approximately 252 shareholders of record as of April 3, 2020, which does not reflect shareholders with beneficial ownership in shares held in nominee name.

Stock Repurchases

During the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020, the Company made the following repurchases of its common stock:

 

		Total Number of Shares Repurchased				Average Price paid Per Share				Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced  Plans or Programs				Maximum Number of Shares That May Be Purchased Under the  Plans or Programs
November 1 – November 30			—				—				—				—
December 1 – December 31			—				—				—				—
January 1 – January 31			1,870	(a)			12.71	(a)			—				—

(a) An executive of the company delivered 1,870 shares of the Company’s common stock toward the satisfaction of taxes due in connection with the vesting of restricted shares. The shares delivered were valued at a market value of $12.71 per share and are included with treasury stock in the consolidated balance sheet.

 

21

Item 6. Selected Financial Data

Historical Financial Summary

Income Statement Data

 

(In thousands, except per share data)		For the Fiscal Years Ended January 31,
		2020				2019				2018				2017				2016
Revenue		$	133,446			$	136,657			$	113,401			$	98,448			$	94,658
Gross profit			48,758				53,999				44,002				39,489				38,158
Operating income			2,433				8,720				5,412				6,281				5,934
Income before taxes			1,370				7,308				5,157				6,605				6,909
Net income		$	1,759			$	5,730			$	3,286			$	4,228			$	4,525
Net Income per Common Share—Basic		$	0.25			$	0.83			$	0.48			$	0.57			$	0.62
Net income per Common Share—Diluted		$	0.24			$	0.81			$	0.47			$	0.56			$	0.61
Dividends Declared per Common Share		$	0.28			$	0.28			$	0.28			$	0.28			$	0.28
Balance Sheet Data   (In thousands)		As of January 31,
		2020				2019				2018				2017				2016
Cash and Marketable Securities		$	4,249			$	7,534			$	11,688			$	24,821			$	20,419
Current Assets			60,151				62,608				62,948				61,423				54,514
Total assets			116,664				118,983				122,313				83,665				77,963
Revolving Credit Facility			6,500				1,500				—				—				—
Current liabilities			26,767				24,665				25,912				11,985				9,548
Debt, including short term portion			13,034				18,242				23,372				—				—
Shareholders’ equity		$	71,375			$	69,775			$	63,647			$	70,537			$	67,373

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Overview

AstroNova is a multi-national enterprise that leverages its proprietary data visualization technologies to design, develop, manufacture, distribute and service a broad range of products that acquire, store, analyze and present data in multiple formats. The Company organizes its structure around a core set of competencies, including research and development, manufacturing, service, marketing and distribution. We market and sell our products and services through the following two segments:

 

•

Product Identification (“PI”) – offers color and monochromatic digital label printers, over-printers and custom OEM printers. PI also offers software to design, manage and print labeling and packaging images locally and across networked printing systems, as well as all related printing supplies such as pressure sensitive labels, tags, inks, toners and thermal transfer ribbons used by digital printers. PI also provides on-site and remote service, spare parts and various service contracts.

 

•

Test and Measurement (“T&M”) – offers a suite of products and services that acquire data from local and networked data streams and sensors as well as wired and wireless networks. The acquired data is processed and analyzed and then stored and presented in various visual output formats. The T&M segment includes a line of aerospace printers that are used to print hard copies of data required for the safe and efficient operation of aircraft including navigation maps, clearances, arrival and departure procedures, flight itineraries, weather maps, performance data, passenger data, and various air traffic control data. Aerospace products also include Ethernet switches which are used in military aircraft and military vehicles to connect multiple computers or Ethernet devices.

 

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The Company markets and sells its products and services globally through a diverse distribution structure of direct sales personnel, manufacturers’ representatives and authorized dealers that deliver a full complement of branded products and services to customers in our respective markets. Our growth strategy centers on organic growth through product innovation made possible by research and development initiatives, as well as strategic acquisitions that fit into or complement existing core businesses. In fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, revenue from customers in various geographic areas outside the United States, primarily in Western Europe, Canada and Asia, amounted to $49.8 million, $53.0 million and $43.6 million, respectively.

We maintain an active program of product research and development. During fiscal 2020, 2019 and 2018, we spent $8.1 million, $7.8 million and $7.5 million, respectively, on Company-sponsored product development. We are committed to continuous product development as essential to our organic growth and expect to continue our focus on research and development efforts in fiscal 2020 and beyond.

We also continue to invest in sales and marketing initiatives by expanding the existing sales force and using various marketing campaigns to achieve our goals of sales growth and increased profitability notwithstanding the challenging economic environment.

In fiscal 2018, AstroNova entered into an Asset Purchase and License Agreement (“Honeywell Agreement”) with Honeywell International, Inc. (“Honeywell”) pursuant to which, the Company acquired the exclusive perpetual world-wide license to manufacture Honeywell’s narrow format flight deck printers for the Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 aircraft.

In March 2019 all major civil aviation authorities worldwide grounded the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft for safety reasons. In April 2019 Boeing reduced the number of aircraft produced per month from 52 to 42, and in January 2020, Boeing ceased production of the 737 MAX completely. AstroNova manufactures all three certified printer models in the Boeing catalog for the 737 MAX. The printer on the 737 MAX is buyer furnished equipment (BFE), which means the aircraft purchaser can choose which printer to have installed in the aircraft. Because the printer is BFE the purchaser of the aircraft purchases the printer directly from AstroNova and AstroNova delivers it to Boeing for installation on their aircraft. In some cases, a 737 MAX purchaser may choose to have the aircraft delivered without a printer. In such cases a printer can be added to the aircraft after delivery. Our records indicate that the vast majority of new 737 MAX of aircraft are delivered with one of our printers installed by Boeing. In addition to the drop off in orders for new aircraft printers, the 737 MAX grounding has negatively impacted our overall 737 printer upgrade business because operators have fewer available aircraft, so they are not in a position to take older model 737s out of service for upgrades. The grounding of the 737 MAX aircraft has also resulted in a reduced demand for aviation printer paper. These factors, in combination, had a material adverse impact on our revenues and profitability for fiscal 2020. At this time, it is not known when the Boeing 737 MAX will be certified for return to service, and it is also not known when Boeing will resume manufacturing and delivery. We expect that when manufacturing and delivery schedules are known, customers will begin to order printers from us for those aircraft. We also expect that the adverse impact on our revenue and profitability will continue until customer demand recovers. At this time, we believe that the demand for this aircraft will ultimately recover and further grow and we are making our operating decisions on that basis.

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced that COVID-19, a respiratory illness, caused by a novel coronavirus is a pandemic. COVID-19 has spread to many of the countries in which we, our customers, our suppliers and our other business partners conduct business. Governments in affected regions have implemented, and may continue to implement, safety precautions which include quarantines, travel restrictions, business closures, cancellations of public gatherings and other measures as they deem necessary. Many organizations and individuals, including the Company and its employees are taking additional steps to avoid or reduce infection, including limiting travel and staying home from work. These measures are disrupting normal business operations both in and outside of affected areas and have had significant negative impacts on businesses and financial markets worldwide.

We continue to monitor our operations and government recommendations and have made modifications to our normal operations because of the COVID-19 outbreak, including requiring most non-production related team

 

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members to work remotely. We have maintained a substantial portion of our manufacturing operational capacity at our primary manufacturing facilities located in West Warwick, Rhode Island, as well as in our manufacturing facilities in Canada and Germany, at this time, and we have instituted heightened cleaning and sanitization standards and several health and safety protocols and procedures to safeguard our team members.

The COVID-19 outbreak has caused the Company to experience a number of adverse impacts, including reductions in demand for its products, delays and cancellations of orders for its products, difficulties in obtaining raw materials and components for its products, shortages of labor to manufacture products, inefficiencies caused by remote worker’s difficulties in performing their normal work outputs, closures of the facilities of some of its suppliers and customers, delays in collecting accounts receivable. Disruptions in the capital markets as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak may also adversely affect the Company if these impacts continue for a prolonged period and the Company needs additional liquidity.

The rapid development and uncertainty of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic precludes any prediction as to the ultimate adverse impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Company’s business. However, COVID-19 and the measures taken to contain it present material uncertainty and risk with respect to the Company’s performance and financial results. In particular, the aerospace industry, which the Company serves through its aerospace printer product line, has been significantly disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, both inside and outside of the United States. The decline in air travel and the impact of that decline on demand for our products from our airplane manufacturing customers, the airlines to which we sell directly and through the manufacturers, and the repair and overhaul market and the market for the paper consumed in the printers, could have a material adverse impact on the company’s financial results.

We have reduced direct labor staffing levels in our aerospace manufacturing operations modestly, but the bulk of our expenses related to the aerospace product lines business will be unchanged because of the continued need to support our customers, and to provide the required sales, engineering, quality, and regulatory compliance and audit activities (among others) necessary to support the rest of the aerospace product line business.

Results of Operations

Fiscal 2020 compared to Fiscal 2019

The following table presents the revenue of each of the Company’s segments, as well as the percentage of total revenue and change from the prior year.

 

($ in thousands)		2020												2019
		Revenue				As a % of Total Revenue				% Change Over Prior Year				Revenue				As a % of Total Revenue
Product Identification		$	88,116				66.0	%			1.5	%		$	86,786				63.5	%
T&M			45,330				34.0	%			(9.1	)%			49,871				36.5	%
Total		$	133,446				100.0	%			(2.3	)%		$	136,657				100.0	%

Net revenue in fiscal 2020 was $133.4 million, a 2.3% decrease compared to net revenue of $136.7 million for fiscal 2019. Current year revenue through domestic channels was $83.7 million, consistent with fiscal 2019 domestic revenue. International revenue of $49.8 million for fiscal 2020 decreased 6.1% compared to prior year international revenue of $53.0 million. Fiscal 2020 international revenue reflects an unfavorable foreign exchange rate impact of $1.4 million, compared to a favorable impact of $0.6 million in fiscal 2019. International revenue declined primarily due to lower sales of Product Identification supplies in Europe.

Hardware revenue in fiscal 2020 was $49.0 million, a $4.2 million, or 8.0%, decrease compared to fiscal 2019 revenue of $53.2 million. The current year decrease in hardware revenue is primarily related to the decline in the aerospace printer product lines as a result of the effects of the Boeing 737 MAX grounding. This decline of aerospace printer hardware sales in the T&M segment was offset by a modest increase in sales of data acquisition recorders and other aerospace printers. The overall decline in hardware revenue for the current year was also

 

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attributable to the decline in sales in the PI segment of certain older model QuickLabel printers such as the QL-120 and QL-800, tempered by the product launch of the new QL-300 and QL-850 printers and increased sales of the TrojanLabel printers.

Revenue from supplies in fiscal 2020 was $71.8 million, representing a $ 0.6 million, or 0.8%, increase compared to fiscal 2019 supplies revenue of $71.2 million. The dollar increase is primarily attributable to growth from Product Identification inkjet printer supplies. The current year increase in supplies revenue is tempered by older model lower thermal transfer and electrophotographic printer supplies revenue in the Quick Label product line, as well as a decline in revenue from the sale of specialized aerospace printer paper in the T&M segment.

Service and other revenue in fiscal 2020 was $12.6 million, a 3.1% increase compared to fiscal 2019 service and other revenue of $12.3 million. The current year increase is primarily due to the increase in parts sales and service revenue in the PI segment as a result of the increase in the installed base of printers. The current year increase in parts revenues in the AstroNova aerospace product line and increase in customer demand for parts in the data recorder product line in the T&M segment also contributed to the current year increase in service and other revenue.

Gross profit was $48.8 million for fiscal 2020, reflecting a 9.7% decline compared to fiscal 2019 gross profit of $54.0 million. The Company’s gross profit margin of 36.5% in fiscal 2020 reflects a decrease compared to fiscal 2019 gross profit margin of 39.5%. The lower gross profit for the current year compared to the prior year is primarily attributable to a decline in revenue as well as higher period costs and adverse product mix.

Operating expenses for the current year were $46.3 million, representing a 2.3% increase from the prior year’s operating expenses of $45.3 million. Specifically, selling and marketing expenses of $26.9 million in fiscal 2020 increased 2.1% from the prior year amount of $26.3 million. The increase in selling and marketing expenses for the current year is due primarily to increases in wages and outside services expense which were slightly offset by lower employee benefits and commission expenses. Selling and marketing expenses represent 20.1% and 19.3% of net revenue for fiscal 2020 and 2019, respectively. Current year general and administrative (“G&A”) expenses increased by 2.1% from the prior year to $11.4 million, primarily as a result of an increase in expenses for outside services and professional fees. The current year increase in G&A is partly offset by lower bonuses and share-based compensation. Research & development (“R&D”) costs in fiscal 2020 of $8.1 million increased 3.5% from $7.8 million in fiscal 2019 primarily due to an increase in outside service expenses which were partially offset by lower bonus expenses in fiscal 2020. The R&D spending level for fiscal 2020 represents 6.1% of net revenue, an increase compared to the prior year level of 5.7%.

Other expense in fiscal 2020 was $1.1 million compared to $1.4 million in fiscal 2019. Current year other expense includes interest expense on debt of $0.8 million and foreign exchange loss of $0.5 million, offset by investment and other income of $0.1 million. Other income in fiscal 2019 included interest expense on debt of $0.9 million and a foreign exchange loss of $0.7 million, offset by investment income and other of $0.2 million.

Net income for fiscal 2020 was $1.8 million, or $0.24 per diluted share, a decrease compared to $5.7 million, or $0.81 per diluted share in fiscal 2019. Prior year results were impacted by $0.1 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, in taxes as a result of the Company’s finalization of its accounting for the 2017 Tax Act. During fiscal 2020 the Company recognized a $0.4 million income tax benefit and had an effective tax rate of negative 28.4% compared to an income tax provision of $1.6 million, or a 21.6% effective tax rate for fiscal 2019. The decrease in the fiscal 2020 tax rate as compared to fiscal 2019 is primarily related to lower pre-tax income. Specific items decreasing the effective tax rate in fiscal 2020 include foreign derived intangible income, the release of ASC 740 liabilities, foreign tax credit utilization, and return to provision adjustments. This decrease was offset by valuation allowances recorded on unbenefited losses in China and on carryforward foreign tax credits expected to expire unused.

Fiscal 2019 compared to Fiscal 2018

For a comparison of our results of operations for the fiscal years ended January 31, 2019 and January 31, 2018, see “Part II, Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of

 

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Operations” of our annual report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on April 10, 2019.

Segment Analysis

We report two segments consistent with our product revenue groups: PI and T&M. Segment performance is evaluated based on the operating segment’s profit before corporate and financial administration expenses. The following table summarizes selected financial information by segment.

 

($ in thousands)		Revenue												Segment Operating Profit												Segment Operating Profit as a % of Revenue
		2020				2019				2018				2020				2019				2018				2020				2019				2018
PI		$	88,116			$	86,786			$	81,681			$	7,509			$	7,910			$	10,561				8.5	%			9.1	%			12.9	%
T&M			45,330				49,871				31,720				6,281				11,933				3,754				13.9	%			23.9	%			11.8	%
Total		$	133,446			$	136,657			$	113,401				13,790				19,843				14,315				10.3	%			14.5	%			12.6	%
Corporate Expenses															11,357				11,123				8,903
Operating Income															2,433				8,720				5,412
Other Expense, Net															(1,063	)			(1,412	)			(255	)
Income Before Income Taxes															1,370				7,308				5,157
Income Tax Provision (Benefit)															(389	)			1,578				1,871
Net Income														$	1,759			$	5,730			$	3,286

Product Identification

Revenue from the PI segment increased 1.5% in fiscal 2020 with revenue of $88.1 million compared to revenue of $86.8 million in the prior year. The current year increase is primarily attributable to growth in demand for ink jet supplies for both the QuickLabel and Trojan Label product lines. Also contributing to the increase in revenue for the current year was an increase in service and parts revenue. Hardware revenue in the PI segment declined slightly compared to the prior year; however, the segment did experience a significant revenue contribution from the introduction of QuickLabel’s new QL-300, QL-120X and QL-850 printers, as well as continued growth in revenue from sales of both QuickLabel monochromatic printers and TrojanLabel brand printers. This growth was tempered by lower sales of other inkjet color printers within the QuickLabel product group, particularly the older models, QL-120 and QL-800. PI current year segment operating profit was $7.5 million with a profit margin of 8.5%, compared to the prior year segment operating profit of $7.9 million and related profit margin of 9.1%. The decrease in current year segment operating profit and margin is primarily due to higher operating costs and unfavorable product mix.

Test & Measurement

Revenue from the T&M product group was $45.3 million for fiscal 2020, a 9.1% decrease compared to revenue of $49.9 million in the prior year. The decrease in revenue for the current year is primarily attributable to the decline in the aerospace printer product lines impacted by the Boeing 737 MAX grounding. The decline was slightly offset by an increase in the hardware product line as a result of increased sales of T&M data recorders and AstroNova aerospace printers for programs other than the 737 MAX. The T&M segment also experienced an increase in parts revenue in the aerospace product line for fiscal 2020. T&M’s current year segment operating profit was $6.3 million resulting in a 13.9% profit margin compared to the prior year segment operating profit of $11.9 million and related operating margin of 23.9%. The lower segment operating profit and related margin for the current year is due to lower revenue, adverse product mix and higher manufacturing and period costs.

 

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Liquidity and Capital Resources

Overview

Generally, our primary sources of liquidity are cash generated from operating activities and borrowings under our revolving credit facility, as described below. These sources also fund a portion of our capital expenditures and contractual contingent consideration obligations. Our level of cash and short-term financing capabilities along with cash flows from operations have historically been sufficient to meet our operating and capital needs. We believe that during the next 12 months the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to impact general economic activity and demand in our end markets, especially the Aerospace sector, to an extent that we will have to rely more heavily on external financing sources to meet our operating and capital needs. As a result of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our customers may also experience liquidity pressure and be unable to pay us for products and services on a timely basis. Conditions in the credit markets may also deteriorate and the availability of credit may be reduced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic such that we would not be able to access sufficient financing to support our operations, which would have a material adverse impact on our business. At this time, we expect that it is likely that we will violate the current terms of our credit agreement with Bank of America at the end of our first or second quarter of fiscal 2021. However, based on discussions with our lender, we expect to be able to renegotiate the terms of our credit agreement prior to any violations. If we are unable to renegotiate the terms of our credit agreement or secure alternative financing on acceptable terms, it will have a material adverse impact on the Company.

During the current year, the Company borrowed an additional $5.0 million on its revolving credit facility, and at January 31, 2020 the Company had $6.5 million of borrowings outstanding under that facility. During fiscal 2019, we converted our securities available for sale to cash. Our cash and cash equivalents at January 31, 2020, were $4.2 million and we had $11.0 million remaining available for borrowing under our revolving credit facility.

In April 2020, the Company applied for a loan in the amount of approximately $4.4 million from Bank of America, N.A. pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program administered by the United States Small Business Administration and authorized by the Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, enacted on March 27, 2020. There can be no assurance that the Company will receive any or all of the requested loan proceeds under this program.

Indebtedness

The Company and the Company’s wholly owned Danish subsidiaries, ANI ApS and TrojanLabel ApS (collectively, the “Parties”), are parties to a credit agreement (“Credit Agreement”) with Bank of America, N.A. The Credit Agreement and its subsequent amendments through fiscal 2019 provided for a secured credit facility consisting of a term loan to ANI ApS in the principal amount of $9.2 million, a term loan to the Company in the principal amount of $15.0 million and a $10.0 million revolving credit facility for the Company. On December 9, 2019, the Parties entered into a Fourth Amendment (the “Fourth Amendment”) to the Credit Agreement. The Fourth Amendment amended the Credit Agreement to, among other things, (i) increase the aggregate amount available for borrowings under the revolving line of credit prior to November 1, 2020 from $10.0 million to $17.5 million through the second quarter of fiscal 2021 and (ii) modify the financial covenants with which the Company must comply thereunder by excluding certain capital expenditures from the calculation of the Company’s consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio, providing that the minimum consolidated fixed charge coverage ratio covenant will be suspended through the second quarter of fiscal 2021, and adding a minimum consolidated EBITDA covenant commencing with the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020 and continuing through the second quarter of fiscal 2021.

Both term loans bear interest at a rate per annum equal to the LIBOR rate plus a margin that varies within a range of 1.0% to 1.5% based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio.

In connection with our entry into the Credit Agreement, ANI ApS entered into a hedging agreement to manage the variable interest rate risk and currency risk associated with its payments in respect to the term loan.

 

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Under this combined arrangement, payments of principal and interest with respect to approximately $8.9 million of the principal of the term loan will be made in Danish Kroner, and interest on such principal amount will be payable at a fixed rate of 0.67% per annum for the entire term, subject only to potential changes based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio. Additionally, the Company entered into a hedging agreement to manage the variable interest rate risk associated with its payments with respect to the $15.0 million term loan. Under this combined arrangement, interest will be payable at a fixed rate of 2.04% per annum for the entire term, plus an incremental margin of 1.0% to 1.5%, based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio.

Revolving credit loans may be borrowed, at the Company’s option, in U.S. Dollars or, subject to certain conditions, Euros, British Pounds, Canadian Dollars or Danish Kroner. Amounts borrowed under the revolving credit facility bear interest at a rate per annum equal to, at the Company’s option, either (a) the LIBOR rate (or, in the case of revolving credit loans denominated in a currency other than U.S. Dollars, the applicable quoted rate), plus a margin that varies within a range of 1.0% to 1.5% based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio, or (b) a fluctuating reference rate equal to the highest of (i) the federal funds’ rate plus 0.50%, (ii) Bank of America’s publicly announced prime rate or (iii) the LIBOR rate plus 1.00%, plus a margin that varies within a range of 0.0% to 0.5% based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio. The Company is required to pay a commitment fee on the undrawn portion of the revolving credit facility at the rate of 0.25% per annum. Outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit line during fiscal 2020 bore interest at a weighted average annual rate of 4.81% and the Company has incurred $0.5 million of interest expense for revolving credit line borrowings for the year ended January 31, 2020.

The obligations of ANI ApS in respect of the $9.2 million term loan are guaranteed by the Company and TrojanLabel ApS. The Company’s obligations in respect of the $15.0 million term loan, revolving credit facility and its guarantee in respect of the ANI ApS term loan are secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company (including a pledge of a portion of the equity interests held by the Company in ANI ApS and the Company’s wholly-owned German subsidiary, AstroNova GmbH), subject to certain exceptions.

The Lender is entitled to accelerate repayment of the loans and to terminate its revolving credit commitment under the Credit Agreement upon the occurrence of any of various customary events of default.

The Parties must comply with various customary financial and non-financial covenants under the Credit Agreement.

As of January 31, 2020, the Company believes it is in compliance with all of the covenants in the Credit Agreement.

Cash Flow

The statements of cash flows for the years ended January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 are included on page 49 of this Form 10-K. Net cash provided by operating activities was $3.2 million in fiscal 2020 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $5.0 million in the previous year. The decrease in net cash provided by operations for the current year is primarily due to a decrease in net income of $4.0 million partially offset by a decrease in cash used for working capital of $2.1 million from fiscal 2019. The changes in accounts receivable, inventory, income taxes, accounts payable and accrued expenses for the current year decreased cash by $4.8 million in fiscal compared to $6.9 million the prior year.

The accounts receivable balance decreased to $19.8 million at January 31, 2020, compared to $23.5 at January 31, 2019. The $3.7 million decrease in the accounts receivable balance is directly related to the decrease in sales for the fourth quarter of the current year to $30.5 million from $37.2 million in the prior year.

The year-end inventory balance increased to $33.9 million at January 31, 2020. versus $30.2 million at January 31, 2019 and the days inventory on hand increased to 151 days at the end of fiscal 2020 as compared to 120 days at the end of the fiscal 2019. The current period increase in inventory and related days on hand is due to lower-than-forecasted sales, as well as a buildup of inventory for new product launches in our Product

 

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Identification segment and build-up of safety stock to fulfill requirements related to the transitioning of certain aerospace customers as a result of the Honeywell Agreement. Also contributing to the inventory increase were delayed shipments to customers in both segments that were subsequently shipped after year end and last-time buy parts and safety stock increases in the T&M segment.

Net cash provided by operating activities was $5.0 million in fiscal 2019 compared to net cash provided by operating activities of $3.7 million in the previous year. The increase in net cash provided by operations for fiscal year 2019 is primarily due to an increase in net income of $2.4 million, an increase in non-cash amortization related to the Honeywell acquisition partially offset by the payment of the prior year’s accrued expenses to Honeywell under the TSA agreement.

The accounts receivable balance was $23.5 million at the end of fiscal year 2019 compared to $22.4 million at the end of fiscal 2018, although the collection cycle decreased to 49 days compared to 55 days at year end. The inventory balance increased to $30.2 million at the end of fiscal 2019, compared to $27.6 million at the end of fiscal 2018 with the inventory days on hand decreasing to 120 days at the end of the current year from 124 days at the prior year end.

Net cash used by investing activities for fiscal 2020 was $2.9 million for capital expenditures, consisting of $0.4 million for land and building improvements; $1.9 million for information technology; $0.2 million for machinery and equipment; $0.2 million for tools and dies; and $0.2 million for furniture, fixtures and other capital expenditures.

Net cash used by investing activities for fiscal 2019 was $1.5 million, which included $2.6 million for capital expenditures, consisting of $0.1 million for land and building improvements; $1.5 million for information technology; $0.7 million for machinery and equipment; $0.2 million for tools and dies; and $0.1 million for furniture, fixtures and other capital expenditures. Cash used for investments in fiscal 2019 was partially offset by $1.5 million of proceeds from sales and maturities of securities available for sale.

Net cash used by investing activities for fiscal 2018 was $20.8 million, which included $23.9 million of cash paid for the TrojanLabel acquisition and the Honeywell Agreement, partially offset by $5.5 million of proceeds from sales and maturities of securities available for sale. Cash used for investing activities for fiscal 2018 included capital expenditures of $2.2 million, consisting of $0.7 million for land and building improvements; $0.7 million for information technology; $0.5 million for machinery and equipment; $0.2 million for tools and dies; and $0.1 million for furniture, fixtures and other capital expenditures.

Net cash used by financing activities for fiscal 2020 was $3.7 million, consisting primarily of principal payments on long-term debt of $5.2 million and the guaranteed royalty obligation of $1.9 million. Cash used for financing was partially offset by borrowings of $5.0 million on the Company’s revolving credit facility in fiscal 2020. The Company did not repurchase any shares of its common stock in fiscal 2020. Cash provided or used by financing activities also included cash used to pay dividends of $2.0 million in fiscal 2020 and $1.9 million in both fiscal 2019 and 2018.

Net cash used by financing activities for fiscal 2019 was $6.1 million, primarily as a result of principal payments of $5.1 million on long-term debt, $1.5 million on the Company’s revolving credit facility and $1.6 million on the guaranteed royalty obligations. Cash used for financing was partially offset by borrowings of $3.0 million on the Company’s revolving credit facility in fiscal 2019. The Company did not repurchase any shares of its common stock in fiscal 2019.

Net cash provided by financing activities for fiscal 2018 was $9.1 million and includes $24.2 million of proceeds related to the issuance of debt under the Company’s credit facility with Bank of America. Offsetting the cash provided by financing activities in fiscal 2018 was $11.2 million of cash used to repurchase 826,305 shares of the Company’s common stock at a per share price of $13.60. The purchase of these shares was from a trust established by the former founder and chief executive officer of the Company and did not impact the shares authorized for future purchases as part of the Company’s stock buyback program.

 

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Contractual Obligations, Commitments and Contingencies

At January 31, 2020, the Company’s contractual obligations with initial remaining terms in excess of one year were as follows:

 

(In thousands)		Total				Less than 1 Year				1-3 Years				3-5 Years				More than 5 Years
Purchase Commitments (1)		$	22,380			$	21,216			$	1,164			$	—			$	—
Debt			13,034				5,208				7,826				—				—
Interest on Debt (2)			2,124				586				1,295				243				—
Royalty Obligation (3)			10,012				2,000				3,402				2,643				1,967
Excess Royalty Obligation (4)			773				773				—				—				—
Operating Lease Obligations			1,905				416				658				442				389
		$	50,228			$	30,199			$	14,345			$	3,328			$	2,356

 

(1)	Purchase obligations include undiscounted amounts committed under legally enforceable contracts or purchase orders for goods and services with defined terms as to price, quantity and delivery dates.

(2)	Interest rate on variable rate debt is provided at the effective fixed rate paid by the Company per the hedging arrangements plus the maximum additional margin payable based on the Company’s consolidated leverage ratio of 1.5%.

(3)

The Company is subject to a guaranteed minimum royalty payment obligation over the next ten years pursuant to the Honeywell Asset Purchase and License Agreement. Refer to Note 9, “Royalty Obligation” in the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for further details.

(4)

The Company is subject to excess royalty payments beyond the guaranteed minimum royalty obligation pursuant to the Honeywell Asset Purchase & License Agreement. Refer to Note 9, “Royalty Obligation,” in the audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report for further details.

The Company is also subject to contingencies, including legal proceedings and claims arising out of its businesses that cover a wide range of matters, such as: contract and employment claims; workers compensation claims; product liability claims; warranty claims; and claims related to modification, adjustment or replacement of component parts of units sold. While it is impossible to ascertain the ultimate legal and financial liability with respect to contingent liabilities, including lawsuits, we believe that the aggregate amount of such liabilities, if any, in excess of amounts provided or covered by insurance, will not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position or results of operations. It is possible, however, that results of operations for any future period could be materially affected by changes in our assumptions or strategies related to these contingencies or changes out of the Company’s control.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations are based upon the Company’s consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States. Certain of our accounting policies require the application of judgment in selecting the appropriate assumptions for calculating financial estimates. By their nature, these judgments are subject to an inherent degree of uncertainty. We periodically evaluate the judgments and estimates used for our critical accounting policies to ensure that such judgments and estimates are reasonable for our interim and year-end reporting requirements. These judgments and estimates are based on the Company’s historical experience, current trends and information available from other sources, as appropriate. If different conditions result from those assumptions used in our judgments, the results could be materially different from our estimates. We believe the following critical accounting policies require significant judgments and estimates in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements:

Revenue Recognition: Effective February 1, 2018, we adopted Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-9, Revenue from Contracts with Customers and the related amendments (also referred to as

 

30

Topic 606) using the modified retrospective method. Topic 606 was applied to all contracts within the scope of Topic 606 as of the February 1, 2018 adoption date. Under ASC Topic 606, based on the nature of our contracts and consistent with prior practice, we recognize most of our revenue upon shipment, which is when the performance obligation has been satisfied. Accordingly, the adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on our revenue recognition and there was no cumulative effective adjustment as of February 1, 2018 as a result of the adoption of ASC Topic 606.

Our accounting policies relating to the recognition of revenue under Topic 606 require management to make estimates, determinations and judgments based on historical experience and on various other assumptions, which include (i) the existence of a contract with the customer, (ii) the identification of the performance obligations in the contract, (iii) the value of any variable consideration in the contract, (iv) the stand alone selling price of multiple obligations in the contract, for the purpose of allocating the consideration in the contract, and (v) determining when a performance obligation has been met. Recognition of revenue based on incorrect judgments, including the identification of performance obligation arrangements as well as the pattern of delivery for those services, could result in inappropriate recognition of revenue, or incorrect timing of revenue recognition, which could have a material effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

We recognize revenue for non-recurring engineering (NRE) fees, as necessary, for product modification orders upon completion of agreed-upon milestones. Revenue is deferred for any amounts received prior to completion of milestones. Certain of our NRE arrangements include formal customer acceptance provisions. In such cases, we determine whether we have obtained customer acceptance for the specific milestone before recognizing revenue.

Infrequently, the Company receives requests from customers to hold product being purchased from us for the customers’ convenience. We recognize revenue for such bill and hold arrangements in accordance with the guidance provided by Topic 606, which requires the transaction to meet the following criteria in order to determine that the customer has obtained control: (a) the reason for the bill and hold is substantive, (b) the product has separately been identified as belonging to the customer, (c) the product is currently ready for physical transfer to the customer, and (d) the Company does not have the ability to use the product or direct it to another customer.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts: Accounts receivable consists primarily of receivables from our customers arising from the sale of our products. We actively monitor our exposure to credit risk through the use of credit approvals and credit limits. Accounts receivable is presented net of reserves for doubtful accounts.

We estimate the collectability of our receivables and establish allowances for accounts receivable that we estimate to be uncollectible. We base these allowances on our historical collection experience, the length of time our accounts receivable are outstanding and the financial condition of individual customers. In situations where we are aware of a specific customer’s inability to meet its financial obligation, such as in the case of a bankruptcy filing, we assess the need for a specific reserve for bad debts. We believe that our procedure for estimating such amounts are reasonable and historically have not resulted in material adjustments in subsequent periods. Bad debt expense was less than 1% of net sales in each of fiscal 2020 and 2019.

Warranty Claims: The Company offers warranties on some of its products. The Company establishes a reserve for estimated costs of warranties at the time the product revenue is recognized. This reserve requires us to make estimates regarding the amounts necessary to settle future and existing claims using historical data on products sold as of the balance sheet date. The length of the warranty period, the product’s failure rates, and the customer’s usage affect estimated warranty cost. If actual warranty costs differ from the Company’s estimated amounts, future results of operations could be affected adversely. Warranty cost is recorded as cost of revenue, and the reserve balance recorded as an accrued expense. While the Company maintains product quality programs and processes, its warranty obligation is affected by product failure rates and the related corrective costs. If actual product failure rates and/or corrective costs differ from the estimates, the Company revises its estimated warranty liability accordingly.

 

31

Inventories: Inventories are stated at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or net realizable value. The process for evaluating and recording obsolete and excess inventory provisions consists of analyzing the inventory supply on hand and estimating the net realizable value of the inventory based on historical experience, current business conditions and anticipated future revenue. We believe that our procedures for estimating such amounts are reasonable and historically have not resulted in material adjustments in subsequent periods when the estimates are adjusted to actual experience.

Income Taxes: A valuation allowance is established when it is “more-likely-than-not” that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized. A review of all available positive and negative evidence must be considered, including our performance, the market environment in which we operate, length of carryforward periods, existing revenue backlog and future revenue projections. If actual factors and conditions differ materially from the estimates made by management, the actual realization of the net deferred tax assets or liabilities could vary materially from the amounts previously recorded. At January 31, 2020, the Company has provided valuation allowances for future tax benefits resulting from certain domestic R&D tax credits, foreign tax credit carryforwards, and net operating loss carryforwards in China, all of which could expire unused.

The calculation of tax liabilities involves significant judgment in estimating the impact of uncertainties in the application of complex tax laws and regulations in a multitude of jurisdictions. Although guidance on the accounting for uncertain income taxes prescribes the use of a recognition and measurement model, the determination of whether an uncertain tax position has met those thresholds will continue to require significant judgment by management. If the ultimate resolution of tax uncertainties is different from what we have estimated, our income tax expense could be materially impacted.

On December 22, 2017, the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“Tax Act”) was enacted into law in the U.S. and the new legislation contains several key tax provisions that affected us, including a one-time mandatory transition tax on accumulated foreign earnings and a reduction of the corporate income tax rate to 21% effective January 1, 2018, among others. We are required to recognize the effect of the tax law changes in the period of enactment, such as determining the transition tax, remeasuring our U.S. deferred tax assets and liabilities as well as reassessing the net realizability of our deferred tax assets and liabilities. In December 2017, the SEC staff issued Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 118, Income Tax Accounting Implications of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (“SAB 118”), which allows us to record provisional amounts during a measurement period not to extend beyond one year of the enactment date. All accounting under SAB 118 was finalized during the quarter ending January 31, 2019 with no material changes from the provisional amounts previously recorded.

Intangible and Long-Lived Assets: Long-lived assets, such as definite-lived intangible assets and property, plant and equipment, are reviewed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of such assets may not be recoverable. Determination of recoverability is based on an estimate of undiscounted future cash flows resulting from the use of the asset and its eventual disposition. If the projected undiscounted cash flows are less than the carrying value, then an impairment charge would be recorded for the excess of the carrying value over the fair value, which is determined by the discounting of future cash flows.

Goodwill: Goodwill is tested for impairment at the reporting unit. A reporting unit is an operating segment or a business unit one level below an operating segment if discrete financial information for that business is prepared and regularly reviewed by segment management. However, components within an operating segment are aggregated as a single reporting unit if they have similar economic characteristics. Management evaluates the recoverability of goodwill annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances, such as declines in revenue, earnings or cash flows, or material adverse changes in the business climate, indicate that the carrying value of an asset might be impaired. Goodwill is first qualitatively assessed to determine whether it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value. Factors that management considers in this assessment include macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, overall financial performance (both current and projected), changes in management and strategy and changes in the composition or carrying amount of net assets. If this qualitative assessment indicates that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying value, then a quantitative assessment is required for the reporting unit. The quantitative assessment compares the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying value. We

 

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estimate the fair value of our reporting units using the income approach based upon a discounted cash flow model. We believe that this approach is appropriate because it provides a fair value estimate based upon the reporting unit’s expected long-term operating cash flow performance. In addition, we use the market approach, which compares the reporting unit to publicly traded companies and transactions involving similar business, to support the conclusions based upon the income approach. The income approach requires the use of many assumptions and estimates including future revenue, expenses, capital expenditures, and working capital, as well as discount factors and income tax rates. If the fair value of the reporting unit exceeds the carrying value of the net assets including goodwill assigned to that unit, goodwill is not impaired. If the carrying value of the reporting unit’s net assets including goodwill exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, then we record an impairment charge based on that difference.

Self-Insurance Liability Accrual: We maintain self-insured group medical and dental programs for qualifying employees and maintain stop-loss coverage from a third party which limits our exposure to large claims. We record a liability associated with these benefits that includes an estimate of both claims filed and losses incurred but not yet reported based on historical claims experience. In estimating this accrual, we utilize an independent third-party broker to estimate of expected losses, which are based on analyses of historical data. Our assumptions are closely monitored and adjusted when warranted by changing circumstances. Should claims occur or medical costs increase in greater amounts than we have expected, accruals may not be sufficient, and we may record additional expenses.

Share-Based Compensation: Share-based compensation expense is measured based on the estimated fair value of the share-based award when granted and is recognized as an expense over the requisite service period (generally the vesting period of the equity grant). We have estimated the fair value of each option on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. Our estimate of share-based compensation requires several complex and subjective assumptions including our stock price volatility, employee exercise patterns (expected life of the options), the risk-free interest rate and the Company’s dividend yield. The stock price volatility assumption is based on the historical weekly price data of our common stock over a period equivalent to the weighted-average expected life of our options. Management evaluated whether there were factors during that period which were unusual and would distort the volatility figure if used to estimate future volatility and concluded that there were no such factors. In determining the expected life of the option grants, the Company has observed the actual terms of prior grants with similar characteristics and the actual vesting schedule of the grants and assessed the expected risk tolerance of different option groups. The risk-free interest rate used in the model is based on the actual U.S. Treasury zero coupon rates for bonds matching the expected term of the option as of the option grant date. The dividend assumption is based upon the prior year’s average dividend yield. No compensation expense is recognized for options that are forfeited for which the employee does not render the requisite service. Our accounting for share-based compensation for restricted stock awards (RSA) and restricted stock units (RSU) is also based on the fair value method. The fair value of the RSUs and RSAs is based on the closing market price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. Reductions in compensation expense associated with forfeited awards are estimated at the date of grant, and this estimated forfeiture rate is adjusted periodically based on actual forfeiture experience.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Reference is made to Note 1 of our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this report.

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk

We have exposure to financial market risks, including changes in foreign currency exchange rates and interest rates.

 

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Financial Exchange Risk

The functional currencies of our foreign subsidiaries and branches are the local currencies – the British Pound in the U.K., the Canadian Dollar in Canada, the Danish Kroner in Denmark, the Chinese Yuan in China, and the Euro in France and Germany. We are exposed to foreign currency exchange risk as the functional currency financial statements of foreign subsidiaries are translated to U.S. dollars. The assets and liabilities of our foreign subsidiaries having a functional currency other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate prevailing at the balance sheet date, and at an average exchange rate for the reporting period for revenue and expense accounts. The cumulative foreign currency translation adjustment is recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive loss in shareholders’ equity. The reported results of our foreign subsidiaries will be influenced by their translation into U.S. dollars by currency movements against the U.S. dollar. Our primary currency translation exposure is related to our subsidiaries that have functional currencies denominated in Euro. A hypothetical 10% change in the rates used to translate the results of our foreign subsidiaries would result in an increase or decrease in our consolidated net income of less than $0.1 million for the year ended January 31, 2020.

Transactional exposure arises where transactions occur in currencies other than the functional currency. Transactions in foreign currencies are recorded at the exchange rate prevailing at the date of the transaction. The resulting monetary assets and liabilities are translated into the appropriate functional currency at exchange rates prevailing at the balance sheet date and the resulting gains and losses are reported as foreign exchange gain (loss) in the consolidated statements of income. Realized and unrealized foreign exchange losses resulting from transactional exposure were $0.4 million for the year ended January 31, 2020.

Interest Rate Risk

The Company has exposure to interest rate risk from its variable rate long-term debt. We entered into interest rate swaps to hedge the interest rate exposure related to our variable rate debt. Generally, the fair market value of fixed interest rate debt will increase as interest rates fall and decrease as interest rates rise. Giving effect to our interest rate swaps, if interest rates were to decrease by 50 basis points, the fair value of the Company’s debt would increase by approximately $0.1 million. If interest rates were to increase by 50 basis points, the fair value of the Company’s debt would decrease by approximately $0.1 million.

 

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Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data

The consolidated financial statements required under this item are submitted as a separate section of this report on the pages indicated at Item 15(a)(1).

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

None.

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures

Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

Our management has evaluated, under the supervision and with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this Annual Report on Form 10-K pursuant to Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer have concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective at January 31, 2020 to ensure that the information required to be disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported in a timely manner and (2) accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer and our Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting

The Company’s management is responsible for establishing and maintaining adequate internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) and 15d-15(f) under the Exchange Act). The Company’s internal control over financial reporting is designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of its financial reporting and the preparation of published financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles.

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

Management conducted its evaluation of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2020. In making this assessment, management used the criteria set forth in the Internal Control-Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”). Based on this assessment, the principal executive officer and principal financial officer believe that as of January 31, 2020, the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective based on criteria set forth by COSO in “Internal Control-Integrated Framework.”

The attestation report of the Company’s registered public accounting firm regarding internal control over financial reporting appears in Part IV, Item 15 of this Form 10-K and is incorporated herein by reference.

Changes in Internal Controls over Financial Reporting

There have been no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting during our most recently completed fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

Item 9B. Other Information

None.

 

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PART III

Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive proxy statement to be filed for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The following sets forth certain information with respect to all executive officers of the Company. All officers serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors.

 

Name		Age				Position
Gregory A. Woods			61			President, Chief Executive Officer and Director
David S. Smith			63			Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer
Stephen M. Petrarca			57			Vice President—Operations
Michael J. Natalizia			56			Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Strategic Technical Alliances
Tom Carll			53			Vice President and General Manager—Aerospace

Mr. Woods has served as Chief Executive Officer of the Company since February 1, 2014. Mr. Woods joined the Company in September 2012 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer and was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer on August 29, 2013. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Woods served from January 2010 to August 2012 as Managing Director of Medfield Advisors, LLC, an advisory firm located in Medfield, Massachusetts focused on providing corporate development and strategy guidance to technology driven manufacturing firms. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Woods served as President of Performance Motion Devices, a specialty semiconductor and electronics manufacturer located in Lincoln, Massachusetts.

Mr. Smith was appointed Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer of the Company effective January 22, 2018. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. Smith served as Managing Partner of S.C. Advisors LLC, a financial management consultancy firm from 2008 through January 2018. Mr. Smith has also held a variety of senior finance positions at semiconductor and manufacturing companies, including Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Standard Microsystems Corporation, a global semiconductor company, from 2005 to 2008 and Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer of both Dover Corporation, a diversified global manufacturing company, from 2000 to 2002 and Crane Company, a diversified manufacturing company from 1994 to 2000.

Mr. Petrarca was appointed Vice President—Operations in 1998. He has previously held positions as General Manager of Manufacturing, Manager of Grass Operations and Manager of Grass Sales. He has been with the Company since 1980.

Mr. Natalizia was appointed Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of the Company on March 9, 2012. Prior to this appointment, Mr. Natalizia held the position of Director of Product Development of the Company since 2005.

Mr. Carll joined the Company in 1989 and has held the position of Vice President and General Manager—Aerospace since 2011. Previously, Mr. Carll was Product Manager and National Sales Manager of the AstroNova Test & Measurement product group and from its formation in 2004, the AstroNova Aerospace business group.

Code of Ethics

The Company has adopted a Code of Conduct which applies to all directors, officers and employees of the Company, including the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”), Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) and principal accounting officer which meets the requirements of a “code of ethics” as defined in Item 406 of Regulation S-K. A copy of the Code of Conduct will be provided to shareholders, without charge, upon request directed to Investor Relations or can be obtained on the Company’s website, (www.astronovainc.com), under the heading

 

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“Investors—Corporate Governance—Governance Documents.” The Company intends to disclose any amendment to, or waiver of, a provision of the Code of Conduct for the CEO, CFO, principal accounting officer, or persons performing similar functions by posting such information on its website.

Item 11. Executive Compensation

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

The information set forth under the heading “Compensation Committee Report” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement is furnished and shall not be deemed filed for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act, nor be incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Item 12. Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed for its 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

Equity Compensation Plan Information

The following table sets forth information about the Company’s equity compensation plans as of January 31, 2020:

 

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 Shareholders			801,111	(1)		$	14.46	(2)			681,759	(3)
Equity Compensation Plans Not Approved by Shareholders			—				—				—
Total			801,111	(1)		$	14.46	(2)			681,759	(3)

 

(1)

Includes 373,345 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options granted under the Company’s 2007 Equity Incentive Plan; 166,700 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options granted and 22,718 restricted stock units outstanding under the Company’s 2015 Equity Incentive Plan; and 138,999 shares issuable upon exercise of outstanding options granted and 99,349 restricted stock units outstanding under the Company’s 2018 Equity Incentive Plan.

(2)	Does not include restricted stock units.

(3)

Represents 656,785 shares available for grant under the AstroNova, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan and 24,974 shares available for purchase under the Employee Stock Purchase Plan. This balance does not include 12,567 shares issued pursuant to outstanding unvested restricted stock awards which are subject to forfeiture.

Additional information regarding these equity compensation plans is contained in Note 13, “Share-Based Compensation,” in the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements included in Item 15 hereto.

Item 13. Certain Relationships, Related Transactions and Director Independence

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

 

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Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services

The information required by this item is incorporated herein by reference to the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement for the 2020 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.

 

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PART IV

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedule

(a)(1) Financial Statements:

The following documents are included as part of this Annual Report filed on Form 10-K:

 

		Page
Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm		44-45
Consolidated Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2020 and 2019		46
Consolidated Statements of Income—Years Ended January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018		47
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income—Years Ended January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018		48
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity—Years Ended January  31, 2020, 2019 and 2018		49
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows—Years Ended January 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018		50
Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements		51-77
(a)(2) Financial Statement Schedule:
Schedule II—Valuation and Qualifying Accounts and Reserves—Years Ended January  31, 2020, 2019 and 2018		78

All other schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable, and therefore, have been omitted.

Item 16. Form 10-K Summary

Not Applicable.

(a)(3) Exhibits:

 

Exhibit Number
(2.1)		Share Purchase Agreement, dated  January 7, 2017, as  amended, by and among ANI ApS, Trojan Holding ApS, as a Seller and as the Sellers’ Representative, and Li Wei Chong filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein*
(3A)		Restated Articles of Incorporation of the Company and all amendments thereto filed as Exhibit 3A to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.
(3B)		By-laws of the Company as amended to date filed as Exhibit 3B to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2008 (File No. 000-13200) and incorporated by reference herein.
(4.1)		Specimen form of common stock certificate of the Company filed as Exhibit 4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended April 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.
(4.2)		Description of securities registered pursuant to Section 12 of the Exchange Act.
(10.1)		AstroNova, Inc. 2007 Equity Incentive Plan as filed as Appendix A to the Definitive Proxy Statement filed on April 25, 2007 on Schedule 14A (File No. 000-13200) for the 2007 annual shareholders meeting and incorporated by reference herein.**

 

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Exhibit Number
(10.2)		AstroNova, Inc. Management Bonus Plan (Group III) filed as Exhibit  10.6 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended May 3, 2014 incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.3)		Form of Performance-Based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April 28, 2012 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.4)		Equity Incentive Award Agreement dated as of November  24, 2014 by and between the Company and Gregory A. Woods filed as Exhibit 10.12 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January  31, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.5)		Change in Control Agreement dated as of November  24, 2014 by and between the Company and Gregory A. Woods filed as Exhibit 10.13 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January  31, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.6)		AstroNova Inc. 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit  A to the Definitive Proxy Statement filed on April 21, 2015 (File No. 000-13200) for the 2015 annual shareholders meeting and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.7)		Senior Executive Short Term Incentive Plan adopted March  27, 2015 filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended May 2, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.8)		General Manager Employment Contract dated November  18, 2014 by and among AstroNova, Inc. and Michael Morawetz filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended May  2, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.9)		Form of Indemnification Agreement for directors and officers filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended October 31, 2015 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.10)		Credit Agreement dated February  28, 2017 among AstroNova, Inc., as the U.S. Borrower, ANI APS, as the Danish Borrower, Certain Subsidiaries of the U.S. Borrower, as the Guarantors and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.16 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.11)		Security and Pledge Agreement dated February  28, 2017 among AstroNova, Inc. as the U.S. Borrower and such other parties that become Grantors hereunder after the date hereof and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.18 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.12)		Form of Restricted Stock Agreement granted under the Amended and Restated Non-Employee Director Annual Compensation Program filed as Exhibit  10.2 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.13)		Form of Incentive Stock Option Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.14)		Form of Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.15)		Form of Non-Employee Director Non-Statutory Stock Option Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit  10.5 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**

 

40

Exhibit Number
(10.16)		Form of Restricted Stock Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit  10.6 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.17)		Form of Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.18)		Form of Time-Based Restricted Stock Unit Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit 10.8 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.19)		Form of Performance Restricted Stock Unit Agreement granted under the 2015 Equity Incentive Plan filed as Exhibit 10.9 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended July 30, 2016 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.20)		Asset Purchase and License Agreement, dated September  28, 2017, by and between AstroNova, Inc. and Honeywell International, Inc. filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date September  28, 2017, filed with the SEC on October 4, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.21)		First Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated September  28, 2017, by and among AstroNova, Inc., ANI ApS, Trojan Label ApS and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event dated September  28, 2017, filed with the SEC on October 4, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.22)		Second Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated November  30, 2017, by and among AstroNova, Inc., ANI ApS, Trojan Label ApS and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event dated November  30, 2017, filed with the SEC on December 6, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.23)		Amended and Restated AstroNova, Inc. Employee Stock Purchase Plan filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K/A, event date November 20, 2017, filed with the SEC on December 28, 2017 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.24)		Letter Agreement dated January  12, 2018 between the Company and David Smith filed as Exhibit 10.30 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January  31, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.25)		Third Amendment to the Credit Agreement, dated April  17, 2018, by and among AstroNova, Inc., ANI ApS, Trojan Label ApS and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended April  28, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.
(10.26)		Form of Performance-based Restricted Stock Unit Award Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.27)		Form of Restricted Stock Unit Agreement (time-based vesting) filed as Exhibit 10.2 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.28)		Form of Incentive Stock Option filed as Exhibit 10.3 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.29)		Form of Non-statutory Stock Option filed as Exhibit 10.4 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**

 

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Exhibit Number
(10.30)		Form of Non-statutory Stock Option (Non-employee Director) filed as Exhibit 10.5 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June  4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.31)		Form of Restricted Stock Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.6 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.32)		Form of Non-employee Director Restricted Stock Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.7 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed, event date June 4, 2018, filed with the SEC on June 4, 2018 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.33)		AstroNova, Inc. Amended and Restated Non-Employee Director Annual Compensation Program filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed, event date January 31, 2019, filed with the SEC on February 4, 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(10.34)		AstroNova, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan Non-Employee Director Restricted Stock Agreement filed as Exhibit 10.41 to the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2019 and incorporated by reference to herein.*
(10.35)		Amendment No.  1 to General Manager Employment Contract dated as of March 21, 2019 between AstroNova, Inc. and Michael Morawetz filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Current Report on Form  8-K, event date March 20, 2019, filed with the SEC on March 26, 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.*
(10.36)		AstroNova, Inc. 2018 Equity Incentive Plan, as amended, filed as Appendix A to the Company’s Definitive Proxy Statement filed with the SEC on May 25, 2019 on Schedule 14A and incorporated by reference herein.*
(10.37)		Fourth Amendment to Credit Agreement, dated as of December  9, 2019, by and among AstroNova, Inc. ANI ApS, Trojan Label ApS and Bank of America, N.A. filed as Exhibit 10.1 to the Company’s Quarterly Report on Form  10-Q for the period ended November 2, 2019 and incorporated by reference herein.**
(21)		List of Subsidiaries of the Company.
(23.1)		Consent of Wolf & Company, P.C.
(31.1)		Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(31.2)		Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(32.1)		Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section  906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(32.2)		Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section  906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
(101)		The following materials from Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended January 31, 2020, formatted in XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language): (i) the Consolidated Balance Sheets, (ii) the Consolidated Statements of Income, (iii) the Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income, (iv) the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity, (v) the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows, and (vi) the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. Filed electronically herein.

 

*	Schedules to this Exhibit have been omitted in reliance on Item 601(b)(2) of Regulation S-K. The Company will furnish copies of any such schedules to the SEC upon request.

**	Management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.

 

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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.

 

				ASTRONOVA, INC. (Registrant)
Date: April 10, 2020				By:		/S/    GREGORY A. WOODS
						(Gregory A. Woods, Chief Executive Officer)

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

 

Name		Title		Date
/s/    GREGORY A. WOODS Gregory A. Woods		President, Chief Executive Officer and Director (Principal Executive Officer)		April 10, 2020
/s/    DAVID S. SMITH David S. Smith		Vice President, Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (Principal Accounting and Financial Officer)		April 10, 2020
/s/    JEAN A. BUA Jean A. Bua		Director		April 10, 2020
/s/    MITCHELL I. QUAIN Mitchell I. Quain		Director		April 10, 2020
/s/    YVONNE E. SCHLAEPPI Yvonne E. Schlaeppi		Director		April 10, 2020
/s/    HAROLD SCHOFIELD Harold Schofield		Director		April 10, 2020
/s/    RICHARD S. WARZALA Richard S. Warzala		Director		April 10, 2020

 

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REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

The Shareholders and Board of Directors and Shareholders of

AstroNova, Inc.

Opinions on the Financial Statements and Internal Control over Financial Reporting

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of AstroNova, Inc. (the “Company”) as of January 31, 2020 and 2019, and the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, changes in shareholders’ equity and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2020 and the related notes and the financial statement schedule listed in Item 15(a)(2)(collectively, the “financial statements”). We also have audited the Company’s internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of January 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the years in the three-year period ended January 31, 2020 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting as of January 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the COSO.

Basis for Opinion

The Company’s management is responsible for these financial statements, for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting, and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting included in the accompanying Management’s Annual Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s financial statements and an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audits to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud, and whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects.

Our audits of the financial statements included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statements. Our audit of internal control over financial reporting included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audits also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinions.

Definition and Limitations of Internal Control Over Financial Reporting

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in

 

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accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

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

/s/ Wolf & Company, P.C.

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

Boston, Massachusetts

April 10, 2020

 

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ASTRONOVA, INC.

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

As of January 31

(In Thousands, Except Share Data)

 

		2020				2019
ASSETS
CURRENT ASSETS
Cash and Cash Equivalents		$	4,249			$	7,534
Accounts Receivable, net of reserves of $856 in 2020 and $521 in 2019			19,784				23,486
Inventories			33,925				30,161
Prepaid Expenses and Other Current Assets			2,193				1,427
Total Current Assets			60,151				62,608
Property, Plant and Equipment, net			11,268				10,380
Identifiable Intangibles, net			25,383				29,674
Goodwill			12,034				12,329
Deferred Tax Assets, net			5,079				2,928
Right of Use Asset			1,661				—
Other			1,088				1,064
TOTAL ASSETS		$	116,664			$	118,983
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
CURRENT LIABILITIES
Accounts Payable		$	4,409			$	5,956
Accrued Compensation			2,700				5,023
Other Accrued Expenses			4,711				2,911
Revolving Credit Facility			6,500				1,500
Current Portion of Long-Term Debt			5,208				5,208
Current Liability—Royalty Obligation			2,000				1,875
Current Liability—Excess Royalty Payment Due			773				1,265
Deferred Revenue			466				373
Income Taxes Payable			—				554
Total Current Liabilities			26,767				24,665
NON CURRENT LIABILITIES
Long-Term Debt, net of current portion			7,715				12,870
Royalty Obligation, net of current portion			8,012				9,916
Lease Liabilities, net of current portion			1,279				—
Deferred Tax Liabilities			435				40
Other Long-Term Liabilities			1,081				1,717
TOTAL LIABILITIES			45,289				49,208
Commitments and Contingencies (See Note 19)
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Preferred Stock, $10 Par Value, Authorized 100,000 shares, None Issued			—				—
Common Stock, $0.05 Par Value, Authorized 13,000,000 shares; Issued 10,343,610 shares in 2020 and 10,218,559 shares in 2019			517				511
Additional Paid-in Capital			56,130				53,568
Retained Earnings			49,298				49,511
Treasury Stock, at Cost, 3,281,701 shares in 2020 and 3,261,672 shares in 2019			(33,477	)			(32,997	)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss, net of tax			(1,093	)			(818	)
TOTAL SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY			71,375				69,775
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY		$	116,664			$	118,983

See Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

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