CLEARONE INC - Quarter Report: 2005 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x Quarterly
Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
For
the
quarterly period ended September
30, 2005
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: 000-17219
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Utah
|
87-0398877
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
employer
identification
number)
|
1825
Research Way, Salt Lake City, Utah
|
84119
|
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code: (801)
975-7200
Indicate
by check 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
x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and larger accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Larger
Accelerated Filer ¨
Accelerated Filer ¨
Non-Accelerated Filer x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No
x
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO REGISTRANTS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS
DURING THE PRECEDING FIVE YEARS
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports
required to be filed by Section 12, 13, or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed
by a
court. Yes
¨ No
¨
APPLICABLE
ONLY TO CORPORATE REGISTRANTS
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the registrant’s classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date. There were 12,184,727 shares of the
Company’s Common Stock, par value $0.001, outstanding on May 15,
2006.
1
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
REPORT
ON FORM 10-Q
FOR
THE QUARTER ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2005
INDEX
Page
Number
|
||
|
3
|
|
PART
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1
|
Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
|
7
|
|
|
9
|
|
Item
2
|
|
22
|
Item
3
|
|
32
|
Item
4
|
|
33
|
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1
|
|
35
|
Item
1A
|
|
37
|
Item
2
|
|
43
|
Item
3
|
|
43
|
Item
4
|
|
43
|
Item
5
|
|
43
|
Item
6
|
|
43
|
|
44
|
2
This
report contains forward-looking statements as defined in the Private Securities
Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements reflect our views with respect
to future events based upon information available to us at this time. These
forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainties and other factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from these statements.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by the use of the words
“believe,” “may,” “could,” “will,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“project,” “propose,” “plan,” “intend,” and similar words and expressions;
however, not all forward-looking statements contain these words. Examples of
forward-looking statements are statements that describe the proposed
development, manufacturing, and sale of our products; statements that describe
our results of operations, pricing trends, the markets for our products, our
anticipated capital expenditures, our cost reduction and operational
restructuring initiatives, and regulatory developments; statements with regard
to the nature and extent of competition we may face in the future; statements
with respect to the sources of and need for future financing; and statements
with respect to future strategic plans, goals, and objectives. Forward-looking
statements are contained in this report in Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and
Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” Item 3,
“Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk,” and Item 4,
“Controls and Procedures” included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The
forward-looking statements are based on present circumstances and on our
predictions respecting events that have not occurred, that may not occur, or
that may occur with different consequences and timing than those now assumed
or
anticipated. Actual events or results may differ materially from those discussed
in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including
the
risk factors discussed in this report under Part II - Other Information, Item
1A, “Risk Factors” and the application of “Critical Accounting Policies” as
discussed in Item 2, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations.” These cautionary statements are intended
to be applicable to all related forward-looking statements wherever they appear
in this report. The cautionary statements contained or referred to in this
report should also be considered in connection with any subsequent written
or
oral forward-looking statements that may be issued by us or persons acting
on
our behalf. Any forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of
this
report and ClearOne assumes no obligation to update forward-looking statements
to reflect subsequent events, changes in circumstances, or changes in estimates.
CAUTIONARY
STATEMENT REGARDING THE FILING DATE OF THIS REPORT AND THE ANTICIPATED FUTURE
FILINGS OF ADDITIONAL PAST-DUE REPORTS
This
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the first quarter of the fiscal year ending
June 30, 2006 is first being filed in May 2006. Shareholders and others are
cautioned that the financial statements included in this report are over eight
months old and are not necessarily indicative of the operating results that
may
be expected for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2006. Shareholders and others
should also be aware that the staff of the Salt Lake District Office of the
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) intended to recommend to the
Commission that administrative proceedings be instituted to revoke the
registration of the Company’s common stock based on the Company’s failure to
timely file annual and quarterly reports with the Commission. The Company
provided the staff with a so-called “Wells Submission” setting forth its
position with respect to the staff’s intended recommendation. To date, the
Commission has not instituted an administrative proceeding against the Company;
however, there can be no assurance that the Commission will not institute an
administrative proceeding in the future or that the Company would prevail if
an
administrative proceeding were instituted.
3
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
September
30,
|
June
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2005
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
Current
assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
2,189
|
$
|
1,892
|
|||
Marketable
securities
|
17,000
|
15,800
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of
$49 and $46, respectively
|
7,270
|
6,859
|
|||||
Inventories,
net
|
4,640
|
5,806
|
|||||
Income
tax receivable
|
3,572
|
3,952
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
158
|
270
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
579
|
300
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
35,408
|
34,879
|
|||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
2,541
|
2,805
|
|||||
Intangibles,
net
|
280
|
322
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
15
|
15
|
|||||
Deferred
taxes
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
38,244
|
$
|
38,021
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$
|
1,733
|
$
|
2,163
|
|||
Accrued
liabilities
|
2,000
|
5,622
|
|||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
4,848
|
5,055
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
8,581
|
12,840
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes, net
|
158
|
270
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
8,739
|
13,110
|
|||||
Commitments
and contingencies (see Note 8)
|
|||||||
Shareholders'
equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, par value $0.001, 50,000,000 shares authorized,
|
|||||||
12,184,727
and 11,264,233 shares issued and outstanding, respectively
|
12
|
11
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
51,966
|
49,393
|
|||||
Deferred
compensation
|
-
|
(33
|
)
|
||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(22,473
|
)
|
(24,460
|
)
|
|||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
29,505
|
24,911
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$
|
38,244
|
$
|
38,021
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
|
4
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Product
Revenue:
|
$
|
9,527
|
$
|
6,747
|
|||
Cost
of goods sold:
|
|||||||
Product
|
4,552
|
3,423
|
|||||
Product
inventory write-offs
|
93
|
374
|
|||||
Total
cost of goods sold
|
4,645
|
3,797
|
|||||
Gross
profit
|
4,882
|
2,950
|
|||||
Operating
expenses:
|
|||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
1,812
|
2,086
|
|||||
General
and administrative
|
1,771
|
1,435
|
|||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
(1,020
|
)
|
|||
Research
and product development
|
1,799
|
1,105
|
|||||
Total
operating expenses
|
4,177
|
3,606
|
|||||
Operating
income (loss)
|
705
|
(656
|
)
|
||||
Other
income (expense), net:
|
|||||||
Interest
income
|
159
|
84
|
|||||
Interest
expense
|
-
|
(55
|
)
|
||||
Other,
net
|
7
|
5
|
|||||
Total
other income (expense), net
|
166
|
34
|
|||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
871
|
(622
|
)
|
||||
Benefit
from income taxes
|
178
|
232
|
|||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
1,049
|
(390
|
)
|
||||
Discontinued
operations:
|
|||||||
Loss
from discontinued operations
|
-
|
(41
|
)
|
||||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations
|
1,496
|
17,369
|
|||||
Income
tax provision
|
(558
|
)
|
(3,982
|
)
|
|||
Income
from discontinued operations
|
938
|
13,346
|
|||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
12,956
|
|||
Comprehensive
income:
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
12,956
|
|||
Foreign
currency translation adjustments
|
-
|
70
|
|||||
Comprehensive
income:
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
13,026
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
|
5
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)
(CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share from continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share from continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share from discontinued
operations
|
$
|
0.08
|
$
|
1.20
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share from discontinued
operations
|
$
|
0.08
|
$
|
1.08
|
|||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share
|
$
|
0.18
|
$
|
1.16
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share
|
$
|
0.16
|
$
|
1.05
|
|||
Basic
weighted average shares
|
11,284,244
|
11,036,233
|
|||||
Diluted
weighted average shares
|
12,278,664
|
12,406,363
|
|||||
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
|
6
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
|||||||
Net
income (loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
1,049
|
$
|
(390
|
)
|
||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income (loss) from continuing operations
|
|||||||
to
net cash provided by operations:
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization expense
|
368
|
528
|
|||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
342
|
22
|
|||||
Write-off
of inventory
|
93
|
374
|
|||||
(Gain)
loss on disposal of assets and fixed assets write-offs
|
(40
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
3
|
16
|
|||||
Purchase
accounting adjustment
|
-
|
395
|
|||||
Changes
in operating assets and liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(414
|
)
|
844
|
||||
Inventories
|
1,072
|
(11
|
)
|
||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
(280
|
)
|
153
|
||||
Accounts
payable
|
(430
|
)
|
(1,150
|
)
|
|||
Accrued
liabilities
|
(1,357
|
)
|
(261
|
)
|
|||
Income
taxes
|
380
|
3,106
|
|||||
Deferred
product revenue
|
(207
|
)
|
(485
|
)
|
|||
Net
change in other assets/liabilities
|
1
|
2
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by continuing operating activities
|
580
|
3,143
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by discontinued operating activities
|
-
|
618
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
580
|
3,761
|
|||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
|||||||
Purchase
of property and equipment
|
(64
|
)
|
(254
|
)
|
|||
Proceeds
from the sale of property and equipment
|
43
|
1
|
|||||
Purchase
of marketable securities
|
(3,000
|
)
|
(25,000
|
)
|
|||
Sale
of marketable securities
|
1,800
|
6,350
|
|||||
Net
cash used in continuing investing activities
|
(1,221
|
)
|
(18,903
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash provided by discontinued investing activities
|
938
|
14,216
|
|||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(283
|
)
|
(4,687
|
)
|
|||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
|||||||
Principal
payments on capital lease obligations
|
-
|
(8
|
)
|
||||
Principal
payments on note payable
|
-
|
(170
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in continuing financing activities
|
-
|
(178
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in discontinued financing activities
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
-
|
(178
|
)
|
||||
Net
increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
297
|
(1,104
|
)
|
||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period
|
1,892
|
4,207
|
|||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at the end of the period
|
$
|
2,189
|
$
|
3,103
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
|
7
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Supplemental
disclosure of cash flow information:
|
|||||||
Cash
paid for interest
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
55
|
|||
Cash
paid (received) for income taxes
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Supplemental
disclosure of non-cash financing activities:
|
|||||||
Value
of common shares issued in shareholder settlement
|
$
|
2,264
|
$
|
-
|
|||
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial
statements
|
8
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
1.
Basis of Presentation
The
accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, consisting
of the condensed consolidated balance sheets as of September 30, 2005 and June
30, 2005, the condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three
months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, and the condensed consolidated
statements of cash flows for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and
2004,
have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted
in the United States for interim financial information and with the instructions
to Form 10-Q of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, certain information and footnote
disclosures normally included in complete financial statements have been
condensed or omitted. These condensed consolidated financial statements should
be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes
thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
June 30, 2005.
In
management’s opinion, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring
adjustments) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included.
The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily indicative
of
the results of operations to be expected for the entire year or for any future
period.
2.
Summary of Significant Accounting Policy Update
Pervasiveness
of Estimates
- The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted
accounting principles in the United States of America requires management to
make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of sales and expenses during
the reporting periods. Key estimates in the accompanying condensed consolidated
financial statements include, among others, revenue recognition, allowances
for
doubtful accounts and product returns, provisions for obsolete inventory,
valuation of long-lived assets including goodwill, and deferred income tax
asset
valuation allowances. Actual results could differ materially from these
estimates.
Revenue
Recognition
- The
Company evaluates, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through
information provided by certain of its distributors. The level of
inventory in the channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon
these distributors’ individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end
revenue deferral is calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated
channel inventory at quarter-end. The amounts of deferred cost of goods
sold were included in consigned inventory. The following table details the
amount of deferred revenue and cost of goods sold at each period end for the
15-month period ended September 30, 2005.
Deferred
Revenue
|
Deferred
Cost of Goods Sold
|
Deferred
Gross Profit
|
||||||||
September
30, 2005
|
$
|
4,848
|
$
|
2,373
|
$
|
2,475
|
||||
June
30, 2005
|
5,055
|
2,297
|
2,758
|
|||||||
March
31, 2005
|
5,456
|
2,321
|
3,135
|
|||||||
December
31, 2004
|
3,867
|
1,609
|
2,258
|
|||||||
September
30, 2004
|
5,617
|
1,920
|
3,697
|
|||||||
June
30, 2004
|
6,107
|
2,381
|
3,726
|
9
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Share-Based Payment - Prior to June 30, 2005 and as permitted under the original Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 123, the Company accounted for its share-based payments following the recognition and measurement principles of Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees,” as interpreted. Accordingly, no share-based compensation expense had been reflected in the Company’s fiscal 2005 statements of operations for unmodified option grants since (1) the exercise price equaled the market value of the underlying common stock on the grant date and (2) the related number of shares to be granted upon exercise of the stock option was fixed on the grant date.
In
December 2004, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued SFAS No.
123R, “Share-Based Payment.” SFAS No. 123R is a revision of SFAS No. 123. SFAS
No. 123R establishes standards for the accounting for transactions in which
an
entity exchanges its equity instruments for goods or services. Primarily, SFAS
No. 123R focuses on accounting for transactions in which an entity obtains
employee services in share-based payment transactions. It also addresses
transactions in which an entity incurs liabilities in exchange for goods or
services that are based on the fair value of the entity’s equity instruments or
that may be settled by the issuance of those equity instruments.
SFAS
No.
123R requires the Company to measure the cost of employee services received
in
exchange for an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value
of the award (with limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the
period during which an employee is required to provide service in exchange
for
the awards - the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). No
compensation cost is recognized for equity instruments for which employees
do
not render the requisite service. Therefore, if an employee does not ultimately
render the requisite service, the costs associated with the unvested options
will not be recognized, cumulatively.
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R and its fair value recognition
provisions using the modified prospective transition method. Under this
transition method, stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1, 2005
includes the straight-line basis compensation cost for (a) all share-based
payments granted prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant
date fair values used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS
No.
123 and (b) all share-based payments granted or modified on or after July 1,
2005, in accordance with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R. See Note 9 for
information about the Company’s various share-based compensation plans, the
impact of adoption of SFAS No. 123R, and the assumptions used to calculate
the
fair value of share-based compensation.
If
assumptions change in the application of SFAS No. 123R in future periods, the
stock-based compensation cost ultimately recorded under SFAS No. 123R may differ
significantly from what was recorded in the current period.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations in the European Union
In
June
2005, the FASB issued a FASB Staff Position (“FSP”) interpreting SFAS No. 143,
“Accounting for Asset Retirement Obligations,” specifically FSP
143-1,
“Accounting for Electronic Equipment Waste Obligations.” FSP
143-1
addresses the accounting for obligations associated with Directive 2002/96/EC,
“Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment,” which was adopted by the European
Union (“EU”). The FSP provides guidance on how to account for the effects of the
Directive but only with respect to historical waste associated with products
placed on the market on or before August 13, 2005. FSP 143-1 is effective
beginning with the Company’s fiscal 2006 financial statements. Management
does
not
believe that the adoption of FSP 143-1 had a material effect on the Company’s
business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
10
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Inventory
Costs
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, “Inventory Costs - an Amendment of
ARB No. 43,” which is the result of its efforts to converge U.S. accounting
standards for inventories with International Accounting Standards. SFAS No.
151
requires idle facility expenses, freight, handling costs, and wasted material
(spoilage) costs to be recognized as current-period charges. It also requires
that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be
based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 is
effective beginning with the Company’s fiscal 2006 financial statements. There
was not a significant impact on the Company’s business, results of operations,
financial position, or liquidity from the adoption of this
standard.
Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections -
a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” in order to
converge U.S. accounting standards with International Accounting Standards.
SFAS
No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for and reporting of a
change in accounting principle. Previously, most voluntary changes in accounting
principles required recognition of a cumulative effect adjustment within net
income of the period of the change. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective
application to prior periods’ financial statements, unless it is impracticable
to determine either the period-specific effects or the cumulative effect of
the
change. SFAS No. 154 is effective for accounting changes made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005; however, it does not change the transition
provisions of any existing accounting pronouncements. The Company does not
believe that the adoption of SFAS No. 154 will have a material effect on its
business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment
In
March
2004, the FASB issued Emerging Issues Task Force (“EITF”) No. 03-01, “The
Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary Impairment and its Application to Certain
Investments,” which provides new guidance for assessing impairment losses on
debt and equity investments. The new impairment model applies to investments
accounted for under the cost or equity method and investments accounted for
under SFAS 115, “Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity
Securities.” EITF No. 03-01 also includes new disclosure requirements for cost
method investments and for all investments that are in an unrealized loss
position. In September 2004, the FASB delayed the accounting provisions of
EITF
No. 03-01; however, the disclosure requirements remain effective. The Company
does not expect that the adoption of this EITF to have a material impact on
its
business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity.
11
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
3.
Earnings Per Common Share
The
following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings (loss)
per common share:
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Numerator:
|
|||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
$
|
1,049
|
$
|
(390
|
)
|
||
Income
(loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
-
|
(32
|
)
|
||||
Gain
(loss) on disposal of discontinued operations, net of tax
|
938
|
13,378
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
12,956
|
|||
Denominator:
|
|||||||
Basic
weighted average shares
|
11,284,244
|
11,036,233
|
|||||
Dilutive
common stock equivalents using treasury stock method
|
994,420
|
1,370,130
|
|||||
Diluted
weighted average shares
|
12,278,664
|
12,406,363
|
|||||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
(0.04
|
)
|
||
Discontinued
operations
|
-
|
(0.00
|
)
|
||||
Disposal
of discontinued operations
|
0.08
|
1.20
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
0.18
|
1.16
|
|||||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
|||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
(0.03
|
)
|
||
Discontinued
operations
|
-
|
(0.00
|
)
|
||||
Disposal
of discontinued operations
|
0.08
|
1.08
|
|||||
Net
income (loss)
|
0.16
|
1.05
|
Options
that had an exercise price greater than the average market price of the common
shares (“Out-of-the-Money Options”) during the respective period were not
included in the computation of diluted earnings per share as the effect would
be
anti-dilutive. An average total of 1,454,061 and 1,503,057 Out-of-the-Money
Options were not included during the three months ended September 30, 2005
and
2004, respectively. Warrants to purchase 150,000 shares of common stock were
outstanding as of September 30, 2005 and 2004, but were not included in the
computation of diluted earnings per share for the three month periods ended
September 30, 2005 and 2004 as the effect would be anti-dilutive. During fiscal
2004, the Company entered into a settlement agreement related to the
shareholders’ class action and agreed to issue 1.2 million shares of its common
stock; however, certain of these shares were settled in cash in lieu of common
stock (see Note 8). The Company issued 228,000 shares in November 2004 and
920,494 shares in September 2005.
12
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
4.
Discontinued Operations
During
fiscal 2005, the Company completed the sale of its conferencing services
business component to Clarinet, Inc., an affiliate of American Teleconferencing
Services, Ltd. doing business as Premiere Conferencing (“Premiere”) and the sale
of its Canadian audiovisual integration services, OM Video, to 6351352 Canada
Inc, a Canada corporation (the “OM Purchaser”). Accordingly, the results of
operations and the financial position have been reclassified in the accompanying
condensed consolidated financial statements as discontinued operations.
Additionally, during fiscal 2001, the Company sold certain assets to Burk
Technology, Inc. (“Burk”) whose sales proceeds are included with discontinued
operations. Summary operating results of the discontinued operations are as
follows:
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Loss
from discontinued operations:
|
|||||||
OM
Video
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(41
|
)
|
||
Gain
on disposal of discontinued operations:
|
|||||||
Conferencing
services business
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
17,369
|
|||
OM
Video
|
150
|
-
|
|||||
Burk
|
1,346
|
-
|
|||||
Total
gain on disposal of discontinued operations
|
1,496
|
17,369
|
|||||
Income
tax (provision) benefit:
|
|||||||
Conferencing
services business
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
(3,991
|
)
|
||
OM
Video
|
(56
|
)
|
9
|
||||
Burk
|
(502
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Total
income tax (provision) benefit
|
(558
|
)
|
(3,982
|
)
|
|||
Total
income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes:
|
|||||||
Conferencing
services business
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
13,378
|
|||
OM
Video
|
94
|
(32
|
)
|
||||
Burk
|
844
|
-
|
|||||
Total
income from discontinued operations,
|
|||||||
net
of income taxes
|
$
|
938
|
$
|
13,346
|
Conferencing
Services
On
July
1, 2004, the Company sold its conferencing services business component to
Premiere. Consideration for the sale consisted of $21,300 in cash. Of the
purchase price, $300 was placed into a working capital escrow account and an
additional $1,000 was placed into an 18-month Indemnity Escrow account. The
Company received the $300 working capital escrow funds approximately 90 days
after the execution date of the contract. The Company received the $1,000 in
the
Indemnity Escrow account in January 2006. Additionally, $1,365 of the proceeds
was utilized to pay off equipment leases pertaining to assets being conveyed
to
Premiere. The Company realized a pre-tax gain on the sale of $17,369 during
the
three months ended September 30, 2004.
OM
Video
On
March
4, 2005, the Company sold all of the issued and outstanding stock of its
Canadian subsidiary, ClearOne Communications of Canada, Inc. (“ClearOne Canada”)
to 6351352 Canada Inc., a Canada corporation. ClearOne Canada owned all the
issued and outstanding stock of Stechyson Electronics, Ltd., which conducts
business under the name OM Video. The Company agreed to sell the stock of
ClearOne Canada for $200 in cash; a $1,256 note receivable over a 15-month
period, with interest accruing on the unpaid balance at the rate of 5.3 percent
per year; and contingent consideration ranging from 3.0 percent to 4.0 percent
of related gross revenues over a five-year period. In June 2005, the Company
was
advised that the OM Purchaser had settled an action brought by the former
employer of certain of OM Purchaser’s owners and employees alleging violation of
non-competition agreements. The settlement reportedly involved a cash payment
and an agreement not to sell certain products for a period of one year. Based
on
an analysis of the facts and circumstances that existed at the end of fiscal
2005, and considering the guidance from Topic 5U of the SEC Rules and
Regulations, “Gain Recognition on the Sale of a Business or Operating Assets to
a Highly Leveraged Entity,” the gain is being recognized as cash is collected
(as collection was not reasonably assured). OM Video revenues, reported in
discontinued operations, for the three months ended September 30, 2004 were
$879. OM Video pre-tax income (loss), reported in discontinued operations,
for
the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004 were $150 and ($41),
respectively.
13
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
As
of
December 31, 2005, all payments required through such date had been received
and
$854 of the promissory note remained outstanding; however, OM Purchaser has
failed to make any subsequent, required payments under the note receivable
and
is in default thereunder. The Company is currently considering its collection
options.
Burk
On
August
22, 2005, the Company entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver Agreement with
Burk pursuant to which Burk paid the Company $1,346 in full satisfaction of
the
promissory note, which included a discount of $119. As part of the Mutual
Release and Waiver Agreement, the Company waived any right to future commission
payments from Burk. Additionally, Burk and the Company granted mutual releases
to one another with respect to future claims and liabilities. Accordingly,
the
total pre-tax gain on the disposal of discontinued operations, related to Burk,
was approximately $2,419. The Company realized pre-tax gain from discontinued
operations of $1,346 during the three months ended September 30,
2005.
5.
Income Taxes
During
the three months ended September 30, 2005, the Company recorded a benefit for
income taxes from continuing operations of $178. This compares to a benefit
for
income taxes of $232 during the three months ended September 30,
2004.
SFAS
No.
109, “Accounting
for Income Taxes,”
requires
that a valuation allowance be established when it is more likely than not that
all or a portion of a deferred tax asset will not be realized.
Valuation allowances were recorded in fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2005 due to the
uncertainty of realization of the assets. As of September 30, 2005, the Company
has recorded a valuation allowance against all of its net deferred tax assets.
Based on the Company’s lack of cumulative profitability in recent years it is
more likely than not that all of the net deferred tax assets will not be
realized.
6.
Inventory
Inventories,
net of reserves, consist of the following as of September 30, 2005 and June
30,
2005:
September
30,
|
June
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2005
|
||||||
Raw
materials
|
$
|
1,246
|
$
|
1,804
|
|||
Finished
goods
|
1,021
|
1,705
|
|||||
Consigned
inventory
|
2,373
|
2,297
|
|||||
Total
inventory
|
$
|
4,640
|
$
|
5,806
|
Consigned
inventory represents inventory at distributors and other customers where revenue
recognition criteria have not been achieved.
14
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
7.
Accrued Liabilities
Accrued
liabilities consist of the following as of September 30, 2005 and June 30,
2005:
September
30,
|
June
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2005
|
||||||
Accrued
salaries and other compensation
|
$
|
809
|
$
|
977
|
|||
Other
accrued liabilities
|
1,191
|
1,049
|
|||||
Class
action settlement
|
-
|
3,596
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
2,000
|
$
|
5,622
|
8.
Commitments and Contingencies
The
Company establishes contingent liabilities when a particular contingency is
both
probable and estimable. For the contingencies noted below, the Company has
accrued amounts considered probable and estimable. The Company is not aware
of
pending claims or assessments, other than as described below, which may have
a
material adverse impact on the Company’s business, results of operations,
financial position, or liquidity.
Legal
Proceedings.
In
addition to the legal proceedings described below, the Company is also involved
from time to time in various claims and other legal proceedings which arise
in
the normal course of business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties
and outcomes that are not predictable. However, based on the information
available to the Company as of May 15, 2006 and after discussions with legal
counsel, the Company does not believe any such other proceedings will have
a
material, adverse effect on its business, results of operations, financial
position, or liquidity, except as described below.
The
Shareholders’ Class Action.
On
June 30, 2003, a consolidated complaint was filed against the Company,
eight present or former officers and directors of the Company, and Ernst &
Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”), the Company’s former independent public
accountants, by a class consisting of purchasers of the Company’s common stock
during the period from April 17, 2001 through January 15, 2003. The action
followed the consolidation of several previously filed class action complaints
and the appointment of lead counsel for the class. The allegations in the
complaint were essentially the same as those contained in an SEC complaint
described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June
30, 2005. On December 4, 2003, the Company, on behalf of itself and all other
defendants with the exception of Ernst & Young, entered into a settlement
agreement with the class pursuant to which the Company agreed to pay the class
$5,000 and to issue the class 1.2 million shares of its common stock. The cash
payment was made in two equal installments, the first on November 10, 2003
(fiscal 2004) and the second on January 14, 2005 (fiscal 2005). On May 23,
2005,
the court order was amended to require the Company to pay cash in lieu of stock
to those members of the class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive
fewer than 100 shares of stock. On September 29, 2005 (fiscal 2006), the Company
completed its obligations under the settlement agreement by issuing a total
of
1,148,494 shares of the Company’s common stock to the plaintiff class, including
228,000 shares previously issued in November 2004 (fiscal 2005), and the Company
paid an aggregate of $127 in cash in lieu of shares to those members of the
class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive an odd-lot number of
shares or who resided in states in which there was no exemption available for
the issuance of shares. The cash payments were calculated on the basis of $2.46
per share which was equal to the higher of (i) the closing price for the
Company’s common stock as reported by the Pink Sheets on the business day prior
to the date the shares were mailed, or (ii) the average closing price over
the
five trading days prior to such mailing date.
On
a
quarterly basis, the Company revalued the un-issued shares to the closing price
of the stock on the later of the date the shares were mailed or the last day
of
the quarter. During the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, the
Company received a benefit of $1,205 and $1,020, respectively, related to the
revaluation of the 1.2 million shares of the Company’s common stock that were
issued in November 2004 and September 2005.
15
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
Shareholder Derivative Actions.
Between
March and August 2003, four shareholder derivative actions were filed by
certain shareholders of the Company against various present and past officers
and directors of the Company and against Ernst & Young. The complaints
asserted allegations similar to those asserted in an SEC complaint described
in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005 and
the shareholders’ class action described above and also alleged that the
defendant directors and officers violated their fiduciary duties to the Company
by causing or allowing the Company to recognize revenue in violation of
generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) and to issue materially
misstated financial statements and that Ernst & Young breached its
professional responsibilities to the Company and acted in violation of GAAP
by
failing to identify or prevent the alleged revenue recognition violations and
by
issuing unqualified audit opinions with respect to the Company’s fiscal 2002 and
2001 financial statements. One of these actions was dismissed without prejudice
on June 13, 2003. As to the other three actions, the Company’s Board of
Directors appointed a special litigation committee of independent directors
to
evaluate the claims. That committee determined that the maintenance of the
derivative proceedings against the individual defendants was not in the best
interest of the Company. Accordingly, on December 12, 2003, the Company moved
to
dismiss those claims. In March 2004, the Company’s motions were granted,
and the derivative claims were dismissed with prejudice as to all defendants
except Ernst & Young. The Company was substituted as the plaintiff in the
action and is now pursuing in its own name the claims against Ernst & Young.
The
Insurance Coverage Action. On
February 9, 2004, the Company and Edward Dallin Bagley, the Chairman of the
Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of the Company, jointly filed
an action against National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania (“National Union”) and Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company of
Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (“Lumbermens Mutual”), the carriers of certain
prior period directors and officers’ liability insurance policies, to recover
the costs of defending and resolving claims against certain of the Company’s
present and former directors and officers in connection with an SEC complaint
described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June
30, 2005, and the shareholders’ class action and the shareholder derivative
actions described above, and seeking other damages resulting from the refusal
of
such carriers to timely pay the amounts owing under such liability insurance
policies. This action has been consolidated into a declaratory relief action
filed by one of the insurance carriers on February 6, 2004 against the Company
and certain of its current and former directors. In this action, the insurers
assert that they are entitled to rescind insurance coverage under the Company’s
directors and officers liability insurance policies, $3,000 of which was
provided by National Union and $2,000 of which was provided by Lumbermens
Mutual, based on alleged misstatements in the Company’s insurance applications.
In February 2005, the Company entered into a confidential settlement agreement
with Lumbermens Mutual pursuant to which the Company and Mr. Bagley received
a
lump-sum cash amount and the plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their claims against
Lumbermens Mutual with prejudice. The cash settlement is held in a segregated
account until the claims involving National Union have been resolved, at which
time the amounts received in the action will be allocated between the Company
and Mr. Bagley. The amount distributed to the Company and Mr. Bagley will be
determined based on future negotiations between the Company and Mr. Bagley.
The
Company cannot currently estimate the amount of the settlement which it will
ultimately receive. Upon determining the amount of the settlement which the
Company will ultimately receive, the Company will record this as a contingent
gain. On October 21, 2005, the court granted summary judgment in favor of
National Union on its rescission defense and accordingly entered a judgment
dismissing all of the claims asserted by ClearOne and Mr. Bagley. In connection
with the summary judgment, the Company has been ordered to pay approximately
$59
in expenses. However, due to the Lumbermans Mutual cash proceeds discussed
above
and the appeal of the summary judgment discussed below, this potential liability
has not been recorded in the balance sheet as of September 30, 2005. On February
2, 2006, the Company and Mr. Bagley filed an appeal of the summary judgment
granted on October 21, 2005 and intend to vigorously pursue the appeal and
any
follow-up proceedings regarding their claims against National Union, although
no
assurances can be given that they will be successful. The Company and Mr. Bagley
have entered into a Joint Prosecution and Defense Agreement in connection with
the action and the Company is paying all litigation expenses except litigation
expenses which are solely related to Mr. Bagley’s claims in the
litigation.
16
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Wells
Submission.
The
Company had been advised by the staff of the Salt Lake District Office of the
SEC that the staff intended to recommend to the Commission that administrative
proceedings be instituted to revoke the registration of the Company’s common
stock based on the Company’s failure to timely file annual and quarterly reports
with the Commission. The Company provided the staff with a so-called “Wells
Submission” setting forth its position with respect to the staff’s intended
recommendation. To date, the Commission has not instituted an administrative
proceeding against the Company; however, there can be no assurance that the
Commission will not institute an administrative proceeding in the future or
that
the Company would prevail if an administrative proceeding were instituted.
9.
Share-Based Payment
Our
share-based compensation primarily consists of the following plans:
The
Company’s 1990 Incentive Plan (the “1990 Plan”) has shares of common stock
available for issuance to employees and directors. Provisions of the 1990 Plan
include the granting of stock options. Generally, stock options vest over a
five-year period at 10 percent, 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent, and 30
percent per year. Certain other stock options vest in full after eight years.
As
of September 30, 2005, there were 30,750 options outstanding under the 1990
Plan
and no additional options were available for grant under such plan.
The
Company also has a 1998 Stock Option Plan (the “1998 Plan”). Provisions of the
1998 Plan include the granting of incentive and non-qualified stock options.
Options may be granted to directors, officers, and key employees and may be
granted upon such terms as the Board of Directors, in their sole discretion,
determine. Of the options granted through December 1999, 1,066,000 will cliff
vest after 9.75 years; however, such vesting was accelerated for 637,089 of
these options upon meeting certain earnings per share goals through the fiscal
year ended June 30, 2003. Of the options granted subsequent to December 1999
through June 2002, 1,248,250 will cliff vest after six years; however, such
vesting was accelerated for 300,494 of these options upon meeting certain
earnings per share goals through the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. Of the
options granted subsequent to June 2002, all vesting schedules are based on
three or four-year vesting schedules, with either one-third or one-fourth
vesting on the first anniversary and the remaining options vesting ratably
over
the remainder of the vesting term. Generally, directors and officers have
three-year vesting schedules and all other employees have four-year vesting
schedules. All options have contractual lives of ten years. Under the 1998
Plan,
2,500,000 shares were authorized for grant. The 1998 Plan expires June 10,
2008,
or when all the shares available under the plan have been issued if this occurs
earlier. As of September 30, 2005, there were 1,415,819 options outstanding
under the 1998 Plan and 782,057 options available for grant in the
future.
Employee
Stock Purchase Plan: The Company has an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (“ESPP”).
Employees can purchase common stock through payroll deductions of up to 10
percent of their base pay. Amounts deducted and accumulated by the employees
are
used to purchase shares of common stock on the last day of each month. The
Company contributes to the account of the employee one share of common stock
for
every nine shares purchased by the employee under the ESPP. The program was
suspended during fiscal 2003 due to the Company’s failure to remain current in
its filing of periodic reports with the SEC.
17
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Prior
to
July 1, 2005, the Company accounted for compensation expense associated with
its
stock options under the intrinsic value method in Accounting Principles Board
(“APB”) Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to Employees.” Accordingly,
no compensation cost has been recognized for the Company’s unmodified stock
options in its condensed consolidated financial statements for the three months
ended September 30, 2004. If the compensation cost of its stock options had
been
determined consistent with the original SFAS No. 123, the Company’s net income
and earnings per common share and common share equivalent would have changed
to
the pro-forma amounts indicated below:
Three
Months Ended
|
||||
September
30,
|
||||
2004
|
||||
Net
income (loss):
|
||||
As
reported
|
$
|
12,956
|
||
Stock-based
employee compensation expense included in
|
||||
reported
net loss, net of income taxes
|
3
|
|||
Stock-based
employee compensation expense determined
|
||||
under
the fair-value method of all awards, net of income taxes
|
(166
|
)
|
||
Pro
forma
|
$
|
12,793
|
||
Basic
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
||||
As
reported
|
$
|
1.16
|
||
Pro
forma
|
1.16
|
|||
Diluted
earnings (loss) per common share:
|
||||
As
reported
|
$
|
1.05
|
||
Pro
forma
|
1.03
|
Effective
July 1, 2005, the Company adopted SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment.” The
Company adopted the fair value recognition provisions of SFAS No. 123R using
the
modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method,
stock-based compensation cost recognized beginning July 1, 2005 includes the
straight-line compensation cost for (a) all share-based payments granted prior
to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values used
in
the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 and (b) all
share-based payments granted on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance with the
provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
The
Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value
of share-based payments granted under SFAS No. 123R. The Company uses judgment
in determining the fair-value of the share-based payments on the date of grant
using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding a number of highly
complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited
to, the expected life of the awards, the expected volatility over the term
of
the awards, the expected dividends of the awards, the risk-free interest rate
of
the awards and an estimate of the amount of awards that are expected to be
forfeited.
In
applying the Black-Scholes methodology to the options granted during the three
months ended September 30, 2005, the Company used the following
assumptions:
Three
Months Ended
|
|
September
30,
|
|
2005
|
|
Risk-free
interest rate, average
|
4.1%
|
Expected
option life, average
|
5.8
years
|
Expected
price volatility, average
|
88.3%
|
Expected
dividend yield
|
0.0%
|
18
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
risk-free interest rate is determined using the U.S. Treasury rate in effect
as
of the date of the grant, based on the expected life of the stock option. The
expected life of the stock options is determined using historical data. The
expected price volatility is determined using a weighted average of daily
historical volatility of the Company’s stock price over the corresponding
expected option life. The Company does not currently intend to distribute any
dividend payments to shareholders. The Company recognizes compensation cost
net
of an expected forfeiture rate and recognized the associated compensation cost
for only those awards expected to vest on a straight-line basis over the
underlying requisite service period. The Company estimated the forfeiture rates
based on its historical experience and expectations about future forfeitures.
The Company determined the forfeiture rate for options that will cliff vest
after 9.75 or six years to be 38.0 percent and the forfeiture rate for options
that vest on three or four-year vesting schedules to be 10.0
percent.
In
the
three months ended September 30, 2005, the adoption of SFAS No. 123R resulted
in
incremental, pre-tax, stock-based compensation cost of $342. For the three
months ended September 30, 2005, the Company expensed $12 in cost of goods
sold,
$24 in marketing and selling, $229 in general and administrative, $43 in
research and development expense, and $34 in other income (expense) related
to
the transition to SFAS No. 123R. The stock-based compensation cost associated
with adoption of SFAS No. 123R reduced net operating income for the three months
ended September 30, 2005 by $308, decreased net income by $412, and reduced
basic and diluted earnings per share by $0.03 per share. As of September 30,
2005, the total compensation cost related to unvested stock options not yet
recognized was $1,660, which is expected to be recognized over the next 6.6
years on a straight-line basis. The total income tax benefit related to
share-based compensation for the three months ended September 30, 2005 was
$70
and was shown as a cash flow from operating activities in our cash flow
statement.
Three
Months Ended
|
||||||||||
September
30, 2005
|
||||||||||
Pro-Forma
|
||||||||||
Results
|
||||||||||
SFAS
|
Excluding
|
|||||||||
No.
123R
|
No.
123R
|
|||||||||
Compensation
|
Compensation
|
|||||||||
As
Reported
|
Expense
|
Expense
|
||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
9,527
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
9,527
|
||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
4,645
|
(12
|
)
|
4,633
|
||||||
Gross
profit
|
4,882
|
12
|
4,894
|
|||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
1,812
|
(24
|
)
|
1,788
|
||||||
General
and administrative
|
1,771
|
(229
|
)
|
1,542
|
||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
-
|
(1,205
|
)
|
|||||
Research
and product development
|
1,799
|
(43
|
)
|
1,756
|
||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
4,177
|
(296
|
)
|
3,881
|
||||||
Operating
income
|
705
|
308
|
1,013
|
|||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
166
|
34
|
200
|
|||||||
Income
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
871
|
342
|
1,213
|
|||||||
Benefit
from income taxes
|
178
|
70
|
248
|
|||||||
Income
from continuing operations
|
1,049
|
412
|
1,461
|
|||||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
938
|
-
|
938
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,987
|
$
|
412
|
$
|
2,399
|
||||
Basic
earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
0.13
|
||||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.08
|
-
|
0.08
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
0.18
|
0.03
|
0.21
|
|||||||
Diluted
earnings per common share:
|
||||||||||
Continuing
operations
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
0.03
|
$
|
0.12
|
||||
Discontinued
operations
|
0.08
|
-
|
0.08
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
0.16
|
0.03
|
0.20
|
The
weighted-average estimated fair value of the stock options granted during the
three months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004 was $2.91 and $4.24.
19
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
The
following table shows the stock option activity for the three months ending
September 30, 2005.
Stock
Options
|
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Remaining Contractual Term (years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
at June 30, 2005
|
1,493,112
|
$
|
6.21
|
||||||||||
Granted
|
4,500
|
3.90
|
|||||||||||
Expired
and canceled
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(51,043
|
)
|
5.55
|
||||||||||
Exercised
|
-
|
-
|
$
|
0
|
|||||||||
Outstanding
at September 30, 2005
|
1,446,569
|
6.22
|
6.6
years
|
$
|
51
|
||||||||
Exercisable
|
797,077
|
5.78
|
6.2
years
|
$
|
51
|
Non-vested
Shares
|
Number
of Shares
|
Weighted
Average Grant-Date Fair Value
|
|||||
Non-vested
at June 30, 2005
|
802,400
|
$
|
4.73
|
||||
Granted
|
4,500
|
2.91
|
|||||
Vested
|
(106,365
|
)
|
3.92
|
||||
Forfeited
prior to vesting
|
(51,043
|
)
|
4.24
|
||||
Non-vested
at September 30, 2005
|
649,492
|
$
|
4.88
|
Due
to
the Company’s failure to remain current in its filing of periodic reports with
the SEC, employees, executive officers, and directors are currently not allowed
to exercise options under the 1998 Plan. Since December 2003, individual grants
that had been affected by this situation were modified to extend the exercise
period of the option through the date the Company becomes current in its filings
with the SEC and options again become exercisable. Since July 1, 2005,
modifications of stock option grants include the extension of the post-service
exercise period of vested options held by persons who have ceased to remain
employed by the Company. Compensation cost is recognized immediately for options
that are fully vested on the date of modification. In the three months ended
September 30, 2005, the Company expensed $13 in compensation cost associated
with these modifications. These costs are included in the $308 of SFAS No.
123R compensation expense disclosed above.
10.
Segment and Geographic Information
During
fiscal 2006 and fiscal 2005, all revenue and income (loss) from continuing
operations was included in the product segment. Additionally, the United States
was the only country to contribute more than 10 percent of total revenues in
each fiscal year. The Company’s revenues are substantially denominated in U.S.
dollars and are summarized geographically as follows:
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
United
States
|
$
|
7,337
|
$
|
4,945
|
|||
All
other countries
|
2,190
|
1,802
|
|||||
Total
|
$
|
9,527
|
$
|
6,747
|
20
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)
(Unaudited)
(in
thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
11.
Manufacturing Transition
In
May
2005, the Company approved an
impairment action and a restructuring action in connection with its decision
to
outsource its Salt Lake City manufacturing operations. These actions were
intended to improve the overall cost structure for the product segment by
focusing resources on other strategic areas of the business. The Company
recorded an impairment charge of $180 and a restructuring charge of $110 during
the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 as a result of these actions. These charges
were disclosed separately in the consolidated statements of operations. The
impairment charge consisted of an immediate impairment of certain property
and
equipment of $180 that had value to the Company while it manufactured product
but that was not purchased by Third Party Manufacturer (“TPM”) and at the time
were not considered likely to be sold. These assets would have remained in
service had the Company not outsourced its manufacturing operations. The
restructuring charge also consisted of severance and other employee termination
benefits of $70 related to a workforce reduction of approximately 20 employees
who were transferred to an employment agency used by TPM to transition the
workforce and a charge of $40 related to the operating lease for the Company’s
manufacturing facilities that would no longer be used by the Company. All
severance payments were paid by December 31, 2005.
The
following table summarizes the Company’s restructuring charges for the three
months ended September 30, 2005:
Severance
|
Manufacturing
Facilities Lease
|
Total
|
||||||||
Balance
at June 30, 2005
|
$
|
70
|
$
|
40
|
$
|
110
|
||||
Utilized
|
(30
|
)
|
(8
|
)
|
(38
|
)
|
||||
Balance
at September 30, 2005
|
$
|
40
|
$
|
32
|
$
|
72
|
On
August
1, 2005, the Company entered into a Manufacturing Agreement with TPM pursuant
to
which the Company agreed to outsource its Salt Lake City manufacturing
operations. The parties also entered into a one-year sublease for approximately
12,000 square feet of manufacturing space located in the Company's headquarters
in Salt Lake City, Utah, which sublease may be terminated by either party upon
90 days notice. TPM paid $11 per month under the sublease through May 31, 2006
when the sublease was terminated.
12.
Subsequent Events
Sale
of OM Video.
As of
December 31, 2005, all payments due under the note receivable through such
date
had been received and $854 of the promissory note remained outstanding; however,
OM Purchaser has failed to make any subsequent, required payments under the
note
receivable and is in default thereunder. The Company is currently considering
its collection options.
Sale
of Conferencing Services.
In
January 2006, the Company received the $1,000 in the Indemnity Escrow account
from Premiere. (see Note 4.)
Settlement
Agreement and Release.
The
Company entered into a settlement agreement and release with its former
Vice-President - Human Resources in connection with the cessation of her
employment, which generally provided for her resignation from her position
and
employment with the Company, the payment of severance, and a general release
of
claims against the Company by her. On February 20, 2006, an agreement was
entered into which generally provided for a severance payment of $93.3 and
her
surrender and delivery to the Company of 145,000 stock options (86,853 of which
were vested).
21
The
following discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited condensed
consolidated financial statements and related notes to condensed consolidated
financial statements included in this Form 10-Q and our
audited consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005 filed with the SEC and management’s
discussion and analysis contained therein. This discussion contains
forward-looking statements based on current expectations that involve risks
and
uncertainties, such as our plans, objectives, expectations, and intentions,
as
set forth under “Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.” Our actual
results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated
in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including
those set forth in the following discussion and under the caption “Risk Factors”
in Part II, Item 1A, as well as other information found in the documents we
file
from time to time with the SEC. Unless otherwise indicated, all references
to a
year reflect our fiscal year that ends on June 30.
CRITICAL
ACCOUNTING POLICIES
Our
discussion and analysis of our results of operations and financial condition
are
based upon our condensed consolidated financial statements, which have been
prepared in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.
We
review the accounting policies used in reporting our financial results on a
regular basis. The preparation of these financial statements requires management
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets
and
liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date
of
the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses
during the reporting period. We evaluate our assumptions and estimates on an
ongoing basis and may employ outside experts to assist in our evaluations.
We
believe that the estimates we use are reasonable; however, actual results could
differ from those estimates. We believe the following critical accounting
policies affect our more significant assumptions and estimates that we used
to
prepare our condensed consolidated financial statements.
Revenue
and Associated Allowances for Revenue Adjustments and Doubtful
Accounts
Included
in continuing operations is product revenue, primarily from product sales to
distributors, dealers, and end-users. Product revenue is recognized when (i)
the
products are shipped and any right of return expires, (ii) persuasive evidence
of an arrangement exists, (iii) the price is fixed and determinable, and (iv)
collection is reasonably assured.
We
provide a right of return on product sales to distributors. Currently, we do
not
have sufficient historical return experience with our distributors that is
predictive of future events given historical excess levels of inventory in
the
distribution channel. Accordingly, revenue from product sales to distributors
is
not recognized until the return privilege has expired, which approximates when
product is sold-through to customers of the Company’s distributors (dealers,
system integrators, value-added resellers, and end-users) rather than when
the
product is initially shipped to a distributor. We evaluate, at each quarter-end,
the inventory in the channel through information provided by certain of our
distributors. The level of inventory in the channel will fluctuate up or down,
each quarter, based upon our distributors’ individual operations. Accordingly,
each quarter-end revenue deferral is calculated and recorded based upon the
underlying, estimated channel inventory at quarter-end. Although, certain
distributors provide certain channel inventory amounts, we make judgments and
estimates with regard to the amount of inventory in the entire channel, for
all customers and for all channel inventory items, and the appropriate
revenue and cost of goods sold associated with those channel
products. Although these assumptions and judgments regarding total channel
inventory revenue and cost of goods sold could differ from actual
amounts, we believe that our calculations are indicative of actual levels of
inventory in the distribution channel. As of September 30, 2004, the
Company deferred $5.6 million in revenue and $1.9 million in cost of goods
sold
related to products sold where return rights had not lapsed. As of September
30,
2005, the Company deferred $4.8 million in revenue and $2.4 million in cost
of
goods sold related to products sold where return rights had not lapsed. The
amounts of deferred cost of goods sold were included in consigned inventory.
The
following table details the amount of deferred revenue and cost of goods sold
at
each period end for the 15-month period ended September 30, 2005 (in
thousands).
22
Deferred
Revenue
|
Deferred
Cost of Goods Sold
|
Deferred
Gross Profit
|
||||||||
September
30, 2005
|
$
|
4,848
|
$
|
2,373
|
$
|
2,475
|
||||
June
30, 2005
|
5,055
|
2,297
|
2,758
|
|||||||
March
31, 2005
|
5,456
|
2,321
|
3,135
|
|||||||
December
31, 2004
|
3,867
|
1,609
|
2,258
|
|||||||
September
30, 2004
|
5,617
|
1,920
|
3,697
|
|||||||
June
30, 2004
|
6,107
|
2,381
|
3,726
|
We
offer
rebates and market development funds to certain of our distributors and direct
dealers/resellers based upon volume of product purchased by such customers.
We
record rebates as a reduction of revenue in accordance with Emerging Issues
Task
Force (“EITF”) Issue No. 00-22, “Accounting for Points and Certain Other
Time-Based or Volume-Based Sales Incentive Offers, and Offers for Free Products
or Services to Be Delivered in the Future.” Beginning January 1, 2002, we
adopted EITF Issue No. 01-9, “Accounting for Consideration Given by a Vendor to
a Customer (Including a Reseller of the Vendor’s Products).” We continue to
record rebates as a reduction of revenue in the period revenue is
recognized.
We
offer
credit terms on the sale of our products to a majority of our customers and
perform ongoing credit evaluations of our customers’ financial condition. We
maintain an allowance for doubtful accounts for estimated losses resulting
from
the inability or unwillingness of our customers to make required payments based
upon our historical collection experience and expected collectibility of all
accounts receivable. Our actual bad debts in future periods may differ from
our
current estimates and the differences may be material, which may have an adverse
impact on our future accounts receivable and cash position.
Goodwill
and Purchased Intangibles
We
assess
the impairment of goodwill and other identifiable intangibles annually or
whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value
may
not be recoverable. Some factors we consider important which could trigger
an
impairment review include the following:
· |
Significant
underperformance relative to projected future operating
results;
|
· |
Significant
changes in the manner of our use of the acquired assets or the strategy
for our overall business; and
|
· |
Significant
negative industry or economic
trends.
|
If
we
determine that the carrying value of goodwill and other identified intangibles
may not be recoverable based upon the existence of one or more of the above
indicators of impairment, we would typically measure any impairment based on
a
projected discounted cash flow method using a discount rate determined by us
to
be commensurate
with the risk inherent in our current business model. We evaluate goodwill
for
impairment at least annually.
We
plan
to conduct our annual impairment tests in the fourth quarter of every fiscal
year, unless impairment indicators exist sooner. Screening for and assessing
whether impairment indicators exist or if events or changes in circumstances
have occurred, including market conditions, operating fundamentals, competition,
and general economic conditions, requires significant judgment. Additionally,
changes in the high-technology industry occur frequently and quickly. Therefore,
there can be no assurance that a charge to operations will not occur as a result
of future purchased intangible impairment tests.
23
Accounting
for Income Taxes
We
are
subject to income taxes in both the United States and in certain non-U.S.
jurisdictions. We estimate our current tax position together with our future
tax
consequences attributable to temporary differences resulting from differing
treatment of items, such as deferred revenue, depreciation, and other reserves
for tax and accounting purposes. These temporary differences result in deferred
tax assets and liabilities. We must then assess the likelihood that our deferred
tax assets will be recovered from future taxable income, prior year carryback,
or future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences. To the extent
we
believe that recovery is not more likely than not, we establish a valuation
allowance against these deferred tax assets. Significant management judgment
is
required in determining our provision for income taxes, our deferred tax assets
and liabilities, and any valuation allowance recorded against our deferred
tax
assets. To the extent we establish a valuation allowance in a period, we must
include and expense the allowance within the tax provision in the condensed
consolidated statement of operations.
Lower-of-Cost
or Market Adjustments and Reserves for Excess and Obsolete
Inventory
We
account for our inventory on a first-in, first-out (“FIFO”) basis, and make
appropriate adjustments on a quarterly basis to write-down the value of
inventory to the lower-of-cost or market.
In
order
to determine what, if any, inventory needs to be written down, we perform a
quarterly analysis of obsolete and slow-moving inventory. In general, we
write-down our excess and obsolete inventory by an amount that is equal to
the
difference between the cost of the inventory and its estimated market value
if
market value is less than cost, based upon assumptions about future product
life-cycles, product demand, or market conditions. Those items that are found
to
have a supply in excess of our estimated demand are considered to be slow-moving
or obsolete and the appropriate reserve is made to write-down the value of
that
inventory to its realizable value. These charges are recorded in cost of goods
sold. At the point of the loss recognition, a new, lower-cost basis for that
inventory is established and subsequent changes in facts and circumstances
do
not result in the restoration or increase in that newly established cost basis.
If there were to be a sudden and significant decrease in demand for our
products, or if there were a higher incidence of inventory obsolescence because
of rapidly changing technology and customer requirements, we could be required
to increase our inventory allowances, and our gross profit could be adversely
affected.
Share-Based
Payment
Prior
to
June 30, 2005 and as permitted under the original SFAS No. 123, we accounted
for
our share-based payments following the recognition and measurement principles
of
Accounting Principles Board Opinion No. 25, “Accounting for Stock Issued to
Employees,” as interpreted. Accordingly, no share-based compensation expense had
been reflected in our statements of operations for unmodified option grants
since 1) the exercise price equaled the market value of the underlying common
stock on the grant date and 2) the related number of shares to be granted upon
exercise of the stock option was fixed on the grant date.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based Payment.” SFAS No.
123R is a revision of SFAS No. 123. SFAS No. 123R establishes standards for
the
accounting for transactions in which an entity exchanges its equity instruments
for goods or services. Primarily, SFAS No. 123R focuses on accounting for
transactions in which an entity obtains employee services in share-based payment
transactions. It also addresses transactions in which an entity incurs
liabilities in exchange for goods or services that are based on the fair value
of the entity’s equity instruments or that may be settled by the issuance of
those equity instruments.
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we measure the cost of employee services received in exchange
for
an award of equity instruments based on the grant-date fair value of the award
(within limited exceptions). That cost will be recognized over the period during
which an employee is required to provide service in exchange for the awards
-
the requisite service period (usually the vesting period). No compensation
cost
is recognized for equity instruments for which employees do not render the
requisite service. Therefore, if an employee does not ultimately render the
requisite service, the costs associated with the unvested options will not
be
recognized, cumulatively.
Effective
July 1, 2005, we adopted SFAS No. 123R and its fair value recognition provisions
using the modified prospective transition method. Under this transition method,
stock-based compensation cost recognized after July 1, 2005 includes the
straight-line basis compensation cost for a) all share-based payments granted
prior to July 1, 2005, but not yet vested, based on the grant date fair values
used for the pro-forma disclosures under the original SFAS No. 123 and b) all
share-based payments granted or modified on or after July 1, 2005, in accordance
with the provisions of SFAS No. 123R.
24
Under
SFAS No. 123R, we recognize compensation cost net of an anticipated forfeiture
rate and recognize the associated compensation cost for those awards expected
to
vest on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period. We use judgment
in determining the fair-value of the share-based payments on the date of grant
using an option-pricing model with assumptions regarding a number of highly
complex and subjective variables. These variables include, but are not limited
to, the expected life of the awards, the expected volatility over the term
of
the awards, the expected dividends of the awards, the risk-free interest rate
of
the awards, and an estimate of the amount of awards that are expected to be
forfeited. If assumptions change in the application of SFAS No. 123R in future
periods, the stock-based compensation cost ultimately recorded under SFAS No.
123R may differ significantly from what was recorded in the current
period.
SEASONALITY
Our
audio
conferencing products revenue has historically been strongest during our second
and fourth quarters. Our camera product line revenue is usually strongest during
the third and fourth quarters. There can be no assurance that any historic
sales
patterns will continue and, as a result, sales for any prior quarter are not
necessarily indicative of the sales to be expected in any future quarter.
BUSINESS
OVERVIEW
We
are an
audio conferencing products company. We develop, manufacture, market, and
service a comprehensive line of audio conferencing products, which range from
tabletop conferencing phones to professionally installed audio systems. We
believe we have a strong history of product innovation and plan to continue
to
apply our expertise in audio engineering to developing innovative new products.
The performance and reliability of our high-quality solutions create a natural
communication environment, which saves organizations of all sizes time and
money
by enabling more effective and efficient communication between geographically
separated businesses, employees, and customers.
DISCUSSION
OF OPERATIONS
Results
of Operations for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and
2004
The
following table sets forth certain items from our unaudited condensed
consolidated statements of operations (in thousands) for the three months ended
September 30, 2005 and 2004, together with the percentage of total revenue
which
each such item represents:
Three
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||||||||
September
30,
|
September
30,
|
||||||||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||||||
%
of Revenue
|
%
of Revenue
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
9,527
|
100.0
|
%
|
$
|
6,747
|
100.0
|
%
|
|||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
4,645
|
48.8
|
%
|
3,797
|
56.3
|
%
|
|||||||
Gross
profit
|
4,882
|
51.2
|
%
|
2,950
|
43.7
|
%
|
|||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
|||||||||||||
Marketing
and selling
|
1,812
|
19.0
|
%
|
2,086
|
30.9
|
%
|
|||||||
General
and administrative
|
1,771
|
18.6
|
%
|
1,435
|
21.3
|
%
|
|||||||
Settlement
in shareholders' class action
|
(1,205
|
)
|
-12.6
|
%
|
(1,020
|
)
|
-15.1
|
%
|
|||||
Research
and product development
|
1,799
|
18.9
|
%
|
1,105
|
16.4
|
%
|
|||||||
Total
operating expenses
|
4,177
|
43.8
|
%
|
3,606
|
53.4
|
%
|
|||||||
Operating
income (loss)
|
705
|
7.4
|
%
|
(656
|
)
|
-9.7
|
%
|
||||||
Other
income (expense), net
|
166
|
1.7
|
%
|
34
|
0.5
|
%
|
|||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes
|
871
|
9.1
|
%
|
(622
|
)
|
-9.2
|
%
|
||||||
Benefit
from income taxes
|
178
|
1.9
|
%
|
232
|
3.4
|
%
|
|||||||
Income
(loss) from continuing operations
|
1,049
|
11.0
|
%
|
(390
|
)
|
-5.8
|
%
|
||||||
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax
|
938
|
9.8
|
%
|
13,346
|
197.8
|
%
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
1,987
|
20.9
|
%
|
$
|
12,956
|
192.0
|
%
|
25
Our
revenue increased 41.2 percent from the three months ended September 30, 2004
to
the three months ended September 30, 2005. After the three months ended
September 30, 2004, we introduced several new products in our products segment,
including expansion of our MAX® tabletop audio conferencing products and the
introduction of our RAV™ audio conferencing systems. For the three months ended
September 30, 2005 our settlement in shareholders’ class action benefit
increased $185 over the same period in fiscal 2004 due to a quarterly
mark-to-market adjustment of the liability associated with our December 2003
settlement agreement, while research and development expense for the three
months ended September 30, 2005 increased primarily due to salaries and
benefit-related costs, including compensation cost related to SFAS No. 123R,
over the same period in fiscal 2004. Our income (loss) from continuing
operations before income taxes increased approximately $1.5 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2005 over the three months ended September
2004.
The
following is a discussion of our results of operations for our three months
ended September 30, 2005 and 2004. All items are discussed on a consolidated
basis.
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2005 (“First Quarter of Fiscal
2006”)
Compared
to Three Months Ended September 30, 2004 (“First Quarter of Fiscal
2005”)
Revenue
Our
revenues were $9.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2005
compared to revenues of $6.7 million for the three months ended September 30,
2004. Total revenues increased $2.8 million, or 41.2 percent, for the three
months ended September 30, 2005 compared to the three months ended September
30,
2004. The increase in revenue was due to continued growth in professional audio
conferencing products sales of $1.2 million, sales of products that were
introduced after September 30, 2004 of $1.0 million, and increased sales in
other on-going product lines of approximately $500,000. We do not necessarily
believe that revenue increases of 41.2 percent are likely to occur in future
periods.
We
evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory in the channel through information
provided by certain of our distributors. The level of inventory in the
channel will fluctuate up or down, each quarter, based upon our distributors’
individual operations. Accordingly, each quarter-end revenue deferral is
calculated and recorded based upon the underlying, estimated channel inventory
at quarter-end. During the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004,
the net change in deferred revenue based on the net movement of inventory in
the
channel was a net recognition of $207,000 and $490,000 in revenue,
respectively.
The
following table indicates the number of individual unit shipments to our
distributors for certain of our product lines for the three months ended
September 30, 2005 and 2004. Due to our current revenue recognition policy,
the
figures do not tie directly to recognized revenues because revenues are
recognized when the return rights lapse rather than at the time of
shipment.
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||
(by
individual unit)
|
|||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Professional
audio conferencing
|
3,116
|
2,237
|
|||||
Premium
and tabletop conferencing
|
5,391
|
1,593
|
Total
revenues from sales outside of the United States accounted for 23.0 percent
of
total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 26.7 percent
of
total revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2004.
Costs
of Goods Sold and Gross Profit
Costs
of
goods sold (“COGS”) from the product segment includes expenses associated with
finished goods purchased from outsourced manufacturers, the manufacture of
our
products, including material and direct labor, our manufacturing and operations
organization, tooling amortization, warranty expense, freight expense, royalty
payments, and the allocation of overhead expenses.
26
The
following table shows our COGS and gross profit together with each items’ amount
as a percentage of total revenue:
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||||||
%
of Revenue
|
%
of Revenue
|
||||||||||||
Cost
of goods sold
|
$
|
4,645
|
48.8%
|
|
$
|
3,797
|
56.3%
|
|
|||||
Gross
profit
|
$
|
4,882
|
51.2%
|
|
$
|
2,950
|
43.7%
|
|
COGS
increased by $848,000, or 22.3 percent, to $4.6 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2005 compared with $3.8 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2004. The increase in COGS from the three months ended September
30, 2004 to the three months ended September 30, 2005 was primarily attributable
to a $2.8 million or 41.2 percent increase in total revenue, the addition of
SFAS No. 123R compensation cost of $12,000, partially offset by a $281,000
decrease in our obsolete product inventory write-offs.
COGS
for
the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 2004, include ($76,000) and
$461,000 in net (increases) decreases related to the deferral of product revenue
from the respective deferral at June 30, 2005 and 2004 because return rights
had
not lapsed.
Our
gross
profit from continuing operations was $4.9 million or 51.2 percent of revenue
for the three months ended September 30, 2005 compared to $3.0 million or 43.7
percent of revenue for the three months ended September 30, 2004. The increase
in gross profit is mostly due to the increase in revenue from sales of
professional conferencing products which have a higher gross profit margin
than
our premium and tabletop conferencing products. The increase in gross profit
was
also impacted by reduced inventory write-offs, cost cutting, and improved
efficiencies. During the past five quarters, the gross profit percentage has
ranged from a high of 55.6 percent in the three months ended June 30, 2005
to a
low of 43.7 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2004. We believe
quarterly fluctuations will continue to occur based upon actual product mix.
We
anticipate that the decline in gross profit percentage from the fourth quarter
of fiscal 2005 level will continue in our near-term results of
operations.
Operating
Expenses
Our
operating expenses were $4.2 million for the three months ended September 30,
2005, an increase of $571,000, or 15.8 percent, from $3.6 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2004. The increase in operating expenses from the
levels for the three months ended September 30, 2004 to the levels for the
three
months ended September 30, 2005 is primarily related to the introduction of
compensation cost related the SFAS No. 123R and increased research and product
development expenses partially offset by decreased spending in marketing and
selling and a larger benefit related to the settlement in the shareholders’
class action expense. The following is a more detailed discussion of expenses
related to marketing and selling, general and administrative, settlement in
shareholders’ class action, and research and product development.
Marketing
and selling expenses.
Marketing and selling expenses include selling, customer service, and marketing
expenses such as employee-related costs, allocations of overhead expenses,
trade
shows, and other advertising and selling expenses. Total marketing and selling
expenses decreased $274,000, or 13.1 percent, to $1.8 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2005 compared with the three months ended September
30, 2004 expenses of $2.1 million. As a percentage of revenues, marketing and
selling expenses were 19.0 percent for the three months ended September 30,
2005
and 30.9 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2004. The decrease
in
marketing and selling expenses from the three months ended September 30, 2004
to
the three months ended September 30, 2005 was primarily attributable to a
decrease in employee related expenses of $123,000, a decrease in our
international sales offices of $109,000, and a decrease of $80,000 of other
marketing and selling expenses that were partially offset by the addition of
SFAS No. 123R compensation cost of $24,000.
27
General
and administrative expenses.
G&A
expenses include employee-related costs, professional service fees, allocations
of overhead expenses, litigation costs, including costs associated with the
SEC
investigation and subsequent litigation, and corporate administrative costs,
including finance and human resources. Total G&A expenses increased
$336,000, or 23.4 percent, to $1.8 million for the three months ended September
30, 2005 compared with the three months ended September 30, 2004 expenses of
$1.4 million. As a percentage of revenues, G&A expenses were 18.6 percent
for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and 21.3 percent for the three
months ended September 30, 2004. A summary of our general and administrative
expenses are as follows:
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||
2005
|
2004
|
||||||
Total
G&A before discontinued operations
|
$
|
1,771
|
$
|
1,514
|
|||
OM
Video G&A
|
-
|
(79
|
)
|
||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
1,771
|
$
|
1,435
|
|||
Professional
fees (SEC investigation and subsequent litigation)
|
$
|
267
|
$
|
136
|
|||
Professional
fees (Other)
|
672
|
512
|
|||||
Compensation
cost related to SFAS No. 123R
|
229
|
-
|
|||||
Other
general and administrative expense
|
603
|
787
|
|||||
Total
G&A from continuing operations
|
$
|
1,771
|
$
|
1,435
|
We
attribute the decrease in G&A as a percentage of revenues to 18.6 percent
for the three months ended September 30, 2005 from 21.3 percent for the three
months ended September 30, 2004 mostly due to the 41.2 percent increase in
revenue. The increase in actual expenses is mainly due to the addition of SFAS
No. 123R compensation cost of $229,000, an increase in SEC investigation and
subsequent litigation-related professional fees of $131,000, and an increase
in
professional fees, including accounting and audit fees, of $160,000 partially
offset by a $51,000 decrease in directors and officers insurance premiums,
a
$43,000 reduction in salaries and benefits-related costs, and a $90,000 decrease
in other G&A expense.
Settlement
in shareholders’ class action expense (benefit).
We
attribute the decrease in benefit for settlement in shareholders’ class action
expense as a percentage of revenue to (12.6) percent for the three months ended
September 30, 2005 from (15.1) percent for the three months ended September
30,
2004 to the quarterly mark-to-market of the liability associated with the 1.2
million shares of common stock that were issued in November 2004 (fiscal 2005)
and September 2005 (fiscal 2006) to class members and their legal counsel as
part of the December 2003 (fiscal 2004) settlement agreement. This
mark-to-market adjustment of the stock to reflect the current liability amount
associated with the 1.2 million shares based upon the closing price of the
Company’s common stock at the end of each quarter through the date the shares
were issued on September 29, 2005. Accordingly, we will no longer recognize
any
expense (benefit) associated with these stock price fluctuations.
Research
and product development expenses.
Research
and product development expenses include research and development, product
management, and engineering services, and test and application expenses,
including employee-related costs, outside services, expensed materials,
depreciation, and an allocation of overhead expenses. Total research and product
development expenses increased $694,000, or 62.8 percent, to $1.8 million for
the three months ended September 30, 2005 compared with the three months ended
September 30, 2004 expenses of $1.1 million. As a percentage of revenues,
research and product development expenses were 18.9 percent for the three months
ended September 30, 2005 and 16.4 percent for the three months ended September
30, 2004. The increase in product development expenses from the three months
ended September 30, 2004 to the three months ended September 30, 2005 was due
to
ongoing research and product development efforts and the addition of SFAS No.
123R compensation cost of $43,000.
28
Operating
income (loss).
For the
three months ended September 30, 2005, our operating income increased $1.4
million, or 207.5 percent, to $705,000 on revenue of $9.5 million, from an
operating loss of $656,000 on revenue of $6.7 million for the three months
ended
September 30, 2004. As discussed above, the factors affecting this increase
in
operating income were an increase in gross profit of $1.9 million, a decrease
in
marketing and selling expenses of $274,000, and an increase in settlement in
shareholders’ class action benefit of $185,000, partially offset by an increase
in research and product development expenses of $694,000 and an increase in
general and administrative expenses of $336,000.
Other
income (expense), net.
Other
income (expense), net, includes our interest income, interest expense, capital
gains, gain (loss) on the disposal of assets, and currency gain (loss). Other
income was $166,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2005, an increase
of $132,000, or 388.2 percent, from income of $34,000 for the three months
ended
September 30, 2004. The increase in other income for the three months ended
September 30, 2005 over the same period in fiscal 2004 was primarily due to
an
increase in interest income associated with our marketable securities and a
decrease in interest expense related to our Oracle system-related note
payable.
Income
(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes.
Income
(loss) from continuing operations increased $1.5 million, or 240.0 percent
to
$871,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2005 compared with the three
months ended September 30, 2004 net loss from continuing operations of
($622,000). As a percentage of revenues, net income (loss) from continuing
operations was 9.1 percent for the three months ended September 30, 2005 and
(9.2) percent for the three months ended September 30, 2004. We attribute the
change in income to the results of operations as described above.
Benefit
from income taxes.
Benefit
from income taxes from continuing operations was $178,000 for the three months
ended September 30, 2005 and $232,000 for the three months ended September
30,
2004. The change is mostly due to the income from discontinued operations during
the three months ended September 30, 2005 being partially offset by and our
ability to decrease a portion of the valuation allowance against deferred tax
assets. Given the Company’s history of consecutive years of losses from
continuing operations, we followed the guidance of SFAS No. 109, “Accounting
for Income Taxes,”
and
recorded a valuation allowance against certain deferred tax assets where it
is
not considered more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will be
realized. As of September 30, 2005, we have fully reserved against our net
deferred tax assets.
Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax. Income
from discontinued operations, net of tax, includes the gain on the sale of
our
conferencing services business, payments on our note receivable related to
the
sale of our Canadian audiovisual integration services business which was sold
on
March 4, 2005, loss from discontinued operations related to our Canadian
audiovisual integration services, and the final payment received on our note
receivable related to the sale to Burk. The income from discontinued operations
was approximately $938,000 for the three months ended September 30, 2005, a
decrease of $12.4 million or 93.0 percent, from approximately $13.3 million
for
the three months ended September 30, 2004.
On
July
1, 2004, we sold our conferencing services business component to Premiere.
Consideration for the sale consisted of $21.3 million in cash. Of the purchase
price, $300,000 was placed into a working capital escrow account and an
additional $1.0 million was placed into an 18-month Indemnity Escrow account.
The Company received the $300,000 working capital escrow funds approximately
90
days after the execution date of the contract. The Company received the $1.0
million in the Indemnity Escrow account in January 2006. Additionally, $1.4
million of the proceeds was utilized to pay off equipment leases pertaining
to
assets being conveyed to Premiere. The Company realized a gain, net of tax,
on
the sale of $13.4 million during the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
We
received payments on our OM Video note receivable, net of tax, of $94,000 for
the three months ended September 30, 2005 while OM Video services loss, net
of
tax, was ($32,000) for the three months ended September 30, 2004. OM Video
audiovisual integration services business revenue was $879,000 for the three
months ended September 30, 2004.
On
August
22, 2005 we entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver with Burk pursuant to
which
Burk paid us $1.3 million in full satisfaction of the promissory note, which
included a discount of $119,000. As part of the Mutual Release and Waiver
Agreement, we waived any right to future commission payments from Burk and
we
granted mutual releases to one another with respect to claims and liabilities.
We realized a gain, net of tax, of $844,000 for the three months ended September
30, 2005.
29
THIRD-PARTY
MANUFACTURING AGREEMENT
On
August
1, 2005, we entered into a Manufacturing Agreement with a third-party
manufacturer (“TPM”), pursuant to which we agreed to outsource our Salt Lake
City manufacturing operations. The parties also entered into a one-year sublease
for approximately 12,000 square feet of manufacturing space located in our
headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, which sublease may be terminated by either
party upon 90 days notice. TPM paid $11,000 per month under the sublease through
May 31, 2006, when the sublease was terminated. Costs associated with
outsourcing our manufacturing totaled approximately $290,000 including severance
payments, facilities we no longer use, and impairment of property and equipment
that will be disposed of. We recorded the change related to these costs in
the
fiscal 2005 consolidated financial statements.
SUBSEQUENT
EVENTS
Sale
of OM Video.
As of
December 31, 2005, all payments due under the note receivable through such
date
had been received and $854,000 of the promissory note remained outstanding;
however, OM Purchaser has failed to make any subsequent, required payments
under
the note receivable and is in default thereunder. We are currently considering
our collection options.
Sale
of Conferencing Services.
In
January 2006, we received the $1.0 million in the Indemnity Escrow account
from
Premiere.
Settlement
Agreement and Release.
We
entered into a settlement agreement and release with our former Vice-President
-
Human Resources in connection with the cessation of her employment, which
generally provided for her resignation from her position and employment, the
payment of severance, and a general release of claims against us by her. On
February 20, 2006, an agreement was entered into which generally provided for
a
severance payment of $93,300 and her surrender and delivery to the Company
of
145,000 stock options (86,853 of which were vested).
LIQUIDITY
AND CAPITAL RESOURCES
As
of
September 30, 2005, our cash and cash equivalents were approximately $2.2
million and our marketable securities were approximately $17.0 million, which
represented an overall increase of $1.5 million in our balances from June 30,
2005 which were cash and cash equivalents of approximately $1.9 million and
our
marketable securities of approximately $15.8 million.
Net
cash
flows provided by operating activities were $580,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2005, a decrease of $3.2 million, from the net cash flows provided
by operating activities of $3.8 million for the three months ended September
30,
2004. The year-over-year decrease was attributable to an increase of $3.4
million in cash used in changes in working capital, a $618,000 decrease in
cash
provided by discontinued operations, and a decrease of $569,000 in cash provided
by non-cash expenses, partially offset by an increase in net income from
continuing operations of $1.4 million.
Net
cash
flows used in investing activities were $283,000 for the three months ended
September 30, 2005, a decrease of $4.4 million, from the net cash flows used
in
investing activities of $4.7 million for the three months ended September 30,
2004. The change was primarily attributable to a decrease in the net (purchase)
of marketable securities of approximately $17.5 million, a decrease in the
purchase of property and equipment of $190,000, and an increase in the proceeds
from the sale of property and equipment of $42,000, partially offset by a
decrease in net cash provided by discontinued operations of $13.3 million.
On
August 22, 2005 we entered into a Mutual Release and Waiver with Burk pursuant
to which Burk paid us $1.3 million, pre-tax, in full satisfaction of the
promissory note, which is included in net cash provided by discontinued
investing activities.
We
did
not have any net cash flows used in financing activities for the three months
ended September 30, 2005, a decrease of $178,000, from the net cash flows used
in financing activities of $178,000 for the three months ended September 30,
2004. This increase was attributable to a $178,000 decrease in cash used in
payments on long-term debt and capital leases.
30
We
have
no off-balance-sheet financing arrangements with related parties and no
unconsolidated subsidiaries. Contractual obligations related to our operating
leases at September 30, 2005 are summarized below (in thousands):
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
Remainder
of Fiscal 2006
|
Fiscal
2007 and 2008
|
Fiscal
2009 and 2010
|
Thereafter
|
|||||||||||
Operating
Leases
|
$
|
613
|
$
|
371
|
$
|
240
|
$
|
2
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Total
Contractual Cash Obligations
|
$
|
613
|
$
|
371
|
$
|
240
|
$
|
2
|
$
|
-
|
At
September 30, 2005, we had open purchase orders related to our contract
manufacturers and other contractual obligations of approximately $3.0 million
primarily related to inventory purchases.
We
have
non-cancellable, non-returnable, and long-lead time commitments with our
outsourced manufacturers and certain suppliers for inventory components that
will be used in production. Our exposure associated with these commitments
is
approximately $1.5 million, with the fiscal 2006 exposure being approximately
$800,000 and the fiscal 2007 and 2008 exposure being approximately
$700,000.
As
of
December 31, 2005, all payments due under the note receivable from the sale
of
OM Video through such date had been received and $854,000 of the promissory
note
remained outstanding; however, OM Purchaser has failed to make any subsequent,
required payments under the note receivable and is in default thereunder. We
are
currently considering our collection options.
In
January 2006, we received the $1.0 million in the Indemnity Escrow account
from
Premiere.
As
of
September 30, 2005, we had a net income tax receivable of $3.6 million. The
receivable was generated from net operating loss carrybacks related to tax
returns for the fiscal years ended June 30, 2004 and 2003, of $3.1 million
and
$359,000, respectively, and an overpayment of income taxes of approximately
$500,000 for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. Additionally, we recorded
in
continuing and discontinued operations a combined tax provision of $380,000
during the three months ended September 30, 2005.
Beginning
in January 2003 and continuing through the date of this report, we have incurred
significant costs with respect to the defense and settlement of legal
proceedings and the audits of our consolidated financial statements. The
restatement of fiscal 2002 and fiscal 2001 consolidated financial statements
and
the fiscal 2004 and fiscal 2003 audits were significantly more time consuming
and expensive than originally anticipated. The extended time commitment required
to complete the restatement of financial information continues to be costly
and
divert our resources, as well as to have a material effect on our results of
operations. We paid $127,000 in fiscal 2006, $2.5 million in fiscal 2005, and
$2.5 million in fiscal 2004 in cash to settle the shareholders’ class action
lawsuit. We have incurred legal fees in the amount of approximately $1.9 million
from January 2003 through May 2006 and we have incurred audit and tax fees
in
the amount of approximately $3.6 million from January 2004 through May 2006.
We
expect that in fiscal 2007 these costs will be substantially less.
During
fiscal 2006, we increased our research and development spending for new product
development, including the hiring of new engineering and support staff, as
well
as increased spending on software, hardware, prototype development, and testing.
We have also invested in the introduction of new products, including the
Converge 560/590, the MaxAttach IP and Max IP, the Tabletop Controller for
XAP
Platform, as well as the Chat 50.
We
have
not exercised our five-year renewal option on our existing Company headquarters.
We have entered into a letter of intent on a new corporate headquarters facility
that we believe will better meet our current and future requirements. The
proposed lease term is seven years, with a five-year exit clause, and a minimum
of 33,000 square feet. The lease is anticipated to commence November 1, 2006.
Our
principal source of funding for these and other expenses has been cash generated
from operations and from the sale of discontinued operations. We believe that
our working capital and cash flows from operating activities will be sufficient
to satisfy our operating and capital expenditure requirements through fiscal
2007.
31
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations in the European Union
In
June
2005, the FASB issued a FSP interpreting SFAS No. 143, “Accounting for Asset
Retirement Obligations,” specifically FSP 143-1,
“Accounting for Electronic Equipment Waste Obligations.” FSP
143-1
addresses the accounting for obligations associated with Directive 2002/96/EC,
“Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment,” which was adopted by the European
Union (“EU”). The FSP provides guidance on how to account for the effects of the
Directive but only with respect to historical waste associated with products
placed on the market on or before August 13, 2005. FSP
143-1
is
effective beginning with our fiscal 2006 financial statements. We do not believe
that the adoption of FSP 143-1 had a material effect on our business, results
of
operations, financial position,
or
liquidity.
Inventory
Costs
In
November 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 151, “Inventory Costs - an Amendment of
ARB No. 43,” which is the result of its efforts to converge U.S. accounting
standards for inventories with International Accounting Standards. SFAS No.
151
requires idle facility expenses, freight, handling costs, and wasted material
(spoilage) costs to be recognized as current-period charges. It also requires
that allocation of fixed production overheads to the costs of conversion be
based on the normal capacity of the production facilities. SFAS No. 151 is
effective for our fiscal 2006 financial statements. There was not a significant
impact on our business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity
from the adoption of this standard.
Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections
In
May
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154, “Accounting Changes and Error Corrections -
a Replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB Statement No. 3” in order to
converge U.S. accounting standards with International Accounting Standards.
SFAS
No. 154 changes the requirements for the accounting for and reporting of a
change in accounting principle. Previously, most voluntary changes in accounting
principles required recognition of a cumulative effect adjustment within net
income of the period of the change. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective
application to prior periods’ financial statements, unless it is impracticable
to determine either the period-specific effects or the cumulative effect of
the
change. SFAS No. 154 is effective for accounting changes made in fiscal years
beginning after December 15, 2005; however, it does not change the transition
provisions of any existing accounting pronouncements. We do not believe that
the
adoption of SFAS No. 154 will have a material effect on our business, results
of
operations, financial position, or liquidity.
Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment
In
March
2004, the FASB issued EITF No. 03-01, “The Meaning of Other-Than-Temporary
Impairment and its Application to Certain Investments,” which provides new
guidance for assessing impairment losses on debt and equity investments. The
new
impairment model applies to investments accounted for under the cost or equity
method and investments accounted for under SFAS 115, “Accounting for Certain
Investments in Debt and Equity Securities.” EITF No. 03-01 also includes new
disclosure requirements for cost method investments and for all investments
that
are in an unrealized loss position. In September 2004, the FASB delayed the
accounting provisions of EITF No. 03-01; however, the disclosure requirements
remain effective. We do not expect that the adoption of this EITF to have a
material impact on our business, results of operations, financial position,
or
liquidity.
Our
exposure to market risk has not changed materially since June 30,
2005.
32
Item
4. CONTROLS
AND PROCEDURES
We
maintain disclosure controls and procedures designed to ensure that information
required to be disclosed in our reports filed under the Securities Exchange
Act
of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), is recorded, processed, summarized,
and reported within the required time periods and that such information is
accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive
Officer and Interim Chief Financial Officer, as appropriate, to allow for timely
decisions regarding required disclosure. The effectiveness of any system of
disclosure controls and procedures is subject to certain limitations, including
the exercise of judgment in designing, implementing, and evaluating the controls
and procedures, the assumptions used in identifying the likelihood of future
events, and the inability to eliminate improper conduct completely. A controls
system, no matter how well-designed and operated, cannot provide absolute
assurance that the objectives of the controls system are met, and no evaluation
of controls can provide absolute assurance that all control issues and instances
of fraud, if any, within a company have been detected. As a result, there can
be
no assurance that our disclosure controls and procedures will detect all errors
or fraud.
As
required by Rule 13a-15 under the Exchange Act, we have completed an evaluation,
under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including
the Chief Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer, of the
effectiveness and the design and operation of our disclosure controls and
procedures as of September 30, 2005. Based upon this evaluation and as a result
of the material weakness discussed below, our management, including the Chief
Executive Officer and the Interim Chief Financial Officer, has concluded that
our disclosure controls and procedures were not effective as of September 30,
2005. Management nevertheless has concluded that the condensed consolidated
financial statements included in this Form 10-Q present fairly, in all material
respects, our results of operations and financial position for the periods
presented in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles.
A
material weakness is a control deficiency, or combination of control
deficiencies, that result in more than a remote likelihood that a material
misstatement of the annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented
or detected in a timely basis by management or employees in the normal course
of
performing their assigned functions. As of September 30, 2005, we identified
the
following material weakness in our internal controls:
· |
Ineffective
financial statement close process.
We have a material weakness in the timeliness and adequacy of the
monthly
close process to effect a timely and accurate financial statement
close
with the necessary level of review and supervision. Accounting personnel
have not been able to focus full attention to correcting this weakness
due
to their focus on the preparation, audit, and issuance for the restated
fiscal 2001, restated fiscal 2002, fiscal 2003, 2004, and 2005, and
interim fiscal 2006 condensed consolidated financial
statements.
|
There
were no changes to any reported financial results that have been released by
us
in this or any other filings as a result of the above-described material
weakness; however, the following actions have been commenced since June 30,
2005
in response to the inadequacies noted above:
· |
Initiation
of an evaluation and remediation process with respect to internal
controls
over financial reporting and related processes designed to identify
internal controls that mitigate financial reporting risk and identify
control gaps that may require further
remediation.
|
· |
Evaluation
of the staffing, organizational structure, systems, policies and
procedures, and other reporting processes, to improve the timeliness
of
closing the Company’s accounting records and to enhance the level of
review and supervision.
|
· |
Re-evaluation
of prior policies and procedures and the establishment of new policies
and
procedures for such matters as non-routine and complex transactions,
account reconciliation procedures, and contract management
procedures.
|
· |
Hiring
of additional accounting personnel with experience in accounting
matters
and financial reporting.
|
· |
On-going
training and monitoring by management to ensure operation of controls
as
designed.
|
33
We
have
committed considerable resources to date to the reviews and remedies described
above, although certain of such items are on-going as of this filing date,
and
it will take time to realize all of the benefits. Additional efforts will be
required to remediate the material weakness in our controls. We believe that
the
steps taken to date, along with certain other remediation plans we are currently
undertaking, including those described above, will address the material weakness
that affects our internal controls over financial reporting for the fiscal
year
ending June 30, 2006. We will continue our on-going evaluation and expect to
improve our internal controls as necessary to assure their effectiveness.
Other
than as described above, since the evaluation date, there has been no change
in
our internal controls over financial reporting (as defined in Rules 13a-15
and
15d-15 under the Exchange Act) that has materially affected, or is reasonably
likely to materially affect, our internal controls over financial reporting.
34
PART
II - OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
Legal
Proceedings.
In
addition to the legal proceedings described below, we are also involved from
time to time in various claims and other legal proceedings which arise in the
normal course of business. Such matters are subject to many uncertainties and
outcomes that are not predictable. However, based on the information available
to us as of May 15, 2006 and after discussions with legal counsel, we do not
believe any such other proceedings will have a material, adverse effect on
our
business, results of operations, financial position, or liquidity, except as
described below.
The
Shareholders’ Class Action.
On
June 30, 2003, a consolidated complaint was filed against the Company,
eight present or former officers and directors of the Company, and Ernst &
Young LLP (“Ernst & Young”), the Company’s former independent public
accountants, by a class consisting of purchasers of the Company’s common stock
during the period from April 17, 2001 through January 15, 2003. The action
followed the consolidation of several previously filed class action complaints
and the appointment of lead counsel for the class. The allegations in the
complaint were essentially the same as those contained in an SEC complaint
described in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June
30, 2005. On December 4, 2003, the Company, on behalf of itself and all other
defendants with the exception of Ernst & Young, entered into a settlement
agreement with the class pursuant to which the Company agreed to pay the class
$5.0 million and to issue the class 1.2 million shares of its common stock.
The
cash payment was made in two equal installments, the first on November 10,
2003
(fiscal 2004) and the second on January 14, 2005 (fiscal 2005). On May 23,
2005,
the court order was amended to require the Company to pay cash in lieu of stock
to those members of the class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive
fewer than 100 shares of stock. On September 29, 2005 (fiscal 2006), we
completed our obligations under the settlement agreement by issuing a total
of
1,148,494 shares of our common stock to the plaintiff class, including 228,000
shares previously issued in November 2004 (fiscal 2005), and we paid an
aggregate of $127,000 in cash in lieu of shares to those members of the class
who would otherwise have been entitled to receive an odd-lot number of shares
or
who resided in states in which there was no exemption available for the issuance
of shares. The cash payments were calculated on the basis of $2.46 per share
which was equal to the higher of (i) the closing price for our common stock
as
reported by the Pink Sheets on the business day prior to the date the shares
were mailed, or (ii) the average closing price over the five trading days prior
to such mailing date.
On
a
quarterly basis, we revalued the un-issued shares to the closing price of the
stock on the last day of the quarter. During the three months ended September
30, 2005 and 2004, we received a benefit of $1.2 million and $1.0 million,
respectively, related to the revaluation of the 1.2 million shares of the
Company’s common stock that were issued in November 2004 and September 2005.
The
Shareholder Derivative Actions.
Between
March and August 2003, four shareholder derivative actions were filed by
certain shareholders of the Company against various present and past officers
and directors of the Company and against Ernst & Young. The complaints
asserted allegations similar to those asserted in an SEC complaint described
in
the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005 and
the shareholders’ class action described above and also alleged that the
defendant directors and officers violated their fiduciary duties to the Company
by causing or allowing the Company to recognize revenue in violation of GAAP
and
to issue materially misstated financial statements and that Ernst & Young
breached its professional responsibilities to the Company and acted in violation
of GAAP by failing to identify or prevent the alleged revenue recognition
violations and by issuing unqualified audit opinions with respect to the
Company’s fiscal 2002 and 2001 financial statements. One of these actions was
dismissed without prejudice on June 13, 2003. As to the other three
actions, our Board of Directors appointed a special litigation committee of
independent directors to evaluate the claims. That committee determined that
the
maintenance of the derivative proceedings against the individual defendants
was
not in the best interest of the Company. Accordingly, on December 12, 2003,
we
moved to dismiss those claims. In March 2004, our motions were granted, and
the derivative claims were dismissed with prejudice as to all defendants except
Ernst & Young. The Company was substituted as the plaintiff in the action
and is now pursuing in its own name the claims against Ernst & Young.
35
The
Insurance Coverage Action. On
February 9, 2004, the Company and Edward Dallin Bagley, the Chairman of the
Board of Directors and a significant shareholder of ClearOne, jointly filed
an
action against National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
(“National Union”) and Lumbermens Mutual Insurance Company of Berkeley Heights,
New Jersey (“Lumbermens Mutual”), the carriers of certain prior period directors
and officers’ liability insurance policies, to recover the costs of defending
and resolving claims against certain of our present and former directors and
officers in connection with an SEC complaint described in our Annual Report
on
Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005, and the shareholders’ class action
and the shareholder derivative actions described above, and seeking other
damages resulting from the refusal of such carriers to timely pay the amounts
owing under such liability insurance policies. This action has been consolidated
into a declaratory relief action filed by one of the insurance carriers on
February 6, 2004 against ClearOne and certain of its current and former
directors. In this action, the insurers assert that they are entitled to rescind
insurance coverage under the Company’s directors and officers liability
insurance policies, $3.0 million of which was provided by National Union and
$2.0 million of which was provided by Lumbermens Mutual, based on alleged
misstatements in the Company’s insurance applications. In February 2005, we
entered into a confidential settlement agreement with Lumbermens Mutual pursuant
to which ClearOne and Mr. Bagley received a lump-sum cash amount and the
plaintiffs agreed to dismiss their claims against Lumbermens Mutual with
prejudice. The cash settlement is held in a segregated account until the claims
involving National Union have been resolved, at which time the amounts received
in the action will be allocated between the Company and Mr. Bagley. The amount
distributed to the Company and Mr. Bagley will be determined based on future
negotiations between the Company and Mr. Bagley. The Company cannot currently
estimate the amount of the settlement which it will ultimately receive. Upon
determining the amount of the settlement which we will ultimately receive,
we
will record this as a contingent gain. On October 21, 2005, the court granted
summary judgment in favor of National Union on its rescission defense and
accordingly entered a judgment dismissing all of the claims asserted by ClearOne
and Mr. Bagley. In connection with the summary judgment, the Company has been
ordered to pay approximately $59,000 in expenses. However, due to the Lumbermans
Mutual cash proceeds discussed above and the appeal of the summary judgment
discussed below, this potential liability has not been recorded in the balance
sheet as of September 30, 2005. On February 2, 2006, the Company and Mr. Bagley
filed an appeal of the summary judgment granted on October 21, 2005 and intend
to vigorously pursue the appeal and any follow-up proceedings regarding their
claims against National Union, although no assurances can be given that they
will be successful. The Company and Mr. Bagley have entered into a Joint
Prosecution and Defense Agreement in connection with the action and we are
paying all litigation expenses except litigation expenses which are solely
related to Mr. Bagley’s claims in the litigation.
Wells
Submission.
We have
been advised by the staff of the Salt Lake District Office of the SEC that
the
staff intended to recommend to the Commission that administrative proceedings
be
instituted to revoke the registration of the Company’s common stock based on the
Company’s failure to timely file annual and quarterly reports with the
Commission. We provided the staff with a so-called “Wells Submission” setting
forth its position with respect to the staff’s intended recommendation. To date,
the Commission has not instituted an administrative proceeding against us;
however, there can be no assurance that the Commission will not institute an
administrative proceeding in the future or that we would prevail if an
administrative proceeding were instituted.
36
Item
1A. RISK FACTORS
Investors
should carefully consider the risks described below. The risks described below
are not the only ones we face, and there are risks that we are not presently
aware of or that we currently believe are immaterial that may also impair our
business operations. Any of these risks could harm our business. The trading
price of our common stock could decline significantly due to any of these risks
and investors may lose all or part of their investment. In assessing these
risks, investors should also refer to the other information contained or
incorporated by reference in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, including
our
September 30, 2005 unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and
related notes.
Risks
Relating to Our Business
We
face intense competition in all of the markets for our products and services;
our operating results will be adversely affected if we cannot compete
effectively against other companies.
As
described in more detail in the section entitled “Competition,” in our Annual
Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2005, the markets for our
products and services are characterized by intense competition and pricing
pressures and rapid technological change. We compete with businesses having
substantially greater financial, research and development, manufacturing,
marketing, and other resources. If we are not able to continually design,
manufacture, and successfully introduce new or enhanced products or services
that are comparable or superior to those provided by our competitors and at
comparable or better prices, we could experience pricing pressures and reduced
sales, gross profit, profits, and market share, each of which could have a
materially adverse effect on our business.
Difficulties
in estimating customer demand in our products segment could harm our gross
profit.
Orders
from our distributors and other distribution participants are based on demand
from end-users. Prospective end-user demand is seasonal and is difficult to
measure. This means that our revenues in any fiscal quarter could be adversely
impacted by low end-user demand, which could in turn negatively affect orders
we
receive from distributors and dealers. Our expectations for both short- and
long-term future net revenues are based on our own estimates of future demand.
Revenues
for any particular time period are difficult to predict with any degree of
certainty. We usually ship products within a short time after we receive an
order; so consequently, unshipped backlog has not been a good indicator of
future revenues. We believe that the current level of backlog will fluctuate
dependent in part on our ability to forecast revenue mix and to plan our
manufacturing accordingly. A significant portion of our customers’ orders are
received in the last month of the quarter. We budget the amount of our expenses
based on our revenue estimates. If our estimates of sales are not accurate
and
we experience unforeseen variability in our revenues and operating results,
we
may be unable to adjust our expense levels accordingly and our gross profit
and
results of operations will be adversely affected. Higher inventory levels or
stock shortages may also result from difficulties in estimating customer
demand.
Our
sales depend to a certain extent on government funding and
regulation.
In
the
audio conferencing products market, the revenues generated from sales of our
audio conferencing products for distance learning and courtroom facilities
are
dependent on government funding. In the event government funding for such
initiatives was reduced or became unavailable, our sales could be negatively
impacted. Additionally, many of our products are subject to governmental
regulations. New regulations could significantly impact sales in an adverse
manner.
37
Environmental
laws and regulations subject us to a number of risks and could result in
significant costs and impact on revenue
The
European Parliament has published a directive on the Restriction on Use of
Hazardous Substances Directive (the “RoHS Directive”), which restricts the use
of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment beginning
July 1, 2006. In order to comply with this directive, it has become necessary
to
re-design the majority of our product line and switch over to components that
do
not contain the restricted substances, such as lead, mercury, and cadmium.
This
process involves procurement of the new compliant components, engineering effort
to integrate and test them, and re-submitting the products for emissions,
safety, and telephone line interface compliance testing and approval. This
effort has consumed resources and time that would otherwise have been spent
on
new product development, which will continue until the product line has been
updated.
To
date,
certain of our products have not been re-designed and are therefore
not-compliant with these laws and regulations. Accordingly, sales into the
European market beginning July 1, 2006 may be negatively impacted and our
results of operations could suffer. We anticipate that most of these product
re-designs and launches will be completed during the first half of fiscal 2007.
Additionally, certain of our products will not be re-designed. Our outsourced
manufacturers may hold us responsible for the cost of purchased components
that
become obsolete as a result of these re-design efforts. To the extent that
we
cannot manage these exposures to our current estimates, our results of
operations could be negatively impacted. In addition, because this has
essentially become a worldwide issue for all electronics manufacturers who
wish
to sell into the European market, we have seen increased lead times for
compliant components because of the increased demand. This is an issue that
is
not unique to ClearOne.
The
European Parliament has also published a directive on Electronic and Electrical
Waste Management (the “WEEE Directive”), which makes producers of certain
electrical and electronic equipment financially responsible for collection,
reuse, recycling, treatment, and disposal of equipment placed on the European
Union market after August 13, 2005. We are currently compliant in terms of
the
labeling requirements and have finalized the recycling processes with the
appropriate entities within Europe. According to our understanding of the
directive, distributors of our product are deemed producers and must comply
with
this directive by contracting with a recycler for the recovery, recycling,
and
reuse of product.
Product
development delays or defects could harm our competitive position and reduce
our
revenues.
We
have,
in the past, and may again experience, technical difficulties and delays with
the development and introduction of new products. Many of the products we
develop contain sophisticated and complicated components and utilize
manufacturing techniques involving new technologies. Potential difficulties
in
the development process that could be experienced by us include difficulty
in:
· |
meeting
required specifications and regulatory standards;
|
· |
meeting
market expectations for
performance;
|
· |
hiring
and keeping a sufficient number of skilled developers;
|
· |
having
the ability to identify problems or product defects in the development
cycle; and
|
· |
achieving
necessary manufacturing efficiencies.
|
Once
new
products reach the market, they may have defects, which could adversely affect
market acceptance of these products and our reputation. If we are not able
to
manage and minimize such potential difficulties, our business and results of
operations could be negatively affected.
Proposed
sale of our camera business.
In
March
2006, we entered into a letter of intent with a potential purchaser of our
document and educational camera manufacturing and sales business. We are
currently in the due diligence phase and there is no guarantee that an actual
sale will be completed. We are actively managing our customer relationships
and
our camera inventory to meet the needs of our camera customers. If our estimates
of future sales and required inventory are not accurate and we experience an
unforeseen drop in sales or excess inventory, our revenues and gross profit
may
be adversely affected. If the proposed sales occurs, future revenues will be
negatively affected.
38
Our
profitability may be adversely affected by our continuing dependence on our
distribution channels.
We
market
our products primarily through a network of distributors who in turn sell our
products to systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers. All of
our
agreements with such distributors and other distribution participants are
non-exclusive, terminable at will by either party and generally short-term.
No
assurances can be given that any or all such distributors or other distribution
participants will continue their relationship with us. Distributors and to
a
lesser extent systems integrators, dealers, and value-added resellers cannot
easily be replaced and the loss of revenues and our inability to reduce expenses
to compensate for the loss of revenues could adversely affect our net revenues
and gross profit.
Although
we rely on our distribution channels to sell our products, our distributors
and
other distribution participants are not obligated to devote any specified amount
of time, resources, or efforts to the marketing of our products or to sell
a
specified number of our products. There are no prohibitions on distributors
or
other resellers offering products that are competitive with our products and
most do offer competitive products. The support of our products by distributors
and other distribution participants may depend on the competitive strength
of
our products and the price incentives we offer for their support. If our
distributors and other distribution participants are not committed to our
products, our revenues and gross profit may be adversely affected.
Reporting
of channel inventory by certain distributors.
We
defer
recognition of revenue from product sales to distributors until the return
privilege has expired, which approximates when product is sold-through to
customers of our distributors. We evaluate, at each quarter-end, the inventory
in the channel through information provided by certain of our distributors.
We
use this information along with our judgment and estimates to determine the
amount of inventory in the entire channel, for all customers and for all
inventory items, and the appropriate revenue and cost of goods sold associated
with those channel products. We cannot guarantee that the third party data,
as
reported, or that our assumptions and judgments regarding total channel
inventory revenue and cost of goods sold will be accurate.
We
depend on an outsourced manufacturing strategy.
In
August
2005, we entered into a manufacturing agreement with a manufacturing services
provider, to be the exclusive manufacturer of substantially all the products
that were previously manufactured at our Salt Lake City, Utah manufacturing
facility. This manufacturer is currently the primary manufacturer of many of
our
products and if this manufacturer experiences difficulties in obtaining
sufficient supplies of components, component prices become unreasonable, an
interruption in its operations, or otherwise suffers capacity constraints,
we
would experience a delay in shipping these products which would have a negative
impact on our revenues. Currently, we have no second source of manufacturing
for
substantially all of our products.
We
have
an agreement with an international manufacturer for the manufacture of
other product lines. We use an offshore facility. Should there be any
disruption in services due to natural disaster, economic or political
difficulties, quarantines or other restrictions associated with infectious
diseases, or other similar events, or any other reason, such disruption would
have a material adverse effect on our business. A delay in shipping these
products due to an interruption in the manufacturer’s operations would have a
negative impact on our revenues. Operating in the international environment
exposes us to certain inherent risks, including unexpected changes in regulatory
requirements and tariffs, and potentially adverse tax consequences, which could
materially affect our results of operations.
Product
obsolescence could harm demand for our products and could adversely affect
our
revenues and our results of operations.
Our
industry is subject to rapid and frequent technological innovations that could
render existing technologies in our products obsolete and thereby decrease
market demand for such products. If any of our products become slow-moving
or
obsolete and the recorded value of our inventory is greater than its market
value, we will be required to write-down the value of our inventory to its
fair
market value, which would adversely affect our results of operations. In limited
circumstances, we are required to purchase components that our outsourced
manufacturers use to produce and assemble our products. Should technological
innovations render these components obsolete, we will be required to write-down
the value of this inventory, which could adversely affect our results of
operations.
39
If
we
are unable to protect our intellectual property rights or have insufficient
proprietary rights, our business would be materially impaired.
We
currently rely primarily on a combination of trade secrets, copyrights,
trademarks, patents, and nondisclosure agreements to establish and protect
our
proprietary rights in our products. No assurances can be given that others
will
not independently develop similar technologies, or duplicate or design around
aspects of our technology. In addition, we cannot assure that any patent or
registered trademark owned by us will not be invalidated, circumvented or
challenged, or that the rights granted thereunder will provide competitive
advantages to us. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual
property rights. We believe our products and other proprietary rights do not
infringe upon any proprietary rights of third parties; however, we cannot assure
that third parties will not assert infringement claims in the future. Our
industry is characterized by vigorous protection of intellectual property
rights. Such claims and the resulting litigation are expensive and could divert
management’s attention, regardless of their merit. In the event of a claim, we
might be required to license third-party technology or redesign our products,
which may not be possible or economically feasible.
We
currently hold only a limited number of patents. To the extent that we have
patentable technology for which we have not filed patent applications, others
may be able to use such technology or even gain priority over us by patenting
such technology themselves.
International
sales account for a significant portion of our net revenue and risks inherent
in
international sales could harm our business.
International
sales represent a significant portion of our total product sales. For example,
international sales represented 23.0 percent of our total product sales for
the
three months ended September 30, 2005 and 26.7 percent for the three months
ended September 30, 2004. We anticipate that the portion of our total product
revenue from international sales will continue to increase as we further enhance
our focus on developing new products, establishing new distribution partners,
strengthening our presence in key growth areas, and improving product
localization with country-specific product documentation and marketing
materials. Our international business is subject to the financial and operating
risks of conducting business internationally, including:
· |
unexpected
changes in, or the imposition of, additional legislative or regulatory
requirements;
|
· |
fluctuating
exchange rates;
|
· |
tariffs
and other barriers;
|
· |
difficulties
in staffing and managing foreign sales operations;
|
· |
import
and export restrictions;
|
· |
greater
difficulties in accounts receivable collection and longer payment
cycles;
|
· |
potentially
adverse tax consequences;
|
· |
potential
hostilities and changes in diplomatic and trade
relationships;
|
· |
disruption
in services due to natural disaster, economic or political difficulties,
quarantines, or other restrictions associated with infectious
diseases.
|
Our
sales
in the international market are generally denominated in U.S. Dollars, with
the
exception of sales through our wholly owned subsidiary, OM Video, whose sales
were denominated in Canadian Dollars until March 4, 2005, when the subsidiary
was sold to a third party. Consolidation of OM Video’s financial statements with
ours, under U.S. GAAP, required remeasurement of the amounts stated in OM
Video’s financial statements to U.S. Dollars, which was subject to exchange rate
fluctuations. We did not undertake hedging activities that might have protected
us against such risks.
40
We
may not be able to hire and retain highly skilled employees, which could affect
our ability to compete effectively and may cause our revenue and profitability
to decline.
We
depend
on highly skilled technical personnel to research and develop, market, and
service new and existing products. To succeed, we must hire and retain employees
who are highly skilled in the rapidly changing communications and Internet
technologies. Individuals who have the skills and can perform the services
we
need to provide our products and services are in great demand. Because the
competition for qualified employees in our industry is intense, hiring and
retaining employees with the skills we need is both time-consuming and
expensive. We might not be able to hire enough skilled employees or retain
the
employees we do hire. Our inability to hire and retain employees with the skills
we seek could hinder our ability to sell our existing products, systems, or
services or to develop new products, systems, or services with a consequent
adverse effect on our business.
Our
reliance on third-party technology or license agreements.
We
have
licensing agreements with various suppliers for software and hardware
incorporated into our products. These third-party licenses may not continue
to
be available to us on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. The termination
or impairment of these licenses could result in delays of current product
shipments or delays or reductions in new product introductions until equivalent
designs could be developed, licensed, and integrated, if at all possible, which
would have a material adverse effect on our business.
We
may have difficulty in collecting outstanding receivables.
We
grant
credit without requiring collateral to substantially all of our customers.
In
times of economic uncertainty, the risks relating to the granting of such credit
would typically increase. Although we monitor and mitigate the risks associated
with our credit policies, we cannot ensure that such mitigation will be
effective. We have experienced losses due to customers failing to meet their
payment obligations. Future losses could be significant and, if incurred, could
harm our business and have a material adverse effect on our results of
operations or financial position.
Interruptions
to our business could adversely affect our operations.
As
with
any company, our operations are at risk of being interrupted by earthquake,
fire, flood, and other natural and human-caused disasters, including terrorist
attacks and disease. Our operations are also at risk of power loss,
telecommunications failure, and other infrastructure and technology based
problems. To help guard against such risks, we carry business interruption
loss
insurance with coverage of up to $5.4 million to help compensate us for losses
that may occur.
41
Risks
Relating to Our Company
Our
stock price fluctuates as a result of the conduct of our business and stock
market fluctuations.
The
market price of our common stock has experienced significant fluctuations and
may continue to fluctuate significantly. The market price of our common stock
may be significantly affected by a variety of factors, including:
· |
statements
or changes in opinions, ratings, or earnings estimates made by brokerage
firms or industry analysts relating to the market in which we do
business
or relating to us specifically;
|
· |
disparity
between our reported results and the projections of
analysts;
|
· |
the
shift in sales mix of products that we currently sell to a sales
mix of
lower-gross profit product
offerings;
|
· |
the
level and mix of inventory levels held by our
distributors;
|
· |
the
announcement of new products or product enhancements by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
technological
innovations by us or our
competitors;
|
· |
success
in meeting targeted availability dates for new or redesigned
products;
|
· |
the
ability to profitably and efficiently manage our supplies of products
and
key components;
|
· |
the
ability to maintain profitable relationships with our
customers;
|
· |
the
ability to maintain an appropriate cost
structure;
|
· |
quarterly
variations in our results of
operations;
|
· |
general
consumer confidence or general market conditions or market conditions
specific to technology industries;
|
· |
domestic
and international economic
conditions;
|
· |
the
adoption of the new accounting standard, SFAS No. 123R, “Share-Based
Payments” which requires us to record compensation expense for certain
options issued before July 1, 2005 and for all options issued or
modified
after June 30, 2005;
|
· |
our
ability to report financial information in a timely manner;
and
|
· |
the
markets in which our stock is
traded.
|
Many
of our officers and key personnel have recently joined the company or have
only
worked together for a short period of time.
We
have
recently made several significant changes to our senior management team. In
July
2004, we named a new President and Chief Executive Officer, who had been serving
as our Vice-President of Product Development since December 2003. In addition,
we hired a new Chief Financial Officer in July 2004, a Vice-President of
Worldwide Sales and Marketing in November 2004, and a Vice-President of
Operations in January 2005. In January 2005, we named a new Vice-President
of
Product Line Management, who had been serving as our Director of Research and
Development. In September 2005, our Chief Financial Officer resigned his
position and our Corporate Controller, who joined the Company in August 2005,
was named our Interim Chief Financial Officer. In February 2006, we eliminated
the position of Vice-President of Human Resources. As a result of these recent
changes in senior management, many of our officers and other key personnel
have
only worked together for a short period of time. The failure to successfully
integrate senior management could have an adverse impact on our business
operations, including reduced sales, and delays in new product introductions.
We
have previously identified material weaknesses in our internal
controls.
Although
we have committed considerable resources to date to the reviews and remedies
over our disclosure and financial reporting internal controls, it will take
time
and additional expenditures to completely remediate any material weakness in
our
internal controls. We are always at risk that any future failure of our own
internal controls or the internal control at any of our outsourced manufacturers
or service providers could result in additional reported material weaknesses.
Recent changes to our management team increases the risk of a process breakdown
and possible internal control deficiencies as we have many employees performing
tasks they have not performed in the past, which could result in errors or
lost
knowledge. Any future failures of our internal controls could have a material
impact on our market capitalization, results of operations, or financial
position, or have other adverse consequences.
42
Our
directors and officers own 18.6 percent of the Company and may exert significant
influence over us.
Our
officers and directors together have beneficial ownership of approximately
18.6
percent of our common stock (including options that are currently exercisable
or
exercisable within 60 days of May 15, 2006). With this significant holding
in
the aggregate, the officers and directors, acting together, could exert a
significant degree of influence over us and may be able to delay or prevent
a
change in control.
On
September 29, 2005, we completed our obligations under the settlement agreement
in the class action lawsuit by issuing a total of 1,148,494 shares of our common
stock to the plaintiff class, including 228,000 shares previously issued in
November 2004, and paying an aggregate of $126,705 in cash in lieu of shares
to
those members of the class who would otherwise have been entitled to receive
an
odd-lot number of shares or who resided in states in which there was no
exemption available for the issuance of shares. The shares were issued in
reliance on the exemption from the registration requirements of the Securities
Act provided by Section 3(a)(10) thereof.
Item
3. DEFAULTS
UPON SENIOR
SECURITIES
Not
Applicable.
Not
Applicable.
Item
5. OTHER INFORMATION
Not
Applicable.
Item
6. EXHIBITS
Exhibit
|
SEC
Ref.
|
|
|
No.
|
No.
|
Title
of Document
|
Location
|
10.8
|
10
|
Asset
Purchase Agreement among Clarinet, Inc., American Teleconferencing
Services, Ltd. doing business as Premiere Conferencing, and ClearOne
Communications, Inc., dated July 1, 2004
|
Incorp.
by reference4
|
10.9
|
10
|
Stock
Purchase Agreement dated March 4, 2005 between 6351352 Canada Inc.
and
Gentner Ventures, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of ClearOne
Communications, Inc.
|
Incorp.
by reference1
|
10.10
|
10
|
Settlement
Agreement and Release between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and DeLonie
Call dated February 20, 2006*
|
Incorp.
by reference3
|
10.18
|
10
|
Mutual
Release and Waiver between ClearOne Communications, Inc. and Burk
Technology, Inc. dated August 22, 2005
|
Incorp.
by reference2
|
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
31
|
Section
302 Certification of Interim Chief Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
32
|
Section
906 Certification of Chief Executive Officer
|
This
filing
|
|
32
|
Section
906 Certification of Interim Chief Financial Officer
|
This
filing
|
______________
*Constitutes
a management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
1 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for
the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2003.
2 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for
the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2004.
3 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K
for
the
fiscal year ended June 30, 2005.
4 Incorporated
by reference to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed July 1,
2004.
43
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.
CLEARONE
COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
|
||
May
31, 2006
|
By:
|
/s/
Zeynep Hakimoglu
|
Zeynep
Hakimoglu
|
||
President
and Chief Executive Officer
|
||
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
||
May
31, 2006
|
By:
|
/s/
Craig E. Peeples
|
Craig
E. Peeples
|
||
Interim
Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Controller
|
||
(Principal
Financial and Accounting
Officer)
|
44