CRAWFORD UNITED Corp - Quarter Report: 2015 December (Form 10-Q)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

For the quarterly period ended December 31, 2015

or

[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from _____ to ____ _ .

HICKOK INCORPORATED
_____________________________________________________________
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes X No___

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

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

Item 1. Financial Statements.

HICKOK INCORPORATED
CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENTS
(Unaudited)

HICKOK INCORPORATED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
FOR THE THREE MONTHS ENDED DECEMBER 31,
(Unaudited)

HICKOK INCORPORATED
NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (Unaudited)
DECEMBER 31, 2015

1. Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 8 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three month period ended December 31, 2015 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ended September 30, 2016. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes thereto included in the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2015.

2. Inventories

Inventories are valued at the lower of cost or market and consist of the following:

5. Warrant Agreement

Unissued shares of Class A common stock (833,233 shares) are reserved for the share-for-share conversion rights of the Class B common stock, stock options under the Directors Plans, conversion rights of the Convertible Promissory Note and available warrants.

The Company's expired Outside Directors Stock Option Plans (collectively the "Directors Plans"), have provided for the automatic grant of options to purchase up to 6,000 shares of Class A Common Stock to members of the Board of Directors who are not employees of the Company, at the fair market value on the date of grant. The options are exercisable for up to 10 years. Options for 6,000 Class A shares were outstanding at December 31, 2015 (6,000 shares at September 30, 2015 and 22,000 shares at December 31, 2014) at prices ranging from $2.925 to $11.00 per share. All outstanding options under the Directors Plans became fully exercisable on March 8, 2015.

The following is a summary of the range of exercise prices for stock options outstanding and exercisable under the Directors Plans at December 31, 2015:

The Company accounts for Share-Based Payments under the modified prospective method for its stock options for both employees and non-employee Directors. Compensation cost for fixed based awards are measured at the grant date, and the Company uses the Black-Scholes option pricing model to determine the fair value estimates for recognizing the cost of employee and director services received in exchange for an award of equity instruments. The Black-Scholes option pricing model requires the use of subjective assumptions which can materially affect the fair value estimates. Employee stock options were immediately exercisable while Director's stock options are exercisable over a three year period. The fair value of stock option grants to Directors is amortized over the three year vesting period. During the quarter ended December 31, 2014, $543 was expensed as share-based compensation. The following weighted-average assumptions were used in the option pricing model for the three month period ended December 31, 2014: a risk free interest rate of 5.0%; an expected life of 10 years; an expected dividend yield of 0.0%; and a volatility factor of .87.

7. Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

The Company did not incur any material impact to its financial condition or results of operations due to the adoption of any new accounting standards during the periods reported.

In May 2014, the FASB issued its final standard on the recognition of revenue from contracts with customers. The standard, issued as Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2014-09, outlines a single comprehensive model for entities to use in the accounting for revenue arising from contracts with customers and supersedes most current revenue recognition guidance, including industry specific guidance. The core principle of this model is that “an entity recognizes revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to a customer in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to e entitled in exchange for those goods and services.” The update is effective for financial statement periods beginning after December 15, 2017, with early adoption prohibited. The Company has not determined the impact of this pronouncement on its financial statements and related disclosure.

In August 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-15, Disclosure of Uncertainties about an Entity's Ability to Continue as a Going Concern ("ASU 2014-15") requires that an entity's management evaluate whether there are conditions or events that raise substantial doubt about the entity's ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statements are issued. ASU 2014-15 is effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016 and for interim periods thereafter. The Company is evaluating the potential impacts of this new standard on its quarterly reporting process.

8. Earnings per Common Share

Earnings per common share information is computed on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during each period based on the provisions of FASB Codification ASC Topic 260, "Earnings per Share." The required reconciliations are as follows:

Options and warrants to purchase 6,000 and 100,000 shares of common stock respectively during the first quarter of fiscal 2016 at prices ranging from $2.50 to $6.00 per share were outstanding but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the option's and warrant's effect was antidilutive or the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common share.

Options and warrants to purchase 22,000 and 200,000 shares of common stock respectively during the first quarter of fiscal 2015 at prices ranging from $2.50 to $11.00 per share were outstanding but were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share because the option's and warrant's effect was antidilutive or the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common share.

In addition, conversion rights to purchase 252,367 shares of common stock at a price of $1.85 per share were not included in the computation of diluted earnings per share during the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and 2015 because the conversion rights of the Convertible Promissory Notes effect was antidilutive or the exercise price was greater than the average market price of the common share.

9. Segment and Related Information

The Company's four business units have a common management team and infrastructure that offer different products and services. The business units have been aggregated into two reportable segments: 1.)indicators and gauges and 2.)automotive related diagnostic tools and equipment.

Indicators and Gauges
This segment consists of products manufactured and sold primarily to companies in the aircraft and locomotive industry. Within the aircraft market, the primary customers are those companies that manufacture or service business and pleasure aircraft. Within the locomotive market, indicators and gauges are sold to both original equipment manufacturers and to operators of railroad equipment.

Automotive Diagnostic Tools and Equipment
This segment consists primarily of products designed and manufactured to support the testing or servicing of automotive systems using electronic means to measure vehicle parameters. These products are sold to OEM's and to the aftermarket using several brand names and a variety of distribution methods. Included in this segment are products used for state required testing of vehicle emissions.

Information by industry segment is set forth below:

All export sales to Australia, Canada, Mexico and other foreign countries are made in United States of America Dollars.

10. Commitments and Contingencies

Legal Matters

The Company is the plaintiff in a suit pursuing patent infringement against a competitor in the emissions market. Management believes that it is not currently possible to estimate the impact, if any, that the ultimate resolution of this matter will have on the Company's results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

11. Subsequent Events

The Company has analyzed its operations subsequent to December 31, 2015 through the date the financial statements were submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission and has determined that no subsequent events have occurred that would require recognition in the consolidated financial statements or disclosure in the notes to the consolidated financial statements, except as follows:

12. Business Condition and Management Plan

Item 2. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Results of Operations, First Quarter (October 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015)
Fiscal 2016 Compared to First Quarter Fiscal 2015
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reportable Segment Information

The Company has determined that it has two reportable segments: 1)indicators and gauges and 2)automotive related diagnostic tools and equipment. The indicators and gauges segment consists of products manufactured and sold primarily to companies in the aircraft and locomotive industry. Within the aircraft market, the primary customers are those companies that manufacture or service business, military and pleasure aircraft. Within the locomotive market, indicators and gauges are sold to original equipment manufacturers, servicers of locomotives and operators of railroad equipment. Revenue in this segment was $242,123 and $245,669 for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, respectively. The automotive diagnostic tools and equipment segment consists primarily of products designed and manufactured to support the testing or servicing of automotive systems using electronic means to measure vehicle parameters. These products are sold to OEM's and to the aftermarket using several brand names and a variety of distribution methods. Included in this segment are products used for state required testing of vehicle emissions. Revenue in this segment was $1,134,749 and $916,549 for the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and fiscal 2015, respectively.

Results of Operations

Product sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 were $1,307,166 versus $1,100,314 for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. The increase in product sales during the current quarter of approximately $207,000 was volume related due primarily to increased sales of automotive diagnostic testing products to OEM's and aftermarket of approximately $179,000 and $68,000 respectively, offset by a decrease in sales of indicator products and emissions testing products of approximately $17,000 and $23,000 respectively. Product sales are expected to decrease slightly during the remainder of fiscal 2016.

Service sales for the quarter ended December 31, 2015 were $69,706 versus $61,904 for the quarter ended December 31, 2014. The increase was volume related and due primarily to a higher sales volume for chargeable repairs. The current level of service sales related to product repair sales is expected to continue at current levels for the balance of the fiscal year.

Cost of product sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $693,035 (53.0% of product sales) as compared to $759,510 (69.0% of product sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The dollar and percentage decrease in the cost of product sold was due primarily to increased plant utilization, a change in product mix and a volume increase in product sales during the current quarter. The current cost of product sold percentage is expected to increase slightly for the remainder of the year due to a change in product mix.

Cost of service sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $47,486 (68.1% of service sales) as compared to $40,603 (65.6% of service sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The dollar increase was due primarily to a higher sales volume of chargeable repairs in the current quarter. The percentage increase was due primarily to product specifics of chargeable repairs. The current cost of services sold percentage is expected to continue for the balance of the fiscal year.

Product development expenses were $246,773 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 (18.9% of product sales) as compared to $235,938 (21.4% of product sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The percentage decrease was due primarily to higher product sales during the current quarter. The current level of product development expenses is expected to continue for the balance of the fiscal year. The Company believes the existing resources will be sufficient to continue to develop identified new products for both OEM and Aftermarket customers.

Marketing and administrative expenses were $438,225 (31.8% of total net sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 versus $399,399 (34.3% of total net sales) for the same period a year ago. The percentage decrease was due primarily to the higher level of total sales for the current quarter. Marketing expenses were approximately $187,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 versus $155,000 for the same period a year ago. Within marketing expenses, royalty expense, advertising expense, wages, credit and collection expense and travel expense increased by approximately $17,000, $10,000, $4,000, $3,000 and $1,000 respectively. Commission expense and promotion expense decreased by approximately $3,000 and $2,000 respectively. Administrative expenses were approximately $251,000 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 versus $244,000 for the same period a year ago. Within administrative expenses, depreciation expense and wages increased approximately $7,000 and $3,000 respectively. The increases were offset primarily by a decrease in data processing expenses of approximately $4,000. The current level of marketing and administrative expenses are expected to increase moderately for the balance of the fiscal year due to anticipated additional professional regarding the probable acquisition. See Discussions Regarding Potential Acquisition section below.

Interest expense was $174 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 which compares with $128 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The increase in interest charges in the current quarter compared to a year ago was due to recording interest expense on the outstanding balance of the convertible notes payable. The current level of interest expense is anticipated to continue for the remainder of the fiscal year.

Other income was $1,632 in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 which compares with $2,704 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. Other income consists primarily of interest income on cash and cash equivalents invested and the proceeds from the sale of scrap metal shavings. The decrease was due primarily to a decrease in the sale of scrap metal shavings.

Income taxes in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $0 which compares with income taxes of $0 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. In the first quarter of fiscal 2016 and 2015 recovery of income taxes was calculated at an effective tax rate of 37% offset by a increase in the valuation allowance netting to $0.

The net loss in the first quarter of fiscal 2016 was $47,189 which compares with a net loss of $270,656 in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. The lower net loss in fiscal 2016 was due primarily to the higher sales volume.
 
Unshipped customer orders as of December 31, 2015 were $644,000 versus $469,000 at December 31, 2014. The $175,000 increase was due primarily to increased orders for automotive diagnostic products to OEM's and aftermarket products including emissions products of approximately $171,000 and $47,000 respectively. In addition, orders for indicators, and parts and service decreased by approximately $26,000 and $17,000 respectively. The Company anticipates that most of the current backlog will be shipped in fiscal 2016.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Total current assets were $3,215,923, $3,486,491 and $2,968,277 at December 31, 2015, September 30, 2015 and December 31, 2014, respectively. The increase of approximately $248,000 from December to December is due primarily to the increase in cash and cash equivalents and inventories of approximately $70,000 and $236,000 respectively, offset by a decrease in accounts receivable and prepaid expenses of approximately $45,000 and $13,000 respectively. The increase in cash and cash equivalents combined with the decrease in accounts receivable was due to the completion of the large order obtained in June 2015 for an OEM supplier. The decrease from September 30, 2015 to December 31, 2015 of approximately $271,000 is due primarily to the decrease in accounts receivable, prepaid expenses and inventory of approximately $660,000, $11,000 and $6,000 respectively, offset by an increase in cash and cash equivalents of approximately $406,000. The decrease in cash and accounts receivable was due primarily to the collection of accounts receivable from the large order completed during the fourth quarter of fiscal 2015.

Working capital as of December 31, 2015 amounted to $2,578,933 as compared with $2,346,023 a year earlier. Current assets were 5.0 times current liabilities and total cash and cash equivalents and receivables were 1.9 times current liabilities. These ratios compare to 4.8 and 1.9, respectively, at December 31, 2014.

Internally generated funds during the three months ended December 31, 2015 were a positive $408,577 and were adequate to fund the Company's primary non-operating cash requirements consisting of capital expenditures of $2,184. The primary reason for the positive cash flow from operations was the decrease of accounts receivable, offset in part by a decrease in accounts payable, accrued expenses of $106,000, $118,000 respectively and the net loss during the current quarter of $47,189. The Company does anticipate additional capital expenditures during fiscal 2016 of approximately $140,000 primarily to complete the upgrade and replacement of the Company's IT infrastructure, and the management information computer system. The Company believes that cash and cash equivalents together with funds anticipated to be generated by operations in addition to available short-term or long-term financing will provide adequate funding of the Company's working capital needs.

Shareholders' equity during the three months ended December 31, 2015 decreased by $47,189 which was the net loss during the period.

Whenever there may be a requirement to increase inventory in fiscal 2016, there will be a negative but temporary impact on liquidity. Management continues to tightly control expenses and will take actions as deemed necessary to manage its working capital.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

Hickok has no off-balance sheet arrangements (as defined in Regulation S-K Item 303 paragraph (a)(4)(ii)) that have or are reasonably likely to have a material current or future effect on its financial condition, changes in financial condition, revenues or expenses, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our critical accounting policies are as presented in Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements and Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operation in our Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2015.

Forward-Looking Statements

The foregoing discussion includes forward-looking statements relating to the business of the Company. These forward-looking statements, or other statements made by the Company, are made based on management's expectations and beliefs concerning future events impacting the Company and are subject to uncertainties and factors (including, but not limited to, those specified below) which are difficult to predict and, in many instances, are beyond the control of the Company. As a result, actual results of the Company could differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any such forward-looking statements. These uncertainties and factors include (a) the Company's dependence upon a limited number of customers and the automotive industry, (b) the highly competitive industry in which the company operates, which includes several competitors with greater financial resources and larger sales organizations, (c) the acceptance in the marketplace of new products and/or services developed or under development by the Company including automotive diagnostic products and indicating instrument products, (d) the ability of the Company to further establish distribution and a customer base in the automotive aftermarket, (e) the Company's ability to capitalize on market opportunities including state automotive emissions programs and OEM tool programs and (f) the Company's ability to obtain cost effective financing.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk.

Market Risk

The Company is exposed to certain market risks from transactions that are entered into during the normal course of business. The Company has not entered into derivative financial instruments for trading purposes. The Company's primary market risks are exposure related to interest rate risk and equity market fluctuations. The Company's funds available from the convertible note were the only debt subject to interest rate risk during the current quarter. The Company currently has available under the convertible note agreement a credit facility subject to a nominal fixed rate of interest. As a result, the Company believes that the market risk related to interest rate movements is minimal. The Company had $200,000 of outstanding borrowings under this credit facility at December 31, 2015.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures.

As of December 31, 2015, an evaluation was performed, under the supervision and with the participation of the Company's management, including the Company's Chief Executive Officer along with the Company's Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, of the effectiveness of the design and operation of the Company's disclosure controls and procedures. Based upon that evaluation, the Company's management, including the Chief Executive Officer along with the Company's Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, concluded that the Company's disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 2015 in ensuring that information required to be disclosed by the Company in the reports it files and submits under the Exchange Act is (1) recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time periods specified in the Commission's rules and forms, and (2) is accumulated and communicated to the Company's management, including its principal executive and principal financial officer, as appropriate to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure. There were no changes in the Company's internal controls over financial reporting during the first fiscal quarter ended December 31, 2015 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company's internal control over financial reporting.

PART II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings.

The Company is the plaintiff in a suit pursuing patent infringement against a competitor in the emissions market. There has been no material developments in this legal proceeding since the filing of Form 10-K for fiscal 2015. Management believes that it is not currently possible to estimate the impact, if any, that the ultimate resolution of the patent infringement matter will have on the Company's results of operations, financial position or cash flows.

Item 6. Exhibits.

** XBRL information is furnished and not filed or a part of a registration statement or prospectus for purposes of sections 11 or 12 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, is deemed not filed for purposes of section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and otherwise is not subject to liability under these sections.

SIGNATURES

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