GULF RESOURCES, INC. - Quarter Report: 2017 March (Form 10-Q)

 UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

Commission File Number: 001-34499

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: +86 (536) 567 0008

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No o

Indicate by check mark 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 o

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. 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

Yes o No x

As of May 1, 2017, the registrant had outstanding 46,793,791 shares of common stock.

Table of Contents

PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Item 1. Financial Statements

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME AND COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

See accompanying notes to the condensed consolidated financial statements.

GULF RESOURCES, INC. 

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

(a)           Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The accompanying condensed financial statements have been prepared by Gulf Resources, Inc. a Nevada corporation and its subsidiaries (collectively, the “Company”), without audit, in accordance with the instructions to Form 10-Q and, therefore, do not necessarily include all information and footnotes necessary for a fair statement of its financial position, results of operations and cash flows in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“US GAAP”).

In the opinion of management, the unaudited financial information for the quarter ended March 31, 2017 presented reflects all adjustments, which are only normal and recurring, necessary for a fair statement of results of operations, financial position and cash flows. These condensed financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in the Company’s  2016 Form 10-K. Operating results for the interim periods are not necessarily indicative of operating results for an entire fiscal year.

The preparation of financial statements in conformity with US GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts that are reported in the financial statements and accompanying disclosures. Although these estimates are based on management’s best knowledge of current events and actions that the Company may undertake in the future, actual results may be different from the estimates. The Company also exercises judgments in the preparation of these condensed financial statements in the areas including classification of leases and related party transactions.


On September 2, 2016, the Company announced the planned merger of two of its 100% owned subsidiaries, Shouguan Yuxin Chemical Co., Limited (“SYCI”) and Shouguan Rongyuan Chemical Co., Ltd (“SCRC”). On March 24, 2017, the legal process of the merger was completed and SCRC was officially deregistered on March 28, 2017. The results of these two subsidiaries were reported as SYCI in the three months ended March 31, 2017.

The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Gulf Resources, Inc. and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Upper Class Group Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, which owns 100% of Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited, a company incorporated in Hong Kong (“HKJI”). HKJI owns 100% of Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC") which owns 100% of Shouguang Yuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited (“SYCI”) and Daying County Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited (“DCHC”).  All material intercompany transactions have been eliminated on consolidation.

(b)           Nature of the Business

The Company manufactures and trades bromine and crude salt through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shouguang City Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited ("SCHC"), manufactures chemical products for use in the oil industry, pesticides, paper manufacturing industry and for human and animal antibiotics through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Shouguang Yuxin Chemical Industry Co., Limited ("SYCI") in the People’s Republic of China (“PRC”). DCHC was established to further explore and develop natural gas and brine resources (including bromine and crude salt) in PRC. The business is not fully operational as of March 31, 2017.

(c)           Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, allowances for doubtful accounts were nil. No allowances for doubtful accounts were charged to the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

(d)           Concentration of Credit Risk

The Company is exposed to credit risk in the normal course of business, primarily related to accounts receivable and cash and cash equivalents. Substantially all of the Company’s cash and cash equivalents are maintained with financial institutions in the PRC, namely, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Limited, China Merchants Bank Company Limited and Sichuan Rural Credit Union, which are not insured or otherwise protected. The Company placed $172,804,078 and $163,884,574 with these institutions as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.  The Company has not experienced any losses in such accounts in the PRC.

Concentrations of credit risk with respect to accounts receivable exists as the Company sells a substantial portion of its products to a limited number of customers. However, such concentrations of credit risks are limited since the Company performs ongoing credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition. Approximately 61.8% and 61.6% of the balance of accounts receivable as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively, are outstanding for less than three months. For the balances of accounts receivable aged more than 90 days as of March 31, 2017, approximately 30% were settled by April 30, 2017.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

(e)           Property, Plant and Equipment

Property, plant and equipment are stated at cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. Expenditures for new facilities or equipment, and major expenditures for betterment of existing facilities or equipment are capitalized and depreciated using the straight-line method at rates sufficient to depreciate such costs less 5% residual value over the estimated productive lives. All other ordinary repair and maintenance costs are expensed as incurred.

Mineral rights are recorded at cost less accumulated depreciation and any impairment losses. Mineral rights are amortized ratably over the term of the lease, or the equivalent term under the units of production method, whichever is shorter.

Construction in process primarily represents direct costs of construction of plant, machinery and equipment. Costs incurred are capitalized and transferred to property and equipment upon completion, at which time depreciation commences.

The Company’s depreciation and amortization policies on property, plant and equipment, other than mineral rights and construction in process, are as follows:

Property, plant and equipment under the capital lease are depreciated over their expected useful lives on the same basis as owned assets, or where shorter, the term of the lease, which is 20 years.

(f)           Retirement Benefits

Pursuant to the relevant laws and regulations in the PRC, the Company participates in a defined contribution retirement plan for its employees arranged by a governmental organization. The Company makes contributions to the retirement plan at the applicable rate based on the employees’ salaries. The required contributions under the retirement plans are charged to the condensed consolidated statement of income on an accrual basis when they are due. The Company’s contributions totaled $255,216 and $249,463 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

(g)           Revenue Recognition

The Company recognizes revenue, net of value-added tax, when persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, delivery of the goods has occurred, customer acceptance has been obtained, which means the significant risks and ownership have been transferred to the customer, the price is fixed or determinable and collectability is reasonably assured.

(h)           Recoverability of Long-lived Assets

In accordance with Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 360-10-35 “Impairment or Disposal of Long-lived Assets” , long-lived assets to be held and used are analyzed for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be fully recoverable or that the useful lives of those assets are no longer appropriate. The Company evaluates at each balance sheet date whether events and circumstances have occurred that indicate possible impairment.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION AND SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES – Continued

(h)           Recoverability of Long-lived Assets – Continued

The Company determines the existence of such impairment by measuring the expected future cash flows (undiscounted and without interest charges) and comparing such amount to the carrying amount of the assets. An impairment loss, if one exists, is then measured as the amount by which the carrying amount of the asset exceeds the discounted estimated future cash flows. Assets to be disposed of are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value of such assets less costs to sell. Asset impairment charges are recorded to reduce the carrying amount of the long-lived asset that will be sold or disposed of to their estimated fair values. Charges for the asset impairment reduce the carrying amount of the long-lived assets to their estimated salvage value in connection with the decision to dispose of such assets.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company determined that there are no events or circumstances indicating possible impairment of its long-lived assets.

(i)           Basic and Diluted Net Income per Share of Common Stock

Basic earnings per common share are based on the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the periods presented.  Diluted earnings per share are computed using weighted average number of common shares plus dilutive common share equivalents outstanding during the period. Potential common shares that would have the effect of increasing diluted earnings per share are considered to be anti-dilutive, i.e. the exercise prices of the outstanding stock options were greater than the market price of the common stock. Anti-dilutive common stock equivalents which were excluded from the calculation of number of dilutive common stock equivalents amounted to 25,000 and 57,192 shares for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:

(j)           Reporting Currency and Translation

The financial statements of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries are measured using the local currency, Renminbi (“RMB”), as the functional currency; whereas the functional currency and reporting currency of the Company is the United States dollar (“USD” or “$”).

As such, the Company uses the “current rate method” to translate its PRC operations from RMB into USD, as required under FASB ASC 830 “Foreign Currency Matters”. The assets and liabilities of its PRC operations are translated into USD using the rate of exchange prevailing at the balance sheet date. The capital accounts are translated at the historical rate. Adjustments resulting from the translation of the balance sheets of the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are recorded in stockholders’ equity as part of accumulated other comprehensive income. The statement of income and comprehensive income is translated at average rate during the reporting period. Gains or losses resulting from transactions in currencies other than the functional currencies are recognized in net income for the reporting periods as part of general and administrative expense. The statement of cash flows is translated at average rate during the reporting period, with the exception of the consideration paid for the acquisition of business which is translated at historical rates.

(k)           Foreign Operations

All of the Company’s operations and assets are located in PRC.  The Company may be adversely affected by possible political or economic events in this country.  The effect of these factors cannot be accurately predicted.

(l)           Exploration Costs

Exploration costs, which included the cost of researching for appropriate places to drill wells and the cost of well drilling in search of potential natural brine or other resources, are charged to the income statement as incurred. Once the commercial viability of a project has been confirmed, all subsequent costs are capitalized.

(m)  Goodwill

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the net of the fair value of the identifiable tangible and intangible assets acquired and the fair value of liabilities assumed in business acquisitions. Management of the Company evaluates the carrying value of goodwill annually or when a possible impairment is indicated. The Company performs its impairment assessment annually and between annual tests in certain circumstances and determined that there was no impairment of goodwill. Goodwill impairment is assessed using the expected present value of associated future cash flows.

(n)           New Accounting Pronouncements

Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting, which simplifies several aspects of the accounting for share-based payment award transactions, including: (1) income tax consequences; (2) classification of awards as either equity or liabilities, and (3) classification on the statement of cash flows. For public companies, the amendments in this ASU are effective for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2016, and interim periods within those annual periods.  The Company adopted the amendments in this Update as of January 1, 2017. There is no impact on the financial statements since any excess tax benefits were fully offset by a valuation allowance and not recognized for financial statement purposes.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Adopted

In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606). The core principle of the guidance is that an entity should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. In August 2015, FASB issued ASU 2015-14 which deferred the effective date of Update 2014-09 to annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2017. Early application is permitted only as of annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2016. The Company expects to adopt the new standard in the first quarter of 2018. It has made significant progress in evaluating its existing contracts and accounting policies to determine the impact this standard will have on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842). The amendments in this Update specify the accounting for leases. The core principle of Topic 842 is that a lessee should recognize the assets and liabilities that arise from leases. For public business entities, the amendments in this Update are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company is evaluating the impact of this on the consolidated financial statements and related disclosures.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 2 – INVENTORIES

Inventories consist of:

NOTE 3 – PREPAID LAND LEASES

The Company prepaid for land leases with lease terms for periods ranging from one to fifty years to use the land on which the production facilities and warehouses of the Company are situated. The prepaid land lease is amortized on a straight line basis.

During the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, amortization of prepaid land leases totaled $107,461 and $131,544, respectively, which amounts were recorded as cost of net revenue. 

The Company has the rights to use certain parcels of land located in Shouguang, the PRC, through lease agreements signed with local townships or the government authority. For parcels of land that are collectively owned by local townships, the Company cannot obtain land use rights certificates. The parcels of land of which the Company cannot obtain land use rights certificates covers a total of approximately 54.97 square kilometers of aggregate carrying value of $858,871 and approximately 54.97 square kilometers of aggregate carrying value of $620,978 as at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

GULF RESOURCES, INC. 

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 4 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET

Property, plant and equipment, net consist of the following:

The Company has certain buildings and salt pans erected on parcels of land located in Shouguang, PRC, and such parcels of land are collectively owned by local townships or the government authority. The Company has not been able to obtain property ownership certificates over these buildings and salt pans. The aggregate carrying values of these properties situated on parcels of the land are $34,751,155 and $35,184,613 as at March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $5,360,103, of which $5,068,503 and $291,600 were recorded as cost of net revenue and administrative expenses, respectively. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $6,786,400, of which $6,438,140 and $348,260 were recorded as cost of net revenue and administrative expenses, respectively.

NOTE 5 – PROPERTY, PLANT AND EQUIPMENT UNDER CAPITAL LEASES, NET

Property, plant and equipment under capital leases, net consist of the following:

The above buildings erected on parcels of land located in Shouguang, PRC, are collectively owned by local townships.  The Company has not been able to obtain property ownership certificates over these buildings as the Company could not obtain land use rights certificates on the underlying parcels of land.  

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $78,996, which was recorded as cost of net revenue. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, depreciation and amortization expense totaled $83,320, which was recorded as cost of net revenue.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 6 – ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ACCRUED EXPENSES

Accounts payable and accrued expenses consist of the following:

NOTE 7 – RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, the Company borrowed a sum of $150,000 from Jiaxing Lighting Appliance Company Limited (Jiaxing Lighting”), in which Mr. Ming Yang, a shareholder and the Chairman of the Company, has a 100% equity interest. The amount due to Jiaxing Lighting was unsecured, interest free and repayable on demand and was fully settled in the three-month period ended March 31, 2017. There was no balance owing to Jiaxing Lighting as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

During the fiscal year 2013, the Company entered into an agreement with the Shandong Shouguang Vegetable Seed Industry Group Co., Ltd, a related party, to provide property management services for an annual amount of approximately $100,704 for five years from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017. The expense associated with this agreement for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 was approximately $22,600 and $25,500.

NOTE 8 – TAXES PAYABLE

NOTE 9 – CAPITAL LEASE OBLIGATIONS

The components of capital lease obligations are as follows:

Interest expenses from capital lease obligations amounted to $41,753 and $45,891 for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, were charged to the condensed consolidated statement of income. See Note 17 for future minimum lease payments disclosure.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 10 –EQUITY

During the annual general meeting held on June 18, 2013, the shareholders of the Company approved the amendment to the Certificate of Incorporation to decrease the number of the authorized shares of the Company’s common stocks to 80,000,000. The Company has completed the filing of the amendment and restatement of the Certificate of Incorporation with the Secretary of the State of Delaware to decrease the number of authorized shares of the Company’s common stock. Accordingly, 80,000,000 is disclosed as the authorized shares of the Company’s common stock in the consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

In accordance with the relevant PRC regulations and the PRC subsidiaries’ Articles of Association, the Company’s PRC subsidiaries are required to allocate its profit after tax to the following reserve:

Statutory Common Reserve Funds

SCHC, SYCI and DCHC are required each year to transfer at least 10% of the profit after tax as reported under the PRC statutory financial statements to the Statutory Common Reserve Funds until the balance reaches 50% of the registered share capital.  This reserve can be used to make up any loss incurred or to increase share capital.  Except for the reduction of losses incurred, any other application should not result in this reserve balance falling below 25% of the registered capital. The Statutory Common Reserve Fund as of March 31, 2017 for SCHC, SYCI and DCHC is 45%, 15% and 0% of its registered capital respectively.

NOTE 11 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION

Pursuant to the Company’s Amended and Restated 2007 Equity Incentive Plan approved in 2011(“Plan”), the aggregate number shares of the Company’s common stock available for grant of stock options and issuance is 4,341,989 shares. On October 5, 2015, during the annual meeting of the Company’s stockholders, the aggregate number of shares reserved and available for grant and issuance pursuant to the Plan was increased to 10,341,989. As of March 31, 2017, the number of shares of the Company’s common stock available for issuance under the Plan is 7,338,489.

The fair value of each option award below is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The risk free rate is based on the yield-to-maturity in continuous compounding of the US Government Bonds with the time-to-maturity similar to the expected tenor of the option granted, volatility is based on the annualized historical stock price volatility of the Company, and the expected life is based on the historical option exercise pattern.

On March 2, 2017, the Company granted to an independent director an option to purchase 12,500 shares of the Company’s common stock at an exercise price of $1.98 per share and the options vested immediately. The options were valued at $9,000 fair value, with assumed 57.42% volatility, a three-year expiration term, with an expected tenor of 1.69 years, a risk free rate of 1.59% and no dividend yield. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, $9,000 was recognized as general and administrative expenses.

The following table summarizes all Company stock option transactions between January 1, 2017 and March 31, 2017.

The aggregate intrinsic value of options outstanding and exercisable as of March 31, 2017 was $5,100.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 12 – INCOME TAXES

The Company utilizes the asset and liability method of accounting for income taxes in accordance with FASB ASC 740-10.

(a)           United States

Gulf Resources, Inc. may be subject to the United States of America Tax law at tax rate of 35%. No provision for the US federal income taxes has been made as the Company had no US taxable income for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, and management believes that its earnings are permanently invested in the PRC.

(b)           BVI

Upper Class Group Limited, a subsidiary of Gulf Resources, Inc., was incorporated in the BVI and, under the current laws of the BVI, it is not subject to tax on income or capital gain in the BVI. Upper Class Group Limited did not generate assessable profit for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.

(c)           Hong Kong

Hong Kong Jiaxing Industrial Limited, a subsidiary of Upper Class Group Limited, was incorporated in Hong Kong and is subject to Hong Kong profits tax. The Company is subject to Hong Kong taxation on its activities conducted in Hong Kong and income arising in or derived from Hong Kong.  No provision for profits tax has been made as the Company has no assessable income for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016.  The applicable statutory tax rates for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are 16.5%.

(d)           PRC

Enterprise income tax (“EIT”) for SCHC, SYCI and DCHC in the PRC is charged at 25% of the assessable profits.

The operating subsidiaries SCHC, SYCI and DCHC are wholly foreign-owned enterprises (“FIE”) incorporated in the PRC and are subject to PRC Foreign Enterprise Income Tax Law.

On February 22, 2008, the Ministry of Finance (“MOF”) and the State Administration of Taxation (“SAT”) jointly issued Cai Shui [2008] Circular 1 (“Circular 1”). According to Article 4 of Circular 1, distributions of accumulated profits earned by a FIE prior to January 1, 2008 to foreign investor(s) in 2008 will be exempted from withholding tax (“WHT”) while distribution of the profit earned by an FIE after January 1, 2008 to its foreign investor(s) shall be subject to WHT at 5% effective tax rate.

As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the accumulated distributable earnings under the Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP”) of PRC are $283,863,796 and $274,769,840, respectively. Since the Company intends to reinvest its earnings to further expand its businesses in mainland China, its foreign invested enterprises do not intend to declare dividends to their immediate foreign holding companies in the foreseeable future. Accordingly, as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the Company has not recorded any WHT on the cumulative amount of distributable retained earnings of its foreign invested enterprises in China. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the unrecognized WHT are $13,206,016 and $12,756,698, respectively.

The Company’s tax returns are subject to the various tax authorities’ examination. The federal, state and local authorities of the United States may examine the Company’s tax returns filed in the United States for three years from the date of filing. The Company’s US tax returns since 2013 are currently subject to examination. Inland Revenue Department of Hong Kong may examine the Company’s tax returns filed in Hong Kong for seven years from date of filing. The Company’s Hong Kong tax returns since incorporation in year 2009 are currently subject to examination. The tax authorities of the PRC may examine the Company’s PRC tax returns for three years from the date of filing.

The components of the provision for income taxes from continuing operations are:

GULF RESOURCES, INC. 

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 12 – INCOME TAXES – Continued

The effective income tax expenses differ from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% from continuing operations in the PRC as follows:

Significant components of the Company’s deferred tax assets and liabilities at March 31, 2017 and December 30, 2016 are as follows:

The increase in valuation allowance for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 is $40,800.

The decrease in valuation allowance for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 is $101,645.

There were no unrecognized tax benefits and accrual for uncertain tax positions as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

NOTE 13 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS

The Company has four reportable segments:  bromine, crude salt, chemical products and natural gas. The reportable segments are consistent with how management views the markets served by the Company and the financial information that is reviewed by its chief operating decision maker.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 13 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS – Continued

An operating segment’s performance is primarily evaluated based on segment operating income, which excludes share-based compensation expense, certain corporate costs and other income not associated with the operations of the segment. These corporate costs (income) are separately stated below and also include costs that are related to functional areas such as accounting, treasury, information technology, legal, human resources, and internal audit. The Company believes that segment operating income, as defined above, is an appropriate measure for evaluating the operating performance of its segments. All the customers are located in PRC.

* Certain common production overheads, operating and administrative expenses and asset items (mainly cash and certain office equipment) of bromine and crude salt segments in SCHC were split by reference to the average selling price and production volume of respective segment.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 13 – BUSINESS SEGMENTS – Continued

The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.

The following table shows the major customer(s) (10% or more) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016.

NOTE 14– CUSTOMER CONCENTRATION

During the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company sold 36.4% and 34.4% of its products to its top five customers, respectively. As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, amounts due from these customers were $30,263,356 and $22,632,476, respectively. This concentration makes the Company vulnerable to a near-term severe impact, should the relationships be terminated.

NOTE 15 – MAJOR SUPPLIERS

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, the Company purchased 69.7% and 55.2% of its raw materials from its top five suppliers, respectively.  As of March 31, 2017 and 2016, amounts due to those suppliers included in accounts payable were $5,639,164 and $5,328,377, respectively. This concentration makes the Company vulnerable to a near-term severe impact, should the relationships be terminated.

GULF RESOURCES, INC.

AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

MARCH 31, 2017

(Expressed in U.S. dollars)

(UNAUDITED)

NOTE 16 – FAIR VALUE OF FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS

The carrying values of financial instruments, which consist of cash, accounts receivable and accounts payable and other payables, approximate their fair values due to the short-term nature of these instruments.  There were no material unrecognized financial assets and liabilities as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

NOTE 17 – CAPITAL COMMITMENT AND OPERATING LEASE COMMITMENTS

As of March 31, 2017, the Company has leased a real property adjacent to Factory No. 1, with the related production facility, channels and ducts, other production equipment and the buildings located on the property, under a capital lease. The future minimum lease payments required under the capital lease, together with the present value of such payments, are included in the table show below.

The Company has leased nine parcels of land under non-cancelable operating leases, which are fixed rentals and expire through December 2021, December 2023, December 2030, December 2031, December 2032, December 2040, February 2059, August 2059 and June 2060, respectively.

The Company has no purchase commitments as of March 31, 2017.

The following table sets forth the Company’s contractual obligations as of March 31, 2017:

Rental expenses related to operating leases of the Company amounted to $255,120 and $260,383, which were charged to the condensed consolidated statements of income for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively.

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

The discussion below contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act, and Section 21E of the Exchange Act.  We have used words such as “believes,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “expects” and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on information currently available to us and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results of operations, financial condition, cash flows, performance, business prospects and opportunities and the timing of certain events to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, these statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors include, without limitation, those matters discussed in Item 1A of Part I of our 2016 Form 10-K.  Except as expressly required by the federal securities laws, we undertake no obligation to update such factors or to publicly announce the results of any of the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect future events, developments, or changed circumstances, or for any other reason.  The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing in our 2016 Form 10-K and Item 1A, “Risk Factors” for the year ended December 31, 2016.

Overview

We are a holding company which conducts operations through our wholly-owned China-based subsidiaries.  Our business is conducted and reported in four segments, namely, bromine, crude salt, chemical products and natural gas.

Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, SCHC, we produce and trade bromine and crude salt.  We are one of the largest producers of bromine in China, as measured by production output. Elemental bromine is used to manufacture a wide variety of bromine compounds used in industry and agriculture. Bromine also is used to form intermediary chemical compounds such as Tetramethylbenzidine.  Bromine is commonly used in brominated flame retardants, fumigants, water purification compounds, dyes, medicines and disinfectants.  Crude salt is the principal material in alkali production as well as chlorine alkali production and is widely used in the chemical, food and beverage, and other industries.

Through our wholly-owned subsidiary, SYCI, we manufacture and sell chemical products used in oil and gas field exploration, oil and gas distribution, oil field drilling, wastewater processing, papermaking chemical agents and inorganic chemicals.

On December 12, 2006, we acquired, through a share exchange, Upper Class Group Limited, a British Virgin Islands holding corporation which then owned all of the outstanding shares of SCHC. Under accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, the share exchange is considered to be a capital transaction in substance, rather than a business combination. That is, the share exchange is equivalent to the issuance of stock by Upper Class for the net assets of our Company, accompanied by a recapitalization, and is accounted for as a change in capital structure. Accordingly, the accounting for the share exchange was identical to that resulting from a reverse acquisition, except no goodwill was recorded. Under reverse takeover accounting, the post reverse acquisition comparative historical consolidated financial statements of the legal acquirer, our Company, are those of the legal acquiree, Upper Class Group Limited, which is considered to be the accounting acquirer. Share and per share amounts reflected in this report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the merger.

On February 5, 2007, the Company, acting through SCHC, acquired SYCI. Since the ownership of the Company and SYCI was then substantially the same, the transaction was accounted for as a transaction between entities under common control, whereby we recognized the assets and liabilities of SYCI at their carrying amounts.  Share and per share amounts stated in this report have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the merger.

On August 31, 2008, SYCI completed the construction of a new chemical production line. It passed the examination by Shouguang City Administration of Work Safety and local fire department. This new production line focuses on producing environmental friendly additive products, solid lubricant and polyether lubricant, for use in oil and gas exploration. The line has an annual production capacity of 5,000 tons. Formal production of this chemical production line started on September 15, 2008. The total annual production capacity of SYCI is 36,300 tons.

On October 12, 2009 we completed a 1-for-4 reverse stock split of our common stock, such that for each four shares outstanding prior to the stock split there was one share outstanding after the reverse stock split.  All shares of common stock referenced in this report have been adjusted to reflect the stock split figures.  On October 27, 2009 our shares began trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol “GFRE” and on June 30, 2011 we changed our ticker symbol to “GURE” to better reflection of our corporate name.

On January 12, 2015, the Company and SCHC entered into an Equity Interest Transfer Agreement with SCRC pursuant to which SCHC agreed to acquire SCRC and all rights, title and interest in and to all assets owned by SCRC, a leading manufacturer of materials for human and animal antibiotics in China and other parts of Asia.

On February 4, 2015 the Company closed the transactions contemplated by the agreement between the Company, SCHC and SCRC.

On the closing date, the Company issued 7,268,011 shares of its common stock, par value $0.0005 per share (the “Shares”), at the closing market price of $1.84 per Share on the closing date to the four former equity owners of SCRC .The issuance of the Shares was exempt from registration pursuant to Regulation S of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended. On the closing date, the Company entered into a lock-up agreement with the four former equity owners of SCRC. In accordance with the terms of the lock-up agreement, the shareholders agreed not to sell or transfer the Shares for five years from the date the stock certificates evidencing the Shares were issued.

The sellers of SCRC agreed as part of the purchase price to accept the Shares, based on a valuation of $2.00, which was a 73% premium to the price on the day the agreement was entered into. For accounting purposes, the Shares are now being valued at $1.84, which was the closing price of our stock on the day of the closing date of the agreement. The price difference between the original $2.00 and the current $1.84 is solely for accounting purposes. There has been no change in the number of shares issued.

On November 24, 2015, Gulf Resources, Inc., a Delaware corporation consummated a merger with and into its wholly-owned subsidiary, Gulf Resources, Inc., a Nevada corporation. As a result of the reincorporation, the Company is now a Nevada corporation.

On December 15, 2015, the Company registered a new subsidiary in the Sichuan Province of the PRC named Daying County Haoyuan Chemical Company Limited (“DCHC”) with registered Capital of RMB50,000,000, and there was RMB11,754,919 capital contributed by SCHC as of March 31, 2017. DCHC was established to further explore and develop natural gas and brine resources (including bromine and crude salt) in China.

On September 2, 2016, the Company announced the planned merger of two of its 100% owned subsidiaries, Shouguan Yuxin Chemical Co., Limited (“SYCI”) and Shouguan Rongyuan Chemical Co., Ltd (“SCRC”). On March 24, 2017, the legal process of the merger was completed and SCRC was officially deregistered on March 28, 2017. The results of these two subsidiaries were reported as SYCI in the three months ended March 31, 2017.

Our current corporate structure chart is set forth in the following diagram:

As a result of our acquisitions of SCHC and SYCI, our historical financial statements and the information presented below reflects the accounts of SCHC, SYCI and DCHC. The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing elsewhere in this report.

RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following table presents certain information derived from the consolidated statements of income, cash flows and stockholders’ equity for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016. 

Comparison of the Three-Month Periods Ended March 31, 2017 and 2016

Net revenue  The table below shows the changes in net revenue in the respective segment of the Company for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016:

Bromine segment

The increase in net revenue from our bromine segment was mainly due to the increase in the selling price of bromine. The selling price of bromine increased from $3,841 per tonne for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $4,071 per tonne for the same period in 2017, an increase of 6%.

The sales volume of bromine decreased from 3,428 tonnes for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to 3,420 tonnes for the same period in 2017, a decrease of 0.2%.

We expect the average selling price of bromine to remain at current levels through the end of 2017 should the PRC government’s macro-economic tightening policy remain in place. The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of bromine for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016.

Crude salt segment

The increase in net revenue from our crude salt segment was due to the increase in both the sales volume and selling price of crude salt. The sales volume of crude salt increased by 2% from 59,200 tonnes for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to 60,664 tonnes for the same period in 2017. The average selling price of crude salt increased from $29.84 per tonne for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $29.90 per tonne for the same period in 2017.

We expect the average selling price of crude salt to remain at current levels through the end of 2017.

The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of crude salt for three-month period ended March 31, 2017 from the same period in 2016.

Chemical products segment

Net revenue from our chemical products segment decreased from $19,559,314 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $17,052,321 for the same period in 2017, a decrease of approximately 13%. This decrease was primarily attributable to the decreased sales volume of all of our chemical products due to the slowdown in the Chinese economy and the financial tightening, which has affected our customers’ industries. Net revenue from our oil and gas exploration chemicals contributed $3,977,298 (or 23%) and $4,676,078 (or 24%) of our chemical segment revenue for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, respectively, with a decrease of $698,780, or 15%. Net revenue from our pesticides manufacturing additives decreased from 2,630,261 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $2,216,710 for the same period in 2017, a decrease of approximately 16%. Net revenue from our paper manufacturing additives decreased from $812,536 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $688,276 for the same period in 2017, a decrease of approximately 15%. Net revenue from our pharmaceutical intermediates decreased from $8,005,314 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $6,963,509 for the same period in 2017, a decrease of approximately 13%. Net revenue from our by products decreased from $3,435,125 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $3,206,528 for the same period in 2017, a decrease of approximately 7%.

The table below shows the changes in the average selling price and changes in the sales volume of major chemical products of the chemical products segment for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 from the same period in 2016.

Cost of Net Revenue

Cost of net revenue reflects mainly the raw materials consumed and the direct salaries and benefits of staff engaged in the production process, electricity, depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery and other manufacturing costs. Our cost of net revenue was $20,213,863 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, a decrease of $3,667,783 (or 15%) as compared to the same period in 2016. This decrease was primarily attributable to the decreased purchase cost of raw material of bromine segment and decreased in volume of oil and gas exploration additives, paper manufacturing additives and pesticides manufacturing additives sold due to the slowdown in the Chinese economy and the financial tightening, which has affected our customers’ industries.

Bromine production capacity and utilization of our factories

The table below represents the annual capacity and utilization ratios for all of our bromine producing properties:

(i) Utilization ratio is calculated based on the annualized actual production volume in tonnes for the periods divided by the annual production capacity in tonnes.

Our utilization ratio increased by 4% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 as compared with the same period in 2016.

In view of the trend of a decrease in the bromine concentration of the brine water being extracted at our production facilities as explained in 2016 Form 10-K, and in order to reduce the leakage rate and attempt to recover the annual production capacity of bromine and crude salt to a higher level in the future, we plan to carry out enhancement projects for the crude salt fields in 2017. During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, no such enhancement work was carried out due to unexpected weather conditions. We expect to resume the enhancement work in the second and third quarters of 2017 when weather conditions permit.

Bromine segment

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, the cost of net revenue for the bromine segment was $7,800,986, a decrease of $1,357,027 or 15% over the same period in 2016. The major components of the costs of net revenue for the bromine segment were cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $1,783,802 (or 25%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $3,902,817 (or 50%) and electricity of $592,001 (or 8%) for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017. For the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, the major components of the cost of net revenue were cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed of $3,140,593 (or 34%), depreciation and amortization of manufacturing plant and machinery of $4,247,501 (or 46%) and electricity of $610,092 (or 7%). The cost structure changed where the proportion of cost of raw materials and finished goods consumed over the total cost of net revenue decreased by 9% in the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 compared to the same period in 2016. The decrease in net cost of net revenue was attributable mainly to the decrease in purchase cost of raw material.

The table below represents the major production cost component of bromine per tonne sold for the respective periods:

Our production cost of bromine per tonne sold was $2,522 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, a decrease of 10% (or $290) as compared to the same period in 2016, which was attributable mainly to the decrease in purchase price of raw material.

Crude salt segment

The cost of net revenue for our crude salt segment for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was $850,833, representing a decrease of $592,801, or 41%, compared to $1,443,634 for the same period in 2016. The significant cost components for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 were depreciation and amortization of $465,706 (or 55%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $181,378 (or 21%) and electricity of $49,849 (or 6%). The significant cost components for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 were depreciation and amortization of $1,073,134 (or 74%), resource taxes calculated based on crude salt sold of $181,353 (or 13%) and electricity of $47,303 (or 3%). The table below represents the major production cost component of crude salt per ton sold for respective periods:

Chemical products segment

Cost of net revenue for our chemical products segment for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was $11,562,044, representing a decrease of $1,717,955 or 13% over the same period in 2016. This decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in sales volume of all of our chemical products.

Gross Profit Gross profit was $12,574,630, or 38%, of net revenue for three-month period ended March 31, 2017, representing an increase of $1,960,826 (or 18%), as compared to $10,613,804, or 31%, of net revenue for the same period in 2016.

Bromine segment

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, the gross profit margin for our bromine segment was44%, as compared to 30% for the same period in 2016. This 14% increase is mainly due to the increased selling price of bromine and the decreased purchase price of raw material. The selling price of bromine increased from $3,841 per tonne for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 to $4,071 per tonne for the same period in 2017, an increase of 6%. We expect that the average selling price and gross profit margin of bromine will remain at current levels through the end of 2017 should the PRC government’s macro-economic tightening policy remain in place.

Crude salt segment

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, the gross profit margin for our crude salt segment was 53%, as compared to of 18% for the same period in 2016. This 35% increase is mainly due to a decrease in depreciation charge as some plant and equipment related to the crude salt facilities were fully depreciated in December 2016.

Chemical products segment

The gross profit margin for our chemical products segment for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was 32%, as compared to 32% for the same period in 2016.

Research and Development Costs The total research and development costs incurred for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were $61,898 and $59,837, respectively, an increase of 3%. Research and development costs for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 represented raw materials used by SYCI for testing the manufacturing routine. Research and development costs for the three-month period ended March 31, 2016 represented raw materials used by SYCI and SCRC for testing the manufacturing routine.

General and Administrative Expenses General and administrative expenses were $1,728,460 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, a decrease of $187,570 (or 10%) as compared to $1,916,030 for the same period in 2016. The decrease of $187,570 was primarily due to the decreased property tax and land use right tax in the amount of $134,449 due to the demolition of factory No 6 by the government at the end of November 2016.

Other Operating Income Other operating income, which represented the sales of wastewater to some of our customers, was $104,558 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, representing a decrease of $5,724 (or 5%) from $110,282 for the same period in 2016. Wastewater is generated from the production of bromine and eventually becomes crude salt when it evaporates. Not all of our bromine production plants have sufficient area on the property to allow for evaporation of wastewater to produce crude salt. Certain of our customers who have facilities located adjacent to our bromine production plants have agreed to channel our wastewater into brine pans on their properties for evaporation. These customers then are able to sell the resulting crude salt themselves. We signed agreements with four of our customers to sell them our wastewater at market prices.

Income from Operations Income from operations was $10,812,997 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 (or 33% of net revenue), an increase of $2,146,679, or approximately 25%, over income from operations for the same period in 2016.

Bromine segment

Income from operations from our bromine segment was $5,271,933 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $2,266,416 (or approximately 75%) compared to the same period in 2016. This increase is mainly due to the increased selling price of bromine and the decreased purchase price of raw material.

Crude salt segment

Income from operations from our crude salt segment was $885,888 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $658,274 (or approximately 289%) compared to the same period in 2016. This increase was mainly due to decrease in depreciation cost due to some crude salt has been finished depreciation in December, 2016.

Chemical products segment

Income from operations from our chemical products segment was $4,946,177 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, a decrease of $777,554 (or approximately 14%) compared to the same period in 2016. This decrease was primarily attributable to the decrease in sales volume of all of our chemical products.

Other Income Net Other income, net of $83,949 represented bank interest income, net of capital lease interest expense for the three -month period ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $15,632 (or approximately 23%) as compared to the same period in 2016.

Net Income Net income was $8,075,120 for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, an increase of $1,608,156 (or approximately 25%) compared to the same period in 2016. This increase was primarily attributable to the increased bromine selling price and decreased purchase price of raw material of bromine.

Effective Tax Rate Our effective tax rate for the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 were 26% and 26% respectively. The effective tax rate for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 was 1% higher than the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25%, due to non-deductible expense and change in valuation allowance.

LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL RESOURCES

As of March 31, 2017, cash and cash equivalents were $172,804,078 as compared to $163,884,574 as of December 31, 2016. The components of this increase of $8,919,504 are reflected below.

Statement of Cash Flows

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, we met our working capital and capital investment requirements mainly by using cash flow from operations and cash on hand.

Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities

During the three-month periods ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we had positive cash flow from operating activities of approximately $8.5 million and $14.4 million, respectively.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, cash flow from operating activities of approximately $8.4 million exceeded our net income of approximately $8.1 million, mainly due to substantial non-cash charges in the amounts of approximately $5.7 million, mainly in the form of depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment and exchange loss on intercompany balances; partially offset cash used in working capital of approximately $5.4 million, which mainly consisted of an increase in accounts receivable and decreased retention payable, partially offset by the decrease in inventories and an increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses and taxes payable.

During the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, cash flow from operating activities of approximately $14.4 million exceeded our net income of approximately $6.5 million, mainly due to (i) substantial non-cash charges of approximately $7.2 million, mainly in the form of depreciation and amortization of property, plant and equipment; (ii) cash generated from working capital of approximately $0.72 million, mainly consisting of the increase in accounts payable and accrued expenses, taxes payable and decrease in inventories partially offset by the increase in accounts receivable.

Accounts receivable

Cash collections on our accounts receivable had a major impact on our overall liquidity. The following table presents the aging analysis of our accounts receivable as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016.

The overall accounts receivable balance as of March 31, 2017 increased by $8,790,783 (or 17%), as compared to those of December 31, 2016. Approximately 30% of the balances of accounts receivable as of March 31, 2017 aged more than 90 days were settled by April 30, 2017. We have policies in place to ensure that sales are made to customers with an appropriate credit history. We perform ongoing credit evaluation on the financial condition of our customers. No allowance for doubtful debts for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 is required.

Inventory

Our inventory consists of the following:

The net inventory level as of March 31, 2017 decreased by $733,918 (or 12%), as compared to the net inventory level as of December 31, 2016

Raw materials decreased by 3% as of March 31, 2017 as compared to December 31, 2016 All of the raw materials are basic chemical industry materials, few of which have a possibility of loss over time, or major fluctuations in their prices. So, we concluded that all of our raw materials as of March 31, 2017 are fully realizable for production of finished goods without any impairment.

Our finished goods consist of bromine, crude salt and chemical products. Our chemical products are similar to raw materials, as there is no loss over time and a stable market price with a positive gross profit margin of 32% for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 (32% for first quarter of 2016). Therefore, we believe that the realization of the chemical products is 100%. Similarly, as there is no depletion of bromine, we believe that the realization of it is also 100%. The gross profit margin for bromine for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017 was 44%, as compared with 30% for the first quarter of 2016. We anticipate that the price through 2017 will not fluctuate significantly to impair the cost of bromine.

As of March 31, 2017, the crude salt included in the inventory is approximately $1.6 million. The annual loss of crude salt due to evaporation is approximately 3%. The average selling price of crude salt per tonne increased from $27.68 for the fourth quarter of 2016 to $29.90 for the first quarter of 2017. The gross profit also increased from 18% for the first quarter of 2016 to 53% for the same period in 2017. We believe that there will be no realization problem for crude salt as we do not expect selling price to be lower than the current price. If the selling price continues to decrease, there will be an impact on our crude salt realization value.

Net Cash Used in Investing Activities

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2017, we used approximately $0.3 million cash for the prepayment of land leases. We also used approximately $0.06 million to acquire property, plant and equipment in the first quarter of 2017.

For the three-month period ended March 31, 2016, we used approximately $0.3 million cash for the prepayment of land leases. We also used approximately $0.05 million to acquire property, plant and equipment in the first quarter of 2016.

Net Cash Used in Financing Activities

We have no major financing activities for the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.

We believe that our available funds and cash flows generated from operations will be sufficient to meet our anticipated ongoing operating needs for the next twelve (12) months.

Working capital was approximately $222.5 million at March 31, 2017 as compared to approximately $207.8 million at December 31, 2016. The increase was mainly attributable to the cash provided by operating activities during the three-month period ended March 31, 2017.

We had available cash of approximately $172.8 million at March 31, 2017, most of which is in highly liquid current deposits which earn no or little interest. We intend to retain the cash for future expansion of our bromine and crude salt businesses through acquisition, enhancements to our existing bromine and crude salt business, and further development of the new resources in Sichuan Province. We do not anticipate paying cash dividends in the foreseeable future.

In the future we intend to focus our efforts on the activities of SCHC, SYCI and DCHC as these segments continue to expand within the Chinese market.

We may not be able to identify, successfully integrate or profitably manage any businesses or business segment we may acquire, or any expansion of our business. An expansion may involve a number of risks, including possible adverse effects on our operating results, diversion of management’s attention, inability to retain key personnel, risks associated with unanticipated events and the financial statement effect of potential impairment of acquired intangible assets, any of which could have a materially adverse effect on our condition and results of operations. In addition, if competition for acquisition candidates or operations were to increase, the cost of acquiring businesses could increase materially. We may effect an acquisition with a target business which may be financially unstable, under-managed, or in its early stages of development or growth. Our inability to implement and manage our expansion strategy successfully may have a material adverse effect on our business and future prospects.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

We have no significant contractual obligations not fully recorded on our consolidated balance sheets or fully disclosed in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. Additional information regarding our contractual obligations and commitments at March 31, 2017 is provided in the notes to our consolidated financial statements. See “Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements, Note 19 – Capital Commitment and Operating Lease Commitments”.

Material Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We do not currently have any off -balance sheet arrangements falling within the definition of Item 303(a) of Regulation S-K.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America and this requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. We base its estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Accordingly, actual results may differ significantly from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions. We have identified the following critical accounting policies and estimates used by us in the preparation of our financial statements: accounts receivable and allowance for doubtful accounts, assets retirement obligation, property, plant and equipment, recoverability of long lived assets, mineral rights, revenue recognition, income taxes, and stock-based compensation. These policies and estimates are described in the Company’s 2016 Form 10-K.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

Pursuant to Item 305(e) of Regulation S-K (§ 229.305(e)), the Company is not required to provide the information required by this Item as it is a “smaller reporting company,” as defined by Rule 229.10(f)(1).

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

(a) Evaluation of Disclosure Controls and Procedures

We maintain disclosure controls and procedures (as such term is defined in Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) that are designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed in our reports filed pursuant to the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules, regulations and related forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our management, including our Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”), as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Under the supervision and with the participation of our management, including our CEO and CFO, we conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this report. Based on this evaluation, our CEO and CFO concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the period covered by this Form 10-Q.

(b) Changes in internal controls

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting (as such term is defined in Rules 13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act) during our most recently completed fiscal quarter, which is the subject of this report, that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial reporting.

PART II—OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

None.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

There have been no changes with respect to risk factors as previously disclosed in our 2016 Form 10-K.  Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before you invest you should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties described below and in our 2016 Form 10-K, under the caption “Risk Factors”, our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations set forth in Item 2 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, our consolidated financial statements and related notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and our consolidated financial statements and related notes, as well as our Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations and the other information in our 2016 Form 10-K. Readers should carefully review those risks, as well as additional risks described in other documents we file from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Item 2. Unregistered Shares of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

Not applicable.

Item 5. Other Information

None.

Item 6. Exhibits

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

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