HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL INC - Quarter Report: 2011 March (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED MARCH 31, 2011

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission File Number 0-25837

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

233 South Wacker Drive-Suite 4200

Chicago, Illinois

60606-6303

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

(312) 496-1200

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

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, 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  ¨    No  ¨

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

Large accelerated filer  ¨             Accelerated filer  x            Non-Accelerated filer  ¨            Smaller reporting company  ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).    Yes  ¨    No  x

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date.

As of May 9, 2011, there were 17,784,615 shares of the Company’s common stock outstanding.

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HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

INDEX

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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION

HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In thousands, except share amounts)

The accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

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HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

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HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY AND

COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (LOSS)

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

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HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In thousands)

(Unaudited)

The accompanying notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements are an integral part of these statements.

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HEIDRICK & STRUGGLES INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(All tables in thousands, except share and per share figures)

(Unaudited)

1. Basis of Presentation of Interim Financial Information

The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements of Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. and subsidiaries (the “Company”), have been prepared pursuant to the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses. Significant items subject to estimates and assumptions include revenue recognition, allowance for doubtful accounts, interim effective tax rate, allowances for deferred tax assets, assessment of goodwill and other intangible assets for impairment, compensation accruals, stock-based compensation, and contingent liabilities. Given that global economies are undergoing a period of continued uncertainty, estimates are subject to a greater degree of uncertainty than usual and actual results could differ from these estimates. These financial statements and notes are to be read in conjunction with the Company’s Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2011.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

A complete listing of the Company’s significant accounting policies is discussed in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements included in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010, as filed with the SEC on March 16, 2011.

Recently Adopted Accounting Standards

On January 1, 2011, the Company adopted guidance which expands the required disclosures about fair value measurements. This guidance requires disclosures about transfers of investments between levels in the fair value hierarchy and disclosures relating to the reconciliation of fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (level 3 investments). The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

On January 1, 2011, the Company adopted guidance on milestone accounting. The guidance applies to transactions involving research or development deliverables or other units of accounting where a performance obligation is met over a period of time and a portion or all of the consideration is contingent upon achievement of a milestone. After meeting specified criteria, entities can make an accounting policy election to recognize arrangement consideration received for achieving specified performance measures during the periods in which the milestones are achieved. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on the Company’s financial condition or results of operations.

3. Stock-based Compensation

The Company measures its stock-based compensation costs based on the grant date fair value of the awards and recognizes these costs in the financial statements over the requisite service period.

A summary of information with respect to stock-based compensation is as follows:

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Restricted Stock Units

Restricted stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2011:

As of March 31, 2011, there was $8.4 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested restricted stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.3 years.

Performance Stock Units

Performance stock unit activity for the three months ended March 31, 2011:

As of March 31, 2011, there was $1.9 million of pre-tax unrecognized compensation expense related to unvested performance stock units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average of 2.3 years.

4. Property and Equipment

The components of the Company’s property and equipment are as follows:

5. Restricted Cash

The Company had $2.9 million and $2.0 million of restricted cash at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively, in support of lease guarantees. In accordance with the terms of the lease agreements, the cash balances are restricted through the termination dates of the leases, which extend through 2019.

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6. Investments

The components of the Company’s investments are as follows:

The Company’s U.S. non-qualified deferred compensation plan consists primarily of U.S. marketable securities and mutual funds, all of which are valued using Level 1 inputs. The aggregate cost basis for these investments was $7.6 million and $7.4 million as of March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010, respectively. The warrants and equity securities primarily consist of cost method investments, none of which were evaluated for impairment since there were no triggering events in the respective periods.

During the first quarter of 2011, the Company provided a loan to JobKoo in the principal amount of $1.0 million. As a result of JobKoo’s inability to demonstrate sufficient cash flow to support the recoverability of the investment and loan, the Company wrote-off its $1.8 million investment and $1.0 million loan during the first quarter of 2011. The write-off is included in non-operating expense - other, net on the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the three months ended March 31, 2011.

7. Fair Value Measurements

Fair value is defined as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. A three-level fair value hierarchy prioritizes the inputs used to measure fair value. The hierarchy requires entities to maximize the use of observable inputs and minimize the use of unobservable inputs. The three levels of inputs used to measure fair value are as follows:

Substantially all of the Company’s assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis are measured using Level 1 inputs. The Company considers the recorded value of its financial assets and liabilities, which consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, accounts receivable, and accounts payable, to approximate the fair value of the respective assets and liabilities at March 31, 2011 and December 31, 2010 based upon the short-term nature of the assets and liabilities.

8. Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets

Goodwill

Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill by segment for the three months ended March 31, 2011 are as follows:

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In connection with the Company’s 2008 acquisition of Iron Hill, the previous owners, who are now Heidrick & Struggles employees, are eligible to receive earnout payments up to a total of $4.4 million based on achievement of certain revenue metrics in 2009, 2010 and 2011. As a result of the achievement of these revenue metrics during the first quarter of 2011, the Company accrued an earnout of $1.5 million. The Company anticipates accruing additional earnout during the second quarter of 2011 based on the achievement of additional revenue metrics. The Company currently expects the $1.5 million plus any additional amounts earned during the second quarter of 2011 will be paid in 2011.

Additionally, throughout the first quarter of 2011, the Company continued to monitor events that could cause an impairment in the fair value of its reporting units. The Company concluded that an impairment evaluation was not required during the first quarter of 2011. However, given the financial performance, the fair value of the European reporting unit could deteriorate and result in the need to record an impairment charge in future periods.

Other Intangible Assets

The carrying amount of amortizable intangible assets and the related accumulated amortization are as follows:

Intangible asset amortization expense for the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010 was $0.3 million and $0.4 million, respectively. The estimated intangible amortization expense is $1.2 million for fiscal year 2011, $1.1 million for fiscal year 2012, $0.8 million for fiscal year 2013, $0.8 million for fiscal year 2014, and $0.8 million for fiscal year 2015. These amounts are based on intangible assets recorded as of March 31, 2011, and actual amortization expense could differ from these estimates as a result of future acquisitions and other factors.

9. Components of Net Periodic Benefit Cost

The Company maintains a pension plan for certain employees in Germany. The pensions are individually fixed euro amounts that vary depending on the function and the eligible years of service of the employee.

The components of net periodic benefit cost are as follows:

The pension benefits are fully reinsured through a group insurance contract with ERGO Lebensversicherung AG. The change in the fair value of these assets approximates the net periodic benefit cost for the three months ended March 31, 2011.

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10. Basic and Diluted Loss Per Common Share

A reconciliation of the basic and diluted loss per common share, and the shares used in the computation, are as follows:

For the three months ended March 31, 2011 and 2010, there were approximately 0.4 million and 0.7 million, respectively, dilutive common shares excluded from the computation of the loss per common share because the effect of their inclusion would be anti-dilutive as a result of the Company’s net loss position.

11. Restructuring Charges

The accrued restructuring charges at March 31, 2011 consist of employee-related costs that require cash payments based on individual severance agreements and real estate leases that require cash payments through the lease terms reduced by sublease income. Based on current estimates, the Company expects that cash outlays over the next twelve months related to restructuring charges accrued at March 31, 2011 will be $0.5 million, with the remainder payable over the remaining lease terms of the vacated properties, which extend through 2016.

Changes in the accrual for restructuring charges for the three months ended March 31, 2011 are as follows:

12. Other Current and Non-Current Liabilities

The components of other current liabilities are as follows:

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The components of other non-current liabilities are as follows:

13. Income Taxes

In the first quarter of 2011, the Company reported loss before taxes of $5.9 million and recorded an income tax benefit of $1.2 million. The Company’s effective income tax benefit rate for the first quarter of 2011 was 21.1%, which reflected an adjusted full-year expected annualized tax rate of approximately 37 percent. The decrease in the anticipated full-year annualized tax rate from 2010 is primarily due to the tax benefit of the recognition of net operating loss carryforwards and reduction of related valuation allowances. The Company’s expected annual rate could increase due to income changes by jurisdiction and initial costs in redesigning its entity structure that is expected to be completed in 2011.

In the first quarter of 2010, the Company reported a loss before taxes of $3.5 million and recorded an income tax benefit of $1.9 million. The Company’s effective tax benefit rate for the first quarter of 2010 was 55.7% primarily due to additional unbenefitted foreign losses and certain one-time non-deductible items in the United Kingdom.

14. Segment Information

The Company operates its executive search and leadership consulting services in three geographic regions: the Americas; Europe, which includes the Middle East and Africa; and Asia Pacific.

For segment purposes, reimbursements of out-of-pocket expenses classified as revenue are reported separately and, therefore, are not included in the results of each geographic region. The Company believes that analyzing trends in revenue before reimbursements (net revenue), operating expenses as a percentage of net revenue, and operating income (loss), more appropriately reflects its core operations.

Certain prior year figures, provided for the purposes of comparison, have been adjusted to conform to the current year’s presentation.

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The revenue and operating income (loss), depreciation, and capital expenditures, by segment, are as follows:

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Identifiable assets, and goodwill and other intangible assets, by segment, are as follows:

15. Guarantees

The Company has issued guarantees supporting the payment of office lease obligations for certain of its subsidiaries in Europe and Asia Pacific. The guarantees were made to secure the respective lease agreements and are for the terms of the lease agreements, which extend through 2019. For each guarantee issued, should the subsidiary default on a lease payment, the Company would have to perform under the guarantee. The maximum amount of undiscounted payments the Company would be required to make in the event of default on all outstanding guarantees is approximately $2.9 million as of March 31, 2011. The Company has not accrued for these guarantee arrangements as no event of default exists or is expected to exist.

16. Commitments and Contingencies

The Company has contingent liabilities from various pending claims and litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of the Company’s business, some of which involve claims for damages that may be substantial in amount. Some of these matters are covered by insurance. Although the Company’s ultimate liability in the matter discussed below cannot be determined, based upon information currently available, the Company believes the ultimate resolution of such claims and litigation will not have a material adverse effect on its financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.

UK Employee Benefits Trust

On January 27, 2010, HM Revenue & Customs (“HMRC”) in the United Kingdom notified the Company that it was challenging the tax treatment of certain of the Company’s contributions in the United Kingdom to an Employee Benefits Trust between 2002 and 2008. HMRC alleges that these contributions should have been subject to Pay As You Earn tax and Class 1 National Insurance Contributions in the United Kingdom; and HMRC is proposing an adjustment to the Company’s payroll tax liability for the affected years. The aggregate amount of HMRC’s proposed adjustment is approximately £3.9 million (equivalent to $6.3 million at March 31, 2011). The Company has appealed the proposed adjustment. At this time, the Company believes that the likelihood of an unfavorable outcome with respect to the proposed adjustment is not probable and the potential amount of any loss cannot be reasonably estimated. The Company also believes that the amount of any final adjustment would not be material to the Company’s financial condition.

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Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations as well as other sections of this quarterly report on Form 10-Q contain forward-looking statements. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry in which we operate and management’s beliefs and assumptions. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as “expects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “projects,” “forecasts,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed, forecasted or implied in the forward-looking statements. Factors that may affect the outcome of the forward-looking statements include, among other things: our ability to attract and retain qualified executive search consultants; our ability to develop and maintain strong, long-term relationships with our clients; further declines in the global economy and our ability to execute successfully through business cycles; the timing, speed or robustness of any future economic recovery; social or political instability in markets where we operate, the impact of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations; price competition; the ability to forecast, on a quarterly basis, variable compensation accruals that ultimately are determined based on the achievement of annual results; our ability to realize our tax losses; the timing of the establishment or reversal of valuation allowance on deferred tax assets; the mix of profit and loss by country; an impairment of our goodwill and other intangible assets; delays in the development and/or implementation of new or improved technology and systems; and the ability to align our cost structure and headcount with net revenue. For more information on the factors that could affect the outcome of forward-looking statements, refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 under Risk Factors in Item 1A. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Executive Overview

Our Business

We are a leadership advisory firm providing executive search and leadership consulting services. We help our clients build leadership teams by facilitating the recruitment, management and deployment of senior executives. Focusing on top-level services offers us several advantages that include access to and influence with key decision makers, increased potential for recurring search and consulting engagements, higher fees per search, enhanced brand visibility, and leveraged global footprint, which create added barriers to entry for potential competitors. Working at the top of client organizations also allows us to attract and retain high-caliber consultants.

In addition to executive search, we provide a range of leadership consulting services to clients. These services include succession planning, executive assessment, talent retention management, executive development, transition consulting for newly appointed executives, and mergers and acquisitions human capital integration consulting.

We provide our services to a broad range of clients through the expertise of 372 consultants located in major cities around the world. Our executive search services are provided on a retained basis. Revenue before reimbursements of out-of-pocket expenses (“net revenue”) consists of retainers and indirect expenses billed to clients. Typically, we are paid a retainer for our executive search services equal to approximately one-third of the estimated first year compensation for the position to be filled. In addition, if the actual compensation of a placed candidate exceeds the estimated compensation, we often are authorized to bill the client for one-third of the excess. Indirect expenses are calculated as a percentage of the retainer with certain dollar limits per search.

Key Performance Indicators

We manage and assess Heidrick & Struggles’ performance through various means, with the primary financial and operational measures including net revenue growth, operating income, operating margin, consultant headcount, confirmation trends, consultant productivity, and average revenue per search or project.

Revenue growth is driven by a combination of an increase in executive search wins and leadership consulting projects, higher consultant productivity, higher average revenue per search or project and the hiring of additional consultants. With the exception of compensation expense, incremental increases in revenue do not necessarily result in proportionate increases in costs, particularly operating and administrative expenses, thus potentially improving operating margins.

The number of consultants, confirmation trends, number of searches or projects completed, productivity levels and the average revenue per search or project will vary from quarter to quarter, affecting revenue growth and operating margin.

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Our Compensation Model

At the consultant level, individuals are largely rewarded for their performance based on a system that directly ties a significant portion of their compensation to the amount of net revenue for which they are responsible. Credit towards the variable portion of a consultant’s compensation is earned by generating net revenue for winning and executing work. Additionally, a portion of the rewards is based upon individual performance against a series of non-financial measures. Each quarter, we review and update the expected annual performance of all consultants and accrue variable compensation accordingly. The amount of variable compensation that is accrued for each consultant is based on a tiered payout model and adjusted for overall Company performance. The more net revenue that is generated by the consultant, the higher the percentage credited towards the consultant’s variable compensation and thus, accrued by our company as expense. The mix of individual consultants who generate the revenue can significantly affect the total amount of compensation expense recorded and thus, operating margins. As a result, the variable portion of the compensation expense may fluctuate significantly from quarter to quarter. The total variable compensation is discretionary and is based on company-wide profitability targets approved by the Human Resources and Compensation Committee of the Board of Directors.

A portion of our consultants’ and management cash bonuses are deferred and paid ratably over a three-year vesting period. The portion of the bonus that is deferred varies between 10% and 15% depending on the employee’s level or position. The compensation expense related to the amounts being deferred is recognized on a graded vesting attribution method over the requisite service period. This service period begins on January 1 of the respective fiscal year and continues through the deferral date, which coincides with our bonus payments in the first quarter of the following year, and for an additional three year vesting period. The deferrals vest and are paid ratably over the three year vesting period and are recorded in accrued salaries and employee benefits and other non-current liabilities in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

2011 Outlook

We are currently forecasting 2011 net revenue of $515 million to $545 million and an operating margin of 6 to 10 percent.

Results of Operations

The following table summarizes, for the periods indicated, the results of our operations as a percentage of revenue before reimbursements (net revenue):