Hudson Global, Inc. - Quarter Report: 2010 September (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D. C.
20549
FORM
10-Q
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2010
or
¨
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TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For
the transition period from
to
Commission
file number: 000-50129
HUDSON
HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
(Exact name of
registrant as specified in its charter)
DELAWARE
|
59-3547281
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of
incorporation
or organization)
|
(IRS
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
560
Lexington Avenue, New York, New York 10022
(Address
of principal executive offices) (Zip Code)
(212) 351-7300
(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 (or for such shorter period that the Registrant
was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing
requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x
No ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this
chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to submit and post such
files). Yes ¨
No ¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See
definition of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, and “smaller
reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer
|
¨
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|
Accelerated filer
|
x
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||
Non-accelerated
filer
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¨
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|
Smaller reporting company
|
¨
|
Indicate
by checkmark 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.
Class
|
Outstanding on September 30,
2010
|
|
Common
Stock - $0.001 par value
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32,204,758
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HUDSON
HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
INDEX
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Page
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PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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Item 1.
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Financial
Statements (Unaudited)
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Operations - Three and Nine Months Ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009
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3
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Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets – September 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009
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4
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Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows - Nine Months Ended September 30,
2010 and 2009
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5
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Condensed
Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity – Nine Months
Ended September 30, 2010
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6
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Notes
to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
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7
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Item 2.
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Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations
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20
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Item 3.
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
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39
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Item 4.
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Controls
and Procedures
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39
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PART II
– OTHER INFORMATION
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Item 1.
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Legal
Proceedings
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40
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Item 1A.
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Risk
Factors
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40
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Item 2.
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Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
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41
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Item 3.
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Defaults
Upon Senior Securities
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41
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Item 4.
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Removed
and Reserved
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41
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Item 5.
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Other
Information
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41
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Item 6.
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Exhibits
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41
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Signatures
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42
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Exhibit
Index
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43
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- 2
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CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
Three Month Ended September 30,
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Nine Months Ended September 30,
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|||||||||||||||
2010
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2009
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2010
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2009
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|||||||||||||
Revenue
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$ | 200,394 | $ | 169,647 | $ | 575,481 | $ | 508,645 | ||||||||
Direct
costs
|
125,403 | 105,457 | 359,833 | 317,567 | ||||||||||||
Gross
margin
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74,991 | 64,190 | 215,648 | 191,078 | ||||||||||||
Operating
expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative expenses
|
74,378 | 67,412 | 214,121 | 208,442 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,981 | 2,741 | 6,453 | 9,369 | ||||||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses
|
41 | 2,878 | 705 | 12,279 | ||||||||||||
Goodwill
and other impairment charges
|
- | - | - | 1,549 | ||||||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,409 | ) | (8,841 | ) | (5,631 | ) | (40,561 | ) | ||||||||
Other
(expense) income :
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest,
net
|
(497 | ) | (96 | ) | (972 | ) | (469 | ) | ||||||||
Other,
net
|
1,184 | 99 | 2,687 | 773 | ||||||||||||
Fee
for early extinguishment of credit facility
|
(563 | ) | - | (563 | ) | - | ||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before provision for income
taxes
|
(1,285 | ) | (8,838 | ) | (4,479 | ) | (40,257 | ) | ||||||||
Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes
|
599 | (1,215 | ) | 1,366 | (2,300 | ) | ||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
(1,884 | ) | (7,623 | ) | (5,845 | ) | (37,957 | ) | ||||||||
(Loss)
income from discontinued operations, net of income taxes
|
(14 | ) | 770 | (31 | ) | 7,773 | ||||||||||
Net
loss
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$ | (1,898 | ) | $ | (6,853 | ) | $ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | ||||
(Loss)
earnings per share:
|
||||||||||||||||
Basic
and diluted
|
||||||||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
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$ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.29 | ) | $ | (0.20 | ) | $ | (1.47 | ) | ||||
(Loss)
income from discontinued operations
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(0.00 | ) | 0.03 | (0.00 | ) | 0.30 | ||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (0.06 | ) | $ | (0.26 | ) | $ | (0.20 | ) | $ | (1.17 | ) | ||||
Basic
and diluted weighted average shares outstanding:
|
31,225 | 26,311 | 29,493 | 25,744 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
- 3
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CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
(unaudited)
September 30,
|
December 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current
assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 34,174 | $ | 36,064 | ||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $2,408 and $2,423,
respectively
|
129,116 | 98,994 | ||||||
Prepaid
and other
|
17,463 | 13,308 | ||||||
Total
current assets
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180,753 | 148,366 | ||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
15,360 | 19,433 | ||||||
Other
assets
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17,975 | 14,145 | ||||||
Total
assets
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$ | 214,088 | $ | 181,944 | ||||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current
liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
$ | 13,567 | $ | 12,811 | ||||
Accrued
expenses and other current liabilities
|
75,000 | 54,103 | ||||||
Short-term
borrowings
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13,871 | 10,456 | ||||||
Accrued
business reorganization expenses
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2,398 | 8,784 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
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104,836 | 86,154 | ||||||
Other
non-current liabilities
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9,260 | 10,768 | ||||||
Income
tax payable, non-current
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8,476 | 8,415 | ||||||
Accrued
business reorganization expenses, non-current
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627 | 347 | ||||||
Total
liabilities
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123,199 | 105,684 | ||||||
Commitments
and contingencies
|
||||||||
Stockholders’
equity:
|
||||||||
Preferred
stock, $0.001 par value, 10,000 shares authorized; none issued or
outstanding
|
- | - | ||||||
Common
stock, $0.001 par value, 100,000 shares authorized; issued 32,214 and
26,836 shares, respectively
|
32 | 27 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
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466,178 | 445,541 | ||||||
Accumulated
deficit
|
(409,390 | ) | (403,514 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income—translation adjustments
|
34,107 | 34,509 | ||||||
Treasury
stock, 9 and 114 shares, respectively, at cost
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(38 | ) | (303 | ) | ||||
Total
stockholders’ equity
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90,889 | 76,260 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and stockholders' equity
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$ | 214,088 | $ | 181,944 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
- 4
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HUDSON
HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(in
thousands)
(unaudited)
Nine Months Ended September 30,
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||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
loss
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$ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | ||
Adjustments
to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
6,453 | 9,456 | ||||||
Goodwill
and other impairment charges
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- | 1,549 | ||||||
Provision
(recovery) of doubtful accounts
|
421 | (270 | ) | |||||
Benefit
from deferred income taxes
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(296 | ) | (3,813 | ) | ||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
1,320 | 819 | ||||||
Net
gain on disposal of assets
|
- | (11,625 | ) | |||||
Fee
for early extinguishment of credit facility
|
563 | - | ||||||
Other,
net
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(1,706 | ) | - | |||||
Changes
in assets and liabilities, net of effects of business
acquisitions:
|
||||||||
(Increase)
decrease in accounts receivable
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(29,373 | ) | 40,222 | |||||
(Increase)
decrease in other assets
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(4,163 | ) | 2,880 | |||||
Increase
(decrease) in accounts payable, accrued expenses and other
liabilities
|
18,613 | (29,063 | ) | |||||
Decrease
in accrued business reorganization expenses
|
(6,104 | ) | (541 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
(20,148 | ) | (20,570 | ) | ||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(2,394 | ) | (1,573 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from sale of assets
|
81 | 11,625 | ||||||
Payment
received on note from asset sale
|
3,500 | - | ||||||
Change
in restricted cash
|
(1,719 | ) | 514 | |||||
Payment
for acquisitions
|
(1,856 | ) | (1,669 | ) | ||||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
(2,388 | ) | 8,897 | |||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Borrowings
under credit facility and other short term financing
|
60,216 | 51,985 | ||||||
Repayments
under credit facility and other short term financing
|
(56,885 | ) | (46,836 | ) | ||||
Payment
for early extinguishment of credit facility
|
(563 | ) | - | |||||
Payment
of deferred financing costs
|
(1,479 | ) | - | |||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock, net
|
19,167 | - | ||||||
Purchase
of treasury stock, including fees
|
- | (703 | ) | |||||
Purchase
of restricted stock from employees
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(70 | ) | (63 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
20,386 | 4,383 | ||||||
Effect
of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
260 | 2,564 | ||||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
(1,890 | ) | (4,726 | ) | ||||
Cash
and cash equivalents, beginning of the period
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36,064 | 49,209 | ||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents, end of the period
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$ | 34,174 | $ | 44,483 | ||||
Supplemental
disclosures of cash flow information:
|
||||||||
Cash
paid during the period for interest
|
$ | 880 | $ | 735 | ||||
Cash
payment (refund), net during the period for income taxes
|
$ | 2,923 | $ | (2,039 | ) |
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
- 5
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CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(in
thousands)
(unaudited)
Common stock
|
Additional
paid-in
capital
|
Accumulated
deficit
|
Accumulated
other
comprehensive
income (loss)
|
Treasury
stock
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Value
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at January 1, 2010
|
26,722 | $ | 27 | $ | 445,541 | $ | (403,514 | ) | $ | 34,509 | $ | (303 | ) | $ | 76,260 | |||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
- | - | - | (5,876 | ) | - | - | (5,876 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of shares
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4,830 | 5 | 19,111 | - | - | - | 19,116 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive loss, translation adjustments
|
- | - | - | - | (402 | ) | - | (402 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Purchase
of restricted stock from employees
|
(16 | ) | - | - | - | - | (70 | ) | (70 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Issuance
of shares for 401(k) plan contribution
|
121 | - | 206 | - | - | 335 | 541 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation
|
548 | - | 1,320 | - | - | - | 1,320 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at September 30, 2010
|
32,205 | $ | 32 | $ | 466,178 | $ | (409,390 | ) | $ | 34,107 | $ | (38 | ) | $ | 90,889 |
See
accompanying notes to condensed consolidated financial statements.
- 6
-
NOTES
TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(in
thousands, except share and per share amounts)
(unaudited)
NOTE
1 – BASIS OF PRESENTATION
These
interim unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared
in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for
interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and should
be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and related
notes of Hudson Highland Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the “Company”) filed
in its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2009.
The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management
to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and
liabilities, the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities, and the
reported amounts of operating revenues and expenses. These estimates are based
on management’s knowledge and judgments. In the opinion of management, all
adjustments (consisting of normal recurring adjustments) considered necessary
for a fair presentation of the Company’s financial position, results of
operations and cash flows at the dates and for the periods presented have been
included. The results of operations for interim periods are not necessarily
indicative of the results of operations for the full year. The Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and all of
its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intra-entity
balances and transactions between and among the Company and its subsidiaries
have been eliminated in consolidation. In preparing the accompanying financial
statements, management has evaluated all events and transactions through the
issuance date of its condensed consolidated financial statements. See Part II –
Other Information, Item 1 Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-Q for recent
developments with regard to the Company’s “Wells Notice” and Note 17 “Subsequent
Event” for details of the Company’s collection of a note
receivable.
Certain
prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period
presentation.
NOTE
2 – DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS
The
Company provides professional staffing services on a permanent and contract
basis and a range of human capital services to businesses operating in a wide
variety of industries. The Company’s operations, assets and liabilities are
organized into four reportable segments—Hudson Americas, Hudson Europe, Hudson
Australia and New Zealand (“ANZ”), and Hudson Asia (“Hudson regional businesses”
or “Hudson”), which constituted approximately 13%, 46%, 30%, and 11%,
respectively, of the Company’s gross margin for the nine months ended September
30, 2010.
Corporate
expenses are reported separately from the four reportable segments and pertain
to certain functions, such as executive management, corporate governance, human
resources, accounting, administration, tax and treasury, some of which are
attributable and have been allocated to the reportable segments.
NOTE
3 – RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
In
February 2010, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”) 2010-09 “Amendments to Certain Recognition
and Disclosure Requirements” amending FASB Accounting Standards
Codification Topic (“ASC”) 855, “Subsequent Events.” The
amendment eliminates the requirement in ASC 855 to disclose the date through
which subsequent events have been evaluated in the consolidated financial
statements of Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) filers and is effective
for reports filed after February 24, 2010. The Company adopted ASU 2010-09 and
evaluated all events and transactions through the issuance date of its condensed
consolidated financial statements.
In
January 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-06, “Improving Disclosures about Fair
Value Measurements." ASU 2010-06 provides amendments to ASC 820 that
require separate disclosure of significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and
Level 2 fair value measurements and the presentation of separate information
regarding purchases, sales, issuances and settlements for Level 3 fair value
measurements. Additionally, ASU 2010-06 provides amendments to ASC 820 that
clarify existing disclosures about the level of disaggregation, inputs and
valuation techniques. The new disclosures and clarification of existing
disclosures of ASU 2010-06 are effective for interim and annual reporting
periods beginning after December 15, 2009, except for the disclosure about
purchases, sales, issuance, and settlements in the rollforward of activity in
Level 3 fair value measurements. Those disclosures are effective for fiscal
years beginning after December 15, 2010 and for interim periods within those
fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU 2010-06 effective January 1, 2010. The
adoption had no material impact on the Company’s results of operations or
financial position.
- 7
-
NOTE
4 – EARNINGS (LOSS) PER SHARE
Basic
earnings (loss) per share are computed by dividing the Company’s net income
(loss) by the weighted average number of shares outstanding during the period.
When the effects are not anti-dilutive, diluted earnings (loss) per share are
computed by dividing the Company’s net income (loss) by the weighted average
number of shares outstanding and the impact of all dilutive potential common
shares, primarily stock options and unvested restricted stock. The dilutive
impact of stock options and unvested restricted stock is determined by applying
the “treasury stock” method. For the periods in which losses are presented,
dilutive loss per share calculations do not differ from basic loss per share
because the effects of any potential common stock were anti-dilutive and
therefore not included in the calculation of dilutive loss per share. For the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, the effect of approximately
2,645,968 of outstanding stock options and other common stock equivalents was
excluded from the calculation of diluted loss per share because the effect was
anti-dilutive. For the three and nine months ended September 30,
2009, the effect of approximately 2,277,475 of outstanding stock options and
other common stock equivalents was excluded from the calculation of diluted loss
per share because the effect was anti-dilutive.
NOTE
5 – STOCK-BASED COMPENSATION
The
Company accounts for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718 "Compensation – Stock
Compensation", as interpreted by the SEC Staff Accounting Bulletins
No. 107 and No. 110. Under ASC 718, stock-based compensation is
based on the fair value of the award on the date of grant, which is recognized
over the related service period, net of estimated forfeitures. For awards with
graded vesting conditions, the values of the awards are determined by valuing
each tranche separately and expensing each tranche over the required service
period. The service period is the period over which the related service is
performed, which is generally the same as the vesting period. The Company uses
the Black-Scholes option-pricing model to determine the compensation expense
related to stock options.
Incentive
Compensation Plan
The
Company maintains the Hudson Highland Group, Inc. 2009 Incentive Stock and
Awards Plan (the “ISAP”) pursuant to which it can issue equity-based
compensation incentives to eligible participants. The ISAP permits the granting
of stock options and restricted stock as well as other types of equity-based
awards. The Compensation Committee of the Company’s Board of Directors will
establish such conditions as it deems appropriate on the granting or vesting of
stock options or restricted stock. While the Company historically granted both
stock options and restricted stock to its employees, since 2008 the Company has
granted primarily restricted stock to its employees. Occasionally, the Company
continues to grant stock options to certain of its executive employees at the
time of hire.
The ISAP
provides that an aggregate of 1,600,000 shares of the Company’s common stock are
reserved for issuance to participants. The Compensation Committee of the
Company’s Board of Directors administers the ISAP and may designate any of the
following as a participant under the ISAP: any officer or other employee of the
Company or its affiliates or individuals engaged to become an officer or
employee, consultants or other independent contractors who provide services to
the Company or its affiliates and non-employee directors of the
Company.
Stock
Options
Stock
options granted under the ISAP generally expire ten years after the date of
grant. Stock options granted under the ISAP have an exercise price of at least
100% of the fair market value of the underlying stock on the date of grant and
generally vest ratably over a four year period.
For the
three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized an
expense of $12 and $132, respectively, of stock-based compensation expense
related to stock options. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and
2009, the Company recognized an expense of $142 and $294, respectively, of
stock-based compensation expense related to stock options.
As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had approximately $57 of total unrecognized
stock-based compensation expense related to outstanding non-vested stock
options. The Company expects to recognize that cost over a weighted average
service period of approximately 1.1 years.
- 8
-
Changes
in the Company’s stock options for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 were
as follows:
Weighted
|
||||||||
Number of
|
Average
|
|||||||
Options
|
Exercise Price
|
|||||||
Outstanding
|
per Share
|
|||||||
Options
outstanding, beginning of year
|
1,763,250 | $ | 12.79 | |||||
Forfeited
|
(15,750 | ) | 15.85 | |||||
Expired
|
(182,575 | ) | 13.63 | |||||
Options
outstanding at September 30, 2010
|
1,564,925 | 12.66 | ||||||
Options
exercisable at September 30, 2010
|
1,503,050 | $ | 12.79 |
Restricted
Stock
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the Company granted 592,732
shares of restricted stock to various employees. Shares of restricted stock with
only service-based vesting conditions and shares of restricted stock with
performance vesting conditions are valued at the closing market value of the
Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The Company recognizes compensation
cost for the awards with performance conditions if and when the Company
concludes that it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved.
Of the 592,732 shares granted, (i) 17,567 shares vested immediately,
(ii) 229,832 shares vest ratably over a three year period from the date of
grant with only service-based conditions, (iii) 60,000 shares vest ratably over
a four year period from the date of grant with only service-based conditions
(iv) 240,333 shares vest ratably over a three year period from the date of
grant based on performance of the Company’s Gross Margin and Earnings Before
Interest, Income Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization (“EBITDA”), and
(v) 45,000 shares vest in full on April 1, 2013.
For the
three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized $430
and $132, respectively, of stock-based compensation expense related to
restricted stock. For the nine months ended September 30, 2010 and
2009, the Company recognized $1,178 and $526, respectively, of stock-based
compensation expense related to restricted stock.
As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had $2,234 of total unrecognized stock-based
compensation expense related to outstanding nonvested restricted stock. The
Company expects to recognize that cost over a weighted average service period of
1.8 years.
Changes
in the Company’s restricted stock for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 were as follows:
Number of
|
Weighted
|
|||||||
Shares of
|
Average
|
|||||||
Restricted
|
Grant-Date
|
|||||||
Stock
|
Fair Value
|
|||||||
Nonvested
restricted stock, beginning of year
|
531,083 | $ | 2.70 | |||||
Granted
|
592,732 | 4.57 | ||||||
Vested
|
(102,587 | ) | 4.14 | |||||
Forfeited
|
(21,750 | ) | 2.96 | |||||
Nonvested
restricted stock at September 30, 2010
|
999,478 | $ | 3.66 |
Defined
Contribution Plans
The
Company maintains the Hudson Highland Group, Inc. 401(k) Savings Plan (the
“401(k) plan”). The 401(k) plan allows eligible employees to contribute up to
15% of their earnings to the 401(k) plan. The Company has the discretion to
match employees’ contributions up to 3% through a contribution of the Company’s
common stock. Vesting of the Company’s contribution occurs over a five-year
period. For the three months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company
recognized $179 and $174, respectively, of expense for the 401(k) plan. For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009, the Company recognized $609 and
$695, respectively, of expense for the 401(k) plan. In March 2010, the Company
issued 121,016 shares of its common stock with a value of $541 plus cash of $111
to satisfy the 2009 contribution liability to the 401(k) plan. In March 2009,
the Company issued 1,318,161 shares of its common stock with a value of $1,226
to satisfy the 2008 contribution liability to the 401(k) plan.
- 9
-
NOTE 6
– DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS
In the
second and first quarter of 2009, the Company exited the markets in Italy and
Japan, respectively. In accordance with the provision of ASC
205-20-45 “Reporting
Discontinued Operations” the assets, liabilities, and results of
operations of the Italy and Japan operations were reclassified as discontinued
operations.
In the
first quarter of 2008, the Company sold substantially all of the assets of
Hudson Americas’ energy, engineering and technical staffing division (“ETS”) to
System One Holdings LLC (“System One”).
In the
third quarter of 2006, the Company sold its Highland Partners executive search
business (“Highland”) to Heidrick & Struggles International, Inc. As a
result of Highland achieving certain revenue metrics in 2008, the Company
received an additional and final earn-out payment of $11,625 on April 9, 2009,
which was reflected within discontinued operations as a gain from sale of
discontinued operations for the nine months ended September 30,
2009.
Italy was
part of the Hudson Europe reportable segment, Japan was part of the Hudson Asia
reportable segment, and ETS was part of the Hudson Americas reportable segment.
Highland was a separate reportable segment of the Company at the time of its
sale. The gain or loss on sale and results of operations of the disposed
businesses were reported in discontinued operations in the relevant
periods.
Reported
results for the discontinued operations were insignificant for the three and
nine months ended September 30, 2010. The reported results for the discontinued
operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2009 were as
follows:
For The Three Month Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italy
|
Japan
|
T&I
|
ETS
|
Highland
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | - | $ | (20 | ) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | (20 | ) | ||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
$ | (3 | ) | $ | (20 | ) | $ | - | $ | 181 | $ | - | $ | 158 | ||||||||||
Operating
(loss) income
|
$ | (298 | ) | $ | 98 | $ | - | $ | 179 | $ | - | $ | (21 | ) | ||||||||||
Other
income (expense)
|
709 | (59 | ) | 202 | - | 123 | 975 | |||||||||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes (a)
|
124 | - | 60 | - | - | 184 | ||||||||||||||||||
(Loss) income from discontinued operations
|
$ | 287 | $ | 39 | $ | 142 | $ | 179 | $ | 123 | $ | 770 |
For The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italy
|
Japan
|
T&I
|
ETS
|
Highland
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | 432 | $ | 1,022 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 1,454 | ||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
$ | 388 | $ | 986 | $ | - | $ | 645 | $ | - | $ | 2,019 | ||||||||||||
Operating
(loss) income
|
$ | (2,036 | ) | $ | (2,648 | ) | $ | - | $ | 511 | $ | - | $ | (4,173 | ) | |||||||||
Other
income (expense)
|
699 | (238 | ) | 202 | - | (156 | ) | 507 | ||||||||||||||||
Gain
from sale of discontinued operations
|
- | - | - | - | 11,625 | 11,625 | ||||||||||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes (a)
|
126 | - | 60 | - | - | 186 | ||||||||||||||||||
(Loss) income from discontinued operations
|
$ | (1,463 | ) | $ | (2,886 | ) | $ | 142 | $ | 511 | $ | 11,469 | $ | 7,773 |
(a)
|
Income
tax expense is provided at the effective tax rate by taxing jurisdiction
and differs from the U.S. statutory tax rate of 35% due to differences in
the foreign statutory tax rates, as well as the ability to offset certain
net operating losses (“NOLs”) against taxable
profits.
|
- 10
-
NOTE 7
– REVENUE, DIRECT COSTS AND GROSS MARGIN
The
Company’s revenue, direct costs and gross margin were as follows:
For The Three Month Ended September 30, 2010
|
For The Three Month Ended September 30, 2009 (2)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Temporary
|
Other
|
Total
|
Temporary
|
Other
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | 147,910 | $ | 52,484 | $ | 200,394 | $ | 128,717 | $ | 40,930 | $ | 169,647 | ||||||||||||
Direct
costs (1)
|
122,161 | 3,242 | 125,403 | 103,358 | 2,099 | 105,457 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
$ | 25,749 | $ | 49,242 | $ | 74,991 | $ | 25,359 | $ | 38,831 | $ | 64,190 |
For The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
|
For The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009 (2)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Temporary
|
Other
|
Total
|
Temporary
|
Other
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | 425,111 | $ | 150,370 | $ | 575,481 | $ | 385,074 | $ | 123,571 | $ | 508,645 | ||||||||||||
Direct
costs (1)
|
349,695 | 10,138 | 359,833 | 308,946 | 8,621 | 317,567 | ||||||||||||||||||
Gross
margin
|
$ | 75,416 | $ | 140,232 | $ | 215,648 | $ | 76,128 | $ | 114,950 | $ | 191,078 |
(1)
|
Direct
costs include the direct staffing costs of salaries, payroll taxes,
employee benefits, travel expenses and insurance costs for the Company’s
contractors and reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses and other direct costs.
Other than reimbursed out-of-pocket expenses, there are no other direct
costs associated with the Other category, which includes the search,
permanent recruitment and other human resource solutions’ revenue. Gross
margin represents revenue less direct costs. The region where services are
provided, the mix of contracting and permanent recruitment, and the
functional nature of the staffing services provided can affect gross
margin. The salaries, commissions, payroll taxes and employee benefits
related to recruitment professionals are included in selling, general and
administrative expenses.
|
(2)
|
For
the three months ended September 30, 2009, the Company reclassified $1,484
of Temporary revenue, $1,346 of Temporary direct costs and $138 of
Temporary gross margin from Other revenue, Other direct costs and Other
gross margin, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30,
2009, the Company reclassified $3,917 of Temporary revenue, $3,469 of
Temporary direct costs and $448 of Temporary gross margin from Other
revenue, Other direct costs and Other gross margin, respectively. The
Company reclassified these amounts to be consistent with similar
arrangements.
|
NOTE
8 – PROPERTY AND EQUIPMENT, NET
As of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, property and equipment, net
consisted of the following:
September
30,
|
December
31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Computer
equipment
|
$ | 19,032 | $ | 19,095 | ||||
Furniture
and equipment
|
13,983 | 14,635 | ||||||
Capitalized
software costs
|
33,656 | 32,074 | ||||||
Leasehold
and building improvements
|
23,245 | 24,194 | ||||||
Transportation
equipment
|
21 | 22 | ||||||
89,937 | 90,020 | |||||||
Less:
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
74,577 | 70,587 | ||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
$ | 15,360 | $ | 19,433 |
- 11
-
NOTE
9 – GOODWILL
Under ASC
350, the Company is
required to test goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for impairment
on an annual basis as of October 1, or more frequently if circumstances indicate
that its carrying value might exceed its current fair value.
As per
ASC 350, a two-step impairment test is performed to identify potential goodwill
impairment and to measure the amount of the impairment loss to be recognized, if
applicable. In the first step, a comparison is made of the estimated fair value
of a reporting unit to its carrying value. If the carrying value of a reporting
unit exceeds the estimated fair value, the second step of the impairment test is
required. In the second step, an estimate of the current fair values of all
assets and liabilities is made to determine the amount of implied goodwill and
consequently the amount of any goodwill impairment.
The
following is a summary of the changes in the carrying value of the Company’s
goodwill for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009. The
amounts relate to the earn-out payments for the Company’s 2007 acquisition of
the businesses of Tong Zhi (Beijing) Consulting Service Ltd and Guangzhou Dong
Li Consulting Service Ltd (collectively, “TKA”)
Carrying Value
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Goodwill,
beginning of year
|
$ | - | $ | - | ||||
Additions
and adjustments
|
1,880 | 1,671 | ||||||
Impairments
|
- | (1,671 | ) | |||||
Goodwill
on September 30,
|
$ | 1,880 | $ | - |
In May
2007, the Company completed the purchase of TKA and paid $5,000 at closing.
Under the purchase agreement, the Company would also make earn-out payments
based on the financial performance of the acquired business through April 30,
2010. The Company made earn-out payments of $1,113 in 2008 and $1,669 in 2009
under the purchase agreement. All of the consideration and earn-out payments
discussed above, to the extent recorded to goodwill, had been written off as
impairment charges in accordance with ASC 350, “Intangibles - Goodwill and
Other” prior to December 31, 2009. For the nine months ended September
30, 2010, the Company made the final earn-out payment of $1,856 in accordance
with the purchase agreement and recorded the amount as an addition to
goodwill.
NOTE
10 – INCOME TAXES
The
provision for income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was
$1,366 on a pre-tax loss of $4,479, compared with a benefit from income taxes of
$2,300 on a pre-tax loss of $40,257 for the same period in 2009. The effective
tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was negative 30.5% as
compared to 5.7% for the same period of 2009. In the current period, the
effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35% primarily
due to the inability to recognize tax benefits on net losses in the U.S. and
certain other foreign jurisdictions. The Company records a valuation allowance
against deferred tax assets to the extent that it is more likely than not that
some portion, or all of the deferred tax assets will not be
realized.
Under ASC
270, “Interim
Reporting”, and ASC 740-270, “Income Taxes – Intra Tax
Allocation”, the Company is required to adjust its effective tax rate for
each quarter to be consistent with the estimated annual effective tax rate.
Jurisdictions with a projected loss for the full year where no tax benefit can
be recognized are excluded from the calculation of the estimated annual
effective tax rate. Applying the provisions of ASC 270 and 740-270 could result
in a higher or lower effective rate during a particular quarter, based upon the
mix and timing of actual earnings versus annual projections.
As of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, the Company had $8,476 and
$8,528, respectively, of uncertain tax benefits, including interest and
penalties, which if recognized in the future, would affect the annual effective
income tax rate. Reductions to uncertain tax positions, including from the lapse
of the applicable statutes of limitations during the next twelve months, are
estimated to be approximately $1,700 to $4,400, excluding any potential new
additions.
- 12
-
Estimated
interest costs and penalties are classified as part of the provision for income
taxes in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and
totaled to a provision of $17 and $280, respectively, for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009. Accrued interest and penalties were
$1,997 and $2,014 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively. In many cases, the Company’s uncertain tax positions are related
to tax years that remain subject to examination by the relevant tax authorities.
Tax years that had NOLs would remain open until the expiration of the statute of
limitations of the future tax years those NOLs would be utilized.
Notwithstanding the above, the open tax years are 2006 through 2009 for U.S.
Federal, 2005 through 2009 for most U.S. state and local jurisdictions, 2007
through 2009 for the U.K., 2000 through 2003 and 2006 through 2009 for Australia
and 2003 through 2009 for most other jurisdictions. The Company is currently
under income tax examination in France (2006-2008) and the State of Pennsylvania
(2004-2005).
NOTE
11 – BUSINESS REORGANIZATION EXPENSES
The
following table contains amounts for Changes in Estimate, Additional Charges,
and Payments related to prior restructuring plans that were incurred or
recovered in the current period. These amounts are classified as business
reorganization expenses in the Company’s Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations. Amounts in the “Payments” column represent the cash payments
associated with the reorganization plans. Changes in the accrued business
reorganization expenses for the nine months ended September 30, 2010 were as
follows:
For The Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
December 31,
|
Changes in
|
Additional
|
September 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
Estimate
|
Charges
|
Payments
|
2010
|
|||||||||||||||
Lease
termination payments
|
$ | 4,897 | $ | 483 | $ | - | $ | (3,213 | ) | $ | 2,167 | |||||||||
Employee
termination benefits
|
4,100 | 224 | - | (3,563 | ) | 761 | ||||||||||||||
Contract
cancellation costs
|
134 | 6 | - | (43 | ) | 97 | ||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 9,131 | $ | 713 | $ | - | $ | (6,819 | ) | $ | 3,025 |
NOTE
12 – COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES
The
Company has entered into various consulting, employment and non-compete
agreements with certain key management personnel, executive search consultants
and former owners of acquired businesses. Agreements with key members of
management are on an at will basis, provide for compensation and severance
payments under certain circumstances, and are automatically renewed annually
unless either party gives sufficient notice of termination. Agreements with
certain consultants and former owners of acquired businesses are generally two
to five years in length. The Company is subject, from time to time,
to disputes under these agreements, typically associated with
terminations. The Company routinely monitors claims such as these,
and records provisions for losses when the claims become probable and the
amounts due are estimable.
The
Company is subject to, from time to time, various claims, lawsuits, and other
complaints from, for example, clients, candidates, suppliers, landlords, and
taxing authorities in the ordinary course of business. The Company routinely
monitors claims such as these, and records provisions for losses when the claim
becomes probable and the amount due is estimable. Although the outcome of these
claims cannot be determined, the Company believes that the final resolution of
these matters will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial
condition, results of operations or liquidity.
On May
13, 2009 and September 23, 2010, the Company received “Wells Notices” from the
SEC. For further information, including discussions regarding a potential
settlement with the SEC, refer to Part II – Other Information, Item 1 Legal
Proceedings of this Form 10-Q.
The
Company’s reserves for the above referenced matters were $530 as of
September 30, 2010 (of which $200 was incurred for the three months ended
September 30, 2010 in connection with discussions regarding a potential
settlement with the SEC) and were $335 as of December 31, 2009.
The
Company has certain asset retirement obligations that are primarily the result
of legal obligations for the removal of leasehold improvements and restoration
of premises to their original condition upon termination of leases. As of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, $2,208, and $2,935, respectively,
of asset retirement obligations were included in the Condensed Consolidated
Balance Sheets under the caption “Other non-current liabilities” and $650 and
$0, respectively, of asset retirement obligations were included in the Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets under the caption “Accrued expenses and other
current liabilities.”
- 13
-
NOTE
13 – SUPPLEMENTAL CASH FLOW INFORMATION
During
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the Company issued 121,016 shares
of its common stock held in treasury with a value of $541 at issuance, plus cash
of $111 to satisfy its 2009 contribution liability to its 401(k)
plan.
NOTE
14 – FINANCIAL INSTRUMENTS
Credit
Agreements
On August
5, 2010, the Company and certain of its North American and U.K. subsidiaries
entered into a senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolver
Agreement”) with RBS Business Capital, a division of RBS Asset Finance, Inc.
(“RBS”), that provides the Company with the ability to borrow up to $40,000,
including the issuance of letters of credit. The Company may increase the
maximum borrowing amount to $50,000, subject to certain conditions including
lender acceptance. Extensions of credit are based on a percentage of the
eligible accounts receivable less required reserves principally related to the
U.K. and North America operations. In connection with the Revolver Agreement,
the Company incurred and capitalized approximately $1,457 of deferred financing
costs, which are being amortized over the term of the agreement. As of September
30, 2010, the Company’s borrowing base was $35,385 and the Company was required
to maintain a minimum availability of $10,000. As of September 30, 2010, the
Company had $8,985 of outstanding borrowings, and $1,576 of outstanding letters
of credit issued, under the Revolver Agreement, resulting in the Company being
able to borrow up to an additional $14,824 after deducting the minimum
availability, outstanding borrowings and outstanding letters of credit
issued.
The
maturity date of the Revolver Agreement is August 5, 2014. Borrowings may
initially be made with an interest rate based on a base rate plus 2.25% or on
the LIBOR rate for the applicable period plus 3.25%. The applicable margin for
each rate is based on the Company’s Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in
the Revolver Agreement). The interest rate on outstanding borrowings was 5.5% as
of September 30, 2010. Borrowings under the Revolver Agreement are secured by
substantially all of the assets of the Company and certain of its North American
and U.K. subsidiaries.
The
Revolver Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants including (1) a
requirement to maintain a minimum excess availability of $10,000 until such time
as for two consecutive fiscal quarters (i) the Company’s Fixed Charge Coverage
Ratio is at least 1.2x and (ii) the Company’s North American and U.K.
operations, for the four fiscal quarters then ending, have an EBITDA (as defined
in the Revolver Agreement) for such twelve month period of not less than $500 as
of the end of each fiscal quarter during the fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and
$1,000 at the end of each fiscal quarter thereafter; thereafter a requirement to
maintain a minimum availability of $5,000, a Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio of at
least 1.1x and EBITDA (as defined in the Revolver Agreement) for the Company’s
North American and U.K. operations of at least $500 during the fiscal years 2010
and 2011 and $1,000 thereafter; (2) a limit on the payment of dividends of not
more than $5,000 per year and subject to certain conditions; (3) restrictions on
the ability of the Company to make additional borrowings, acquire, merge or
otherwise fundamentally change the ownership of the Company or repurchase the
Company’s stock; (4) a limit on investments, and a limit on acquisitions of not
more than $25,000 in cash and $25,000 in non-cash consideration per year,
subject to certain conditions set forth in the Revolver Agreement; and (5) a
limit on dispositions of assets of not more than $4,000 per year. The Company
was in compliance with all financial covenants under the Revolver Agreement as
of September 30, 2010.
Prior to
entering into the Revolver Agreement with RBS, the Company had a primary credit
facility (the “Credit Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Inc.
(“WFCF”) and another lender that provided the Company with the ability to borrow
up to $75,000, including the issuance of letters of credit. In
connection with entering into the Revolver Agreement described above, the
Company terminated the Credit Agreement effective August 12, 2010. The Company
repaid the outstanding balance of $10,456 under the Credit Agreement and paid an
early termination fee of $563 on the effective date of termination. The early
termination fee is included in the caption “Fee for early extinguishment of
credit facility” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations. In addition, the Company recorded a non-cash write-off of $290 of
unamortized deferred financing costs in connection with the termination of the
Credit Agreement. This charge is included in the caption “Interest, net” in the
accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. As of September
30, 2010, the Company had cash collateral of $1,355 with WFCF for two
outstanding letters of credit issued by WFCF. The cash collateral is included in
the caption “Prepaid and other” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated
Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2010.
On August
3, 2010, an Australian subsidiary of the Company entered into a Receivables
Finance Agreement and related agreements (the “Finance Agreement”) with
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (“CBA”) that provides the Australian subsidiary
with the ability to borrow up to approximately $14,496 (AUD 15,000). Under the
terms of the Finance Agreement, the Australian subsidiary may make offers to CBA
to assign its accounts receivable with recourse, which accounts receivable CBA
may in its good faith discretion elect to purchase. As of September 30, 2010,
the Company had $2,379 (AUD 2,461) of outstanding borrowings under the Finance
Agreement. Available credit for use under the Finance Agreement as of September
30, 2010 was $12,117 (AUD 12,539).
- 14
-
The
Finance Agreement does not have a stated maturity date and can be terminated by
either party upon 90 days written notice. Borrowings may be made with an
interest rate based on the average bid rate for bills of exchange (“BBSY”) with
the closest term to 30 days plus a margin of 1.6%. The interest rate
was 6.27% as of September 30, 2010. Borrowings are secured by substantially all
of the assets of the Australian subsidiary and are based on an agreed percentage
of eligible accounts receivable.
The
Finance Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants for the Australian
subsidiary, including (1) a requirement to maintain a minimum Tangible Net Worth
(as defined in the Finance Agreement) ratio of 70%; (2) a minimum Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Finance Agreement) of 1.4x for a trailing
twelve month period; and (3) a limitation on certain intercompany payments of
expenses, interest and dividends not to exceed Net Profit After Tax (as defined
in the Finance Agreement). The Australian subsidiary was in compliance with all
financial covenants under the Finance Agreement as of September 30,
2010.
As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had a total of $2,253 of bank guarantees
issued by CBA under the Finance Agreement that were collateralized by
a restricted term deposit of an equal amount. See section “Restricted Cash”
below for details.
The
Company also has lending arrangements with local banks through its subsidiaries
in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and China. The aggregate outstanding
borrowings under the lending arrangements in Belgium, the Netherlands and New
Zealand were $2,507 and $0 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively. As of September 30, 2010, the Belgium and the Netherlands
subsidiaries could borrow up to $6,244 based on an agreed percentage of accounts
receivable related to their operations. Borrowings under the Belgium and the
Netherlands lending arrangements may be made with an interest rate based on the
one month EURIBOR plus 2.5%, or about 3.1% at September 30, 2010. The
lending arrangements of Belgium and the Netherlands will expire on May 2, 2011
and May 15, 2011, respectively. In New Zealand, the Company’s subsidiary can
borrow up to $1,101 (NZD1,500) as of September 30, 2010 for working capital
purposes. This lending arrangement expires on March 31,
2011. Interest on borrowings under the New Zealand lending
arrangement is based on a three month cost of funds rate as determined by the
bank, plus a 1.84% margin, and was 6.5% on September 30, 2010. In
China, the Company’s subsidiary can borrow up to $1,000 for working capital
purposes. Interest on borrowings under this overdraft facility is based on the
People’s Republic of China’s six month rate, plus 200 basis points, and was
6.86% on September 30, 2010. There were no outstanding borrowings under this
overdraft facility as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009. This
overdraft facility expires annually each September, but can be renewed for one
year periods at that time.
The
Company continues to use the aforementioned credit to support its ongoing global
working capital requirements, capital expenditures and other corporate purposes
and to support letters of credit. Letters of credit and bank guarantees are used
primarily to support office leases.
Restricted
Cash
The
Company had approximately $4,365 and $3,665 of restricted cash included in the
accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30,
2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. Included in these balances was
$1,294 and $1,894 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively, held as collateral under a collateral trust agreement, which
supports the Company’s workers’ compensation policy. As of September 30, 2010
and December 31, 2009, the Company had $2,253 and $0 of restricted term
deposits, respectively, with CBA held as collateral. These restricted term
deposits support the issuances of bank guarantees for certain leases in the
Australian operation and effectively replace the letters of credit covered under
the Company’s previous Credit Agreement with WFCF. As of September 30, 2010 and
December 31, 2009, the Company had $146 and $0, respectively, in deposits
with banks as guarantees for the rent on the Company’s offices in the
Netherlands. These balances, totaled to $3,693 and $1,894 as of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, were included in the
caption “Other assets” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets.
The
Company had $165 and $159 of deposits with a bank for customer
guarantees in Belgium as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively. The Company also had $356 and $293 in deposits with
banks in the Netherlands as guarantees for the rent on the Company’s offices and
a reserve for employee social tax payments required by law as of September
30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively. These deposits totaled
approximately $521 and $452 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31,
2009, respectively, and were included in the caption “Prepaid and other” in the
accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
The
Company maintained $135 and $179 of deposits with banks in Spain as
guarantees for the rent on the Company’s offices, and insignificant business
license deposits with a bank in Singapore as of September 30, 2010 and December
31, 2009, respectively. The Company also maintained $1,127 of deposits with
banks in the Netherlands as required by law as a reserve for employee social tax
payments as of December 31, 2009. These deposits totaled approximately $151 and
$1,319 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009, respectively, and
were included in the caption “Cash and cash equivalents” in the accompanying
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.
- 15
-
Warrants
In
connection with the sale of the assets of Hudson Americas’ ETS business in 2008,
the Company received warrants, which under certain circumstances, could be
converted into cash. These warrants are considered derivative instruments which
require fair value measurement. As per ASC 815 “Derivatives and Hedging”, these
derivative instruments are considered undesignated derivative instruments. The
Company determined the fair value of these instruments using significant
unobservable inputs (level 3) as defined in ASC 820 “Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures”.
As of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 the carrying and fair value of the
derivative instruments of $1,353 and $488, respectively, was included under the
caption “Prepaid and other” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, the change in
the fair value of the warrants of $1,165 was included in the accompanying
Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations under the caption “Other income
(expense).”
Acquisition
Shelf Registration Statement
The
Company has a shelf registration on file with the SEC to enable it to issue up
to 1,350,000 shares of its common stock from time to time in connection with
acquisitions of businesses, assets or securities of other companies, whether by
purchase, merger or any other form of acquisition or business combination. If
any shares are issued using this shelf registration, the Company will not
receive any proceeds from these offerings other than the assets, businesses or
securities acquired. As of September 30, 2010, all of the 1,350,000 shares
were available for issuance.
Shelf
Registration and Common Stock Offering
In
December 2009, the Company filed a shelf registration statement (the “2009 Shelf
Registration”) with the SEC to enable it to issue up to $30,000 equivalent of
securities or combinations of securities. The types of securities
permitted for issuance under the 2009 Shelf Registration are debt securities,
common stock, preferred stock, warrants, stock purchase contracts and stock
purchase units.
On April
6, 2010, the Company issued in a registered public offering under the 2009 Shelf
Registration 4,830,000 shares (which includes the exercise of the underwriter’s
overallotment option of 630,000 shares) of common stock at $4.35 per share. Net
proceeds to the Company after underwriting discounts and expenses of the public
offering were approximately $19,167.
After
this offering, the Company may issue up to $8,990 equivalent of securities or
combinations of securities under the 2009 Shelf Registration.
NOTE
15– COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
An
analysis of the Company’s comprehensive income (loss) is as
follows:
Three Month Ended September 30,
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (1,898 | ) | $ | (6,853 | ) | $ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income (loss) - translation adjustments
|
6,510 | 2,372 | (402 | ) | 7,074 | |||||||||||
Total
comprehensive income (loss)
|
$ | 4,612 | $ | (4,481 | ) | $ | (6,278 | ) | $ | (23,110 | ) |
- 16
-
NOTE
16 – SEGMENT AND GEOGRAPHIC DATA
The
Company operates in four reportable segments: the Hudson regional businesses of
Hudson Americas, Hudson Europe, Hudson ANZ, and Hudson Asia. Corporate expenses
are reported separately from the four reportable segments and pertain to certain
functions, such as executive management, corporate governance, human resources,
accounting, administration, tax and treasury which are not attributable to the
reportable segments.
Segment
information is presented in accordance with ASC 280, “Segments Reporting.” This standard
is based on a management approach that requires segmentation based upon the
Company’s internal organization and disclosure of revenue, certain expenses and
operating income based upon internal accounting methods. The Company’s financial
reporting systems present various data for management to run the business,
including internal profit and loss statements prepared on a basis not consistent
with generally accepted accounting principles. Accounts receivable, net and
long-lived assets are the only significant assets separated by segment for
internal reporting purposes.
In the
first quarter of 2010, the Company revised its reportable segments by
segregating the segments of Hudson ANZ and Hudson Asia (previously included in
the results for Hudson Asia Pacific). The Company has reclassified prior period
information to reflect this change to the segment reporting in accordance with
the requirement of ASC 280-10-50-12 to 19, “Quantitative
thresholds.”
|
Hudson
Americas
|
Hudson
Europe
|
Hudson
ANZ
|
Hudson
Asia
|
Corporate
|
Inter-
segment
elimination
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
For
The Three Month Ended September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue,
from external customers
|
$ | 37,839 | $ | 80,503 | $ | 72,974 | $ | 9,078 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 200,394 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
revenue
|
(3 | ) | 47 | 1 | 12 | - | (57 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 37,836 | $ | 80,550 | $ | 72,975 | $ | 9,090 | $ | - | $ | (57 | ) | $ | 200,394 | |||||||||||||
Gross
margin, from external customers
|
$ | 9,311 | $ | 32,647 | $ | 24,259 | $ | 8,774 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 74,991 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
gross margin
|
(5 | ) | 16 | (15 | ) | 4 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Total
gross margin
|
$ | 9,306 | $ | 32,663 | $ | 24,244 | $ | 8,778 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 74,991 | ||||||||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses (recovery)
|
$ | 41 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 41 | ||||||||||||||
EBITDA
(loss) (a)
|
$ | 532 | $ | (2,128 | ) | $ | 1,376 | $ | 1,169 | $ | 244 | $ | - | $ | 1,193 | |||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
433 | 769 | 647 | 94 | 38 | - | 1,981 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
(expense) income , net
|
(3 | ) | - | 43 | 1 | (538 | ) | - | (497 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
96 | (2,897 | ) | 772 | 1,076 | (332 | ) | - | (1,285 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
As
of September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
$ | 25,505 | $ | 58,159 | $ | 37,835 | $ | 7,617 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 129,116 | ||||||||||||||
Long-lived
assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
$ | 1,502 | $ | 4,927 | $ | 6,673 | $ | 2,130 | $ | 2,361 | $ | - | $ | 17,593 | ||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 30,716 | $ | 89,483 | $ | 57,217 | $ | 16,654 | $ | 20,018 | $ | - | $ | 214,088 |
- 17
-
Hudson
Americas
|
Hudson
Europe
|
Hudson
ANZ
|
Hudson
Asia
|
Corporate
|
Inter-segment
elimination
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
For
The Three Month Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue,
from external customers
|
$ | 35,705 | $ | 67,898 | $ | 59,026 | $ | 7,018 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 169,647 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
revenue
|
(1 | ) | 6 | - | 7 | - | (12 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 35,704 | $ | 67,904 | $ | 59,026 | $ | 7,025 | $ | - | $ | (12 | ) | $ | 169,647 | |||||||||||||
Gross
margin, from external customers
|
$ | 9,258 | $ | 29,571 | $ | 18,754 | $ | 6,607 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 64,190 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
gross margin
|
(3 | ) | 4 | (5 | ) | 5 | - | (1 | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
gross margin
|
$ | 9,255 | $ | 29,575 | $ | 18,749 | $ | 6,612 | $ | - | $ | (1 | ) | $ | 64,190 | |||||||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses (recovery)
|
$ | 592 | $ | 1,881 | $ | 405 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 2,878 | ||||||||||||||
EBITDA
(loss) (a)
|
$ | (2,795 | ) | $ | (2,406 | ) | $ | 1,156 | $ | 961 | $ | (2,917 | ) | $ | - | $ | (6,001 | ) | ||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,047 | 911 | 573 | 166 | 44 | - | 2,741 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income
(expense), net
|
17 | 45 | 53 | 2 | (213 | ) | - | (96 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
$ | (3,825 | ) | $ | (3,272 | ) | $ | 636 | $ | 797 | $ | (3,174 | ) | $ | - | $ | (8,838 | ) | ||||||||||
As
of September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Accounts
receivable, net
|
$ | 18,796 | $ | 48,073 | $ | 24,589 | $ | 5,536 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 96,994 | ||||||||||||||
Long-lived
assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
$ | 4,167 | $ | 7,800 | $ | 5,024 | $ | 752 | $ | 2,794 | $ | - | $ | 20,537 | ||||||||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 26,817 | $ | 82,715 | $ | 46,285 | $ | 12,638 | $ | 22,809 | $ | - | $ | 191,264 |
|
Hudson
Americas
|
Hudson
Europe
|
Hudson
ANZ
|
Hudson
Asia
|
Corporate
|
Inter-segment
elimination
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue,
from external customers
|
$ | 118,165 | $ | 237,875 | $ | 195,045 | $ | 24,396 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 575,481 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
revenue
|
(4 | ) | 73 | 1 | 18 | - | (88 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 118,161 | $ | 237,948 | $ | 195,046 | $ | 24,414 | $ | - | $ | (88 | ) | $ | 575,481 | |||||||||||||
Gross
margin, from external customers
|
$ | 28,643 | $ | 99,722 | $ | 63,758 | $ | 23,525 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 215,648 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
gross margin
|
(7 | ) | 58 | (40 | ) | (1 | ) | - | (10 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
Total
gross margin
|
$ | 28,636 | $ | 99,780 | $ | 63,718 | $ | 23,524 | $ | - | $ | (10 | ) | $ | 215,648 | |||||||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses (recovery)
|
$ | 285 | $ | 536 | $ | (116 | ) | $ | - | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 705 | |||||||||||||
EBITDA
(loss) (a)
|
$ | (699 | ) | $ | 771 | $ | 2,994 | $ | 3,076 | $ | (3,196 | ) | $ | - | $ | 2,946 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
2,005 | 2,176 | 1,764 | 394 | 114 | - | 6,453 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest
(expense) income , net
|
(7 | ) | (27 | ) | 85 | 2 | (1,025 | ) | - | (972 | ) | |||||||||||||||||
(Loss)
income from continuing operations before income taxes
|
$ | (2,711 | ) | $ | (1,432 | ) | $ | 1,315 | $ | 2,684 | $ | (4,335 | ) | $ | - | $ | (4,479 | ) |
|
Hudson
Americas
|
Hudson
Europe
|
Hudson
ANZ
|
Hudson
Asia
|
Corporate
|
Inter-segment
elimination
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue,
from external customers
|
$ | 122,861 | $ | 202,473 | $ | 165,675 | $ | 17,636 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 508,645 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
revenue
|
4 | 10 | 3 | 22 | - | (39 | ) | - | ||||||||||||||||||||
Total
revenue
|
$ | 122,865 | $ | 202,483 | $ | 165,678 | $ | 17,658 | $ | - | $ | (39 | ) | $ | 508,645 | |||||||||||||
Gross
margin, from external customers
|
$ | 30,741 | $ | 91,155 | $ | 52,718 | $ | 16,464 | $ | - | $ | - | $ | 191,078 | ||||||||||||||
Inter-segment
gross margin
|
22 | (8 | ) | (11 | ) | (2 | ) | - | (1 | ) | - | |||||||||||||||||
Total
gross margin
|
$ | 30,763 | $ | 91,147 | $ | 52,707 | $ | 16,462 | $ | - | $ | (1 | ) | $ | 191,078 | |||||||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses (recovery)
|
$ | 3,339 | $ | 6,547 | $ | 2,281 | $ | 98 | $ | 14 | $ | - | $ | 12,279 | ||||||||||||||
EBITDA
(loss) (a)
|
$ | (10,187 | ) | $ | (8,236 | ) | $ | 221 | $ | (1,717 | ) | $ | (10,500 | ) | $ | - | $ | (30,419 | ) | |||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
3,100 | 3,731 | 1,753 | 648 | 137 | - | 9,369 | |||||||||||||||||||||
Interest income
(expense), net
|
15 | 84 | 173 | 11 | (752 | ) | - | (469 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations before income taxes
|
$ | (13,272 | ) | $ | (11,883 | ) | $ | (1,359 | ) | $ | (2,354 | ) | $ | (11,389 | ) | $ | - | $ | (40,257 | ) |
(a)
|
SEC
Regulation S-K 229.10(e)1(ii)(A) defines EBITDA as earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. EBITDA is presented to
provide additional information to investors about the Company’s operations
on a basis consistent with the measures which the Company uses to manage
its operations and evaluate its performance. Management also uses this
measurement to evaluate working capital requirements. EBITDA should not be
considered in isolation or as a substitute for operating income and net
income prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting
principles or as a measure of the Company’s
profitability.
|
- 18
-
Information by geographic region
|
United
States
|
Australia
|
United
Kingdom
|
Continental
Europe
|
Other
Asia
|
Other
Americas
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
For
The Three Month Ended September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
(b)
|
$ | 37,548 | $ | 62,604 | $ | 57,274 | $ | 23,229 | $ | 19,448 | $ | 291 | $ | 200,394 | ||||||||||||||
For
The Three Month Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
(b)
|
$ | 35,293 | $ | 50,851 | $ | 42,046 | $ | 25,853 | $ | 15,193 | $ | 412 | $ | 169,648 | ||||||||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
(b)
|
$ | 117,470 | $ | 168,762 | $ | 161,509 | $ | 76,366 | $ | 50,679 | $ | 695 | $ | 575,481 | ||||||||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue
(b)
|
$ | 121,561 | $ | 141,954 | $ | 120,458 | $ | 82,015 | $ | 41,357 | $ | 1,300 | $ | 508,645 | ||||||||||||||
As
of September 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long-lived
assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization
(c)
|
$ | 3,716 | $ | 5,395 | $ | 2,991 | $ | 2,083 | $ | 3,408 | $ | - | $ | 17,593 | ||||||||||||||
Net
assets
|
$ | 16,288 | $ | 22,952 | $ | 28,555 | $ | 13,490 | $ | 9,000 | $ | 604 | $ | 90,889 | ||||||||||||||
As
of September 30, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Long-lived
assets, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization
(c)
|
$ | 6,961 | $ | 3,259 | $ | 4,234 | $ | 3,566 | $ | 2,517 | $ | - | $ | 20,537 | ||||||||||||||
Net
assets
|
$ | 14,369 | $ | 16,049 | $ | 23,799 | $ | 20,750 | $ | 10,880 | $ | 314 | $ | 86,161 |
(b)
|
Revenue
by geographic region disclosed above is net of any inter-segment revenue
and, therefore, represents only revenue from external customers according
to the location of the operating
subsidiary.
|
(c)
|
Comprised
of property and equipment and intangibles. Corporate assets are included
in the United States.
|
NOTE
17 – SUBSEQUENT EVENT
On
October 18, 2010, the Company received a final payment of $1,329 for a note
receivable issued in connection with its February 8, 2008 sale of the assets of
Hudson Americas’ ETS division. The proceeds from the note were recorded as a
gain in non-operating income in the Company’s financial statements in the fourth
quarter of 2010.
- 19
-
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
|
This
Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations (“MD&A”) should be read in conjunction with the Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements and the notes thereto, included in Item 1
of this Form 10-Q. This MD&A contains forward-looking statements. Please see
“FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS” for a discussion of the uncertainties, risks and
assumptions associated with these statements. This MD&A also uses the
non-generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) measure of earnings before
interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (“EBITDA”).
Overview
Hudson
Highland Group, Inc. (the “Company” or “Hudson,” “we,” “us” and “our”) has
operated as an independent publicly traded company since April 1, 2003. Our
businesses are specialized professional staffing services for permanent and
contract and talent management services to businesses operating in many
industries and in 19 countries around the world. Our largest operations are in
Australia and the United Kingdom (“U.K.”). We are organized into four reportable
segments of Hudson Americas, Hudson Europe, Hudson Australia and New Zealand
(“ANZ”), and Hudson Asia. These segments contributed approximately 13%, 46%,
30%, and 11%, of the Company’s gross margin, respectively, for the nine
months ended September 30, 2010. In the first quarter of 2010, the Company
revised its reportable segments by segregating the segments of Hudson ANZ and
Hudson Asia (previously included in the results for Hudson Asia Pacific). The
Company has reclassified prior period information to reflect this change to the
segment reporting in accordance with the requirement of Financial Accounting
Standards Board (“FASB’) Accounting Standards Codification Topic (“ASC”)
280-10-50-12 to 19, “Quantitative
Thresholds.”
Hudson
Americas operates from 26 offices in the U.S. and Canada, with 98% of its gross
margin generated in the U.S. during the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
Hudson Europe operates from 38 offices in 13 countries, with 49% of its gross
margin generated in the U.K. during the nine months ended September 30, 2010.
Hudson ANZ operates from 12 offices in Australia and New Zealand, with 88% of
its gross margin generated in Australia during the nine months ended September
30, 2010. Hudson Asia operates from 5 offices in China, Hong Kong and Singapore,
with 45% of its gross margin generated in China during the nine months ended
September 30, 2010.
The
Hudson regional businesses provide professional contract consultants and
permanent recruitment services to a wide range of clients. With respect to
temporary and contract personnel, Hudson focuses on providing its clients with
candidates who have specialized functional skills and competencies, such as
accounting and finance, legal and information technology. The length of a
contract assignment can vary, but engagements at the professional level tend to
be longer than those in the general clerical or industrial sectors. With respect
to permanent recruitment, Hudson focuses on mid-level professionals typically
earning between $50,000 and $150,000 annually and possessing the professional
skills and/or profile required by clients. Hudson provides permanent recruitment
services on both a retained and contingent basis. In larger markets, Hudson’s
sales strategy focuses on both clients operating in particular industry sectors,
such as financial services or technology, and candidates possessing particular
professional skills, such as accounting and finance, information technology,
legal and human resources. Hudson uses both traditional and interactive methods
to select potential candidates for its clients, employing a suite of products
that assesses talent and helps predict whether a candidate will be successful in
a given role.
The
Hudson regional businesses also provide talent management services, the largest
of which are assessment and development services. These services
encompass candidate assessment, competency modeling, leadership development,
performance management, career transition as well as outplacement, the last of
which is typically in greater demand during economic downturns.
These
services enable Hudson to offer clients a comprehensive set of management
services across the entire employment life-cycle from attracting, assessing and
selecting best-fit employees to engaging and developing those individuals to
help build a high-performance organization.
- 20
-
Recent
Economic Events
A large
portion of the Company’s business, including both contract and permanent
recruitment, correlates to the economic cycle. During the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, the Company experienced improving economic conditions
in virtually all of the key markets in which the Company operates. Rates
of improvement varied from market to market and counter to prior recoveries,
permanent placement activities are recovering faster than temporary contracting,
which is contrary to historical early recovery trends. There are however, a
few counter trends. The Company participates in various aspects of public
sector in many markets. Many national and local governmental agencies have
announced intentions to reduce their budgets, which would include levels of new
hiring. In addition, we see signs that larger companies are driving early
demand, and they have more ability to put pressure on margins and negatively
impact gross margin through mix. Taken as a whole though, macro economic
reports have indicated growth in gross domestic product (“GDP”) in all of our
key markets. Reports are forecasting economic growth in GDP in 2010 and 2011 in
the range of 1% to 3% for the majority of the developed economies and higher for
some of the emerging markets. Unemployment rates, traditionally a lagging
economic indicator, remained at high single digit levels in some markets at
September 30, 2010. A risk continues that unemployment could remain at elevated
levels well into 2011, and continuing high unemployment rates indicate a lack of
demand for new hiring. Higher level skills are being demanded more than
lower level skills, which may partly explain the increase in demand for
permanent recruitment despite high unemployment rates. These conditions could
impact the Company’s financial results for the rest of 2010 and beyond. As a
result, future financial results may differ from historical performance. See
“Liquidity Outlook” for additional information.
Financial
Performance
As
discussed in more detail in this MD&A, the following financial data present
an overview of our financial performance for the three and nine months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009:
Three Month Ended September 30,
|
Changes
|
|||||||||||
$
in thousands
|
2010
|
2009
|
Amount
|
|||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | 200,394 | $ | 169,647 | $ | 30,747 | ||||||
Gross
margin
|
74,991 | 64,190 | 10,801 | |||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative expenses (a)
|
76,359 | 70,153 | 6,206 | |||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses
|
41 | 2,878 | (2,837 | ) | ||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(1,409 | ) | (8,841 | ) | 7,432 | |||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
(1,884 | ) | (7,623 | ) | 5,739 | |||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (1,898 | ) | $ | (6,853 | ) | $ | 4,955 |
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
Changes
|
|||||||||||
$
in thousands
|
2010
|
2009
|
Amount
|
|||||||||
Revenue
|
$ | 575,481 | $ | 508,645 | $ | 66,836 | ||||||
Gross
margin
|
215,648 | 191,078 | 24,570 | |||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative expenses (a)
|
220,574 | 217,811 | 2,763 | |||||||||
Business
reorganization and integration expenses
|
705 | 12,279 | (11,574 | ) | ||||||||
Goodwill
and other impairment charges
|
- | 1,549 | (1,549 | ) | ||||||||
Operating
loss
|
(5,631 | ) | (40,561 | ) | 34,930 | |||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
(5,845 | ) | (37,957 | ) | 32,112 | |||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | $ | 24,308 |
(a)
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses include depreciation and amortization
expense of $1,981 and $2,741, respectively, for the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009 and $6,453 and $9,369, respectively, for the
nine months ended September 30, 2010 and
2009.
|
•
|
Revenue
was $200.4 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, compared to $169.6 million for the same period of 2009, an
increase of $30.7 million, or 18.1%. Of this increase, $19.2 million, or a
14.9% increase compared to the same period, was in contracting and $12
million, or a 41.4% increase compared to the same period, was in permanent
recruitment revenue. The increase in revenue was partially offset by a
$0.7 million, or 6.3%, decline in talent management revenue compared to
the same period of 2009.
|
Revenue
was $575.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, compared to
$508.6 million for the same period of 2009, an increase of $66.8 million or
13.1%. Of this increase, $40 million, or a 10.4% increase compared to the same
period, was in contracting and $29.8 million, or a 35.9% increase compared to
the same period, was in permanent recruitment revenue. The increase in revenue
was partially offset by a $3 million, or 8.4%, decline in talent management
revenue compared to the same period of 2009.
- 21
-
•
|
Gross
margin was $75 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010,
compared to $64.2 million for the same period of 2009, an increase of
$10.8 million, or 16.8%. Of this increase, $11.2 million, or a 38.8%
increase compared to the same period, was in permanent recruitment gross
margin. The increase was partially offset by a $1 million, or 10.4%,
decline in talent management gross margin. Contracting gross margin was
flat compared to the same period of
2009.
|
Gross
margin was $215.6 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $191.1 million for the same period of 2009, an increase of $24.6
million or 12.9%. Of this increase, $28.6 million, or a 34.8% increase compared
to the same period, was in permanent recruitment gross margin. The increase was
partially offset by a $3.2 million, or 10.3%, decline in talent management gross
margin and a $0.7 million, or 1%, decline in contracting gross
margin.
•
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses were $76.4 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $70.2 million for the same
period of 2009, an increase of $6.2 million, or 8.8%. The
increase was primarily due to increased staff compensation as a
result of the increase in gross margin, partially offset by reductions in
costs resulting from the restructuring program completed in
2009.
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses were $220.6 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $217.8 million for the same period
of 2009, an increase of $2.8 million, or 1.3%. The increase was
primarily due to increased staff compensation as a result of the increase
in gross margin, partially offset by reductions in costs resulting from the
restructuring program completed in 2009.
Strategic
Actions
Our
management’s primary focus has been to focus on specialized professional
recruitment through our recruitment, staffing, project solutions and talent
management businesses. Our long-term financial goal is to reach 7-10% EBITDA
margins, which we believe is the measure most within the control of our
operating leaders. We continue to execute this strategy through a combination of
delivery of higher margin services, efficient delivery of services, investments,
cost restructuring, acquisitions and divestitures. In doing so, we continue to
focus on retaining and maintaining key clients, retaining high performing
revenue earners, integrating businesses to achieve synergies, discontinuing
non-core businesses, streamlining support operations and reducing costs to
achieve the Company’s long-term profitability goals. We expect to
continue our review of opportunities to expand our operations in specialized
professional recruitment.
Contingencies
From time
to time in the ordinary course of business, the Company is subject to compliance
audits by federal, state, local and foreign government regulatory, tax, and
other authorities relating to a variety of regulations, including wage and hour
laws, unemployment taxes, workers’ compensation, immigration, and income,
value-added and sales taxes. The Company is also subject to, from time to time
in the ordinary course of business, various claims, lawsuits, and other
complaints from, for example, clients, candidates, suppliers, and landlords for
both leased and subleased properties.
Periodic
events can also change the number and type of audits, claims, lawsuits or
complaints asserted against the Company. Events can also change the likelihood
of assertion and the behavior of third parties to reach resolution regarding
such matters. Economic circumstances since late 2008 have given rise to many
news reports and bulletins from clients, tax authorities and other parties about
changes in their procedures for audits, payment, plans to challenge existing
contracts and other such matters aimed at being more aggressive in the
resolution of such matters in their own favor. This tendency has continued even
as the world economies show recoveries. The Company has appropriate procedures
in place for identifying and communicating any matters of this type, whether
asserted or likely to be asserted, and it evaluates its liabilities in light of
the prevailing circumstances. Changes in the behavior of third parties could
cause the Company to change its view of the likelihood of a claim and what might
constitute a trend. In the last twelve months, the Company has not seen a marked
difference in employee disputes or client disputes, though pressure on fees
continues. In early 2010, the Company observed an increase in audits by tax
authorities. We cannot determine if this is typical at this point in
the Company’s history or higher than typical, and in either event, we cannot
determine if this is an indication of a trend for our Company given our
operations in 19 countries and multiple municipalities. However, we
do not expect at this time that such matters will have a material adverse effect
on the Company’s results of operations, financial condition or
liquidity.
On May
13, 2009 and September 23, 2010, the Company received “Wells Notices” from the
SEC. For further information, including discussions regarding a potential
settlement with the SEC, refer to Part II – Other Information, Item 1 Legal
Proceedings of this Form 10-Q.
- 22
-
For
matters that have reached the threshold of probable and estimable, the Company
has established reserves for legal, regulatory and other contingent liabilities.
The Company’s reserves were $0.5 million as of September 30, 2010 (of which
$0.2 million was incurred for the three months ended September 30,
2010 in connection with discussions regarding a potential
settlement with the SEC, as described in Part II - Other Information, Item
1 Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-Q) and were $0.3 million as
of December 31, 2009. Although the outcome of these matters cannot be
determined, the Company believes that none of the currently pending matters,
individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on the
Company’s financial condition, results of operations or liquidity.
Use
of EBITDA
Management
believes EBITDA is a meaningful indicator of the Company’s performance that
provides useful information to investors regarding the Company’s financial
condition and results of operations. EBITDA is also considered by management as
the best indicator of operating performance and most comparable measure across
our regions. Management also uses this measurement to evaluate capital needs and
working capital requirements. EBITDA should not be considered in isolation or as
a substitute for operating income, or net income prepared in accordance with
GAAP or as a measure of the Company’s profitability. EBITDA, as presented below,
is derived from net income (loss) adjusted for (benefit from) provision for
income taxes, interest expense (income), and depreciation and amortization. The
reconciliation of EBITDA to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure
is provided in the table below:
Three Month Ended September 30,
|
Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
$ in thousands
|
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (1,898 | ) | $ | (6,853 | ) | $ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | ||||
Adjusted
for (loss) income from discontinued operations, net of income
taxes
|
(14 | ) | 770 | (31 | ) | 7,773 | ||||||||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
(1,884 | ) | (7,623 | ) | (5,845 | ) | (37,957 | ) | ||||||||
Adjustments to loss from
continuing operations
|
||||||||||||||||
Provision
for (benefit from) income taxes
|
599 | (1,215 | ) | 1,366 | (2,300 | ) | ||||||||||
Interest
expense, net
|
497 | 96 | 972 | 469 | ||||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,981 | 2,741 | 6,453 | 9,369 | ||||||||||||
Total
adjustments from loss from continuing operations to EBITDA
(loss)
|
3,077 | 1,622 | 8,791 | 7,538 | ||||||||||||
EBITDA
(loss)
|
$ | 1,193 | $ | (6,001 | ) | $ | 2,946 | $ | (30,419 | ) |
- 23
-
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth the Company’s revenue, gross margin, operating (loss)
income, income (loss) from continuing operations, net income (loss), temporary
contracting revenue, direct costs of temporary contracting, temporary
contracting gross margin and temporary gross margin as a percent of temporary
revenue for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 and 2009
(dollars in thousands).
For The Three Month Ended
September 30,
|
For The Nine Months Ended
September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Revenue:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 37,839 | $ | 35,705 | $ | 118,165 | $ | 122,861 | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
80,503 | 67,898 | 237,875 | 202,473 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
72,974 | 59,026 | 195,045 | 165,675 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
9,078 | 7,018 | 24,396 | 17,636 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 200,394 | $ | 169,647 | $ | 575,481 | $ | 508,645 | ||||||||
Gross
margin:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 9,311 | $ | 9,258 | $ | 28,643 | $ | 30,741 | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
32,647 | 29,571 | 99,722 | 91,155 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
24,259 | 18,754 | 63,758 | 52,718 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
8,774 | 6,607 | 23,525 | 16,464 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 74,991 | $ | 64,190 | $ | 215,648 | $ | 191,078 | ||||||||
Operating
(loss) income:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | (305 | ) | $ | (3,264 | ) | $ | (3,235 | ) | $ | (11,603 | ) | ||||
Hudson
Europe
|
190 | (2,762 | ) | 4,010 | (10,531 | ) | ||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
2,161 | 570 | 4,259 | (1,615 | ) | |||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
1,553 | 865 | 3,387 | (2,516 | ) | |||||||||||
Corporate
expenses
|
(5,008 | ) | (4,250 | ) | (14,052 | ) | (14,296 | ) | ||||||||
Total
|
$ | (1,409 | ) | $ | (8,841 | ) | $ | (5,631 | ) | $ | (40,561 | ) | ||||
Loss
from continuing operations
|
$ | (1,884 | ) | $ | (7,623 | ) | $ | (5,845 | ) | $ | (37,957 | ) | ||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (1,898 | ) | $ | (6,853 | ) | $ | (5,876 | ) | $ | (30,184 | ) | ||||
TEMPORARY
CONTRACTING DATA (a):
|
||||||||||||||||
Temporary
contracting revenue:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 36,477 | $ | 34,437 | $ | 114,148 | $ | 118,528 | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
55,772 | 46,158 | 159,550 | 133,624 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
55,335 | 47,867 | 150,647 | 132,101 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
326 | 255 | 766 | 821 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 147,910 | $ | 128,717 | $ | 425,111 | $ | 385,074 | ||||||||
Direct
costs of temporary contracting:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 28,496 | $ | 26,437 | $ | 89,490 | $ | 92,089 | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
46,200 | 36,959 | 132,041 | 105,520 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
47,271 | 39,789 | 127,689 | 110,766 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
194 | 173 | 475 | 571 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 122,161 | $ | 103,358 | $ | 349,695 | $ | 308,946 | ||||||||
Temporary
contracting gross margin:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 7,981 | $ | 8,000 | $ | 24,658 | $ | 26,439 | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
9,572 | 9,199 | 27,509 | 28,104 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
8,064 | 8,078 | 22,958 | 21,335 | ||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
132 | 82 | 291 | 250 | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 25,749 | $ | 25,359 | $ | 75,416 | $ | 76,128 | ||||||||
Temporary
contracting gross margin as a percent of temporary contracting
revenue:
|
||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
21.9 | % | 23.2 | % | 21.6 | % | 22.3 | % | ||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
17.2 | % | 19.9 | % | 17.2 | % | 21.0 | % | ||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
14.6 | % | 16.9 | % | 15.2 | % | 16.2 | % | ||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
40.5 | % | 32.2 | % | 38.0 | % | 30.5 | % |
(a)
|
Temporary
contracting revenue is a component of our revenue. Temporary contracting
gross margin and temporary contracting gross margin as a percent of
temporary revenue are shown to provide additional information on the
Company’s ability to manage its cost structure and provide further
comparability relative to the Company’s peers. Temporary contracting gross
margin is derived by deducting the direct costs of temporary contracting
from temporary contracting revenue. The Company’s calculation of gross
margin may differ from those of other
companies.
|
- 24
-
Constant
Currency
The
Company defines the term “constant currency” to mean that financial data for a
period are translated into U.S. dollars using the same monthly foreign currency
exchange rates that were used to translate financial data for the previously
reported period. Changes in revenue, direct costs, gross margin, selling,
general and administrative expenses and operating (loss) income include the
effect of changes in foreign currency exchange rates. Variance analysis usually
describes period-to-period variances that are calculated using constant currency
as a percentage. The Company’s management reviews and analyzes business results
in constant currency and believes these results better represent the Company’s
underlying business trends.
The
Company believes that these calculations are a useful measure, indicating the
actual change in operations. Earnings from subsidiaries are, at times,
repatriated to the U.S., and there are no significant gains or losses on foreign
currency transactions between subsidiaries. Therefore, changes in foreign
currency exchange rates generally impact only reported earnings and not the
Company’s economic condition. The table below summarizes the impact of foreign
currency exchange adjustments on our operating results for the three and nine
months ended September 30, 2010 (dollars in thousands).
For The Three Month Ended September 30,
|
For The Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Currency
|
Constant
|
|
|
Currency
|
Constant
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
As
reported
|
translation
|
currency
|
As
reported
|
As
reported
|
translation
|
currency
|
As
reported
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Revenue:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 37,839 | $ | (15 | ) | $ | 37,824 | $ | 35,705 | $ | 118,165 | $ | (73 | ) | $ | 118,092 | $ | 122,861 | ||||||||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
80,503 | 5,580 | 86,083 | 67,898 | 237,875 | 4,143 | 242,018 | 202,473 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
72,974 | (5,843 | ) | 67,131 | 59,026 | 195,045 | (29,549 | ) | 165,496 | 165,675 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
9,078 | (281 | ) | 8,797 | 7,018 | 24,396 | (647 | ) | 23,749 | 17,636 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
200,394 | (559 | ) | 199,835 | 169,647 | 575,481 | (26,126 | ) | 549,355 | 508,645 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Direct
costs:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
28,528 | - | 28,528 | 26,447 | 89,522 | - | 89,522 | 92,120 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
47,856 | 3,144 | 51,000 | 38,327 | 138,153 | 2,032 | 140,185 | 111,318 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
48,715 | (3,901 | ) | 44,814 | 40,272 | 131,287 | (20,189 | ) | 111,098 | 112,957 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
304 | (14 | ) | 290 | 411 | 871 | (33 | ) | 838 | 1,172 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
125,403 | (771 | ) | 124,632 | 105,457 | 359,833 | (18,190 | ) | 341,643 | 317,567 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Gross
margin:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
9,311 | (15 | ) | 9,296 | 9,258 | 28,643 | (73 | ) | 28,570 | 30,741 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
32,647 | 2,436 | 35,083 | 29,571 | 99,722 | 2,111 | 101,833 | 91,155 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
24,259 | (1,942 | ) | 22,317 | 18,754 | 63,758 | (9,360 | ) | 54,398 | 52,718 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
8,774 | (267 | ) | 8,507 | 6,607 | 23,525 | (614 | ) | 22,911 | 16,464 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 74,991 | $ | 212 | $ | 75,203 | $ | 64,190 | $ | 215,648 | $ | (7,936 | ) | $ | 207,712 | $ | 191,078 | |||||||||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative (a):
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | 9,572 | $ | (17 | ) | $ | 9,555 | $ | 11,935 | $ | 31,580 | $ | (102 | ) | $ | 31,478 | $ | 39,127 | ||||||||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
32,473 | 2,435 | 34,908 | 30,456 | 95,223 | 1,844 | 97,067 | 95,130 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
22,083 | (1,789 | ) | 20,294 | 17,775 | 59,575 | (9,216 | ) | 50,359 | 52,040 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
7,224 | (201 | ) | 7,023 | 5,747 | 20,137 | (500 | ) | 19,637 | 17,211 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate
|
5,007 | - | 5,007 | 4,240 | 14,059 | - | 14,059 | 14,303 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 76,359 | $ | 428 | $ | 76,787 | $ | 70,153 | $ | 220,574 | $ | (7,974 | ) | $ | 212,600 | $ | 217,811 | |||||||||||||||
Operating
(loss) income:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Americas
|
$ | (305 | ) | $ | 1 | $ | (304 | ) | $ | (3,264 | ) | $ | (3,235 | ) | $ | 40 | $ | (3,195 | ) | $ | (11,603 | ) | ||||||||||
Hudson
Europe
|
190 | 1 | 191 | (2,762 | ) | 4,010 | 227 | 4,237 | (10,531 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
ANZ
|
2,161 | (155 | ) | 2,006 | 570 | 4,259 | (173 | ) | 4,086 | (1,615 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Hudson
Asia
|
1,553 | (66 | ) | 1,487 | 865 | 3,387 | (116 | ) | 3,271 | (2,516 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||
Corporate
|
(5,008 | ) | - | (5,008 | ) | (4,250 | ) | (14,052 | ) | - | (14,052 | ) | (14,296 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | (1,409 | ) | $ | (219 | ) | $ | (1,628 | ) | $ | (8,841 | ) | $ | (5,631 | ) | $ | (22 | ) | $ | (5,653 | ) | $ | (40,561 | ) |
(a)
|
Selling,
general and administrative expenses include depreciation and amortization
expense of $1,981 and $2,741, respectively, for the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009 and depreciation and amortization expense of
$6,453 and $9,369, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 and 2009.
|
- 25
-
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2010 Compared to Three Months Ended September 30,
2009
Hudson
Americas
Hudson
Americas’ revenue was $37.8 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $35.7 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$2.1 million or 6%. Of this increase, $2.0 million was in contracting revenue,
an increase of 7.3% compared to the same period of 2009. Permanent recruitment
revenue was flat as compared to the same period in 2009.
The
increase in contracting revenue was due to an increase in Legal Services
contracting revenue of $3.9 million or 19%, partially offset by a decrease of
$1.8 million or 13% in Financial Solutions and IT contracting. The increase
in Legal Services contracting revenue was primarily due to a higher volume of
projects, particularly litigation and antitrust projects, partially offset by
lower average bill rates. The decrease in Financial Solutions and IT contracting
revenue was due to continued weak demand in Financial Solutions during the three
months ended September 30, 2010.
Hudson
Americas’ direct costs were $28.5 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $26.4 million for the same period in 2009, an increase
of $2.1 million or 7.9%. The increase was due to growth in contractors on
billing and was a direct result of the factors affecting the contracting revenue
as noted above.
Hudson
Americas’ gross margin was flat at $9.3 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2010 and 2009. Contracting gross margin remained flat and
permanent recruitment gross margin increased $0.1 million or 6.0%. Legal
Services contracting gross margin increased $0.9 million or 23.2% but was
affected by lower bill rates. Financial Solutions and IT contracting gross
margin decreased $0.9 million or 23.5% and was primarily due to fewer
contractors on billing and lower average bill rates in Financial
Solutions.
Contracting
gross margin as a percentage of total revenue was 21.1% for the three months
ended September 30, 2010 as compared to 22.4% for the same period in 2009. The
lower contracting gross margin percentage resulted principally from the
proportionally higher mix of Legal Services, which has lower average gross
margins compared to Financial Solutions and IT contracting. Permanent
recruitment gross margin as a percentage of total revenue was 3.5% and was flat
compared the same period in 2009. Total gross margin, as a percentage of total
revenue, was 24.6% compared to 25.9% and resulted principally from the change in
revenue mix noted above.
Hudson
Americas’ selling, general and administrative expenses were $9.6 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $11.9 million for the same
period in 2009, a decrease of $2.3 million or 19.8%. The decrease was primarily
due to the savings in support costs from the restructuring program completed in
2009 and lower depreciation costs. Hudson Americas’ selling, general and
administrative expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were 25.3% as compared to
33.4% for the same period in 2009 due to the cost reductions noted
above.
Hudson
Americas’ reorganization expenses were less than $0.1 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2010 as compared to $0.6 million in reorganization
expenses for the same period in 2009. The reorganization expenses during
the three months ended September 30, 2009 were related primarily to the costs
incurred in connection with the 2009 restructuring plan for employee termination
benefits and lease termination payments.
Hudson
Americas’ net other non-operating income was $0.4 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net non-operating expense of $0.6
million for the same period in 2009, an increase in net other non-operating
income of $1 million. The increase was primarily due to an increase in the fair
value of warrants of $1.2 million offset by an increase of $0.3 million in
corporate management service allocations.
Hudson
Americas’ EBITDA was $0.5 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010,
as compared to a loss of $2.8 million for the same period in 2009, an increase
in EBITDA of $3.3 million. Hudson Americas’ EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue,
was 1.4% compared to negative 7.8% for the same period in 2009. The
increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the factors discussed
above.
Hudson
Americas’ operating loss was $0.3 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010 as compared to a loss of $3.3 million for the same period in 2009, a
decrease in operating loss of $3 million. Operating loss, as a percentage of
revenue, was 0.8% as compared to 9.1% for the same period in
2009.
- 26
-
Hudson
Europe
Hudson
Europe’s revenue was $80.5 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $67.9 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$12.6 million or 18.6%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Europe’s revenue
increased $18.2 million or 26.8%. The revenue increase was primarily due to an
increase of $13.3 million or 28.8% in contracting revenue and $4.9 million or
33.9% in permanent recruitment revenue. Talent management revenue was flat as
compared to the same period in 2009.
The
majority of the revenue increase in constant currency was in the U.K., where
both contracting and permanent recruitment revenue increased $14.9 million and
$3.5 million, or 43.5% and 49%, respectively. The increases were primarily due
to increased projects and hiring activity in the banking and IT sectors and
partially offset by a reduction in public sector revenue, which decreased 25% as
compared to the same period in 2009. The public sector now constitutes
approximately 10% of U.K. revenue. We expect that public sector revenue will
continue to decline through the remainder of 2010 and into 2011 due to the U.K.
government’s announced plans to reduce public spending, although having a lesser
impact on revenue due to its reduced size.
In
Continental Europe, revenue declined in constant currency by $0.4 million or
1.5% for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to the same
period in 2009. Permanent recruitment revenue increased $1.4 million or 19.2%,
and was driven by increased hiring activity in France and Belgium. These
increases were offset by a decrease in contracting revenue in the Netherlands of
$1.7 million or 15.4% primarily due to increased competition in our core public
sector market, reduction in public spending, and prevailing economic
conditions.
Hudson
Europe’s direct costs were $47.8 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $38.3 million for the same period in 2009, an increase
of $9.5 million or 24.9%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Europe’s direct
costs increased $12.7 million or 33.1%. The increase in direct costs was due to
more contractors on billing and was a direct result of the factors affecting the
revenue as noted above.
Hudson
Europe’s gross margin was $32.6 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $29.6 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$3.1 million or 10.4%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $5.5
million or 18.6%.
The
majority of the gross margin increase in constant currency was in the U.K.,
where permanent recruitment and contracting gross margins increased $3.3 million
and $1.8 million, or 47% and 31%, respectively. The increase in permanent
recruitment gross margin was primarily due to increased demand for permanent
staff. We expect the public sector portion of the gross margin to continue to
decline in accordance with the revenue trends discussed above. The increase in
contracting gross margin was primarily due to increased billable hours and
higher average hourly rates. In Continental Europe, gross margin increased $0.4
million or 2.4%. Permanent recruitment gross margin increased $1.4 million or
19.4% primarily in France and Belgium. This increase was partially offset by a
decrease of $0.7 million or 22.4% in contracting gross margin in the
Netherlands, primarily due to the reasons described above with respect to
revenue.
Contracting
gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 17.2% compared to 19.9% for the same
period in 2009. The decline was partially driven by a shift in client mix
towards clients with higher volume and lower margins, increased competition in
the Netherlands and a shift in country mix. The shift was an increase in the
U.K., a country with historically lower gross margin percentages combined with a
decline in the Netherlands, a country with historically higher gross margin
percentage. Total gross margin, as a percentage of total revenue, was 40.8%
compared to 43.6% for the same period in 2009 due to the same factors as
noted above for contracting gross margin.
Hudson
Europe’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $32.5 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $30.5 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2009. On a constant currency basis, selling,
general and administrative expenses increased $4.5 million or 14.6%. The
increase was primarily due to increased sales compensation as a result of the
higher gross margin and increased sales headcount. These expenses, as a
percentage of revenue, were 40.6% compared to 44.9% for the same period in 2009.
The decrease was primarily due to the proportionally higher increase in revenue
in 2010.
Hudson
Europe had no reorganization expenses for the three months ended September 30,
2010 as compared to $1.9 million in reorganization expenses for the same period
in 2009. The reorganization expenses during the three months ended
September 30, 2009 were related to the Company’s 2009 restructuring plan and
included amounts provided for employee termination benefits primarily associated
with the restructuring of the regional corporate management and lease
termination payments.
Hudson
Europe’s net other non-operating expense was $3.1 million for the three months
ended September30, 2010, as compared to $0.6 million for the same period in
2009, an increase of $2.5 million. On a constant currency basis, net other
non-operating expense increased $2.8 million. The increase was primarily due to
increased corporate management service allocations.
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Hudson
Europe’s EBITDA loss was $2.1 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to a loss of $2.4 million for same period in 2009, a decrease
in EBITDA loss of $0.3 million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA loss
decreased $0.1 million. Hudson Europe’s EBITDA loss, as a percentage of revenue,
was 2.7% compared to 3.5% for the same period in 2009. The decrease in
EBITDA loss was primarily due to the factors discussed above.
Hudson
Europe’s operating income was $0.2 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to an operating loss of $2.8 million for the same period
in 2009, a decrease in operating loss of $3 million. On a constant currency
basis, operating loss decreased $3 million. Operating income, as a percentage of
revenue, was 0.2% compared to an operating loss of 4.1% for the same period in
2009.
Hudson
ANZ
Hudson
ANZ’s revenue was $73 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $59 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $13.9
million or 23.6%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson ANZ’s revenue increased
$8.1 million or 13.7%. Of this increase, $5.2 million was in permanent
recruitment revenue and $3 million was in contracting. These increases were
71.7% and 6.4%, respectively, as compared to the same period in 2009.
Permanent recruitment revenue increased $4.4 million or 66.4% and $0.8 million
or 126% in Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Talent management revenue
declined slightly by $0.3 million as compared to the same period in 2009
primarily due to a lack of meaningful recovery in the talent management
assessment services amid the decrease in counter-cyclical outplacement
services.
Revenue
increased primarily due to the improving economic and hiring environment in the
region. The increase in permanent recruitment revenue was primarily due to
improved demand in finance and professional services, industrial, IT, mining and
resources sectors. Contracting revenue increased primarily due to the improving
economic and hiring environment, led by mining and resource, and industrial
sectors.
Hudson
ANZ’s direct costs were $48.7 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $40.3 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$8.4 million or 21%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson ANZ’s direct costs
increased $4.5 million or 11.3%. The increase in direct costs was primarily a
direct result of the increases in revenue as noted above and the non-recurrence
of an adjustment to a client in previous period.
Hudson
ANZ’s gross margin was $24.3 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $18.8 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$5.5 million or 29.4%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $3.6
million or 19%.
Permanent
recruitment gross margin increased $4.7 million or 62.9% for the three months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to the same period of 2009 due to higher
average placement fees and increased demand for permanent staff. Contracting and
talent management gross margins decreased by $0.7 million and $0.6 million, or
8.1% and 20.7%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2009. The decrease
in contracting gross margin was primarily due to the non-recurrence of the
client fee adjustment as noted above. The decrease in talent management gross
margin was due to the factor affecting the revenue as noted above.
Contracting
gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 14.6% compared to 16.9% for the same
period in 2009 primarily due to lower average hourly rates. Total gross margin,
as a percentage of total revenue, was 33.2% compared to 31.8% for the same
period in 2009. The increase was primarily attributed to the proportionately
higher increase in the permanent recruitment gross margin.
Hudson
ANZ’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $22.1 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $17.8 million for the same
period in 2009, an increase of $4.3 million or 24.2%. On a constant currency
basis, selling, general and administrative expenses increased $2.5 million or
14.2%. The increase was primarily due to increased staff compensation as a
result of the higher permanent recruitment gross margin. These expenses, as a
percentage of revenue, were 30.2% compared to 30.1% for the same period in
2009.
Hudson
ANZ had no reorganization expenses for the three months ended September 30, 2010
as compared to $0.4 million in reorganization expenses for the same period in
2009. The reorganization expenses during the three months ended September
30, 2009 were related to the Company’s 2009 restructuring plan for employee
termination benefits primarily associated with lease termination
payments.
Hudson
ANZ’s net other non-operating expense was $1.4 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to less than $0.1 million net other
non-operating income for the same period in 2009, an increase in net other
non-operating expense of $1.4 million. On a constant currency basis, net
other non-operating expense increased $1.4 million. The increase was primarily
due to increased corporate management service allocations and lower foreign
currency transaction gains.
Hudson
ANZ’s EBITDA was $1.4 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $0.2
million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA increased $0.1 million. Hudson
ANZ’s EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue, was 1.9% compared to 2% for the same
period in 2009. The increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the factors
discussed above.
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Hudson
ANZ’s operating income was $2.2 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $0.6 million for the same period in 2009, an increase in
operating income of $1.6 million. On a constant currency basis, operating income
increased $1.4 million. Operating income, as a percentage of revenue, was 3%
compared to 1% for the same period in 2009.
Hudson
Asia
Hudson
Asia’s revenue was $9.1 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010,
as compared to $7 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $2.1
million or 29.4%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Asia’s revenue increased
$1.8 million or 25.3%. The revenue increase in Hudson Asia was entirely in
permanent recruitment revenue, which represents substantially all of the
business in this segment.
The
permanent recruitment revenue increase in constant currency of $1.8 million
or 28.9% was led by China, which increased $1 million or 38.5%. In China, the
majority of our business is with subsidiaries of multi-national firms and many
of these clients eased the hiring restrictions implemented in 2009 in response
to the improved economic environment. Business confidence and hiring activity in
China has improved significantly compared to the same period in 2009. The
increase in revenue was primarily due to increased hiring activity in the IT,
industrial and banking and finance sectors. In Singapore and Hong Kong,
permanent recruitment revenue increased $0.4 million and $0.3 million, or 16.3%
and 39.1%, respectively. The increases in Singapore and Hong Kong were primarily
due to increased hiring activity in the banking and finance, accounting and
IT sectors.
Hudson
Asia’s direct costs were $0.3 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $0.4 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of
$0.1 million or 26%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Asia’s direct costs
decreased $0.1 million or 29.4%.
Hudson
Asia’s gross margin was $8.8 million for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $6.6 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$2.2 million or 32.8%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $1.9
million or 28.8%. The gross margin increase was led by China, which increased
$1.1 million or 38.1% compared to the same period in 2009. Hudson Asia’s gross
margin increased primarily for the same reasons as the increase in revenue.
Total gross margin, as a percentage of total revenue, was 96.7% compared to
94.1% for the same period in 2009.
Hudson
Asia’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $7.2 million for the
three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $5.7 million for the same
period in 2009, an increase of $1.5 million or 25.7%. On a constant currency
basis, selling, general and administrative expenses increased $1.3 million or
22.2%. The increase in selling, general and administrative expenses was
primarily due to increased staff compensation resulting from the higher gross
margin. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were 79.8% compared to 81.9%
for the same period in 2009 and is attributable primarily to an increase in
sales productivity.
Hudson
Asia’s net other non-operating expense was $0.5 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to less than $0.1 million for the
same period in 2009, an increase in net other non-operating expense of $0.4
million. On a constant currency basis, net other non-operating expense increased
$0.4 million. The increase was primarily due to increased corporate management
service allocations.
Hudson
Asia’s EBITDA was $1.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $1 million for the same period in 2009, an increase in EBITDA of
$0.2 million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA increased $0.1 million.
Hudson Asia’s EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue, was 12.5% compared to 13.7%
for the same period in 2009. The decrease in EBITDA was primarily due to the
factors discussed above.
Hudson
Asia’s operating income was $1.6 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $0.9 million for the same period in 2009, an increase
in operating income of $0.7 million. On a constant currency basis, operating
income increased $0.6 million. Operating income, as a percentage of
revenue, was 16.9%, as compared to 12.3% for the same period in
2009.
Corporate
and Other
Corporate
selling, general and administrative expenses were $5 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $4.2 million for the same period
in 2009, an increase of $0.8 million, or 18.1%. The increase was primarily due
to increased staff compensation.
Corporate
net other non-operating income was $5.8 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase of $4.6 million. The increase was primarily due to final revisions made
to the corporate management service allocations to the reportable
segments.
Corporate
EBITDA was $0.2 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to an EBITDA loss of $2.9 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase in EBITDA of $3.2 million and was primarily due to the factors
discussed above.
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Interest
Interest
expense, net of interest income was $0.5 million for the three months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $0.1 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase of $0.4 million. Interest for the three months ended September 30, 2010
included a $0.3 million write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs
related to the early termination of the credit agreement with Wells Fargo
Capital Finance, Inc.
Provision
for Income Taxes
The
provision for income taxes was $0.6 million on $1.3 million of pre-tax losses
from continuing operations for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to a benefit of $1.2 million on $8.8 million of pre-tax losses from
continuing operations for the same period in 2009. The effective tax rate was
negative 46.6% as compared to 13.8% for the same period in 2009. The
changes in the Company’s effective tax rate compared to the same period in 2009
resulted primarily from a reduction in the Company’s pre-tax losses in
jurisdictions where we obtain tax benefits and the inability to obtain benefits
from losses incurred in other jurisdictions. The effective tax rate differs from
the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35% due to the inability to recognize tax
benefits on net losses in certain foreign jurisdictions, state taxes,
non-deductible expenses such as certain acquisition-related payments and
variations from the U.S. tax rate in foreign jurisdictions.
Net
Loss from Continuing Operations
Net loss
from continuing operations was $1.9 million for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $7.6 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in
net loss from continuing operations of $5.7 million. Basic and diluted loss per
share from continuing operations were $0.06 compared to $0.29 for the same
period in 2009.
Net
(Loss) Income from Discontinued Operations
Net loss
from discontinued operations was less than $0.1 million for the three months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net income from discontinued
operations of $0.8 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in net income
from discontinued operations of approximately $0.8 million. The decrease was
primarily due to the non-recurrence of the non-operating income resulting from
currency translation gains in 2009. Basic and diluted earnings per share from
discontinued operations were $0.00 for the three months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.03 for the same
period in 2009.
Net
Loss
Net loss
was $1.9 million for the three months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to
$6.9 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in net loss of $5 million.
Basic and diluted loss per share were $0.06 for the three months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $0.26 for the same period in 2009.
Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2010 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30,
2009
Hudson
Americas
Hudson
Americas’ revenue was $118.2 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $122.9 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of
$4.7 million or 3.8%. Contracting revenue declined $4.4 million or 3.7% and
permanent recruitment revenue declined $0.3 million or 7.5% compared to the same
period in 2009.
The
decrease in contracting revenue was primarily due to a decrease in Financial
Solutions and IT contracting, which declined $10.1 million or 22%. The
declines in Financial Solutions and IT contracting revenue were primarily due to
continued weak demand in the markets in which we operate as well as lower
billable hours and bill rates. The decrease was partially offset by Legal
Services contracting revenue which increased $5.5 million or 7.6%. The increase
in Legal Services contracting revenue was primarily due to a higher volume of
projects, particularly litigation and antitrust projects, partially offset by
lower average bill rates.
Hudson
Americas’ direct costs were $89.5 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $92.1 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease
of $2.6 million or 2.8%. The decrease was primarily due to lower average pay
rates.
Hudson
Americas’ gross margin was $28.6 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $30.7 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of
$2.1 million or 6.8%. Contracting services gross margin decreased $1.8 million
or 6.7% and permanent recruitment gross margin decreased $0.3 million or 7.7%
compared to the same period in 2009.
The
decline in contracting gross margin resulted from a decline in Financial
Solutions and IT, which declined $2.9 million or 23.7%, and was primarily due to
fewer contractors on billing, less billable hours and lower average bill rates.
Legal Services contracting gross margin increased $1.7 million or 12.4%. The
higher gross margin in Legal Services was due to a higher volume of projects, an
increase in contractors on billing, offset in part by a reduction in average
bill rates.
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Contracting
gross margin as a percentage of total revenue was 20.9% as compared to 21.5% for
the same period in 2009. The contracting gross margin percentage decrease
resulted principally from a mix shift toward Legal Services, which has lower
average gross margins compared to Financial Solutions and IT contracting. Total
gross margin, as a percentage of total revenue, was 24.2% compared to 25% and
was primarily due to the lower contracting gross margin percentage.
Hudson
Americas’ selling, general and administrative expenses were $31.6 million for
the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $39.1 million for the
same period in 2009, a decrease of $7.5 million or 19.3%. The decrease was
primarily due to savings from the restructuring program completed in 2009 and
lower supporting costs and depreciation expense. These expenses, as a percentage
of revenue, were 26.7% compared to 31.8% for the same period in
2009.
Hudson
Americas’ reorganization expenses were $0.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 as compared to $3.3 million in reorganization expenses for
the same period in 2009. The reorganization expenses during the nine
months ended September 30, 2009 were related primarily to the amounts provided
for employee termination benefits and lease termination payments related to the
2009 restructuring plan.
Hudson
Americas’ net other non-operating income was $0.5 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net non-operating expense of $1.7
million for the same period in 2009, an increase of net non-operating income of
$2.2 million. The increase was primarily related to the recovery of a loan
receivable of $0.9 million and an increase in the fair value of warrants of $1.2
million partially offset by an increase in corporate allocation of $0.2 million
during the current year.
Hudson
Americas’ EBITDA loss was $0.7 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $10.2 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in
EBITDA loss of $9.5 million. Hudson Americas’ EBITDA loss, as a percentage of
revenue, was 0.6% compared to 8.3% for the same period in 2009. The decrease in
EBITDA loss was primarily due to the factors discussed above.
Hudson
Americas’ operating loss was $3.2 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2010 as compared to $11.6 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in
operating loss of $8.4 million. Operating loss, as a percentage of revenue, was
2.7% compared to 9.4% for the same period in 2009.
Hudson
Europe
Hudson
Europe’s revenue was $237.9 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $202.5 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$35.4 million or 17.5%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Europe’s revenue
increased $39.5 million or 19.5%. The revenue increase was primarily due to an
increase of $28.3 million or 21.2% in contracting revenue and $12.1 million or
28.5% in permanent recruitment revenue. Talent management revenue decreased $0.7
million or 2.8% as compared to the same period in 2009.
The
entire revenue increase in constant currency was in the U.K., where contracting
and permanent recruitment revenue increased $33.3 million and $9.8 million, or
33.9% and 52.6%, respectively. These increases were primarily due to increased
projects and hiring activity in the banking and IT sectors, partially offset by
a reduction in public sector revenue, which decreased 22% as compared to the
same period in 2009. The public sector now constitutes approximately 10% of U.K.
revenue. We expect that public sector revenue will continue to decline through
the remainder of 2010 and into 2011 due to the U.K. government’s announced plans
to reduce public spending, although having a lesser impact on revenue due to its
reduced size. Talent management revenue in the U.K. was flat as compared to the
same period in 2009.
In
Continental Europe, revenue declined in constant currency by $3.2 million or 4%
for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to the same period in
2009. Contracting revenue declined $5 million or 14.2%, primarily in the
Netherlands due to increased competition in our core public sector market,
reduction in public spending, and prevailing economic conditions. The decrease
was partially offset by an increase in permanent recruitment revenue of $2.3
million or 9.6%, primarily in France and Belgium. Talent management revenue
declined $0.8 million or 3.8% as compared to the same period in 2009 primarily
due to reductions in discretionary spending in public sector in
Belgium.
Hudson
Europe’s direct costs were $138.2 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $111.3 million for the same period in 2009, an increase
of $26.8 million or 24.1%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Europe’s direct
costs increased $28.9 million or 25.9%. The increase in direct costs was due to
more contractors on billing and was a direct result of the factors affecting
revenue as noted above.
Hudson
Europe’s gross margin was $99.7 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $91.2 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$8.6 million or 9.4%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $10.7
million or 11.7%.
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The
majority of the gross margin increase in constant currency was in the U.K.,
where permanent recruitment and contracting gross margins increased $9.4 million
and $2.4 million, or 52.6% and 13.7%, respectively. Talent management gross
margin was flat as compared to the same period in 2009.The increase in permanent
recruitment gross margin was primarily due to increased demand for permanent
staff, partially offset by lower average fees and a decrease in the public
sector gross margin. We expect the public sector portion of the gross margin to
continue to decline in accordance with revenue trends discussed above. The
increase in contracting gross margin was primarily due to increased billable
hours and higher average hourly rates.
In
Continental Europe, gross margin decrease in constant currency was $1.1 million
or 2% for the nine months ended September30, 2010, as compared to the same
period in 2009. Contracting and talent management gross margins decreased $2.6
million and $0.8 million or 24.4% and 3.9%, respectively. The contracting gross
margin decreased $2.5 million in the Netherlands and was primarily due to the
reasons described above with respect to revenue. The entire decline in talent
management gross margin was in Belgium due to the reason described above with
respect to revenue. The decline in gross margin was partially offset by an
increase of $2.2 million or 9.2% in permanent recruitment gross margin,
primarily in France and Belgium.
Contracting
gross margin as a percentage of revenue was 17.3% as compared to 21% for the
same period in 2009. The decline was partially driven by a shift in client mix
towards clients with higher volume and lower margins, increased competition in
the Netherlands and a shift in country mix. The shift was an increase in the UK,
a country with historically lower gross margin percentages combined with a
decline in the Netherlands, a country with historically higher gross margin
percentages. Total gross margin, as a percentage of total revenue, was 42.1%
compared to 45% for the same period in 2009 due to the same factors as noted
above for contracting gross margin.
Hudson
Europe’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $95.2 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $95.1 million for the same
period in 2009, an increase of $0.1 million or 0.1%. On a constant currency
basis, selling, general and administrative expenses increased $1.9 million or
2%. The increase was primarily due to increased staff compensation as a result
of the higher gross margin, partially offset by savings resulting largely from
the restructuring program completed in 2009, improved productivity in the U.K
and lower depreciation expense. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were
40.1% compared to 47% for the same period in 2009. The decrease was primarily
due to the proportionally greater increase in revenue in 2010.
Hudson
Europe incurred $0.5 million in reorganization expenses during the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $6.5 million during the same period in
2009, a decrease of $6 million. On a constant currency basis, reorganization
expenses decreased $6 million. Reorganization expenses for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010 included expenses primarily related to a revision in estimate
of prior year reorganization costs. Reorganization expenses incurred during the
nine months ended September 30, 2009 included amounts provided for employee
termination benefits primarily in the U.K., France and Belgium, which related to
restructuring of regional corporate management, contract cancellation costs and
lease termination payments related to the Company’s 2009 restructuring
plan.
Hudson
Europe’s net other non-operating expense was $5.4 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $1.4 million for the same period in
2009, an increase in expenses of $4 million. On a constant currency basis,
net other non-operating expense increased $4.5 million. The increase was
primarily due to increased corporate management service allocations, partially
offset by higher foreign currency transaction gains.
Hudson
Europe’s EBITDA was $0.8 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to an EBITDA loss of $8.2 million for the same period in 2009,
an increase in EBITDA of $9 million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA
increased $8.8 million. Hudson Europe’s EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue, was
0.2% compared to an EBITDA loss of 4.1% for the same period in 2009. The
increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the factors discussed
above.
Hudson
Europe’s operating income was $4 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to an operating loss of $10.5 million for the same period in
2009, an increase in operating income of $14.5 million. On a constant currency
basis, operating income increased $14.8 million. Operating income, as a
percentage of revenue, was 1.8% compared to an operating loss of 5.3% for the
same period in 2009.
Hudson
ANZ
Hudson
ANZ’s revenue was $195 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $165.7 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $29.4
million, or 17.7%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson ANZ’s revenue was flat
compared to 2009. Declines in contracting and talent management revenues of $4.8
million and $3.3 million, or 3.6% and 30.3%, respectively, were offset by an
increase in permanent revenues of $7.8 million or 36.2%.
The
increase in permanent recruitment revenue was primarily due to improved demand
in the mining and resources, industrial and public sector. Contracting services
in general have lagged the overall recovery in recruitment services in ANZ.
During the nine months ended September 30, 2010, the decrease in contracting
revenue reflected decreases in both billable hours and average hourly rate.
Talent management revenue decreased primarily due to a lack of a meaningful
recovery in the talent management assessment services amid the decrease in
counter-cyclical outplacement services.
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Hudson
ANZ’s direct costs were $131.3 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $113 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$18.3 million or 16.2%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson ANZ’s direct costs
decreased by $1.9 million or 1.6% compared to the same period in 2009. The
decrease in direct costs was a direct result of the decreases in contracting
revenue as noted above.
Hudson
ANZ’s gross margin was $63.8 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $52.7 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$11 million or 20.9%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $1.7
million or 3.2%.
Permanent
recruitment gross margin increased $7.1 million or 33.1% primarily due to higher
average placement fees and increased demand for permanent staff. Talent
management services and contracting gross margins decreased $3.4 million or
36.8% and $2 million or 9.4%, respectively. The decline in talent management
gross margin was driven by the same factors affecting revenue as described
above. The decline in contracting gross margin was primarily driven by a
reduction in billable hours and fewer contractors on billing.
Contracting
gross margin, as a percentage of revenue, was 15.2% compared to 16.2% for the
same period in 2009. Total gross margin, as a percentage of total revenue, was
32.9% compared to 31.8% for the same period in 2009, primarily attributable to a
proportionately greater increase in permanent recruitment revenue.
Hudson
ANZ’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $59.6 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $52 million for the same
period in 2009, an increase of $7.5 million or 14.5%. On a constant currency
basis, selling, general and administrative expenses decreased $1.7 million or
3.2%. The decrease was primarily due to lower support staff compensation
costs and savings resulting from the restructuring program completed in 2009.
These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were 30.4% compared to 31.4% for the
same period in 2009.
Hudson
ANZ’s reorganization expenses were $0.1 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $2.3 million in reorganization expenses for
the same period in 2009. The reorganization expenses during the nine
months ended September 30, 2009 were related primarily to the amounts provided
for employee termination benefits and costs to terminate a number of contracts,
including exiting several leases related to the Company’s 2008 and 2009
restructuring programs.
Hudson
ANZ’s net other non-operating expense was $3 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net other non-operating income of $0.1
million for the same period in 2009, an increase in net other non-operating
expense of $3.1 million. On a constant currency basis, net other non-operating
expense increased $2.9 million. The increase was primarily due to increased
corporate management service allocations and lower foreign currency transaction
gains.
Hudson
ANZ’s EBITDA was $3 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $0.2 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $2.8
million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA increased $2.6 million. Hudson
ANZ’s EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue, was 1.7% compared to 0.1% for the same
period in 2009. The increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the factors
discussed above.
Hudson
ANZ’s operating income was $4.3 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to operating loss of $1.6 million for the same period in 2009,
an increase in operating income of $5.9 million. On a constant currency basis,
operating income increased $5.7 million. Operating income, as a percentage of
revenue, was 2.5% compared to operating loss of 1% for the same period in
2009.
Hudson
Asia
Hudson
Asia’s revenue was $24.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010,
as compared to $17.6 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of $6.8
million or 38.3%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Asia’s revenue increased
$6.1 million or 34.7%. The revenue increase in Hudson Asia was entirely in
permanent recruitment, which represents substantially all of the business in
this segment.
The
permanent recruitment revenue increase was led by China, which increased $3.6
million or 59% on a constant currency basis. In China, the majority of our
business is with subsidiaries of multi-national firms and many of these clients
eased the hiring restrictions implemented in 2009 in response to the improved
economic environment. Business confidence and hiring activity in China improved
significantly compared to the same period in 2009. The increase in revenue was
primarily due to increased hiring activity in the IT, industrial, sales and
marketing, and banking and finance sectors. In Singapore and Hong Kong,
permanent recruitment revenue increased $1.4 million and $1 million, or 22.4%
and 41.2%, respectively. The increases in Singapore and Hong Kong were primarily
due to increased hiring activity in the banking and finance, accounting and
IT sectors.
Hudson
Asia’s direct costs were $0.9 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $1.2 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of
$0.3 million or 25.7%. On a constant currency basis, Hudson Asia’s direct costs
decreased $0.3 million or 28.5%.
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Hudson
Asia’s gross margin was $23.5 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to $16.5 million for the same period in 2009, an increase of
$7 million or 42.9%. On a constant currency basis, gross margin increased $6.4
million or 39.2%. The majority of the gross margin increase was in China, which
increased $3.9 million or 57.1%. Gross margin increased in Singapore and Hong
Kong by $1.6 million and $1 million or 22.2% and $39.6%, respectively, compared
to the same period in 2009. Hudson Asia’s gross margin increased primarily for
the same reasons as the increase in revenue. Total gross margin, as a percentage
of total revenue, was 96.5% compared to 93.4% for the same period in
2009.
Hudson
Asia’s selling, general and administrative expenses were $20.1 million for the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $17.2 million for the same
period in 2009, an increase of $2.9 million or 17%. On a constant currency
basis, selling, general and administrative expenses increased $2.4 million or
14.1%. The increase was primarily due to the increased staff compensation due to
the higher gross margin. These expenses, as a percentage of revenue, were 82.7%
compared to 97.6% for the same period in 2009 and is attributable primarily to
an increase in sales productivity. The decrease in selling, general and
administrative expenses as a percentage of revenue was primarily due to the
higher revenue in 2010 and savings from restructuring program completed in
2009.
Based on
the results of the impairment test that was performed on September 30, 2009, the
Company recorded a charge of $1.7 million for the impairment of goodwill related
to the China reporting unit for the nine months ended September 30, 2009.
There were no goodwill impairment charges for the nine months ended September
30, 2010.
Hudson
Asia’s net other non-operating expense was $0.7 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net other non-operating income
of $0.2 million for the same period in 2009, an increase in net other
non-operating expense of $0.9 million. On a constant currency basis, net other
non-operating expense increased $0.9 million. The entire increase was due
to increased corporate management service allocations.
Hudson
Asia’s EBITDA was $3.1 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to an EBITDA loss of $1.7 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase in EBITDA of $4.8 million. On a constant currency basis, EBITDA
increased $4.7 million. Hudson Asia’s EBITDA, as a percentage of revenue, was
12.4% compared to an EBITDA loss of 9.7% for the same period in 2009. The
increase in EBITDA was primarily due to the factors discussed
above.
Hudson
Asia’s operating income was $3.4 million for the nine months ended September 30,
2010, as compared to an operating loss of $2.5 million for the same period in
2009, an increase in operating income of $5.9 million. On a constant currency
basis, operating income increased $5.8 million. Operating income, as a
percentage of revenue, was 13.8% compared to an operating loss of 14.3% for the
same period in 2009.
Corporate
and Other
Corporate
selling, general and administrative expenses were $14.1 million for the nine
months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to $14.3 million for the same
period in 2009, a decrease of $0.2 million or 1.7%. The decrease was primarily
due to lower professional fees, partially offset by increases in staff
compensation expenses.
Corporate
net other non-operating income was $11.3 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $3.5 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase of $7.8 million. The increase was primarily due to increased corporate
management service allocations to the reportable segments to reflect the greater
use of corporate resources.
Corporate
EBITDA loss was $3.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as
compared to $10.5 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease of $7.3
million and was primarily due to the factors discussed above.
Interest
Interest
expense, net of interest income was $1 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $0.5 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase of $0.5 million. Interest for the nine months ended September 30, 2010
included a $0.3 million write-off of unamortized deferred financing costs
related to the early termination of the credit agreement with Wells Fargo
Capital Finance, Inc.
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Provision
for (Benefits from) Income Taxes
The
provision for income taxes was $1.4 million on $4.5 million of pre-tax
losses from continuing operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2010,
as compared to a benefit of $2.3 million on $40.3 million of pre-tax losses from
continuing operations for the same period in 2009. The effective tax rate for
the nine months ended September 30, 2010 was negative 30.5%, as compared to 5.7%
for the same period in 2009. The changes in the Company’s effective tax rate
compared to the same period in 2009 resulted primarily from a reduction in the
Company’s pre-tax losses in jurisdictions where we obtain tax benefits and the
inability to obtain benefits from losses incurred in other jurisdictions. The
effective tax rate differs from the U.S. federal statutory rate of 35% due to
the inability to recognize tax benefits on net losses in the U.S. and certain
other foreign jurisdictions, state taxes, non-deductible expenses such as
certain acquisition-related payments and variations from the U.S. tax rate in
foreign jurisdictions.
Net
Loss from Continuing Operations
Net loss
from continuing operations was $5.8 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $38 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in
net loss from continuing operations of $32.1 million. Basic and diluted loss per
share from continuing operations were $0.20 for the nine months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to $1.47 for the same period in 2009.
Net
(Loss) Income from Discontinued Operations
Net loss
from discontinued operations was less than $0.1 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, as compared to net income from discontinued operations
of $7.8 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in net income from
discontinued operations of $7.8 million. Net income from discontinued operations
for the nine months ended September 30, 2009 included the receipt of the final
earn-out payment of $11.6 million as a result of its former Highland
reporting unit achieving certain 2008 revenue metrics as defined in the sales
agreement, partially offset by operating losses from discontinued operations of
Japan of $2.7 million and Italy of $2 million. Basic and diluted loss per share
from discontinued operations were $0.00 for the nine months ended September
30, 2010, as compared to basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.30 for the
same period in 2009.
Net
Loss
Net loss
was $5.9 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2010, as compared to
$30.2 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease in net loss of $24.3
million. Basic and diluted loss per share were $0.20 for the nine months ended
September 30, 2010, as compared to $1.17 for the same period in
2009.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Cash and
cash equivalents totaled $34.2 million and $36.1 million, respectively, as of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009. The following table
summarizes the cash flow activities for the nine months ended September 30,
2010 and 2009:
For The Nine Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||||
(In millions)
|
2010
|
2009
|
||||||
Net
cash used in operating activities
|
$ | (20.1 | ) | $ | (20.6 | ) | ||
Net
cash (used in) provided by investing activities
|
(2.4 | ) | 8.9 | |||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
20.4 | 4.4 | ||||||
Effect
of exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents
|
0.2 | 2.6 | ||||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
$ | (1.9 | ) | $ | (4.7 | ) |
Cash
flows from Operating Activities
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, net cash used in operating activities was
$20.1 million compared to $20.6 million for the same period in 2009, a decrease
of $0.5 million. The decrease was primarily due to lower net operating losses
from continuing operations and lower payments related to the 2009
restructuring program in the current period offset principally by an
increase in working capital as a result of revenue growth in the current
period.
Cash
flows from Investing Activities
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, net cash used in investing activities was
$2.4 million compared to net cash provided by investing activities of
$8.9 million for the same period in 2009, an increase in net cash used in
investing activities of $11.3 million. The increase was primarily due to the
non-recurrence of $11.6 million in proceeds in 2009 for the final earn-out
payment from the sale of Highland Partners, offset partially by the collection
of a note receivable of $3.5 million from the sale of Hudson Americas’ ETS
division.
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Cash
flows from Financing Activities
For the
nine months ended September 30, 2010, net cash provided by financing activities
was $20.4 million compared to $4.4 million for the same period in 2009, an
increase of $16 million. The increase was primarily due to $19.2 million of
proceeds from the issuance of common stock and a reduction in purchase of
treasury stock. The increase was partially offset by a decrease in net
borrowings under the Company’s credit facilities of $1.8 million and payment of
deferred financing costs of $1.5 million.
Credit
Agreements
On August
5, 2010, the Company and certain of its North American and U.K. subsidiaries
entered into a senior secured revolving credit facility (the “Revolver
Agreement”) with RBS Business Capital, a division of RBS Asset Finance, Inc.
(“RBS”), that provides the Company with the ability to borrow up to $40 million,
including the issuance of letters of credit. The Company may increase the
maximum borrowing amount to $50 million, subject to certain conditions including
lender acceptance. Extensions of credit are based on a percentage of the
eligible accounts receivable less required reserves principally related to the
U.K. and North America operations. In connection with the Revolver Agreement,
the Company incurred and capitalized approximately $1.5 million of deferred
financing costs, which are being amortized over the term of the agreement. As of
September 30, 2010, the Company’s borrowing base was $35.4 million and the
Company was required to maintain a minimum availability of $10 million. As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had $9 million of outstanding borrowings, and
$1.6 million of outstanding letters of credit issued, under the Revolver
Agreement, resulting in the Company being able to borrow up to an additional
$14.8 million after deducting the minimum availability, outstanding borrowings
and outstanding letters of credit issued.
The
maturity date of the Revolver Agreement is August 5, 2014. Borrowings may
initially be made with an interest rate based on a base rate plus 2.25% or on
the LIBOR rate for the applicable period plus 3.25%. The applicable margin for
each rate is based on the Company’s Fixed Charge Coverage Ratio (as defined in
the Revolver Agreement). The interest rate on outstanding borrowings was 5.5% as
of September 30, 2010. Borrowings under the Revolver Agreement are secured by
substantially all of the assets of the Company and certain of its North American
and U.K. subsidiaries.
The
Revolver Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants including (1) a
requirement to maintain a minimum excess availability of $10,000 until such time
as for two consecutive fiscal quarters (i) the Company’s Fixed Charge Coverage
Ratio is at least 1.2x and (ii) the Company’s North American and U.K.
operations, for the four fiscal quarters then ending, have an EBITDA (as defined
in the Revolver Agreement) for such twelve month period of not less than $0.5
million as of the end of each fiscal quarter during the fiscal years 2010 and
2011 and $1 million at the end of each fiscal quarter thereafter; thereafter a
requirement to maintain a minimum availability of $5 million, a Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio of at least 1.1x and EBITDA (as defined in the Revolver
Agreement) for the Company’s North American and U.K. operations of at least $0.5
million during the fiscal years 2010 and 2011 and $1million thereafter; (2) a
limit on the payment of dividends of not more than $5 million per year and
subject to certain conditions; (3) restrictions on the ability of the Company to
make additional borrowings, acquire, merge or otherwise fundamentally change the
ownership of the Company or repurchase the Company’s stock; (4) a limit on
investments, and a limit on acquisitions of not more than $25 million in cash
and $25 million in non-cash consideration per year, subject to certain
conditions set forth in the Revolver Agreement; and (5) a limit on dispositions
of assets of not more than $4 million per year. The Company was in compliance
with all covenants under the Revolver Agreement as of September 30,
2010.
Prior to
entering into the Revolver Agreement with RBS, the Company had a primary credit
facility (the “Credit Agreement”) with Wells Fargo Capital Finance, Inc.
(“WFCF”) and another lender that provided the Company with the ability to borrow
up to $75 million, including the issuance of letters of credit. In
connection with entering into the Revolver Agreement described above, the
Company terminated the Credit Agreement effective August 12, 2010. The Company
repaid the outstanding balance of $10 million under the Credit Agreement and
paid an early termination fee of $0.6 million on the effective date of
termination. The early termination fee is included in the caption “Fee for early
extinguishment of credit facility” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated
Statements of Operations. In addition, the Company recorded a non-cash write-off
of $0.3 million of unamortized deferred financing costs in connection with the
termination of the Credit Agreement. This charge is included in the caption
“Interest, net” in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Statements of
Operations. As of September 30, 2010, the Company had cash collateral of $1.4
with WFCF for two outstanding letters of credit issued by WFCF. The cash
collateral is included in the caption “Prepaid and other” in the accompanying
Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets as of September 30, 2010.
On August
3, 2010, an Australian subsidiary of the Company entered into a Receivables
Finance Agreement and related agreements (the “Finance Agreement”) with
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (“CBA”) that provides the Australian subsidiary
with the ability to borrow up to approximately $14.5 million (AUD 15 million).
Under the terms of the Finance Agreement, the Australian subsidiary may make
offers to CBA to assign its accounts receivable with recourse, which accounts
receivable CBA may in its good faith discretion elect to purchase. As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had $2.4 million (AUD 2.5 million) of
outstanding borrowings under the Finance Agreement. Available credit for use
under the Finance Agreement as of September 30, 2010 was $12.1 million (AUD 12.5
million).
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The
Finance Agreement does not have a stated maturity date and can be terminated by
either party upon 90 days written notice. Borrowings may be made with an
interest rate based on the average bid rate for bills of exchange (“BBSY”) with
the closest term to 30 days plus a margin of 1.6%. The interest rate was
6.27% as of September 30, 2010. Borrowings are secured by substantially all of
the assets of the Australian subsidiary and are based on an agreed percentage of
eligible accounts receivable.
The
Finance Agreement contains various restrictions and covenants for the Australian
subsidiary, including (1) a requirement to maintain a minimum Tangible Net Worth
(as defined in the Finance Agreement) ratio of 70%; (2) a minimum Fixed Charge
Coverage Ratio (as defined in the Finance Agreement) of 1.4x for a trailing
twelve month period; and (3) a limitation on certain intercompany payments of
expenses, interest and dividends not to exceed Net Profit After Tax (as defined
in the Finance Agreement). The Australian subsidiary was in compliance with all
covenants under the Finance Agreement as of September 30, 2010.
As of
September 30, 2010, the Company had a total of $2,254 of bank guarantees issued
by CBA under the Finance Agreement that were collateralized by a restricted term
deposit of an equal amount.
The
Company also has lending arrangements with local banks through its subsidiaries
in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and China. The aggregate outstanding
borrowings under the lending arrangements in Belgium, the Netherlands and New
Zealand were $2.5 million and $0 as of September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively. As of September 30, 2010, the Belgium and the Netherlands
subsidiaries could borrow up to $6.2 million based on an agreed percentage of
accounts receivable related to their operations. Borrowings under the Belgium
and the Netherlands lending arrangements may be made with an interest rate based
on the one month EURIBOR plus 2.5%, or about 3.1% at September 30, 2010.
The lending arrangements of Belgium and the Netherlands will expire on May 2,
2011 and May 15, 2011, respectively. In New Zealand, the Company’s subsidiary
can borrow up to $1.1 million (NZD 1.5 million) as of September 30, 2010 for
working capital purposes. This lending arrangement expires on March 31,
2011. Interest on borrowings under the New Zealand lending arrangement is
based on a three month cost of funds rate as determined by the bank, plus a
1.84% margin, and was 6.5% on September 30, 2010. In China, the Company’s
subsidiary can borrow up to $1 million for working capital purposes. Interest on
borrowings under this overdraft facility is based on the People’s Republic of
China’s six month rate, plus 200 basis points, and was 6.86% on September 30,
2010. There were no outstanding borrowings under this overdraft facility as of
September 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009. This overdraft facility expires
annually each September, but can be renewed for one year periods at that
time.
The
Company expects to continue to use the aforementioned credit, if and when
required, to support its ongoing global working capital requirements, capital
expenditures and other corporate purposes and to support letters of credit.
Letters of credit and bank guarantees are used primarily to support office
leases.
Shelf
Registration and Stock Issuance
In
December 2009, the Company filed a shelf registration statement (the “2009 Shelf
Registration”) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to enable it
to issue up to $30.0 million equivalent of securities or combinations of
securities. The types of securities permitted for issuance under the 2009
Shelf Registration are debt securities, common stock, preferred stock, warrants,
stock purchase contracts and stock purchase units.
On April
6, 2010, the Company issued, in a registered public offering under the
2009 Shelf Registration, 4,830,000 shares (which share number includes the
exercise of the underwriter’s overallotment option of 630,000 shares) of common
stock at $4.35 per share. Net proceeds to the Company after underwriting
discounts and expenses of the public offering were approximately $19.2
million.
After
this offering, the Company may issue up to $9 million equivalent of securities
or combinations of securities under the 2009 Shelf Registration.
Liquidity
Outlook
At
September 30, 2010, the Company had cash and cash equivalents on hand of $34.2
million supplemented by availability of $14.8 million under the Revolver
Agreement, $12.1 million under the Finance Agreement with CBA and $5.8 million
under other lending arrangements in Belgium, the Netherlands, New Zealand and
China. The Company’s near-term cash requirements during 2010 are primarily
related to funding operations, a portion of prior year restructuring actions,
and capital expenditures. The Company expects the restructuring actions taken in
2009 to produce recurring cost savings for the rest of 2010 and beyond. The
Company expects to maintain a reduced level of capital expenditures in 2010 as
it did in 2009, compared to prior years. In 2010, the Company expects to make
capital expenditures of approximately $4 million to $5.5 million, compared to
approximately $4 million in 2009, after averaging approximately $11 million per
year from 2006 through 2008. The Company is closely managing its capital
spending and will perform capital additions where economically prudent, while
continuing to invest strategically for future growth.
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The
Company believes, however, that current external market conditions remain
difficult particularly the limited access to credit, modest rates of near-term
projected economic growth and persistent levels of high unemployment in most of
the regions where the Company operates. The Company cannot provide assurance
that actual cash requirements will not be greater in the future than those
currently expected, especially if market conditions deteriorate substantially.
If sources of liquidity are not available or if the Company cannot generate
sufficient cash flow from operations, the Company might be required to obtain
additional sources of funds through additional operating improvements, capital
market transactions, asset sales or financing from third parties, or a
combination thereof. The Company cannot provide assurance that these additional
sources of funds will be available or, if available, would have reasonable
terms.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
February 2010, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Updates (“ASU”) 2010-09
“Amendments to Certain
Recognition and Disclosure Requirements” amending FASB ASC 855, “Subsequent Events.” The
amendment eliminates the requirement in ASC 855 to disclose the date through
which subsequent events have been evaluated in the consolidated financial
statements of SEC filers and is effective for reports filed after February 24,
2010. The Company adopted ASU 2010-09 and evaluated all events and transactions
through the issuance date of its condensed consolidated financial
statements
In
January 2010, the FASB issued ASU 2010-6, “Improving Disclosures about Fair
Measurements." ASU 2010-6 provides amendments to ASC 820 that require
separate disclosure of significant transfers in and out of Level 1 and Level 2
fair value measurements and the presentation of separate information regarding
purchases, sales, issuances and settlements for Level 3 fair value measurements.
Additionally, ASU 2010-6 provides amendments to ASC 820 that clarify existing
disclosures about the level of disaggregation, inputs and valuation techniques.
The new disclosures and clarification of existing disclosures of ASU 2010-6 are
effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15,
2009, except for the disclosure about purchases, sales, issuance, and
settlements in the rollforward of activity in Level 3 fair value measurements.
Those disclosures are effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15,
2010 and for interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU
2010-6 effective January 1, 2010. The adoption had no material impact on the
Company’s results of operations or financial position.
Critical
Accounting Policies
See
“Critical Accounting Policies” under Item 7 of the Company’s Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2009 filed with the SEC
on February 23, 2010 and incorporated by reference herein. There were no changes
to the Company’s critical accounting policies during the nine months ended
September 30, 2010.
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
This Form
10-Q contains statements that the Company believes to be “forward-looking
statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in
this Form 10-Q, including statements regarding the Company’s future financial
condition, results of operations, business operations and business prospects,
are forward-looking statements. Words such as “anticipate,” “estimate,”
“expect,” “project,” “intend,” “plan,” “predict,” “believe” and similar words,
expressions and variations of these words and expressions are intended to
identify forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject
to important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including industry
and economic conditions that could cause actual results to differ materially
from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such factors, risks,
uncertainties and assumptions include, but are not limited to, (1) global
economic fluctuations, (2) the ability of clients to terminate their
relationship with the Company at any time, (3) risks in collecting the Company’s
accounts receivable, (4) the Company’s history of negative cash flows and
operating losses may continue, (5) the Company’s limited borrowing availability
under its credit facilities, which may negatively impact its liquidity, (6)
restrictions on the Company’s operating flexibility due to the terms of its
credit facilities, (7) risks related to fluctuations in the Company’s operating
results from quarter to quarter, (8) risks related to international operations,
including foreign currency fluctuations, (9) risks associated with the Company’s
investment strategy, (10) risks and financial impact associated with
dispositions of underperforming assets, (11) implementation of the Company’s
cost reduction initiatives effectively, (12) the Company’s heavy reliance on
information systems and the impact of potentially losing or failing to develop
technology, (13) competition in the Company’s markets, (14) the Company’s
exposure to employment-related claims from both clients and employers and limits
on related insurance coverage, (15) the Company’s dependence on key management
personnel, (16) the Company’s ability to attract and retain highly skilled
professionals, (17) volatility of the Company’s stock price, (18) the impact of
government regulations, and (19) restrictions imposed by blocking arrangements.
These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this Form 10-Q.
The Company assumes no obligation, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to
update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
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-
The
Company conducts operations in various countries and faces both translation and
transaction risks related to foreign currency exchange. For the nine months
ended September 30, 2010, the Company earned approximately 87% of its gross
margin outside the United States (“U.S.”), and it collected payments in local
currency and related operating expenses were paid in such corresponding local
currency. Revenues and expenses in foreign currencies translate into higher or
lower revenues and expenses in U.S. dollars as the U.S. dollar weakens or
strengthens against other currencies. Therefore, changes in exchange rates may
affect our consolidated revenues and expenses (as expressed in U.S. dollars)
from foreign operations.
Amounts
invested in our foreign operations are translated into U.S. dollars at the
exchange rates in effect at the balance sheet date. The resulting translation
adjustments are recorded as a component of accumulated other comprehensive
income in the stockholders’ equity section of the Condensed Consolidated Balance
Sheets. The translation of the foreign currency into the U.S. dollars is
reflected as a component of stockholders’ equity and does not impact our
operating results.
As more
fully described in Item 2 - Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial
Condition and Results of Operations, the Company has entered into new
credit agreements with RBS Business Capital and Commonwealth Bank of Australia.
The Company also has other credit agreements with lenders in Belgium, the
Netherlands, New Zealand and China. The Company does not hedge the interest risk
on borrowings under any such the credit agreements, and accordingly, it is
exposed to interest rate risk on the borrowings under such credit agreements.
Based on our annual average borrowings, a 1% increase or decrease in interest
rates on our borrowings would not have a material impact on our
earnings.
Disclosure
Controls and Procedures
The
Company’s management, with the participation of the Company’s Chairman and Chief
Executive Officer and its Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer,
has conducted an evaluation of the design and operation of the Company’s
disclosure controls and procedures, as such term is defined under Rule 13a-15(e)
under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Based on this evaluation,
the Company’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and its Executive Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer concluded that the Company’s disclosure
controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the quarter ended
September 30, 2010.
Changes
in internal control over financial reporting
There
were no changes in the Company’s internal control over financial reporting that
occurred during the three months ended September 30, 2010 that have materially
affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the Company’s internal
control over financial reporting.
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PART II.
OTHER INFORMATION
Since
2007, Hudson Highland Group, Inc. (the “Company”) has been responding to an
informal inquiry that became the previously disclosed investigation by the staff
of the Division of Enforcement (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange
Commission (“SEC”) regarding disclosure of the Company’s North American state
sales tax charges and reserves. The total amount of the Company’s past due sales
tax liabilities for the seven-year period from 2001 to 2007 was less than $3.9
million. Company clients reimbursed the Company for approximately $450 thousand
of such liabilities. The Company has settled all of such sales tax matters with,
and paid all taxes due to, the respective states. Furthermore, the Company
implemented a number of remedial actions and internal control enhancements in
2006 relating to sales tax matters, which have been operating effectively
for over three years. Under the direction of the Company’s Audit Committee, the
Company fully and voluntarily cooperated with the Staff’s requests for
information.
As
previously disclosed, on May 13, 2009, the Company received a “Wells
Notice” from the SEC in connection with the investigation by the Staff described
above. According to the Wells Notice, the Staff intended to recommend that the
SEC bring a civil injunctive action against the Company alleging that the
Company violated Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and
related Rules 13a-1 and 13a-13. The Staff indicated that such Wells Notice
related to an alleged lack of narrative disclosure concerning sales tax matters
in the MD&A contained in the Company’s Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for
the quarters ended June 30, 2006, September 30, 2006 and
March 31, 2007 and the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2006. The SEC did not allege that the company’s
financial statements were incorrect in any respect. All quarterly and annual
financial statements for these periods were reviewed or audited by the Company’s
independent auditor at the time.
On
September 23, 2010, the Company received an additional Wells Notice from the SEC
in connection with the investigation related to the same topic. According
to the additional Wells Notice, the Staff also intends to recommend that the SEC
bring a civil injunctive action against the Company alleging that the Company
violated Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, which require registrants to keep books and records that accurately and
fairly reflect transactions and dispositions of assets and to maintain a system
of internal accounting controls, and seeking an unspecified civil money
penalty.
As a
result of ongoing discussions between the Company and the SEC staff, the Company
has agreed to accept and the SEC staff has agreed to recommend to the SEC a
settlement that would involve the entry of an administrative cease-and-desist
order against the Company for alleged violations of the books and records and
internal controls provisions of Sections 13(b)(2)(A) and 13(b)(2)(B) of the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The Company has recorded a liability of
$200 thousand as of September 30, 2010 reflecting the amount of the proposed
penalty to be paid to resolve the matter. Any settlement would be made
without admitting or denying the SEC’s allegations. No assurance can be
given as to when any settlement might occur or as to the final terms and
conditions of any settlement. Any settlement would be subject to reaching
agreement with the SEC staff regarding the language of a settled order.
Any settlement recommended by the SEC staff also would be subject to approval by
the SEC.
In
addition to the matter mentioned above, the Company is involved in various legal
proceedings that are incidental to the conduct of its business. The Company is
not involved in any pending or threatened legal proceedings that it believes
could reasonably be expected to have a material adverse effect on its financial
condition, or results of operations.
At
September 30, 2010, there had not been any material changes to the information
related to the Item 1A. “Risk Factors” disclosed in our Annual Report on
Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009 except as
follows.
We
have limited borrowing availability under our credit facilities, which may
negatively impact our liquidity.
Extensions
of credit under our Revolver Agreement with RBS Business Capital, Finance
Agreement with Commonwealth Bank of Australia and our smaller facilities in
Europe are permitted based on a borrowing base, which is an agreed percentage of
eligible accounts receivable, less required reserves, letters of credit and
outstanding borrowings. If the amount or quality of our accounts receivable
deteriorates, then our ability to borrow under these credit facilities will be
directly affected. Our lenders can impose other conditions, such as payroll and
other reserves at any time without prior notice to us and these actions would
reduce the amounts available to us under the credit facilities. In addition, our
credit facilities require that we satisfy certain financial covenants, including
compliance with various targeted levels of financial ratios. We cannot provide
assurance that we will be able to borrow under these credit facilities if we
need money to fund working capital or other needs.
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If
sources of liquidity are not available or if we cannot generate sufficient cash
flows from operations, then we may be required to obtain additional sources of
funds through additional operating improvements, capital markets transactions,
asset sales or financing from third parties, or a combination thereof and under
certain conditions such transactions could substantially dilute the ownership of
existing stockholders. We cannot provide assurance that the additional sources
of funds will be available, or if available, would have reasonable terms,
particularly in light of the current credit market conditions.
Our
credit facilities restrict our operating flexibility.
Our
credit facilities contain various restrictions and covenants that restrict our
operating flexibility including:
|
·
|
limitations
on payments of dividends;
|
|
·
|
restrictions
on our ability to make additional borrowings, or to consolidate, merge or
otherwise fundamentally change our
ownership;
|
|
·
|
limitations
on capital expenditures, investments, dispositions of assets, guarantees
of indebtedness, permitted acquisitions and repurchases of stock;
and
|
|
·
|
limitations
on certain intercompany payments of expenses, interest and
dividends
|
These
restrictions and covenants could have important consequences for investors,
including the need to use a portion of our cash flow from operations for debt
service rather than for our operations, restrictions on our ability to incur
additional debt financing for future working capital or capital expenditures, a
lesser ability to take advantage of significant business opportunities, such as
acquisition opportunities, and inability to react to market conditions by
selling lesser-performing assets.
In
addition, a default, amendment or waiver to our credit agreements to avoid a
default, or the operating results may result in higher rates of interest and
could impact our ability to obtain additional borrowings. Finally, debt incurred
under our credit facilities bear interest at variable rates. Any increase in
interest expense could reduce the funds available for operations.
ITEM 2.
UNREGISTERED
SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF PROCEEDS
The
following table summarizes purchases of common stock by the Company during the
quarter ended September 30, 2010.
Approximate Dollar
|
||||||||||||||||
Total Number of
|
Value of Shares
|
|||||||||||||||
Shares Purchased as
|
that May Yet Be
|
|||||||||||||||
Part of Publicly
|
Purchased Under
|
|||||||||||||||
Total Number of
|
Average Price
|
Announced Plans
|
the Plans or
|
|||||||||||||
Period
|
Shares Purchased
|
Paid per Share
|
or Programs
|
Programs (a)
|
||||||||||||
July
1, 2010 - July 31, 2010 (b)
|
4,528 | $ | 4.26 | - | $ | 6,792,000 | ||||||||||
August
1, 2010 - August 31, 2010 (b)
|
3,170 | $ | 4.06 | - | $ | 6,792,000 | ||||||||||
September
1, 2010 - September 30, 2010
|
- | $ | - | - | $ | 6,792,000 | ||||||||||
Total
|
7,698 | $ | 4.18 | - | $ | 6,792,000 |
(a)
|
On
February 4, 2008, the Company announced that its Board of Directors
authorized the repurchase of a maximum of $15 million of the
Company’s common stock. The Company has repurchased 1,491,772 shares for a
total cost of approximately $8.2 million under this authorization.
Repurchases of common stock are restricted under the Company’s Revolver
Agreement entered on August 5,
2010.
|
(b)
|
Consisted
of restricted stock withheld from employees upon the vesting of such
shares to satisfy employees’ income tax withholding
requirements.
|
None.
None.
The
exhibits to this Report are listed in the Exhibit Index included elsewhere
herein.
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant
has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned
thereunto duly authorized.
HUDSON
HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
(Registrant)
|
||
By:
|
/s/ Jon F. Chait
|
|
Jon
F. Chait
|
||
Chairman
and Chief Executive Officer
|
||
(Principal
Executive Officer)
|
||
Dated:
October 29, 2010
|
||
By:
|
/s/ Mary Jane
Raymond
|
|
Mary
Jane Raymond
|
||
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
|
||
|
(Principal
Financial Officer)
|
|
Dated:
October 29, 2010
|
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HUDSON
HIGHLAND GROUP, INC.
EXHIBIT
INDEX
Exhibit
No.
|
Description
|
||
4.1
|
Loan
and Security Agreement, dated as of August 5, 2010, by and among Hudson
Highland Group, Inc. and each of its subsidiaries that are signatories
thereto, as Borrowers, the lenders that are signatories thereto, as
Lenders, and RBS Business Capital, a division of RBS Asset Finance, Inc.,
as Agent (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.1 to Hudson Highland
Group, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 3, 2010 (File No.
0-50129)).
|
||
4.2
|
Receivables
Finance Agreement, dated as of August 3, 2010, by and between Hudson
Global Resources (Aust) Pty Limited and Commonwealth Bank of Australia
(incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.2 to Hudson Highland Group, Inc.’s
Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 3, 2010 (File No.
0-50129)).
|
||
4.3
|
Receivables
Finance Facility Offer Letter, accepted as of August 3, 2010, from
Commonwealth Bank of Australia to Hudson Global Resources (Aust) Pty
Limited (incorporated by reference to Exhibit 4.3 to Hudson Highland
Group, Inc.’s Current Report on Form 8-K dated August 3, 2010 (File No.
0-50129)).
|
||
4.4
|
Letter
of Approval, accepted as of August 3, 2010, from Commonwealth Bank of
Australia to Hudson Global Resources (Aust) Pty Limited (incorporated by
reference to Exhibit 4.4 to Hudson Highland Group, Inc.’s Current Report
on Form 8-K dated August 3, 2010 (File No. 0-50129)).
|
||
31.1
|
Certification
by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
|
||
31.2
|
Certification
by the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to
Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
|
||
32.1
|
Certification
of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section
1350.
|
||
32.2
|
Certification
of the Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer pursuant to 18
U.S.C. Section
1350.
|
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