ION GEOPHYSICAL CORP - Quarter Report: 2010 June (Form 10-Q)
Table of Contents
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, DC 20549
FORM 10-Q
þ | QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
FOR THE QUARTERLY PERIOD ENDED JUNE 30, 2010
OR
o | TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934 |
COMMISSION FILE NUMBER: 1-12691
ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION
(EXACT NAME OF REGISTRANT AS SPECIFIED IN ITS CHARTER)
DELAWARE (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization) |
22-2286646 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.) |
|
2105 CityWest Blvd. Suite 400 Houston, Texas (Address of principal executive offices) |
77042-2839 (Zip Code) |
REGISTRANTS TELEPHONE NUMBER, INCLUDING AREA CODE: (281) 933-3339
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: þ No: o
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its
corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted
pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period
that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). * Yes o No o
* The registrant has not yet been phased into the interactive data requirements.
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a
non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting company. See the definitions of large accelerated
filer, accelerated filer and smaller reporting company in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
(Check one):
Large accelerated filer o | Accelerated filer þ | Non-accelerated filer o | Smaller reporting company o | |||
(Do not check if a smaller reporting company) |
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act). Yes: o No: þ
At July 29, 2010, there were 152,341,380 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share,
outstanding.
ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR FORM 10-Q
FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2010
TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR FORM 10-Q
FOR THE QUARTER ENDED JUNE 30, 2010
2
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PART I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item 1. Unaudited Financial Statements
ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In thousands, except share data) | ||||||||
ASSETS |
||||||||
Current assets: |
||||||||
Cash and cash equivalents |
$ | 16,288 | $ | 16,217 | ||||
Restricted cash |
1,191 | 1,469 | ||||||
Accounts receivable, net |
52,423 | 111,046 | ||||||
Receivables and advances to INOVA Geophysical |
9,623 | | ||||||
Current portion notes receivable |
| 13,367 | ||||||
Unbilled receivables |
29,838 | 21,655 | ||||||
Inventories, net |
52,056 | 202,601 | ||||||
Deferred income tax asset |
6,827 | 6,001 | ||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current assets |
9,776 | 23,145 | ||||||
Total current assets |
178,022 | 395,501 | ||||||
Deferred income tax asset |
15,834 | 26,422 | ||||||
Property, plant and equipment, net |
16,202 | 78,555 | ||||||
Multi-client data library, net |
133,073 | 130,705 | ||||||
Investment in INOVA Geophysical |
118,821 | | ||||||
Goodwill |
50,704 | 52,052 | ||||||
Intangible assets, net |
23,182 | 61,766 | ||||||
Other assets |
4,716 | 3,185 | ||||||
Total assets |
$ | 540,554 | $ | 748,186 | ||||
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS EQUITY |
||||||||
Current liabilities: |
||||||||
Notes payable and current maturities of long-term debt |
$ | 6,655 | $ | 271,132 | ||||
Accounts payable |
16,902 | 40,189 | ||||||
Accrued expenses |
39,374 | 65,893 | ||||||
Accrued multi-client data library royalties |
11,920 | 18,714 | ||||||
Fair value of the warrant |
| 44,789 | ||||||
Deferred revenue and other current liabilities |
12,231 | 13,802 | ||||||
Total current liabilities |
87,082 | 454,519 | ||||||
Long-term debt, net of current maturities |
104,961 | 6,249 | ||||||
Non-current deferred income tax liability |
5,535 | 1,262 | ||||||
Other long-term liabilities |
8,440 | 3,688 | ||||||
Total liabilities |
206,018 | 465,718 | ||||||
Stockholders equity: |
||||||||
Cumulative convertible preferred stock |
27,000 | 68,786 | ||||||
Common stock, $0.01 par value; authorized 200,000,000 shares; outstanding
152,306,380 and 118,688,702 shares at June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009,
respectively, net of treasury stock |
1,523 | 1,187 | ||||||
Additional paid-in capital |
817,740 | 666,928 | ||||||
Accumulated deficit |
(480,979 | ) | (411,548 | ) | ||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss |
(24,183 | ) | (36,320 | ) | ||||
Treasury stock, at cost, 849,539 shares at both June 30, 2010 and December 31, 2009 |
(6,565 | ) | (6,565 | ) | ||||
Total stockholders equity |
334,536 | 282,468 | ||||||
Total liabilities and stockholders equity |
$ | 540,554 | $ | 748,186 | ||||
See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
(UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
Product revenues |
$ | 39,433 | $ | 52,038 | $ | 79,675 | $ | 111,514 | ||||||||
Service revenues |
35,953 | 37,219 | 84,430 | 84,633 | ||||||||||||
Total net revenues |
75,386 | 89,257 | 164,105 | 196,147 | ||||||||||||
Cost of products |
20,576 | 33,862 | 51,067 | 73,893 | ||||||||||||
Cost of services |
26,748 | 25,419 | 62,610 | 58,582 | ||||||||||||
Gross profit |
28,062 | 29,976 | 50,428 | 63,672 | ||||||||||||
Operating expenses: |
||||||||||||||||
Research, development and engineering |
5,217 | 11,793 | 14,216 | 23,258 | ||||||||||||
Marketing and sales |
5,649 | 8,438 | 13,555 | 18,201 | ||||||||||||
General and administrative |
11,212 | 17,256 | 27,650 | 36,256 | ||||||||||||
Impairment of intangible assets |
| | | 38,044 | ||||||||||||
Total operating expenses |
22,078 | 37,487 | 55,421 | 115,759 | ||||||||||||
Income (loss) from operations |
5,984 | (7,511 | ) | (4,993 | ) | (52,087 | ) | |||||||||
Interest expense, net, including $18.8 million of a
debt discount and write-off of debt issuance costs
in 1Q 2010 |
(1,373 | ) | (6,349 | ) | (27,016 | ) | (13,282 | ) | ||||||||
Loss on disposition of land division |
| | (38,115 | ) | | |||||||||||
Fair value adjustment of the warrant |
| | 12,788 | | ||||||||||||
Equity in losses of INOVA Geophysical |
(179 | ) | | (179 | ) | | ||||||||||
Other income (expense) |
(799 | ) | (6,381 | ) | 2,418 | (6,403 | ) | |||||||||
Income (loss) before income taxes |
3,633 | (20,241 | ) | (55,097 | ) | (71,772 | ) | |||||||||
Income tax expense (benefit) |
2,174 | (4,510 | ) | 14,334 | (18,473 | ) | ||||||||||
Net income (loss) |
1,459 | (15,731 | ) | (69,431 | ) | (53,299 | ) | |||||||||
Preferred stock dividends |
385 | 875 | 1,260 | 1,750 | ||||||||||||
Net income (loss) applicable to common shares |
$ | 1,074 | $ | (16,606 | ) | $ | (70,691 | ) | $ | (55,049 | ) | |||||
Net income (loss) per share: |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) | |||||
Diluted |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) | |||||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding: |
||||||||||||||||
Basic |
151,441 | 105,121 | 135,962 | 102,447 | ||||||||||||
Diluted |
152,036 | 105,121 | 135,962 | 102,447 |
See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(UNAUDITED)
(UNAUDITED)
Six Months Ended | ||||||||
June 30, | ||||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
(In thousands) | ||||||||
Cash flows from operating activities: |
||||||||
Net loss |
$ | (69,431 | ) | $ | (53,299 | ) | ||
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to cash provided by operating activities: |
||||||||
Depreciation and amortization (other than multi-client data library) |
15,766 | 21,740 | ||||||
Amortization of multi-client data library |
18,858 | 22,021 | ||||||
Stock-based compensation expense related to stock options, nonvested stock and employee stock purchases |
3,343 | 7,406 | ||||||
Bad debt expense |
194 | 2,625 | ||||||
Amortization of debt discount |
8,656 | | ||||||
Write-off of unamortized debt issuance costs |
10,121 | | ||||||
Fair value adjustment of the warrant |
(12,788 | ) | | |||||
Deferred income taxes |
8,250 | (24,697 | ) | |||||
Loss on disposition of land division |
38,115 | | ||||||
Equity in losses of INOVA Geophysical |
179 | | ||||||
Impairment of intangible assets |
| 38,044 | ||||||
Change in operating assets and liabilities: |
||||||||
Accounts and notes receivable |
31,088 | 71,538 | ||||||
Unbilled receivables |
(8,183 | ) | 9,112 | |||||
Inventories |
1,153 | (10,112 | ) | |||||
Accounts payable, accrued expenses and accrued royalties |
(23,568 | ) | (60,059 | ) | ||||
Deferred revenue |
1,768 | (438 | ) | |||||
Other assets and liabilities |
(3,949 | ) | 14,071 | |||||
Net cash provided by operating activities |
19,572 | 37,952 | ||||||
Cash flows from investing activities: |
||||||||
Purchase of property, plant and equipment |
(2,056 | ) | (2,007 | ) | ||||
Investment in multi-client data library |
(21,226 | ) | (45,599 | ) | ||||
Cash, net of fees, from disposition of land division |
99,790 | | ||||||
Advances to INOVA Geophysical |
(6,500 | ) | | |||||
Other investing activities |
(1,272 | ) | (208 | ) | ||||
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities |
68,736 | (47,814 | ) | |||||
Cash flows from financing activities: |
||||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of debt |
105,695 | 11,785 | ||||||
Net proceeds from issuance of common stock |
38,039 | 38,220 | ||||||
Borrowings under revolving line of credit |
85,000 | 32,000 | ||||||
Repayments under revolving line of credit |
(174,429 | ) | | |||||
Payments on notes payable and long-term debt |
(142,047 | ) | (66,196 | ) | ||||
Costs associated with debt amendments |
| (3,800 | ) | |||||
Payment of preferred dividends |
(1,260 | ) | (1,750 | ) | ||||
Other financing activities |
(78 | ) | 234 | |||||
Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities |
(89,080 | ) | 10,493 | |||||
Effect of change in foreign currency exchange rates on cash and cash equivalents |
843 | 805 | ||||||
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents |
71 | 1,436 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period |
16,217 | 35,172 | ||||||
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period |
$ | 16,288 | $ | 36,608 | ||||
Non-cash items from investing and financing activities: |
||||||||
Expiration of BGP Warrant |
$ | 32,001 | $ | | ||||
Conversion of BGP Domestic Convertible Note to equity |
$ | 28,571 | $ | | ||||
Investment in INOVA Geophysical |
$ | 119,000 | $ | | ||||
Exchange of RXT receivables into shares |
$ | 9,516 | $ | |
See accompanying Notes to Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.
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ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
(1) Basis of Presentation
The condensed consolidated balance sheet of ION Geophysical Corporation and its subsidiaries
(collectively referred to in this Part I - Item 1 as the Company or ION, unless the context
otherwise requires) at December 31, 2009 has been derived from the Companys audited consolidated
financial statements at that date. The condensed consolidated balance sheet at June 30, 2010, the
condensed consolidated statements of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010
and 2009, and the condensed consolidated statements of cash flows for the six months ended June 30,
2010 and 2009 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal
recurring accruals, except as otherwise disclosed) considered necessary for a fair presentation
have been included. The results of operations for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 are
not necessarily indicative of the operating results for a full year or of future operations.
These condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared using accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States for interim financial information and the
instructions to Form 10-Q and applicable rules of Regulation S-X of the Securities and Exchange
Commission. Certain information and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements
presented in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States have
been omitted. The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements should be read in
conjunction with the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009.
On March 25, 2010, the Company completed the disposition of most of its land seismic equipment
businesses in connection with its formation of a land equipment joint venture with BGP, Inc., China
National Petroleum Corporation (BGP). BGP is a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation
(CNPC) and is a leading global geophysical services contracting company. The resulting joint
venture company, organized under the laws of the Peoples Republic of China, is named INOVA
Geophysical Equipment Limited (INOVA Geophysical). BGP owns a 51% interest in INOVA Geophysical,
and the Company owns a 49% interest. INOVA Geophysical is managed through a Board of Directors
consisting of four members appointed by BGP and three members appointed by the Company.
The results of operations and financial condition of the Company as of and for the three and
six months ended June 30, 2010 have been materially affected by this disposition, which affects the
comparability of certain of the financial information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form
10-Q. The Company accounts for its 49% interest in INOVA Geophysical as an equity method
investment. Because the financial statements of INOVA Geophysical are not sufficiently timely for
the Company to apply the equity method currently, the Company records its share of earnings in
INOVA Geophysical on a one fiscal quarter lag basis. Thus, the Companys share of INOVA
Geophysicals first full quarterly results will be included in the Companys financial results for
the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2010.
(2) Significant Accounting Policies
The Company has had no material changes to its significant accounting policies from those
described in the notes to its consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended December
31, 2009 that were included in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K, except its policies
regarding the allocation of consideration in multiple element revenue arrangements.
The multiple element arrangements guidance codified in Accounting Standards Codification
(ASC) 605-25 was modified as a result of the final consensus reached in EITF Issue No. 08-1,
Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, which was codified by Accounting Standards
Update (ASU) 2009-13. The Company adopted this new guidance in the second quarter of 2010.
Consistent with its transitional requirements, this new guidance was applied retrospectively as of
January 1, 2010. Accordingly, the Company applied this guidance to transactions initiated or
materially modified on or after January 1, 2010. There was no impact of adopting this guidance to
the Companys previously reported results for the first quarter of 2010, nor was there a material
impact to the Companys financial statements during the second quarter of 2010.
This guidance eliminates the residual method of allocation for multiple-deliverable revenue
arrangements and requires that arrangement consideration be allocated at the inception of an
arrangement to all deliverables using the relative selling price method. Per the provisions of
this guidance, the Company allocates arrangement consideration to each deliverable qualifying as a
separate unit
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of accounting in an arrangement based on its relative selling price. The Company determines
its selling price using vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE), if it exists, and otherwise
third-party evidence (TPE). If neither VSOE nor TPE of selling price exists for a unit of
accounting, the Company uses estimated selling price (ESP). The Company generally expects that it
will not be able to establish TPE due to the nature of the markets in which the Company competes,
and, as such, the Company typically will determine its selling price using VSOE or, if not
available, ESP. VSOE is generally limited to the price charged when the same or similar product is
sold on a standalone basis. If a product is seldom sold on a standalone basis, it is unlikely that
the Company can determine VSOE for the product.
If the Company is unable to establish its selling price using VSOE, the Company will use ESP
in its allocation of arrangement consideration. The objective of ESP is to determine the price at
which the Company would transact if the product were sold by the Company on a standalone basis. The
Companys determination of ESP involves a weighting of several factors based on the specific facts
and circumstances of the arrangement. Specifically, the Company will consider the anticipated
margin on the particular deliverable, the selling price and profit margin for similar products and
the Companys ongoing pricing strategy and policies.
The Company believes this new guidance will principally impact its Systems division. A
typical arrangement within the Systems division might involve the sale of various products of the
Companys acquisition systems and other seismic equipment. Products under these arrangements are
often delivered to the customer within the same period, but in certain situations, depending upon
product availability and the customers delivery requirements, the products could be delivered to
the customer at different times. In these situations, the Company considers its products to be
separate units of accounting provided the following criteria are met: the delivered product has
value to the customer on a standalone basis; and for an arrangement that includes a general right
of return relative to the delivered products, delivery of the undelivered product is considered
probable and is substantially controlled by the Company. The Company considers a deliverable to
have standalone value if the product is sold separately by the Company or another vendor or could
be resold by the customer. Further, the Companys revenue arrangements generally do not include a
general right of return relative to the delivered products.
In addition, in the second quarter of 2010 and pursuant to the transitional requirements of
the new multiple element revenue guidance, the Company adopted the guidance codified by ASU
2009-14, Certain Arrangements That Include Software Elements, retrospectively as of January 1,
2010. This guidance amends the accounting model for revenue arrangements that includes both
tangible products and software elements, such that tangible products containing both software and
non-software components that function together to deliver the tangible products essential
functionality are no longer within the scope of software revenue guidance. There was not a
material impact to the Companys financial statements of adopting this guidance.
(3) Accounting Impact of the Formation of INOVA Geophysical and Related Financing Transactions
On March 25, 2010, the Company completed the joint venture and related transactions with BGP
that were previously contemplated. The formation of the joint venture resulted in (1) a disposition
of most of the Companys land seismic equipment businesses and (2) a number of changes to the
Companys capitalization through various financing transactions completed concurrently with the
joint venture formation. Upon completion of these events, the Company recorded a loss on
disposition of its land division of approximately $38.1 million during the first quarter of 2010.
The following components comprise this loss on disposition:
| The Company received cash proceeds from BGP of $99.8 million, net of transaction and professional fees of $5.6 million and cash balances of the disposed land divisions contributed to INOVA Geophysical of $3.1 million. | ||
| The Company received a 49% interest in INOVA Geophysical, which was recorded at a fair value of $119.0 million. | ||
| The Company deconsolidated $221.7 million of net assets associated with its land division. | ||
| The Company recognized $21.2 million of accumulated foreign currency translation losses, primarily related to its Canada land operations. |
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| The Company recognized $7.0 million of expense resulting from the sale of ION stock to BGP at a discount to market under BGPs equity purchase commitment as an inducement for BGP to enter into the transaction. | ||
| The Company recognized $5.0 million of expense related to it permanently ceasing the use of certain leased facilities previously occupied by its land division. See further discussion at Note 14 Restructuring Activities. | ||
| The Company recognized $2.0 million of other expenses associated with the closing of INOVA Geophysical. |
In addition to the loss on disposition, the following represents the impact of the other
related financing transactions in the first quarter of 2010:
| The Company recorded a non-cash fair value adjustment of $12.8 million, reflecting the decrease in the fair value of the warrant from January 1, 2010 through March 25, 2010, the date of the closing of INOVA Geophysical. At that date, the remaining $32.0 million liability representing the warrants fair value was reclassified to additional paid-in-capital. | ||
| The Company recognized in interest expense the remaining non-cash debt discount of $8.7 million, which was associated with the issuance of the October 2009 convertible notes. | ||
| As part of the repayment of the previous revolving line of credit and term loan, the Company wrote-off to interest expense, $10.1 million of unamortized debt issuance costs. |
(4) Related Party Transactions with INOVA Geophysical and BGP
In April 2010, the Company advanced $5 million to INOVA Geophysical under a short-term
promissory note. The note matures on August 31, 2010 and accrues interest at an annual rate equal
to the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) plus 350 basis points. Additionally, BGP advanced
$5 million to INOVA Geophysical during the second quarter on similar terms. In May 2010, the
Company entered into a second promissory note arrangement with INOVA Geophysical providing for
potential borrowings up to $4.5 million, and INOVA Geophysical was advanced $1.5 million under the
note. This note was scheduled to mature on July 30, 2010 and accrued interest at an annual rate
equal to LIBOR plus 350 basis points. INOVA Geophysical repaid the outstanding balance on the
second note of $1.5 million on July 16, 2010. The purpose of these advances was to provide
short-term capital to INOVA Geophysical prior to INOVA Geophysical obtaining its own line of
credit.
The Company has also entered into a support and transition agreement to provide INOVA
Geophysical with certain administrative services including tax, legal, information technology,
treasury, human resources, accounting, facilities and marketing services. The terms of the
arrangement provides for INOVA Geophysical to pay approximately $0.5 million per month (beginning
in April 2010) for services and also provides for the reimbursement to the Company of third-party
costs incurred by ION directly related to the support of INOVA Geophysical. The term of the
agreement is for two years and will automatically renew for one year periods, unless either party
provides notice of its intent to terminate the agreement. At June 30, 2010, approximately $1.5
million was owed by INOVA Geophysical to the Company under this agreement and reflected in the
balance of Receivables and Advances to INOVA Geophysical.
For the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company had revenues from BGP of $1.3
million and $3.1 million, respectively. Receivables due from BGP were $4.5 million at June 30,
2010.
BGP owned approximately 15.6% of the Companys outstanding
common stock as of June 30, 2010.
(5) Segment Information
The Company evaluates and reviews its results based on four segments: Systems, Software
(formerly referred to as Data Management Solutions), Solutions (formerly referred to as ION
Solutions) and its Legacy Land Systems which is now part of INOVA Geophysical. The Company measures
segment operating results based on income from operations. The Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) segment
represents the disposed land division operations through March 25, 2010, the date of the closing of
INOVA
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Geophysical. The Systems segment includes all seismic acquisition systems businesses that are
wholly-owned by the Company and its consolidated subsidiaries. The Company has reclassified its
previously reported results to reflect these segment changes.
A summary of segment information for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 is
as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Net revenues: |
||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 29,792 | $ | 33,973 | $ | 45,907 | $ | 57,569 | ||||||||
Software |
10,133 | 9,217 | 18,105 | 16,463 | ||||||||||||
Solutions |
35,461 | 36,654 | 83,582 | 83,663 | ||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| 9,413 | 16,511 | 38,452 | ||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 75,386 | $ | 89,257 | $ | 164,105 | $ | 196,147 | ||||||||
Gross profit: |
||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 12,381 | $ | 14,175 | $ | 17,939 | $ | 23,881 | ||||||||
Software |
6,811 | 6,327 | 12,180 | 11,251 | ||||||||||||
Solutions |
8,870 | 11,404 | 21,293 | 26,290 | ||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| (1,930 | ) | (984 | ) | 2,250 | ||||||||||
Total |
$ | 28,062 | $ | 29,976 | $ | 50,428 | $ | 63,672 | ||||||||
Gross margin: |
||||||||||||||||
Systems |
41.6 | % | 41.7 | % | 39.1 | % | 41.5 | % | ||||||||
Software |
67.2 | % | 68.6 | % | 67.3 | % | 68.3 | % | ||||||||
Solutions |
25.0 | % | 31.1 | % | 25.5 | % | 31.4 | % | ||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| % | (20.5 | %) | (6.0 | %) | 5.9 | % | ||||||||
Total |
37.2 | % | 33.6 | % | 30.7 | % | 32.5 | % | ||||||||
Income (loss) from operations: |
||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 7,231 | $ | 8,732 | $ | 8,140 | $ | 12,093 | ||||||||
Software |
6,256 | 5,818 | 11,062 | 10,248 | ||||||||||||
Solutions |
2,548 | 4,603 | 8,113 | 9,808 | ||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| (11,834 | ) | (9,623 | ) | (17,181 | ) | |||||||||
Corporate and other |
(10,051 | ) | (14,830 | ) | (22,685 | ) | (29,011 | ) | ||||||||
Impairment of intangible assets |
| | | (38,044 | ) | |||||||||||
Total |
$ | 5,984 | $ | (7,511 | ) | $ | (4,993 | ) | $ | (52,087 | ) | |||||
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
Total Assets: |
||||||||
Systems |
$ | 114,852 | $ | 126,502 | ||||
Software |
40,521 | 40,133 | ||||||
Solutions |
208,566 | 221,596 | ||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| 257,627 | ||||||
Corporate and other |
176,615 | 102,328 | ||||||
Total |
$ | 540,554 | $ | 748,186 | ||||
Corporate and other assets include all assets specifically related to corporate personnel and
operations, a majority of cash and cash equivalents and the investment in INOVA Geophysical.
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(6) Inventories
A summary of inventories is as follows (in thousands):
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
2010 | 2009 | |||||||
Raw materials and subassemblies |
$ | 39,574 | $ | 111,022 | ||||
Work-in-process |
3,702 | 10,129 | ||||||
Finished goods |
21,601 | 112,068 | ||||||
Reserve for excess and obsolete inventories |
(12,821 | ) | (30,618 | ) | ||||
Inventories, net |
$ | 52,056 | $ | 202,601 | ||||
The decrease in net inventories from December 31, 2009 to June 30, 2010 was principally due to
the formation of INOVA Geophysical and the contribution of inventories of approximately $148.0
million.
(7) Net Income (Loss) per Share
Basic and diluted net income (loss) per share is computed by dividing net income (loss)
applicable to common shares by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the
period. The total number of shares available for issuance under outstanding stock options at June
30, 2010 and 2009 was 7,575,100 and 7,506,225, respectively, and the total number of shares of
restricted stock and shares reserved for restricted stock units outstanding at June 30, 2010 and
2009 was 914,907 and 721,721, respectively. These options, restricted stock and restricted stock
units were anti-dilutive for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and the three and six months ended
June 30, 2009, but were dilutive for the three months ended June 30, 2010.
On April 8, 2010, Fletcher International, Ltd. (Fletcher), the holder of all of IONs
outstanding Series D Preferred Stock, converted 8,000 of its shares of Series D-1 Cumulative
Convertible Preferred Stock, and all of the outstanding 35,000 shares of Series D-3 Cumulative
Convertible Preferred Stock, into a total of 9,659,231 shares of common stock of the Company.
Fletcher continues to own 22,000 shares of Series D-1 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and
5,000 shares of Series D-2 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock. See further discussion of the
Series D Preferred Stock at Note 9 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and Note 12
Commitments and Contingencies. The Series D Preferred Stock was anti-dilutive for all periods
presented.
The following table summarizes the calculation of the weighted average number of common shares
and weighted average number of diluted common shares outstanding for purposes of the computation of
basic and diluted net income (loss) per share (in thousands, except per share data):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Net income (loss) applicable to common shares |
$ | 1,074 | $ | (16,606 | ) | $ | (70,691 | ) | $ | (55,049 | ) | |||||
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding |
151,441 | 105,121 | 135,962 | 102,447 | ||||||||||||
Effect of dilutive stock awards |
595 | | | | ||||||||||||
Weighted average number of diluted common shares outstanding |
152,036 | 105,121 | 135,962 | 102,447 | ||||||||||||
Basic net income (loss) per share |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) | |||||
Diluted net income (loss) per share |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) |
(8) Notes Payable, Long-term Debt and Lease Obligations
June 30, | December 31, | |||||||
Obligations (in thousands) |
2010 | 2009 | ||||||
Revolving line of credit |
$ | | $ | 118,000 | ||||
Term loan facility |
105,250 | 101,563 | ||||||
Secured equipment financing |
| 19,080 | ||||||
Amended and restated subordinated seller note |
| 35,000 | ||||||
Facility lease obligation |
3,930 | 4,174 | ||||||
Equipment capital leases and other notes payable |
2,436 | 8,220 | ||||||
Unamortized non-cash debt discount |
| (8,656 | ) | |||||
Total |
111,616 | 277,381 | ||||||
Current portion of notes payable, long-term debt and lease obligations |
(6,655 | ) | (271,132 | ) | ||||
Non-current portion of notes payable, long-term debt and lease obligations |
$ | 104,961 | $ | 6,249 | ||||
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Revolving Line of Credit and Term Loan Facility. On March 25, 2010, ION, its Luxembourg
subsidiary, ION International S.à r.l. (ION Sàrl), and certain of its other U.S. and foreign
subsidiaries entered into a new credit facility (the Credit Facility). The terms of the Credit
Facility are set forth in a credit agreement dated as of March 25, 2010 (the Credit Agreement),
by and among ION, ION Sàrl and China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd., New York Branch (CMB), as
administrative agent and lender. The obligations of ION under the Credit Facility are guaranteed
by certain of IONs material U.S. subsidiaries and the obligations of ION Sàrl under the Credit
Facility are guaranteed by certain of IONs material U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, in each case
that are parties to the credit agreement.
The Credit Facility replaced IONs previous syndicated credit facility under an amended and
restated credit agreement dated as of July 3, 2008, as subsequently amended numerous times (the
Prior Facility). The terms and conditions of the Credit Facility are similar in many respects to
the terms and conditions under the Prior Facility. The Credit Facility provides ION with a
revolving line of credit of up to $100.0 million in borrowings (including borrowings for letters of
credit) and refinanced IONs outstanding term loan under the Prior Facility with a new term loan in
the original principal amount of $106.3 million. The Credit Facility, like the Prior Facility,
permits direct borrowings by ION Sàrl for use by IONs foreign subsidiaries.
Under the Credit Facility, up to $75.0 million is available for revolving line of credit
borrowings by ION, and up to $60.0 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) is available
for revolving line of credit borrowings by ION Sàrl, but the total amounts borrowed may not exceed
$100.0 million. Borrowings under the Credit Facility are not subject to a borrowing base. As of
June 30, 2010, ION had no indebtedness outstanding under the revolving line of credit.
Revolving credit borrowings under the Credit Facility may be utilized to fund the working
capital needs of ION and its subsidiaries, and to finance acquisitions and investments and for
general corporate purposes. In addition, the Credit Facility includes a $35.0 million sub-limit for
the issuance of documentary and stand-by letters of credit.
The revolving credit indebtedness and term loan indebtedness under the Credit Facility are
each scheduled to mature on March 24, 2015. The $106.3 million original principal amount under the
term loan is subject to scheduled quarterly amortization payments, commencing on June 30, 2010, of
$1.0 million per quarter until the maturity date, with the remaining unpaid principal amount of the
term loan due upon the maturity date. The indebtedness under the Credit Facility may sooner mature
on a date that is 18 months after the earlier of (i) any dissolution of INOVA Geophysical, or (ii)
the administrative agent determining in good faith that INOVA Geophysical or BGP, as the case may
be, is unable to perform its obligations under its guarantee, which is described below.
The interest rate per annum on borrowings under the Credit Facility will be, at IONs option:
| An alternate base rate equal to the sum of (i) the greatest of (a) the prime rate of CMB, (b) a federal funds effective rate plus 0.50%, or (c) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate plus 1.0%, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 2.5%; or | ||
| For eurodollar borrowings and borrowings in Euros, Pounds Sterling or Canadian Dollars, the sum of (i) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 3.5%. |
As of June 30, 2010, the $105.3 million in outstanding term loan indebtedness under the Credit
Facility accrued interest at an applicable LIBOR-based interest rate, including an applicable
margin, equal to 3.8% per annum.
The parties had originally contemplated that INOVA Geophysical would be an additional
guarantor or provider of credit support under the Credit Agreement. However, due to the time
required to obtain necessary Chinese governmental approvals for such credit support from INOVA
Geophysical, the Credit Agreement instead provided that BGP enter into an agreement to guarantee
the indebtedness under the Credit Facility, which the INOVA Geophysical guarantee would replace
when the applicable governmental approvals were obtained. ION entered into a credit support
agreement with BGP whereby ION agreed to indemnify BGP for losses sustained by BGP that arose out
of or were a result of the enforcement of BGPs guarantee. In June 2010, BGP was released from its
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guarantee obligations and these obligations were assumed by INOVA Geophysical as originally
contemplated under the Credit Agreement. In addition, IONs credit support agreement with BGP was
terminated.
The obligations of ION and the guarantee obligations of the U.S. guarantors are secured by a
first-priority security interest in 100% of the stock of all U.S. guarantors and 65% of the stock
of certain first-tier foreign subsidiaries and by substantially all other assets of ION and the
U.S. guarantors. The obligations of ION Sàrl and the foreign guarantors are secured by a
first-priority security interest in 100% of the stock of the foreign guarantors and the U.S.
guarantors and substantially all other assets of the foreign guarantors, the U.S. guarantors and
ION.
The agreements governing the Credit Facility contain covenants that restrict the borrowers,
the guarantors and their subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions, from:
| Incurring additional indebtedness (including capital lease obligations), granting or incurring additional liens on IONs properties, pledging shares of IONs subsidiaries, entering into certain merger or other change-in-control transactions, entering into transactions with IONs affiliates, making certain sales or other dispositions of assets, making certain investments, acquiring other businesses and entering into sale-leaseback transactions with respect to IONs properties; | ||
| Paying cash dividends on IONs common stock; and | ||
| Repurchasing and acquiring ION capital stock, unless there is no event of default under the Credit Agreement and the amount of such repurchases does not exceed an amount equal to (i) 25% of IONs consolidated net income for the prior fiscal year, less (ii) the amount of any cash dividends paid on IONs common stock. |
The Credit Facility requires compliance with certain financial covenants, including
requirements commencing on June 30, 2011 and for each fiscal quarter thereafter for ION and its
U.S. subsidiaries to:
| Maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio in an amount equal to at least 1.125 to 1; | ||
| Not exceed a maximum leverage ratio of 3.25 to 1; and | ||
| Maintain a minimum tangible net worth of at least 60% of IONs tangible net worth as of March 31, 2010, as defined. |
The fixed charge coverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (i) IONs consolidated EBITDA less
cash income tax expense, non-financed capital expenditures and capitalized research and development
costs, to (ii) the sum of scheduled payments of lease payments and payments of principal
indebtedness, interest expense actually paid and cash dividends, in each case for the four
consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended. The leverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (x)
total funded consolidated debt, capital lease obligations and issued letters of credit (net of cash
collateral) to (y) consolidated EBITDA of ION for the four consecutive fiscal quarters most
recently ended.
The Credit Agreement for the Credit Facility contains customary event of default provisions
similar to those contained in the credit agreement for the Prior Facility (including a change of
control event affecting ION), the occurrence of which could lead to an acceleration of IONs
obligations under the Credit Facility. The Credit Agreement also provides that certain acts of
bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation of INOVA Geophysical or BGP would constitute additional
events of default under the Credit Facility.
The fair value of the Companys total outstanding notes payable and long-term debt was
determined to be $105.1 million at June 30, 2010 compared to a carrying value of $111.6 million.
The difference in the carrying value and fair value of the Companys outstanding notes payable and
long-term debt relates to the term loan under the Credit Facility. As described above, INOVA
Geophysical is an additional guarantor under the Credit Agreement. The fair value of the term loan
was calculated using an estimated interest rate for non-guaranteed debt.
(9) Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock
During 2005, the Company entered into an Agreement with Fletcher (this Agreement, as
amended to the date hereof, is referred to
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as the Fletcher Agreement) and issued to Fletcher 30,000 shares of Series D-1 Cumulative
Convertible Preferred Stock (Series D-1 Preferred Stock) in a privately-negotiated transaction,
receiving $29.8 million in net proceeds. The Fletcher Agreement also provided to Fletcher an
option to purchase up to an additional 40,000 shares of additional series of preferred stock from
time to time, with each series having a conversion price that would be equal to 122% of an average
daily volume-weighted market price of the Companys common stock over a trailing period of days at
the time of issuance of that series. In 2007 and 2008, Fletcher exercised this option and
purchased 5,000 shares of Series D-2 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock (Series D-2 Preferred
Stock) for $5.0 million (in December 2007) and 35,000 shares of Series D-3 Cumulative Convertible
Preferred Stock (Series D-3 Preferred Stock) for $35.0 million (in February 2008). The shares of
Series D-1 Preferred Stock, Series D-2 Preferred Stock and Series D-3 Preferred Stock are sometimes
referred to herein as the Series D Preferred Stock.
Dividends on the shares of Series D Preferred Stock must be paid in cash on a quarterly basis.
Dividends are payable at a rate equal to the greater of (i) 5.0% per annum or (ii) the three month
LIBOR rate on the last day of the immediately preceding calendar quarter plus 2.5% per annum. The
Series D Preferred Stock dividend rate was 5.0% at June 30, 2010.
Under the Fletcher Agreement, if a 20-day volume-weighted average trading price per share of
the Companys common stock fell below $4.4517 (the Minimum Price), the Company was required to
deliver a notice (the Reset Notice) to Fletcher. On November 28, 2008, the volume-weighted
average trading price per share of the Companys common stock on the New York Stock Exchange for
the previous 20 trading days was calculated to be $4.328, and the Company delivered the Reset
Notice to Fletcher in accordance with the terms of the Fletcher Agreement. In the Reset Notice,
the Company elected to reset the conversion prices for the Series D Preferred Stock to the Minimum
Price ($4.4517 per share), and Fletchers rights to redeem the Series D Preferred Stock were
terminated. The adjusted conversion price resulting from this election was effective on November
28, 2008.
In addition, under the Fletcher Agreement, the aggregate number of shares of common stock
issued or issuable to Fletcher upon conversion or redemption of, or as dividends paid on, the
Series D Preferred Stock could not exceed a designated maximum number of shares (the Maximum
Number), and such Maximum Number could be increased by Fletcher providing the Company with a
65-day notice of increase, but under no circumstance could the total number of shares of common
stock issued or issuable to Fletcher with respect to the Series D Preferred Stock ever exceed
15,724,306 shares. The Fletcher Agreement had designated 7,669,434 shares as the original Maximum
Number. On November 28, 2008, Fletcher delivered a notice to the Company to increase the Maximum
Number to 9,669,434 shares, effective February 1, 2009.
On September 15, 2009, Fletcher delivered a second notice to the Company that purported to
increase the Maximum Number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series D
Preferred Stock from 9,669,434 shares to 11,669,434 shares. The Companys interpretation of the
Fletcher Agreement is that Fletcher had the right to issue only one notice to increase the Maximum
Number, which Fletcher had exercised when it delivered its notice to the Company in November 2008.
As a result, on November 6, 2009, the Company filed an action in the Court of Chancery of the State
of Delaware, styled ION Geophysical Corporation v. Fletcher International, Ltd., seeking a
declaration that, under the Fletcher Agreement, Fletcher is permitted to deliver only one notice to
increase the Maximum Number and that its second notice is legally invalid. See further discussion
of this action and other legal actions between Fletcher and the Company at Note 12 Commitments
and Contingencies.
On April 8, 2010, Fletcher converted 8,000 of its shares of the outstanding Series D-1
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and all of the outstanding 35,000 shares of the Series D-3
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock into a total of 9,659,231 shares of the Companys common
stock. The conversion price for these shares was $4.4517 per share, in accordance with the terms of
these series of preferred stock. Fletcher continues to own 22,000 shares of the Series D-1
Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and 5,000 shares of the Series D-2 Cumulative Convertible
Preferred Stock. Fletcher remains the sole holder of all of the outstanding shares of Series D
Preferred Stock.
(10) Income Taxes
The Company maintains a valuation allowance for a significant portion of its U.S. deferred tax
assets. The valuation allowance is calculated in accordance with the provisions of ASC 740,
Accounting for Income Taxes, which requires that a valuation allowance be established or
maintained when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not
be realized. In the event the Companys expectations change, an additional valuation allowance may
be required to be established on the Companys
unreserved deferred tax assets. These existing unreserved deferred tax assets are currently
considered to be more likely than not realized.
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The Companys effective tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 59.8%
(provision on income) and 22.3% (benefit on a loss), respectively. The Companys effective tax
rates for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 26.0% (provision on a loss) and 25.7%
(benefit on a loss), respectively. The increase in the Companys effective tax rate for the three
and six months ended June 30, 2010 was due primarily to the transactions involved in the closing of
the INOVA Geophysical transaction, changes in the distribution of earnings between U.S. and foreign
jurisdictions and updates to the Companys estimated annual effective tax rate. Income tax expense
for the six months ended June 30, 2010 of $14.3 million included $16.4 million of expense related
to the transactions involved in the closing of the INOVA Geophysical transaction. Excluding the
impact of these transactions, the Companys effective tax rate would have been 18.9% (benefit on a
loss) for the six months ended June 30, 2010.
The Company has no significant unrecognized tax benefits and does not expect to recognize
significant increases in unrecognized tax benefits during the next twelve month period. Interest
and penalties, if any, related to unrecognized tax benefits are recorded in income tax expense.
The Companys U.S. federal tax returns for 2005 and subsequent years remain subject to
examination by tax authorities. The Company is no longer subject to IRS examination for periods
prior to 2005, although carryforward attributes that were generated prior to 2005 may still be
adjusted upon examination by the IRS if they either have been or will be used in a future period.
In the Companys foreign tax jurisdictions, tax returns for 2006 and subsequent years generally
remain open to examination.
(11) Comprehensive Net Income (Loss)
The components of comprehensive net income (loss) are as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Net income (loss) applicable to common shares |
$ | 1,074 | $ | (16,606 | ) | $ | (70,691 | ) | $ | (55,049 | ) | |||||
Foreign currency translation adjustment |
696 | 17,529 | (1,730 | ) | 14,124 | |||||||||||
Unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities (net of taxes) |
(7,352 | ) | | (7,352 | ) | | ||||||||||
Comprehensive net income (loss) |
$ | (5,582 | ) | $ | 923 | $ | (79,773 | ) | $ | (40,925 | ) | |||||
Accumulated other comprehensive loss for the six months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $12.1
million from $36.3 million at December 31, 2009 to $24.2 million at June 30, 2010. Approximately
$21.2 million of this decrease related to the accumulated foreign currency translation losses
associated with the Companys land division, which was recognized upon disposition of the division.
This decrease in accumulated other comprehensive loss was partially offset by foreign currency
translation losses of $1.7 million and an unrealized loss on available-for-sale securities of $7.4
million.
In April 2010, the Company received in satisfaction of its trade receivables with Reservoir
Exploration Technology, ASA (RXT), 351,096,180 shares of RXT common stock having a fair value of
approximately $9.5 million. The fair value was determined using quoted prices (Level 1). The
shares have since declined to a fair value of approximately $2.1 million at June 30, 2010. The
Company accounts for its shares in RXT as available-for-sale. All unrealized gains or losses,
net of taxes, are included in accumulated other comprehensive income (equity) until realized or
until such a time a decline in fair value below cost is deemed to be other-than-temporary.
(12) Commitments and Contingencies
WesternGeco. On June 12, 2009, WesternGeco L.L.C. (WesternGeco) filed a lawsuit against the
Company in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
In the lawsuit, styled WesternGeco L.L.C. v. ION Geophysical Corporation, WesternGeco alleges that
the Company has infringed several United States patents regarding marine seismic streamer steering
devices that are owned by WesternGeco. WesternGeco is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an
injunction prohibiting the Company from making, using, selling, offering for sale or supplying any
infringing products in the United States. Based on the Companys review of the lawsuit filed by
WesternGeco and the WesternGeco patents at issue, the Company believes that its products do not
infringe any WesternGeco patents, that the claims asserted by WesternGeco are without merit and
that the
ultimate outcome of the claims against it will not result in a material adverse effect on the
Companys financial condition or results of operations. The Company intends to defend the claims
against it vigorously.
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On June 16, 2009, the Company filed an answer and counterclaims against WesternGeco, in which
the Company denies that it has infringed WesternGecos patents and asserts that the WesternGeco
patents are invalid or unenforceable. The Company also asserted that WesternGecos Q-Marine system,
components and technology infringe upon a United States patent owned by the Company related to
marine seismic streamer steering devices. The claims by the Company also assert that WesternGeco
tortiously interfered with the Companys relationship with its customers. In addition, the Company
claims that the lawsuit by WesternGeco is an illegal attempt by WesternGeco to control and restrict
competition in the market for marine seismic surveys performed using laterally steerable streamers.
In its counterclaims, the Company is requesting various remedies and relief, including a
declaration that the WesternGeco patents are invalid or unenforceable, an injunction prohibiting
WesternGeco from making, using, selling, offering for sale or supplying any infringing products in
the United States, a declaration that the WesternGeco patents should be co-owned by the Company,
and an award of unspecified monetary damages.
In June 2010, WesternGeco filed a lawsuit against various subsidiaries and affiliates of Fugro
N.V., a seismic contractor customer of the Company, accusing the defendants of infringing the same
United States patents regarding marine seismic streamer steering devices by planning to use certain
equipment purchased from the Company on a survey located outside of U.S. territorial waters. The
court approved the consolidation of the Fugro case with the case against the Company. The
defendants in the Fugro case have filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Fletcher. The Company is involved in two lawsuits filed in Delaware involving Fletcher, the
holder of shares of the Series D Preferred Stock.
| Under the Companys February 2005 agreement with Fletcher, the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued or issuable to Fletcher upon conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock could not exceed a designated maximum number of shares (the Maximum Number), and such Maximum Number could be increased by Fletcher providing the Company with a 65-day notice of increase. In November 2008, Fletcher exercised its right to increase the Maximum Number from 7,669,434 shares to 9,669,434 shares. On September 15, 2009, Fletcher delivered a second notice to the Company that purported to increase the Maximum Number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock from 9,669,434 shares to 11,669,434 shares. The Companys interpretation of the agreement with Fletcher gave Fletcher the right to issue only one notice to increase the Maximum Number, which Fletcher had exercised in November 2008. As a result, on November 6, 2009, the Company filed an action in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware, styled ION Geophysical Corporation v. Fletcher International, Ltd., seeking a declaration that, under the agreement, Fletcher is permitted to deliver only one notice to increase the Maximum Number and that its second notice is legally invalid. |
| On November 25, 2009, Fletcher filed a lawsuit against the Company and certain of its directors in the Delaware Court of Chancery. In the lawsuit, styled Fletcher International, Ltd. v. ION Geophysical Corporation, f/k/a Input/Output, Inc., ION International S.à r.l., James M. Lapeyre, Bruce S. Appelbaum, Theodore H. Elliott, Jr., Franklin Myers, S. James Nelson, Jr., Robert P. Peebler, John Seitz, G. Thomas Marsh And Nicholas G. Vlahakis, Fletcher alleged, among other things, that the Company violated Fletchers consent rights by ION Sàrl issuing a convertible promissory note to the Bank of China, New York Branch, in connection with a bridge loan funded in October 2009 by Bank of China, and that the directors violated their fiduciary duty to the Company by allowing ION Sàrl to issue the convertible note without Fletchers consent. Fletcher sought a court order requiring ION Sàrl to repay the $10 million advanced to ION Sàrl under the bridge loan and unspecified monetary damages. On March 24, 2010, the presiding judge in the case denied Fletchers request for the court order. In the lawsuit, Fletcher is not claiming that it had a right to consent to any note issued by ION Geophysical Corporation, including the issuance by ION Geophysical Corporation of a $30 million convertible promissory note to the Bank of China on October 27, 2009, as part of the bridge loan. In a Memorandum Opinion issued on May 28, 2010 in response to a motion for partial summary judgment, the judge dismissed all of Fletchers claims against the named Company directors but also concluded that, because the bridge loan note issued by ION Sàrl was convertible into ION common stock, Fletcher had the right to consent to the issuance of the note and that the Company violated Fletchers consent right by ION Sàrl issuing the note without Fletchers consent. The holder of the convertible note issued by ION Sàrl never exercised its right to convert the note, and the note was paid in full in March 2010. The Company believes that the remaining claims asserted by Fletcher in the lawsuit are without merit. The Company further believes that the monetary damages suffered by Fletcher as a result of ION Sàrl issuing the bridge loan note without Fletchers consent are nonexistent or nominal, and that the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit will not result in a material adverse effect on the Companys financial condition or results of operations. The Company intends to defend the remaining claims against it in this lawsuit vigorously. |
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Greatbatch. In 2002, the Company filed a lawsuit against operating subsidiaries of battery
manufacturer Greatbatch, Inc., including its Electrochem division (collectively Greatbatch), in
the 24th Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson in the State of Louisiana. In the
lawsuit, styled Input/Output, Inc. and I/O Marine Systems, Inc. v. Wilson Greatbatch Technologies,
Inc., Wilson Greatbatch, Ltd. d/b/a Electrochem Lithium Batteries, and WGL Intermediate Holdings,
Inc., Civil Action No. 578-881, Division A, the Company alleged that Greatbatch had fraudulently
misappropriated the Companys product designs and other trade secrets related to the batteries and
battery pack used in the Companys DigiBIRD® marine towed streamer vertical control device and used
the Companys confidential information to manufacture and market competing batteries and battery
packs. After a two-week trial, on October 1, 2009 the jury concluded that Greatbatch had committed
fraud, violated the Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act and breached a trust and nondisclosure
agreement between Greatbatch and the Company, and awarded the Company $21.7 million in compensatory
damages. On October 13, 2009, the presiding trial judge signed and entered the judgment, awarding
the Company the amount of the jury verdict. Under applicable law, the Company is also entitled to
receive legal interest from the date of filing the lawsuit, plus the Companys attorneys fees and
costs. Through June 30, 2010, accrued legal interest totaled $11.7 million, and interest will
continue to accrue at the statutory annual rate until paid. Including the verdict amount and
accrued interest, the total amount owed under the judgment as of June 30, 2010 was $33.4 million
plus the Companys attorneys fees and costs. The judgment is currently on appeal, and Greatbatch
filed a Suspensive Appeal Bond for the amount of the judgment. The Company has not recorded any
amounts related to this gain contingency as of June 30, 2010.
Sercel. On January 29, 2010, the jury in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by the Company
against seismic equipment provider Sercel, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Texas returned a verdict in the Companys favor. In the lawsuit, styled Input/Output,
Inc. et al v. Sercel, Inc., (5-06-cv-00236), the Company alleged that Sercels 408, 428 and SeaRay
digital seismic sensor units infringe the Companys United States Patent No. 5,852,242, which is
incorporated in the Companys VectorSeis® sensor technology. The Company and INOVA
Geophysical products that use the VectorSeis technology include the System Four®,
Scorpion®, FireFly®, and VectorSeis Ocean seismic acquisition systems. After
a two-week trial, the jury concluded that Sercel infringed the Companys patent and that the
Companys patent was valid, and the jury awarded the Company $25.2 million in compensatory past
damages. The Company has asked the court to issue a permanent injunction to prohibit Sercel from
making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing any infringing products into the United
States. The Company has not recorded any amounts related to this gain contingency as of June 30,
2010.
Other. The Company has been named in various other lawsuits or threatened actions that are
incidental to its ordinary business. Litigation is inherently unpredictable. Any claims against the
Company, whether meritorious or not, could be time-consuming, cause the Company to incur costs and
expenses, require significant amounts of management time and result in the diversion of significant
operational resources. The results of these lawsuits and actions cannot be predicted with
certainty. Management currently believes that the ultimate resolution of these matters will not
have a material adverse impact on the financial condition, results of operations or liquidity of
the Company.
Warranties. The Company generally warrants that all of its manufactured equipment will be free
from defects in workmanship, materials and parts. Warranty periods generally range from 30 days to
three years from the date of original purchase, depending on the product. The Company provides for
estimated warranty costs as a charge to cost of sales at time of sale, which is when estimated
future expenditures associated with such contingencies become probable and reasonably estimable.
However, new information may become available, or circumstances (such as applicable laws and
regulations) may change, thereby resulting in an increase or decrease in the amount required to be
accrued for such matters (and therefore a decrease or increase in reported net income in the period
of such change). Additionally, as warranties expire, any remaining estimated warranty cost is
credited to the income statement and would reduce the cost of products. A summary of warranty
activity is as follows (in thousands):
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
Balance at beginning of period |
$ | 754 | $ | 9,543 | $ | 5,088 | $ | 10,526 | ||||||||
Accruals for warranties issued, net of the release of
expired warranties during the period |
30 | (99 | ) | 191 | (640 | ) | ||||||||||
Accruals related to the disposed land division |
| | (3,821 | ) | | |||||||||||
Settlements made (in cash or in kind) during the period |
(111 | ) | (1,644 | ) | (785 | ) | (2,086 | ) | ||||||||
Balance at end of period |
$ | 673 | $ | 7,800 | $ | 673 | $ | 7,800 | ||||||||
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(13) Concentration of Credit and Foreign Sales Risks
The majority of the Companys foreign sales are denominated in U.S. dollars. Product revenues
are allocated to geographical locations on the basis of the ultimate destination of the equipment,
if known. If the ultimate destination of such equipment is not known, product revenues are
allocated to the geographical location of initial shipment. Service revenues, which relate
primarily to the Solutions division, are allocated based upon the billing location of the customer.
For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, international sales comprised 50% and 58%,
respectively, of total net revenues. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, the Company recognized
$34.8 million of sales to customers in Europe, $16.6 million of sales to customers in the Asia
Pacific region, $3.4 million of sales to customers in the Middle East, $13.9 million of sales to
customers in Latin American countries, $1.6 million of sales to customers in the Commonwealth of
Independent States, or former Soviet Union (CIS) and $11.5 million of sales to customers in Africa.
To the extent that world events or economic conditions negatively affect the Companys future sales
to customers in these and other regions of the world or the collectability of the Companys
existing receivables, the Companys future results of operations, liquidity, and financial
condition would be adversely affected. The Company currently requires customers in these higher
risk countries to provide their own financing and in some cases assists the customer in organizing
international financing and export-import credit guarantees provided by the United States
government. The Company does not currently extend long-term credit through promissory notes or
similar credit agreements to companies in countries the Company considers to be inappropriate for
credit risk purposes.
(14) Restructuring Activities
Due to the formation of INOVA Geophysical, the Company consolidated certain of its
Stafford-based operations, which resulted in the Company permanently ceasing to use certain leased
facilities as of March 31, 2010. The Company determined that the fair value of its remaining costs
to be incurred under its lease of these facilities was approximately $8.2 million. After
considering all deferred items on the Companys balance sheet associated with this lease, the
Company recorded a charge to its loss on disposition of land division of $5.0 million during the
three months ended March 31, 2010. For the three months ending June 30, 2010, the Company accrued
approximately $0.1 million related to accretion expense and made cash payments of $0.6 million,
resulting in a remaining liability of $7.7 million as of June 30, 2010.
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Executive Summary
Our Business. We are a leading provider of geophysical technology, services, and solutions for
the global oil and gas industry, offering advanced seismic data acquisition equipment, seismic
software, and seismic planning, processing, and interpretation services to the global energy
industry. Our product and service offerings allow exploration and production (E&P) operators to
obtain higher resolution images of the subsurface to reduce the risk of exploration and reservoir
development, and to enable seismic contractors to acquire geophysical data more efficiently.
We serve customers in all major energy producing regions of the world from strategically
located offices in 20 cities on five continents. In March 2010, we formed a land seismic equipment
joint venture with BGP Inc., China National Petroleum Corporation (BGP), a wholly-owned oil field
service subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC). The resulting joint venture
company, organized under the laws of the Peoples Republic of China, is named INOVA Geophysical
Equipment Limited (INOVA Geophysical). We believe that this joint venture will provide us the
opportunity to further extend the geographic scope of our business through the sales and service
facilities of BGP, especially in Africa, the Middle East, China, and Southeast Asia.
Our products and services include the following:
| Land seismic data acquisition equipment (principally through our 49%-owned INOVA Geophysical joint venture with BGP), |
| Marine seismic data acquisition equipment, | ||
| Navigation, command & control and data management software products, |
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| Planning services for survey design and optimization, |
| Seismic data processing and reservoir imaging services, and |
| Seismic data libraries. |
We operate our company through four business segments: Systems, Software, Solutions and INOVA
Geophysical.
| Systems towed streamer and redeployable ocean bottom cable seismic data acquisition systems and shipboard recorders, streamer positioning and control systems and energy sources (such as air guns and air gun controllers) and analog geophone sensors. |
| Software (formerly referred to as Data Management Solutions) software systems and related services for navigation and data management involving towed marine streamer and seabed operations. |
| Solutions (formerly referred to as ION Solutions) advanced seismic data processing services for marine and land environments, seismic data libraries, and Integrated Seismic Solutions (ISS) services. |
| INOVA Geophysical through INOVA Geophysical, cable-based, cableless and radio-controlled seismic data acquisition systems, digital sensors, vibroseis vehicles (i.e. vibrator trucks) and source controllers for detonator and energy sources business lines. |
Economic Conditions. Demand for our products and services is cyclical and substantially
dependent upon activity levels in the oil and gas industry, particularly our customers willingness
and ability to expend their capital for oil and natural gas exploration and development projects.
This demand is highly sensitive to current and expected future oil and natural gas prices. The
volatility of oil and natural gas prices in recent years has resulted in sharply curtailed demand
for oil and gas exploration activities in North America and other regions. Oil prices increased to
record levels during the second quarter of 2008, but, in conjunction with the global recession,
sharply declined, falling to approximately $35 per barrel during the first quarter of 2009. By the
end of 2009, oil prices had recovered to approximately $83 per barrel and, as of the end of June
2010, remained at approximately $78 per barrel. Natural gas prices followed a similar,
recession-induced downturn. After peaking at $13.31 MMBtu in July 2008, Henry Hub natural gas
prices fell approximately 50%. Unlike the recent recovery of oil prices, natural gas prices have
remained depressed due in part to the excess supply of natural gas in the North American market.
The uncertainty surrounding future economic activity levels and the tightening of credit
availability resulted in decreased sales levels for several of our businesses in 2009 and the first
half of 2010. Land seismic equipment businesses, particularly INOVA Geophysical business in North
America and Russia, have been adversely affected.
Our seismic contractor customers and the E&P companies that are users of our products,
services and technology have generally reduced their capital spending levels since 2008. We expect
that exploration and production expenditures will remain at lower levels to the extent E&P
companies and seismic contractors are either limited in their access to the credit markets or
continue to see a sustained reduction in activity in their business. There continues to be
significant uncertainty about future activity levels and the impact on our businesses. In
particular, North America and Russia land systems business and vibroseis truck business experienced
steep sales declines in 2009 and into 2010.
In response to the global economic downturn, we took measures to reduce operating costs in our
businesses during 2008 and 2009. In addition, we slowed our capital spending, including our
investments in our multi-client data libraries in 2009 and into 2010. For the six months ended June
30, 2010, total capital expenditures were $23.3 million, compared to $47.6 million for the six
months ended June 30, 2009. We are projecting total capital expenditures for 2010 to be between
$100 million to $110 million. Of that total, we expect to spend approximately $90 million to $100
million on investments in our multi-client data library, particularly in the Arctic regions, and we
anticipate that a majority of this investment will be underwritten by our customers. To the extent
that our customers commitments do not reach an acceptable level of pre-funding for these data
libraries, the amount of our anticipated investment could decline. The remaining sums are expected
to be funded from internally generated cash.
We will continue to fund strategic programs to position us for an expected recovery in
economic activity. Overall, we will continue to give priority to generating cash flows and reducing
our cost structure, while maintaining our long-term commitment to continued
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technology development.
Our business is mainly technology-based. We are not in the field crew business, and therefore do
not have large amounts of capital and other resources invested in a fleet of vessels or other
assets necessary to support contracted seismic data acquisition services, nor do we have large
manufacturing facilities. This cost structure gives us the flexibility to adjust our expense base
when downward economic cycles affect our industry.
While the current economic conditions and the decline in oil and gas prices have slowed demand
for our products and services in the near term, we believe that our industrys long-term prospects
remain favorable because of the declining rates of oil and gas production and the relatively small
number of new discoveries of significant oil and gas reserves. We believe that technology that adds
a competitive advantage through cost reductions or improvements in productivity will continue to be
valued in our marketplace, even in the current difficult market. For example, we believe that new
technologies, such as DigiFIN, Orca® and INOVA Geophysicals
FireFly® will continue to attract interest from our customers because those technologies
are designed to deliver improvements in image quality within more productive delivery systems.
International oil companies (IOCs) continue to have difficulty accessing new sources of
supply for their exploration activities, partially as a result of the growth of national oil
companies. This situation is also affected by increasing environmental concerns, particularly in
North America, where companies may be denied access to some of the most promising onshore and
offshore exploration opportunities. It is estimated that approximately 85-90% of the worlds
reserves are controlled by national oil companies, which increasingly prefer to develop resources
on their own or by working directly with the oil field services and equipment providers. These
dynamics often prevent capital, technology and project management capabilities from being optimally
deployed on the best exploration and production opportunities, which results in global supply
capacity being less than it otherwise might be. As a consequence, the pace of new supply additions
may be insufficient to keep up with demand in the event of global economic recovery.
In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico sank following a
catastrophic explosion and fire. Hydrocarbons have been discharged into the Gulf of Mexico from
the wellhead since the time of this disaster, as efforts to permanently close the wellhead and
contain the spill continue. In response to this incident, the Minerals Management Service (now
known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, or BOE) of the U.S.
Department of the Interior issued a notice on May 30, 2010 implementing a six-month moratorium on
certain drilling activities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Implementation of the moratorium was
blocked by a U.S. district court, which was subsequently affirmed on appeal, but on July 12, 2010,
the BOE issued a new moratorium that applies to deep-water drilling operations that use subsea
blowout preventers or surface blowout preventers on floating facilities. The new moratorium will
last until November 30, 2010, or until such earlier time that the BOE determines that deep-water
drilling operations can proceed safely. The BOE is also expected to issue new safety and
environmental guidelines or regulations for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and potentially in
other geographic regions, and may take other steps that could increase the costs of exploration and
production, reduce the area of operations and result in permitting delays. This incident could also
result in drilling suspensions or other regulatory initiatives in other areas of the U.S. and
abroad.
Although it is difficult to predict the ultimate impact of the moratorium or any new
guidelines, regulations or legislation, a prolonged suspension of drilling activity in the Gulf of
Mexico and other areas, new regulations and increased liability for companies operating in this
sector would adversely affect many of our customers who operate in the Gulf. This could, in turn,
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, particularly
regarding sales of our marine seismic equipment and Solutions seismic survey and data processing
activities covering locations in the Gulf of Mexico. These events negatively impacted our
Solutions segments results of operations for the second quarter of 2010, during which we
experienced a reduction in new venture sanctioning and multi-client seismic data library sales.
While seismic data processing activity in our Solutions segment was not similarly impacted during
the second quarter, we cannot currently predict whether these events will adversely affect our
future data processing services business, and if so, the extent and length of time that any such
adverse impact will be felt.
Current Developments. Our overall total net revenues of $75.4 million for the three months
ended June 30, 2010 decreased $13.9 million, or 15.6%, compared to total net revenues for the three
months ended June 30, 2009. Our overall gross profit percentage for the three months ended June 30,
2010 was 37.2% compared to 33.6% for the three months ended June 30, 2009. During the three months
ended June 30, 2010, we recorded income from operations of $6.0 million, compared to a loss from
operations of $7.5 million during the three months ended June 30, 2009.
Developments to date in 2010 include the following:
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| In January 2010, we announced that we had extended our BrasilSPAN program, which makes it one of the largest 2-D seismic datasets in our multi-client data library. The program currently contains 42,000 km of data off the coast of South America. |
| In January 2010, we announced that we had commercialized a new, high performance geophone, the SM-24XL. This addition to the Sensor portfolio leverages a simplified product design to deliver enhanced durability in the field while continuing to record high quality acoustic data for customers in oil & gas exploration and in other industries. |
| In February 2010, we announced that we had been awarded a multi-year contract with Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), the national oil company of Mexico. Under this contract, we will be delivering a broad range of seismic data processing and imaging services for multiple offshore and onshore projects during the next three years. |
| In March 2010, we announced that our cableless land seismic acquisition system, FireFly, will be used by Apache Corporation to acquire data on two separate projects in the Mendoza region of Argentina. FireFly is now manufactured and sold by INOVA Geophysical. |
| In August 2010, we announced that we were awarded a contract to outfit a BGP twelve streamer vessel with our DigiSTREAMER data acquisition system. Based on the terms of the contract, delivery is expected in the second half of 2010. However, we expect to recognize revenue in 2011. |
The information contained in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q refers to trademarks, service
marks and registered marks, as indicated, owned by us or by INOVA Geophysical. Except where stated
otherwise or unless the context otherwise requires, the terms VectorSeis, Scorpion, Orca,
ARAM and FireFly refer to the VectorSeis®, Scorpion®, Orca®, ARAM® and FireFly® registered
marks, and the terms BrasilSPAN, BasinSPAN, DigiFIN, and DigiSTREAMER refer to the
BrasilSPAN, BasinSPAN, DigiFIN, and DigiSTREAMER trademarks and service marks.
Key Financial Metrics. The following table provides an overview of key financial metrics for
our company as a whole and our four business segments during the three and six months ended June
30, 2010, compared to the comparable period. We have reclassified our previously reported results
to reflect the changes in our segments. For example, the historical results of the Legacy Land
Systems (INOVA) segment represents the disposed land division through March 25, 2010, the date of
the closing of INOVA Geophysical. These changes are more fully described above in Our Business
and in Note 5 Segment Information.
Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | ||||||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | ||||||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | ||||||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | |||||||||||||||||||
Net revenues: |
|||||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 29,792 | $ | 33,973 | $ | 45,907 | $ | 57,569 | |||||||||||
Software |
10,133 | 9,217 | 18,105 | 16,463 | |||||||||||||||
Solutions |
35,461 | 36,654 | 83,582 | 83,663 | |||||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| 9,413 | 16,511 | 38,452 | |||||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 75,386 | $ | 89,257 | $ | 164,105 | $ | 196,147 | |||||||||||
Gross profit: |
|||||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 12,381 | $ | 14,175 | $ | 17,939 | $ | 23,881 | |||||||||||
Software |
6,811 | 6,327 | 12,180 | 11,251 | |||||||||||||||
Solutions |
8,870 | 11,404 | 21,293 | 26,290 | |||||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| (1,930 | ) | (984 | ) | 2,250 | |||||||||||||
Total |
$ | 28,062 | $ | 29,976 | $ | 50,428 | $ | 63,672 | |||||||||||
Gross margin: |
|||||||||||||||||||
Systems |
41.6 | % | 41.7 | % | 39.1 | % | 41.5 | % | |||||||||||
Software |
67.2 | % | 68.6 | % | 67.3 | % | 68.3 | % |
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Three Months Ended | Six Months Ended | |||||||||||||||
June 30, | June 30, | |||||||||||||||
2010 | 2009 | 2010 | 2009 | |||||||||||||
(In thousands, except per share data) | ||||||||||||||||
Solutions |
25.0 | % | 31.1 | % | 25.5 | % | 31.4 | % | ||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| % | (20.5 | %) | (6.0 | %) | 5.9 | % | ||||||||
Total |
37.2 | % | 33.6 | % | 30.7 | % | 32.5 | % | ||||||||
Income (loss) from operations: |
||||||||||||||||
Systems |
$ | 7,231 | $ | 8,732 | $ | 8,140 | $ | 12,093 | ||||||||
Software |
6,256 | 5,818 | 11,062 | 10,248 | ||||||||||||
Solutions |
2,548 | 4,603 | 8,113 | 9,808 | ||||||||||||
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) |
| (11,834 | ) | (9,623 | ) | (17,181 | ) | |||||||||
Corporate and other |
(10,051 | ) | (14,830 | ) | (22,685 | ) | (29,011 | ) | ||||||||
Impairment of intangible assets |
| | | (38,044 | ) | |||||||||||
Total |
$ | 5,984 | $ | (7,511 | ) | $ | (4,993 | ) | $ | (52,087 | ) | |||||
Net income (loss) applicable to common shares |
$ | 1,074 | $ | (16,606 | ) | $ | (70,691 | ) | $ | (55,049 | ) | |||||
Basic net income (loss) per share |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) | |||||
Diluted net income (loss) per share |
$ | 0.01 | $ | (0.16 | ) | $ | (0.52 | ) | $ | (0.54 | ) |
We intend that the following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations
will provide information that will assist in understanding our consolidated financial statements,
the changes in certain key items in those financial statements from quarter to quarter, and the
primary factors that accounted for those changes. Our results of operations for the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010 have been materially affected by our disposition of our land businesses
in forming the INOVA Geophysical joint venture with BGP on March 25, 2010, which affects the
comparability of certain of the financial information contained in this Form 10-Q. We account for
our 49% interest in INOVA Geophysical as an equity method investment. Because the financial
statements of INOVA Geophysical are not sufficiently timely for us to apply the equity method
currently, we record our share of earnings of INOVA Geophysical on a one fiscal quarter lag basis.
Thus, our share of INOVA Geophysicals first full quarterly results will be included in our
financial results for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2010. For the three
and six months ended June 30, 2010, we recognized our share of earnings (losses) in INOVA
Geophysical of ($0.2) million which represents five days of activity between the closing of the
joint venture on March 25, 2010 through March 31, 2010.
There are a number of factors that could impact our future operating results and financial
condition, and may, if realized, cause our expectations set forth in this Form 10-Q and elsewhere
to vary materially from what we anticipate. See Item 1A. Risk Factors below.
Results of Operations
Three Months Ended June 30, 2010 Compared to Three Months Ended June 30, 2009
Net Revenues, Gross Profits and Gross Margins.
Systems. Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $4.2 million to
$29.8 million, compared to $34.0 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in
net revenues within our Systems division was attributable to a continued decline in our geophones
string product sales, which these products continue to be significantly impacted by the overall
economic slowdown. Overall, our marine products sales were relatively consistent with those for
the prior period. Gross profit for the three months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $1.8 million
to $12.4 million, representing a 41.6% gross margin, compared to $14.2 million, representing a
41.7% gross margin, for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in gross profit was
attributed solely to the overall decline in sales volumes since the overall gross margin remained
consistent.
Software. Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2010 increased by $0.9 million to
$10.1 million, compared to $9.2 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The increase was
due to the continued strong performance of Orca, our marine command and control software, as we
continue to penetrate the market and gain share. Gross profit increased by $0.5 million to $6.8
million, representing a 67.2% gross margin, compared to $6.3 million, representing a 68.6% gross
margin, for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The slight decrease in gross margins for our
Software segment was due to changes in product mix, with slightly more hardware sales, which have
lower margins than the software sales.
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Solutions. Net revenues for the three months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $1.2 million, to
$35.5 million, compared to $36.7 million for the three months ended June 30, 2009. The results for
the second quarter of 2010 reflected lower than normal revenues from our new venture programs, due
primarily to a significant portion of our 2010 programs beginning acquisition in the second half of
the year. Our completed multi-client seismic surveys and new venture programs were impacted by the
oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and political uncertainties in some of our markets. These
decreases were partially offset by increases in data processing revenues. As seen throughout 2009
and in the first half of 2010, our data processing services group continues to grow and generate
strong revenues. Gross profit decreased by $2.5 million to $8.9 million, or a 25.0% gross margin
for the three months ended June 30, 2010, compared to $11.4 million, or a 31.1% gross margin, for
the three months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in gross margins for our Solutions division was
primarily due to the effect of straight-line multi-client data library amortization rates,
triggered by low multi-client data library sales. See Critical Accounting Policies and
Estimates Multi-Client Data Library in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009 for discussion of our multi-client data library amortization policy. The overall
decrease in gross margins was partially offset by margin growth related to data processing
services.
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA). The results of our Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) segment represent
the historical results of our former land operations which are now a part of our joint venture with
BGP. On March 25, 2010 the joint venture was formed, which resulted in our deconsolidating these
contributed businesses for financial accounting purposes. Beginning March 26, 2010, we account for
our 49% interest in INOVA Geophysical as an equity method investment. Because the financial
statements of INOVA Geophysical are not sufficiently timely for us to apply the equity method
currently, we record our share of earnings of INOVA Geophysical on a one fiscal quarter lag basis.
Thus, our share of INOVA Geophysicals first full quarterly results will be included in our
financial results for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2010. Our results for
the second quarter of 2010 include ($0.2) million of our share of the equity losses in INOVA
Geophysical for the five-day period ending March 31, 2010.
Research, Development and Engineering. Research, development and engineering expense was $5.2
million, or 6.9% of net revenues, for the three months ended June 30, 2010, a decrease of $6.6
million compared to $11.8 million, or 13.2% of net revenues, for the corresponding 2009 period.
This decrease was primarily due to the formation of INOVA Geophysical. As a result, we
deconsolidated a majority of our land operations. The research and development expenses associated
with these contributed businesses for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was approximately $6.0
million.
Marketing and Sales. Marketing and sales expense of $5.6 million, or 7.5% of net revenues, for
the three months ended June 30, 2010 decreased $2.8 million compared to $8.4 million, or 9.5% of
net revenues, for the corresponding period last year. A portion of this decrease was due in part to
the formation of INOVA Geophysical. The marketing and sales expenses associated with the
contributed land businesses for the three months ended June 30, 2009 was approximately $1.1
million. The remainder of this decrease in our sales and marketing expenditures reflects decreased
salary and payroll expenses related to our reduced headcount and a decrease in travel expenses as
part of our ongoing cost reduction measures.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses of $11.2 million for the three
months ended June 30, 2010 decreased $6.1 million compared to $17.3 million for the second quarter
of 2009. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues for the three months
ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 14.9% and 19.3%, respectively. A portion of this decrease was due
to the formation of INOVA Geophysical. The general and administrative expenses associated with the
contributed land businesses for the three months ended June 30, 2009 were approximately $2.8
million. Also, general and administrative expense for the three months ended June 30, 2009
included a $3.3 million stock-based compensation expense (with respect to an out-of-period item)
related to adjustments between estimated and actual forfeiture of stock-based compensation awards.
Interest Expense, net. Interest expense, net, of $1.4 million for the three months
ended June 30, 2010 decreased $4.9 million compared to $6.3 million for the second quarter of 2009.
The decrease is due to lower debt balances, lower interest rates and lower amortization of debt
costs as a result of our refinancing transactions in the first quarter of 2010. Because of the
recent refinancing transactions, we expect that our interest expense will be significantly lower in
the second half of 2010 than we experienced in the same period of 2009. See Liquidity and
Capital Resources Sources of Capital below.
Other Income (Expense). Other expense for the three months ended June 30, 2010 was ($0.8)
million compared to ($6.4) million of other expense for the second quarter of 2009. The other
expense for the second quarter of 2009 mainly related to foreign currency exchange losses that
primarily resulted from our operations in the United Kingdom and Canada, which were not duplicated
during the three months ended June 30, 2010.
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Income Tax Expense (Benefit). Income tax expense for the three months ended June 30, 2010 was
$2.2 million compared to a tax benefit of ($4.5) million for the three months ended June 30, 2009.
We continue to maintain a valuation allowance for a significant portion of our U.S. federal net
deferred tax assets. In the event our expectations of future operating results or the availability
of certain tax planning strategies change, an additional valuation allowance may be required to be
established on our existing unreserved net U.S. deferred tax assets, which total $17.9 million at
June 30, 2010. Our effective tax rates for the three months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 59.8%
(provision on income) and 22.3% (benefit on a loss), respectively. The increase in our effective
tax rate for the three months ended June 30, 2010 was due to changes in the distribution of
earnings between U.S. and foreign jurisdictions and from updates to our estimated annual effective
tax rate.
Preferred Stock Dividends. The preferred stock dividends relate to our outstanding Series D
Convertible Preferred Stock. Quarterly dividends must be paid in cash. Dividends are paid at a
rate equal to the greater of (i) 5.0% per annum or (ii) the three month LIBOR rate on the last day
of the immediately preceding calendar quarter plus 2.5% per annum. The Series D Preferred Stock
dividend rate was 5.0% at June 30, 2010. In April 2010, Fletcher converted a portion of the
Series D Preferred Stock into shares of ION common stock, which resulted in reduced preferred stock
dividends for the quarter. See further discussion at Note 9 Cumulative Convertible Preferred
Stock.
Six Months Ended June 30, 2010 Compared to Six Months Ended June 30, 2009
Net Revenues, Gross Profits and Gross Margins.
Systems. Net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $11.7 million to
$45.9 million, compared to $57.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009. This decrease was
driven by declines in streamer positioning systems and source product sales, as well as lower
geophone string sales in the first half of 2010. Gross profit for the six months ended June 30,
2010 decreased by $5.9 million to $17.9 million, representing a 39.1% gross margin, compared to
$23.9 million, representing a 41.5% gross margin, for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The
decrease in gross margins in our Systems segment was mainly due to the overall decline in volumes,
with a slight impact due to changes in the product mix.
Software. Net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2010 increased by $1.6 million to
$18.1 million, compared to $16.5 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The increase was
principally due to the continued increased sales of our Orca software products as well as the
favorable effect of foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations. Gross profit increased by $0.9
million to $12.2 million, or a 67.3% gross margin, compared to $11.3 million, or a 68.3% gross
margin, for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The slight decrease in gross margins in our
Software segment was also due to changes in product mix.
Solutions. Net revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2010 decreased by $0.1 million, to
$83.6 million, compared to $83.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2009. As seen through
2009 and into the first half of 2010, our data processing services group continues to grow. This
growth, in addition to increased data library sales for the first half of the year offset a
reduction in new venture program activity. New venture programs in 2010 are highly skewed to the
back half of the year. Gross profit decreased by $5.0 million to $21.3 million, or a 25.5% gross
margin, compared to $26.3 million, or a 31.4% gross margin, for the six months ended June 30, 2009.
The decrease in gross margins for our Solutions division was mainly driven by lower revenues from
new venture programs compared to the prior year as well as the effect of straight-line multi-client
data library amortization rates.
Legacy Land Systems (INOVA). The results of our Legacy Land Systems (INOVA) segment
represent the historical results (through March 25, 2010) of our former land operations which are
now a part of our joint venture with BGP. On March 25, 2010, the joint venture was formed which
resulted in our deconsolidating these contributed businesses. As a result of our deconsolidation,
the periods presented are not comparable. However, our land operations continue to be
significantly impacted by the economic slow-down, particularly in North America and Russia. Our
land operations are starting to see an increase in interest and tender activities by our customers,
but we do not expect this increase in activity to have a significant impact to INOVA Geophysicals
results of operations until 2011.
Research, Development and Engineering. Research, development and engineering expense was $14.2
million, or 8.7% of net revenues, for the six months ended June 30, 2010, a decrease of $9.1
million compared to $23.3 million, or 11.9% of net revenues, for the corresponding 2009 period.
This decrease was primarily due to the formation of INOVA Geophysical. The research and
development expenses associated with the contributed land businesses for the six months ended June
30, 2009 was approximately
$11.1 million, compared to $4.2 million in the consolidated results for the six months ended
June 30, 2010. The remainder of the
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decrease in research and development expense was due to
decreased salary and payroll expenses related to our reduced headcount, lower professional fees
related to cost reduction measures, and lower supply and equipment costs due to the focus on cost
reduction during the current market downturn.
Marketing and Sales. Marketing and sales expense of $13.6 million, or 8.3% of net revenues,
for the six months ended June 30, 2010 decreased $4.6 million compared to $18.2 million, or 9.3% of
net revenues, for the corresponding period last year. A portion of this decrease was due to the
formation of INOVA Geophysical. The marketing and sales expenses associated with the contributed
land businesses for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was approximately $2.4 million, compared to
$1.4 million in the consolidated results for the six months ended June 30, 2010. The remainder of
this decrease in our marketing and sales expenditures reflected decreased salary and payroll
expenses related to our reduced headcount in 2010 and a decrease in travel expenses and
professional fees as part of our cost reduction measures.
General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses of $27.7 million for the six
months ended June 30, 2010 decreased $8.6 million compared to $36.3 million for the corresponding
period of last year. General and administrative expenses as a percentage of net revenues for the
six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 16.8% and 18.5%, respectively. A portion of this
decrease was due to the formation of INOVA Geophysical. The general and administrative expenses
associated with the contributed land businesses for the six months ended June 30, 2009 was
approximately $5.7 million, compared to $2.9 million in the consolidated results for the six months
ended June 30, 2010. Also, general and administrative expense for the six months ended June 30,
2009 included a $3.3 million stock-based compensation expense (with respect to an out-of-period
item) related to adjustments between estimated and actual forfeitures of stock-based compensation
awards. The remainder of this decrease was due to lower salary and payroll expenses related to our
reduced headcount in 2010 and by lower bad debt expense compared to the prior year.
Interest Expense, net. Interest expense, net, of $27.0 million for the six months
ended June 30, 2010 increased $13.7 million compared to $13.3 million for the first two quarters of
2009. The increase is due to the accretion of approximately $8.7 million of the non-cash debt
discount (fully amortized in the first quarter of 2010) associated with two convertible promissory
notes payable to Bank of China, New York Branch, that we had executed in October 2009 and a
write-off of $10.1 million of deferred financing charges related to our refinancing transactions
during the first quarter of 2010. As a result of these activities, we are now benefitting from
lower levels of debt, lower interest rates and reduced amortization of debt costs. Because of the
recent refinancing transactions, we expect that our interest expense will be significantly lower
the remaining second half of 2010 than we experienced in the same period of 2009. See Liquidity
and Capital Resources Sources of Capital below.
Loss on Disposition of Land Division. Due to the formation INOVA Geophysical, we
deconsolidated certain land equipment assets and liabilities from our consolidated financial
statements, and recognized the net book value impact. The majority of the loss ($21.2 million)
recognized from this transaction related to accumulated foreign currency translation adjustments
(effect of exchange rates) of our foreign subsidiaries, mainly in Canada. For additional
information, please refer to Note 3 Accounting Impact of the Formation of INOVA Geophysical and
Related Financing Transactions.
Fair Value Adjustment of the Warrant. For the first quarter of 2010, we recorded a non-cash
fair value adjustment of $12.8 million, reflecting the decrease from January 1, 2010 through March
25, 2010 (the date of the closing of the INOVA Geophysical joint venture transaction) in the fair
value of a warrant that we had issued to BGP in October 2009. On that date, the warrant was
cancelled and terminated, and the remaining $32.0 million liability representing the warrants fair
value at March 25, 2010 was reclassified to additional paid-in-capital.
Other Income (Expense). Other income for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was $2.4 million
compared to ($6.4) million of other expense for the first two quarters of 2009. The other expense
for the six months ended June 30, 2009 mainly related to foreign currency exchange losses that
primarily resulted from our operations in the United Kingdom and Canada, which were not duplicated.
Income Tax Expense (Benefit). Income tax expense for the six months ended June 30, 2010 was
$14.3 million compared to a tax benefit of ($18.5) million for the six months ended June 30, 2009.
Income tax expense for the six months ended June 30, 2010 included $16.4 million of expense related
to the transactions involved in the closing of the INOVA Geophysical joint venture with BGP.
Excluding the impact of these transactions, our effective tax rate would have been 18.9% (benefit
on a loss) for the six months ended June 30, 2010. We continue to maintain a valuation allowance
for a significant portion of our U.S. federal net deferred tax assets. In the event our
expectations of future operating results or the availability of certain tax planning strategies
change, an
additional valuation allowance may be required to be established on our existing unreserved
net U.S. deferred tax assets, which total
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$17.9 million at June 30, 2010. Our effective tax rates
for the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009 were 26.0% (provision on a loss) and 25.7% (benefit
on a loss), respectively. The increase in our effective tax rate for the six months ended June 30,
2010 was due primarily to the transactions involved in the closing of the INOVA Geophysical joint
venture with BGP and to changes in the distribution of earnings between U.S. and foreign
jurisdictions.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
Sources of Capital
Our cash requirements include our working capital requirements, and cash required for our debt
service payments, dividend payments on our preferred stock, seismic data acquisitions and capital
expenditures. As of June 30, 2010, we had positive working capital of $90.9 million. Working
capital requirements are mainly driven by our continued investment in our multi-client seismic data
library ($21.2 million during the first six months of 2010) and, to a lesser extent, our inventory
purchase obligations. Also, our headcount has traditionally been a significant driver of our
working capital needs. Because a significant portion of our business is involved in the planning,
processing and interpretation of seismic data services, one of our largest investments is in our
employees, which involves cash expenditures for their salaries, bonuses, payroll taxes and related
compensation expenses. Our working capital requirements may change from time to time depending
upon many factors, including our operating results and adjustments in our operating plan required
in response to industry conditions, competition, acquisition opportunities and unexpected events.
In recent years, our primary sources of funds have been cash flows generated from our operations,
our existing cash balances, debt and equity issuances and borrowings under our revolving credit and
term loan facilities (see Revolving Line of Credit and Term Loan Facility below)
At June 30, 2010, our principal outstanding credit facility included:
| A revolving line of credit sub-facility providing for borrowings of up to $100.0 million; and |
| A $105.3 million original principal amount term loan. |
Revolving Line of Credit and Term Loan Facility. On March 25, 2010, we, our Luxembourg
subsidiary, ION International S.à r.l. (ION Sàrl), and certain of our other U.S. and foreign
subsidiaries entered into a new credit facility (the Credit Facility). The terms of the Credit
Facility are set forth in a credit agreement dated March 25, 2010 (the Credit Agreement), by and
among us, ION Sàrl and China Merchants Bank Co., Ltd., New York Branch (CMB), as administrative
agent and lender. Our obligations under the Credit Facility are guaranteed by certain of our
material U.S. subsidiaries and the obligations of ION Sàrl under the Credit Facility are guaranteed
by certain of our material U.S. and foreign subsidiaries, in each case that are parties to the
credit agreement.
The Credit Facility replaces our previous syndicated credit facility under an Amended and
Restated Credit Agreement dated as of July 3, 2008, as it had been subsequently amended numerous
times (the Prior Facility). The terms and conditions of the Credit Facility are similar in many
respects to the terms and conditions under the Prior Facility. The Credit Facility provides us with
a revolving line of credit of up to $100.0 million in borrowings (including borrowings for letters
of credit), and refinanced our outstanding term loan under the Prior Facility with a new term loan
in the original principal amount of $106.3 million. The Credit Facility, like the Prior Facility,
permits direct borrowings by ION Sàrl for use by our foreign subsidiaries.
Under the Credit Facility, up to $75.0 million is available for revolving line of credit
borrowings by us, and up to $60.0 million (or its equivalent in foreign currencies) is available
for revolving line of credit borrowings by ION Sàrl, but the total amounts borrowed may not exceed
$100.0 million. Borrowings under the Credit Facility are not subject to a borrowing base. As of
June 30, 2010, we had no indebtedness outstanding under the revolving line of credit.
Revolving credit borrowings under the Credit Facility may be utilized to fund the working
capital needs of us and our subsidiaries, and to finance acquisitions and investments and for
general corporate purposes. In addition, the Credit Facility includes a $35.0 million sub-limit for
the issuance of documentary and stand-by letters of credit.
The revolving credit indebtedness and term loan indebtedness under the Credit Facility are
each scheduled to mature on March 24, 2015. The $106.3 million original principal amount under the
term loan is subject to scheduled quarterly amortization payments,
commencing on June 30, 2010, of $1.0 million per quarter until the maturity date, with the
remaining unpaid principal amount of the
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term loan due upon the maturity date. The indebtedness
under the Credit Facility may sooner mature on a date that is 18 months after the earlier of (i)
any dissolution of the INOVA Geophysical joint venture, or (ii) the administrative agent
determining in good faith that INOVA Geophysical is unable to perform its obligations under an
additional guarantee it has provided under the Credit Facility, which is described below.
The interest rate per annum on borrowings under the Credit Facility will be, at our option:
| An alternate base rate equal to the sum of (i) the greatest of (a) the prime rate of CMB, (b) a federal funds effective rate plus 0.50%, or (c) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate plus 1.0%, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 2.5%; or |
| For eurodollar borrowings and borrowings in Euros, Pounds Sterling or Canadian Dollars, the sum of (i) an adjusted LIBOR-based rate, and (ii) an applicable interest margin of 3.5%. |
As of June 30, 2010, the $105.3 million in outstanding term loan indebtedness under the Credit
Facility accrued interest at an applicable LIBOR-based interest rate, including an applicable
margin, equal to 3.8% per annum.
The parties had originally contemplated that INOVA Geophysical would be an additional
guarantor or provider of credit support under the Credit Agreement. However, due to the time
required to obtain necessary Chinese governmental approvals for such credit support from INOVA
Geophysical, the Credit Agreement instead provided that BGP enter into an agreement to guarantee
the indebtedness under the Credit Facility, which the INOVA Geophysical guarantee would replace
when the applicable governmental approvals were obtained. ION entered into a credit support
agreement with BGP whereby ION agreed to indemnify BGP for losses sustained by BGP that arose out
of or were a result of the enforcement of BGPs guarantee. In June 2010, BGP was released from its
guarantee obligations and these obligations were assumed by INOVA Geophysical as originally
contemplated under the Credit Agreement. In addition, IONs credit support agreement with BGP was
terminated.
Our obligations and the guarantee obligations of the U.S. guarantors are secured by a
first-priority security interest in 100% of the stock of all U.S. guarantors and 65% of the stock
of certain first-tier foreign subsidiaries and by substantially all other assets of ION and the
U.S. guarantors. The obligations of ION Sàrl and the foreign guarantors are secured by a
first-priority security interest in 100% of the stock of the foreign guarantors and the U.S.
guarantors and substantially all other assets of the foreign guarantors, the U.S. guarantors and
ION.
The agreements governing the Credit Facility contain covenants that restrict the borrowers,
the guarantors and their subsidiaries, subject to certain exceptions, from:
| Incurring additional indebtedness (including capital lease obligations), granting or incurring additional liens on our properties, pledging shares of our subsidiaries, entering into certain merger or other change-in-control transactions, entering into transactions with our affiliates, making certain sales or other dispositions of assets, making certain investments, acquiring other businesses and entering into sale-leaseback transactions with respect to our properties; |
| Paying cash dividends on our common stock; and |
| Repurchasing and acquiring our capital stock, unless there is no event of default under the Credit Agreement and the amount of such repurchases does not exceed an amount equal to (i) 25% of our consolidated net income for the prior fiscal year, less (ii) the amount of any cash dividends paid on our common stock. |
The Credit Facility requires compliance with certain financial covenants, including
requirements commencing on June 30, 2011 and for each fiscal quarter thereafter for ION and its
U.S. subsidiaries to:
| Maintain a minimum fixed charge coverage ratio in an amount equal to at least 1.125 to 1; |
| Not exceed a maximum leverage ratio of 3.25 to 1; and | ||
| Maintain a minimum tangible net worth of at least 60% of IONs tangible net worth as of March 31, 2010, as defined. |
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The fixed charge coverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (i) our consolidated EBITDA less
cash income tax expense, non-financed capital expenditures and capitalized research and development
costs, to (ii) the sum of scheduled payments of lease payments and payments of principal
indebtedness, interest expense actually paid and cash dividends, in each case for the four
consecutive fiscal quarters most recently ended. The leverage ratio is defined as the ratio of (x)
total funded consolidated debt, capital lease obligations and issued letters of credit (net of cash
collateral) to (y) our consolidated EBITDA for the four consecutive fiscal quarters most recently
ended.
The Credit Agreement for the Credit Facility contains customary event of default provisions
similar to those contained in the credit agreement for the Prior Facility (including a change of
control event affecting us), the occurrence of which could lead to an acceleration of IONs
obligations under the Credit Facility. The Credit Agreement also provides that certain acts of
bankruptcy, insolvency or liquidation of INOVA Geophysical or BGP would constitute additional
events of default under the Credit Facility.
Meeting our Liquidity Requirements
As of June 30, 2010, our total outstanding indebtedness (including capital lease obligations)
was approximately $111.6 million, consisting of approximately $105.3 million outstanding under the
term loan, $3.9 million relating to our facility lease obligation and $2.4 million of capital
leases and other notes payable. The repayment in full in March 2010 of the previous $101.6 million
term loan, the $118.0 million in revolving indebtedness under our former credit facility and the
$35.0 million in outstanding indebtedness under an amended and restated subordinated promissory
note instrument given in connection with our 2008 acquisition of ARAM Systems Ltd., plus the
assumption by INOVA Geophysical of our $18.4 million (as of March 25, 2010) ICON Secured Equipment
Financing indebtedness represented a significant de-leveraging of our balance sheet and the
repayment of the majority of our short-term debt. As of June 30, 2010, we had no amounts drawn on
our revolving line of credit under our Credit Facility and had approximately $16.3 million of cash
on hand.
For the six months ended June 30, 2010, total capital expenditures, including investments in
our multi-client data library, were $23.3 million, and we are projecting capital expenditures for
2010 to be between $100 million to $110 million. If there continues to be weak demand for our
products and services, we would expect these projected levels of capital expenditures to be
reduced. This, in turn, may lessen our requirements for working capital. Of the total projected
2010 capital expenditures, we are estimating that approximately $90 million to $100
million will be spent on investments in our multi-client data library, particularly in the Arctic
regions, but we are anticipating that most of these investments will be largely underwritten by our
customers. To the extent our customers commitments do not reach an acceptable level of
pre-funding, the amount of our anticipated investment in these data libraries could be
significantly less.
Cash Flow from Operations
We have historically financed our operations from internally generated cash and funds from
equity and debt financings. Cash and cash equivalents were $16.3 million at June 30, 2010, an
increase of $0.1 million compared to December 31, 2009. Net cash provided by operating activities
was $19.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2010, compared to $38.0 million for the six
months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in our cash flows from operations was due in part to the
decrease in revenues and our results of operations for the six months ended June 30, 2010 compared
to our results for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The decrease in our results of operations
is more fully described in Results of Operations Six Months Ended June 30, 2010 Compared to
Six Months Ended June 30, 2009. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, cash provided by
operations was due to a reduction in receivables partially offset by cash payments of accounts
payable and accrued expenses to meet our obligations. For the six months ended June 30, 2009, cash
provided by operations was primarily driven by increased collections on our receivables and a
decrease in our unbilled receivables due to timing of sales and invoicing. This increase was
partially offset by a decrease in our accounts payable and accrued expenses associated with
payments of our obligations.
Cash Flow from Investing Activities
Net cash flow provided by investing activities was $68.7 million for the six months ended June
30, 2010, compared to ($47.8) million for the six months ended June 30, 2009. The principal source
of cash in our investing activities during the six months ended
June 30, 2010 were $99.8 million net proceeds received from BGP for their 51% interest in
INOVA Geophysical. This source of cash
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was partially offset by $21.2 million for investments in
our multi-client data library. The investment in our multi-client data library for the comparable
period one year ago was $45.6 million.
Cash Flow from Financing Activities
Net cash flow used in financing activities was $89.1 million for the six months ended June 30,
2010, compared to $10.5 million of net cash flow provided by financing activities for the six
months ended June 30, 2009. The net cash flow used in financing activities during the six months
ended June 30, 2010 was primarily related to net repayments on our prior revolving credit facility
of $89.4 million and payments on our notes payable and long-term debt of $142.0 million. This cash
outflow was partially offset by proceeds of $38.0 million from the issuance of our common stock to
BGP in March 2010 and net proceeds of $105.7 million related to the issuance of the term loan under
the Credit Facility. We also paid $1.3 million in cash dividends on our outstanding Series D
Preferred Stock. The net cash flow provided by financing activities during the six months ended
June 30, 2009 was primarily related to $32.0 million of borrowings on our revolving credit
facility, the net proceeds from the ICON Secured Equipment Financing indebtedness of $11.8 million,
and the net proceeds of $38.2 million from the private placement of our common stock in June 2009.
This cash inflow was partially offset by scheduled principal payments on our term loan, the
prepayment of the principal balance under a 2008 bridge loan agreement and payments under our other
notes payable and capital lease obligations all totaling $66.2 million. Additionally, we paid $1.8
million in cash dividends on our outstanding Series D Preferred Stock and $3.8 million in financing
costs related to an amendment to our former credit facility during the six months ended June 30,
2009.
Inflation and Seasonality
Inflation in recent years has not had a material effect on our costs of goods or labor or the
prices for our products or services. Traditionally, our business has been seasonal, with strongest
demand in the second half of our fiscal year. However, for the fourth quarter of 2009, we did not
experience the level of normal seasonal year-end spending by oil and gas companies and seismic
contractor customers due to these customers taking a more conservative approach and lowering their
spending plans.
Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates
General. Please refer to our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2009
for a complete discussion of our other significant accounting policies and estimates. There have
been no material changes in the current period regarding our critical accounting policies and
estimates, except as described below.
Equity Method Investment. We use the equity method of accounting for investments in entities
in which we have an ownership interest between 20% and 50% and exercise significant influence.
Under this method, an investment is carried at the acquisition cost, plus our equity in
undistributed earnings or losses since acquisition. Because the financial statements of INOVA
Geophysical are not sufficiently timely for us to apply the equity method currently, we will record
our share of earnings or losses of INOVA Geophysical on a one fiscal quarter lag basis. Thus, our
share of INOVA Geophysicals first full 2010 quarterly results will be included in our financial
results for the three and nine month periods ending September 30, 2010. Our results for the second
quarter of 2010 include ($0.2) million of our share of the equity losses in INOVA Geophysical for
the five-day period ending March 31, 2010.
Revenue Recognition. The multiple element arrangements guidance codified in Accounting
Standards Codification (ASC) 605-25 was modified as a result of the final consensus reached in
EITF Issue No. 08-1, Revenue Arrangements with Multiple Deliverables, which was codified by
Accounting Standards Update (ASU) 2009-13. We adopted this new guidance in the second quarter of
2010. Consistent with its transitional requirements, this new guidance was applied retrospectively
as of January 1, 2010. Accordingly, we applied this guidance to transactions initiated or
materially modified on or after January 1, 2010. There was no impact of adopting this guidance to
our previously reported results for the first quarter of 2010, nor was there a material impact to
our financial statements during the second quarter of 2010.
This guidance eliminates the residual method of allocation for multiple-deliverable revenue
arrangements and requires that arrangement consideration be allocated at the inception of an
arrangement to all deliverables using the relative selling price method. Per the provisions of
this guidance, we allocate arrangement consideration to each deliverable qualifying as a separate
unit of accounting in an arrangement based on its relative selling price. We determine selling
price using vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE), if it exists, and otherwise third-party
evidence (TPE). If neither VSOE nor TPE of selling price exists for a unit of
accounting, we use estimated selling price (ESP). We generally expect that we will not be
able to establish TPE due to the nature of the
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markets in which we compete, and, as such, we
typically will determine selling price using VSOE or if not available, ESP. VSOE is generally
limited to the price charged when the same or similar product is sold on a standalone basis. If a
product is seldom sold on a standalone basis, it is unlikely that we can determine VSOE for the
product.
If we are unable to establish selling price using VSOE, we will use ESP in our allocation of
arrangement consideration. The objective of ESP is to determine the price at which we would
transact if the product were sold by us on a standalone basis. Our determination of ESP involves a
weighting of several factors based on the specific facts and circumstances of the arrangement.
Specifically, we will consider the anticipated margin on the particular deliverable, the selling
price and profit margin for similar products and our ongoing pricing strategy and policies.
We believe this new guidance will principally impact our Systems division in which a typical
arrangement might involve the sale of various products of our acquisition systems and other seismic
equipment. Products under these arrangements are often delivered to the customer within the same
period, but in certain situations, depending upon product availability and the customers delivery
requirements, the products could be delivered to the customer at different times. In these
situations, we consider our products to be separate units of accounting provided the following
criteria are met: the delivered product has value to the customer on a standalone basis; and for
an arrangement that includes a general right of return relative to the delivered products, delivery
of the undelivered product is considered probable and is substantially controlled by us. We
consider a deliverable to have standalone value if the product is sold separately by us or another
vendor or could be resold by the customer. Further, our revenue arrangements generally do not
include a general right of return relative to the delivered products.
In addition, in the second quarter of 2010 and pursuant to the transitional requirements of
the new multiple element revenue guidance, we adopted the guidance codified by ASU 2009-14,
Certain Arrangements That Include Software Elements, retrospectively as of January 1, 2010. This
guidance amends the accounting model for revenue arrangements that includes both tangible products
and software elements, such that tangible products containing both software and non-software
components that function together to deliver the tangible products essential functionality are no
longer within the scope of software revenue guidance. There was not a material impact to our
financial statements of adopting this guidance.
Credit and Foreign Sales Risks
The majority of our foreign sales are denominated in United States dollars. Product revenues
are allocated to geographical locations on the basis of the ultimate destination of the equipment,
if known. If the ultimate destination of such equipment is not known, product revenues are
allocated to the geographical location of initial shipment. Service revenues, which primarily
relate to our Solutions division, are allocated based upon the billing location of the customer.
For the six months ended June 30, 2010 and 2009, international sales comprised 50% and 58%,
respectively, of total net revenues. For the six months ended June 30, 2010, we recognized $34.8
million of sales to customers in Europe, $16.6 million of sales to customers in Asia Pacific, $3.4
million of sales to customers in the Middle East, $13.9 million of sales to customers in Latin
American countries, $1.6 million of sales to customers in the Commonwealth of Independent States,
or former Soviet Union (CIS) and $11.5 million of sales to customers in Africa. To the extent that
world events or economic conditions negatively affect our future sales to customers in these and
other regions of the world or the collectability of our existing receivables, our future results of
operations, liquidity, and financial condition may be adversely affected. We currently require
customers in these higher risk countries to provide their own financing and in some cases assist
the customer in organizing international financing and export-import credit guarantees provided by
the United States government. We do not currently extend long-term credit through promissory notes
or similar credit agreements to companies in countries we consider to be inappropriate for credit
risk purposes.
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk
Please refer to Item 7A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31,
2009, for a discussion regarding the Companys quantitative and qualitative disclosures about
market risk. There have been no material changes to those disclosures during the three and six
months ended June 30, 2010.
Item 4. Controls and Procedures
Disclosure Controls and Procedures. Disclosure controls and procedures are designed to ensure
that information required to be disclosed in the reports we file with or submit to the SEC under
the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported
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within the time period specified
by the SECs rules and forms. Disclosure controls and procedures, include, without limitation,
controls and procedures designed to ensure that information required to be disclosed under the
Exchange Act is accumulated and communicated to management, including the principal executive
officer and the principal financial officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
required disclosure.
Our management carried out an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of
our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 13a-15(e) under the Exchange Act) as of
June 30, 2010. Based upon that evaluation, our principal executive officer and our principal
financial officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of June
30, 2010.
Changes in Internal Control over Financial Reporting. There were no changes in our internal
control over financial reporting identified in connection with the evaluation required by Rule
13a-15(f) under the Exchange Act that was conducted during the prior fiscal quarter, which have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over
financial reporting.
PART II OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings
WesternGeco. On June 12, 2009, WesternGeco L.L.C. (WesternGeco) filed a lawsuit against us
in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. In the
lawsuit, styled WesternGeco L.L.C. v. ION Geophysical Corporation, WesternGeco alleges that we have
infringed several United States patents regarding marine seismic streamer steering devices that are
owned by WesternGeco. WesternGeco is seeking unspecified monetary damages and an injunction
prohibiting us from making, using, selling, offering for sale or supplying any infringing products
in the United States. Based on our review of the lawsuit filed by WesternGeco and the WesternGeco
patents at issue, we believe that our products do not infringe any WesternGeco patents, that the
claims asserted by WesternGeco are without merit and that the ultimate outcome of the claims will
not result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. We
intend to defend the claims against us vigorously.
On June 16, 2009, we filed an answer and counterclaims against WesternGeco, in which we deny
that we have infringed WesternGecos patents and assert that the WesternGeco patents are invalid or
unenforceable. We also asserted that WesternGecos Q-Marine system, components and technology
infringe upon our United States patent related to marine seismic streamer steering devices. We also
assert that WesternGeco tortiously interfered with our relationship with our customers. In
addition, we are claiming that the lawsuit by WesternGeco is an illegal attempt by WesternGeco to
control and restrict competition in the market for marine seismic surveys performed using laterally
steerable streamers. We are requesting various remedies and relief, including a declaration that
the WesternGeco patents are invalid or unenforceable, an injunction prohibiting WesternGeco from
making, using, selling, offering for sale or supplying any infringing products in the United
States, a declaration that the WesternGeco patents should be co-owned by us, and an award of
unspecified monetary damages.
In June 2010, WesternGeco filed a lawsuit against various subsidiaries and affiliates of Fugro
N.V., a seismic contractor customer of the Company, accusing the defendants of infringing the same
United States patents regarding marine seismic streamer steering devices by planning to use certain
equipment purchased from us on a survey located outside of U.S. territorial waters. The court
approved the consolidation of the Fugro case with our case. The defendants in the Fugro case have
filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit.
Fletcher. We are involved in two lawsuits filed in Delaware involving Fletcher International,
Ltd. (Fletcher), the holder of shares of our Series D Preferred Stock.
| Under our February 2005 agreement with Fletcher, the aggregate number of shares of common stock issued or issuable to Fletcher upon conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock could not exceed a designated maximum number of shares (the Maximum Number), and such Maximum Number could be increased by Fletcher providing us with a 65-day notice of increase. In November 2008, Fletcher exercised its right to increase the Maximum Number from 7,669,434 shares to 9,669,434 shares. On September 15, 2009, Fletcher delivered a second notice to us that purported to increase the Maximum Number of shares of common stock issuable upon conversion of our Series D Preferred Stock from 9,669,434 shares to 11,669,434 shares. Our interpretation of the agreement with Fletcher gave Fletcher the right to issue only one notice to increase the Maximum Number (which Fletcher had exercised in November 2008). On November 6, 2009, we filed an action in the Court of Chancery of the State |
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of Delaware, styled ION Geophysical Corporation v. Fletcher International, Ltd., seeking a declaration that, under the agreement, Fletcher is permitted to deliver only one notice to increase the Maximum Number and that its second notice is legally invalid. |
| On November 25, 2009, Fletcher filed a lawsuit against us and certain of our directors in the Delaware Court of Chancery. In the lawsuit, styled Fletcher International, Ltd. v. ION Geophysical Corporation, f/k/a Input/Output, Inc., ION International S.à r.l., James M. Lapeyre, Bruce S. Appelbaum, Theodore H. Elliott, Jr., Franklin Myers, S. James Nelson, Jr., Robert P. Peebler, John Seitz, G. Thomas Marsh And Nicholas G. Vlahakis, Fletcher alleged, among other things, that we violated Fletchers consent rights by ION Sàrl, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of ION Geophysical Corporation, issuing a convertible promissory note to the Bank of China in connection with the Bank of China bridge loan funded on October 27, 2009, and that the directors violated their fiduciary duty to the company by allowing ION Sàrl to issue the convertible note without Fletchers consent. Fletcher sought a court order requiring ION Sàrl to repay the $10 million advanced to ION Sàrl under the bridge loan and unspecified monetary damages. On March 24, 2010, the presiding judge in the case denied Fletchers request for the court order. In the lawsuit, Fletcher is not claiming that it had a right to consent to any note issued by ION Geophysical Corporation, including the issuance by ION Geophysical Corporation of a $30 million convertible promissory note to the Bank of China on October 27, 2009, as part of a bridge loan extended by Bank of China, New York Branch. In a Memorandum Opinion issued on May 28, 2010 in response to a motion for partial summary judgment, the judge dismissed all of Fletchers claims against our named directors but also concluded that, because the bridge loan note issued by ION Sàrl was convertible into ION common stock, Fletcher had the right to consent to the issuance of the note and that we violated Fletchers consent right by ION Sàrl issuing the note without Fletchers consent. The holder of the convertible note issued by ION Sàrl never exercised its right to convert the note, and the note was paid in full in March 2010. We believe that the remaining claims asserted by Fletcher in the lawsuit are without merit. We further believe that the monetary damages suffered by Fletcher as a result of ION Sàrl issuing the bridge loan note without Fletchers consent are nonexistent or nominal, and that the ultimate outcome of the lawsuit will not result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition or results of operations. We intend to defend the remaining claims against us in this lawsuit vigorously. |
Greatbatch. In 2002, we filed a lawsuit against operating subsidiaries of battery manufacturer
Greatbatch, Inc., including its Electrochem division (collectively Greatbatch), in the 24th
Judicial District Court for the Parish of Jefferson in the State of Louisiana. In the lawsuit,
styled Input/Output, Inc. and I/O Marine Systems, Inc. v. Wilson Greatbatch Technologies, Inc.,
Wilson Greatbatch, Ltd. d/b/a Electrochem Lithium Batteries, and WGL Intermediate Holdings, Inc.,
Civil Action No. 578-881, Division A, we alleged that Greatbatch had fraudulently misappropriated
our product designs and other trade secrets related to the batteries and battery pack used in our
DigiBIRD® marine towed streamer vertical control device and used our confidential
information to manufacture and market competing batteries and battery packs. After a two-week
trial, on October 1, 2009 the jury concluded that Greatbatch had committed fraud, violated the
Louisiana Unfair Trade Practices Act and breached a trust and nondisclosure agreement between us
and Greatbatch, and awarded us $21.7 million in compensatory damages. On October 13, 2009, the
presiding trial judge signed and entered the judgment, awarding us the amount of the jury verdict.
Under applicable law, we are also entitled to receive legal interest from the date of filing the
lawsuit, plus our attorneys fees and costs. Through June 30, 2010, accrued legal interest totaled
$11.7 million, and interest will continue to accrue at the statutory annual rate until paid.
Including the verdict amount and accrued interest, the total amount owed under the judgment as of
June 30, 2010 was $33.4 million plus our attorneys fees and costs. The judgment is currently on
appeal, and Greatbatch filed a Suspensive Appeal Bond for the amount of the judgment.
Sercel. On January 29, 2010, the jury in a patent infringement lawsuit filed by us against
seismic equipment provider Sercel, Inc. in the United States District Court for the Eastern
District of Texas returned a verdict in our favor. In the lawsuit, styled Input/Output, Inc. et al
v. Sercel, Inc., (5-06-cv-00236), we alleged that Sercels 408, 428 and SeaRay digital seismic
sensor units infringe our United States Patent No. 5,852,242, which is incorporated in our
VectorSeis sensor technology. Products that use our VectorSeis technology include the System Four,
Scorpion, FireFly, and VectorSeis Ocean seismic acquisition systems. After a two-week trial, the
jury concluded that Sercel infringed our patent and that our patent was valid, and the jury awarded
us $25.2 million in compensatory past damages. We have asked the court to issue a permanent
injunction to prohibit Sercel from making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing any
infringing products into the United States.
Other. We have been named in various other lawsuits or threatened actions that are incidental
to our ordinary business. Litigation is inherently unpredictable. Any claims against us, whether
meritorious or not, could be time consuming, cause us to incur costs and expenses, require
significant amounts of management time and result in the diversion of significant operational
resources. The results of these lawsuits and actions cannot be predicted with certainty. We
currently believe that the ultimate resolution of these matters will
not have a material adverse impact on our financial condition, results of operations or
liquidity.
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Item 1A. Risk Factors
This report contains or incorporates by reference statements concerning our future results and
performance and other matters that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section
27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (Securities Act), and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (Exchange Act). These statements involve known and unknown
risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause our or our industrys results, levels of
activity, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, levels
of activity, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.
In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as may, will,
would, should, intend, expect, plan, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict,
potential, or continue or the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Examples
of other forward-looking statements contained or incorporated by reference in this report include
statements regarding:
| the expected effects of current and future worldwide economic conditions and demand for oil and natural gas and seismic equipment and services; |
| the expected effects of the Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico on demand for seismic equipment and services; |
| future compliance with our debt financial covenants; |
| future benefits to be derived from our INOVA Geophysical joint venture; |
| future availability of cash to fund our operations and pay our obligations; |
| the timing of anticipated sales; |
| future levels of spending by our customers; |
| future oil and gas commodity prices; |
| future cash needs and future sources of cash, including availability under our revolving line of credit facility; |
| expected net revenues, income from operations and net income; |
| the expected outcome of litigation and other claims against us; |
| expected gross profits for our products and services; |
| future benefits to our customers to be derived from new products and services; |
| future growth rates for certain of our products and services; |
| the degree and rate of future market acceptance of our new products and services; |
| our expectations regarding oil and gas exploration and production companies and contractor end-users purchasing our more technologically advanced products and services; |
| anticipated timing and success of commercialization and capabilities of products and services under development and start-up costs associated with their development; |
| expected improved operational efficiencies from our full-wave digital products and services; |
| potential future acquisitions; | ||
| future levels of capital expenditures; |
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| our ability to maintain our costs at consistent percentages of our revenues in the future; |
| future demand for seismic equipment and services; |
| future seismic industry fundamentals; |
| the adequacy of our future liquidity and capital resources; |
| future opportunities for new products and projected research and development expenses; |
| success in integrating our acquired businesses; |
| sufficient future profits to fully utilize our net operating losses; |
| expectations regarding realization of deferred tax assets; and |
| anticipated results regarding accounting estimates we make. |
These forward-looking statements reflect our best judgment about future events and trends
based on the information currently available to us. Our results of operations can be affected by
inaccurate assumptions we make or by risks and uncertainties known or unknown to us. Therefore, we
cannot guarantee the accuracy of the forward-looking statements. Actual events and results of
operations may vary materially from our current expectations and assumptions.
Information regarding some of the important factors that could cause actual results to
differ, perhaps materially, from those described in our forward-looking statements is contained in
the section entitled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 2009 (beginning on page 17), in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal
quarter ended March 31, 2010 (beginning on page 32) and in this 10-Q.
We disclaim any obligation, other than as may be imposed by law, to publicly update or
revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or
otherwise.
In addition to the section entitled Risk Factors in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for
the year ended December 31, 2009 and in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter
ended March 31, 2010, which have been previously filed with the SEC, we believe the following risk
factors should be considered carefully.
Our stock price has been volatile from time to time. It declined precipitously from
October 2008 to March 2009, and could decline again.
The securities markets in general and our common stock in particular have experienced
significant price and volume volatility in 2008, 2009 and 2010. The market price and trading volume
of our common stock may continue to experience significant fluctuations due not only to general
stock market conditions but also to a change in sentiment in the market regarding our operations or
business prospects or those of companies in our industry. In addition to the other risk factors
discussed in this section, the price and volume volatility of our common stock may be affected by:
| operating results that vary from the expectations of securities analysts and investors; |
| factors influencing the levels of global oil and natural gas exploration and exploitation activities, such as a decline in prices for natural gas in North America; |
| the operating and securities price performance of companies that investors or analysts consider comparable to us; |
| announcements of strategic developments, acquisitions and other material events by us or our competitors; and |
| changes in global financial markets and global economies and general market conditions, such as interest rates, commodity and equity prices and the value of financial assets. |
To the extent that the price of our common stock remains at lower levels or it declines
further, our ability to raise funds through the
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issuance of equity or otherwise use our common
stock as consideration will be reduced. In addition, further increases in our leverage may make it
more difficult for us to access additional capital. These factors may limit our ability to
implement our operating and growth plans.
If we, our option holders or stockholders holding registration rights sell additional shares
of our common stock in the future, the market price of our common stock could decline.
Additionally, our outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock are convertible into shares of our
common stock. The conversion of the Series D Preferred Stock and exercise of our stock options
could result in substantial dilution to our existing stockholders. Sales in the open market of the
shares of common stock acquired upon such conversion or exercises may have the effect of reducing
the then-current market prices for our common stock.
The market price of our common stock could decline as a result of sales of a large number
of shares of our common stock in the market in the future, or the perception that such sales could
occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, could make it more difficult for
us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and at a price that we deem appropriate.
As of July 29, 2010, we had 152,341,380 shares of common stock issued and outstanding.
Substantially all of these shares are available for public sale, subject in some cases to volume
and other limitations or delivery of a prospectus. At July 29, 2010, we had outstanding stock
options to purchase up to 7,373,600 shares of our common stock at a weighted average exercise price
of $7.51 per share. We also had, as of that date, 914,907 shares of common stock reserved for
issuance under outstanding restricted stock and restricted stock unit awards.
On April 8, 2010, Fletcher International, Ltd., the holder of our Series D Preferred
Stock, converted 8,000 shares of Series D-1 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and 35,000
shares of Series D-3 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock into a total of 9,659,231 shares of our
common stock. After giving effect to this conversion, Fletcher continues to hold 22,000 shares of
our Series D-1 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock and 5,000 shares of our Series D-2 Cumulative
Convertible Preferred Stock. Under the terms of the agreement with Fletcher by which it purchased
the Series D Preferred Stock, Fletcher has the ability to sell, under currently effective
registration statements, the shares of our common stock acquired by it upon conversion of the
Series D Preferred Stock.
In September 2009, Fletcher delivered a notice to us purporting to increase the total
maximum number of shares of our common stock into which Fletchers preferred shares may convert,
from 9,669,434 shares to 11,669,434 shares. Fletcher had delivered to us a similar notice in
November 2008 to increase the then-maximum total number of shares of common stock into which
Fletchers preferred shares could convert, from 7,669,434 shares to 9,669,434 shares. Because we
believe that our agreement with Fletcher does not provide it, as the holder of our Series D
Preferred Stock, the right to demand the additional increase requested in September 2009, we have
filed a declaratory judgment action in the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware asking the
court to resolve the issue. We currently have other pending litigation with Fletcher in Delaware
regarding other issues involving our Series D Preferred Stock. For more information regarding our
pending litigation with Fletcher, please see Item 1. Legal Proceedings of this Form 10-Q.
The conversion of our outstanding shares of Series D Preferred Stock into shares of our
common stock will dilute the ownership interests of existing stockholders. Sales in the public
market of shares of common stock issued upon conversion would likely apply downward pressure on
prevailing market prices of our common stock. In addition, the very existence of the outstanding
shares of the Series D Preferred Stock represents potential issuances of common stock upon their
conversion, and could represent potential sales into the market of our common stock to be acquired
on conversion, which could also depress trading prices for our common stock.
The conversion price of our outstanding Series D Preferred Stock is also subject to certain
customary anti-dilution adjustments. For additional information regarding the terms of our Series D
Preferred Stock, please see Note 9 Cumulative Convertible Preferred Stock in this Form 10-Q.
The 18,500,000 shares of common stock that we issued in June 2009 to certain
institutional investors may be resold into the public markets in transactions pursuant to a
currently-effective registration statement that was declared effective by the SEC on June 16, 2009.
Thus, to the extent they have not already done so, these purchasing institutional investors
currently have the right to dispose of their shares in the public markets.
Shares of our common stock are also subject to certain demand and piggyback registration
rights held by Laitram, L.L.C. We also may enter into additional registration rights agreements in
the future in connection with any subsequent acquisitions or securities transactions we may
undertake. Any sales of our common stock under these registration rights arrangements with Laitram
or other stockholders could be negatively perceived in the trading markets and negatively affect
the price of our common stock. Sales of a
substantial number of our shares of common stock in the public market under these arrangements, or
the expectation of such sales, could cause the market price of our common stock to decline.
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Our INOVA Geophysical Joint Venture with BGP involves numerous risks.
Our INOVA Geophysical joint venture with BGP is focused on designing, engineering,
manufacturing, research and development, sales and marketing and field support of land-based
equipment used in seismic data acquisition for the oil and gas industry. Excluded from the scope of
the joint ventures business are the analog sensor businesses of our company and BGP and the
businesses of certain companies in which BGP or we are currently a minority owner. In addition to
these excluded businesses, all of our other businesses including our Systems and Software
business segments and our Solutions division, which includes our Imaging Solutions, Integrated
Seismic Solutions (ISS) and BasinSPAN and seismic data library businesses remain owned and
operated by us and do not comprise a part of the joint venture.
We may encounter difficulties in developing and expanding the business of INOVA
Geophysical, funding any future capital contributions to the joint venture, exercising influence
over the management and activities of the joint venture, quality control concerns regarding joint
venture products and services and potential conflicts of interest with the joint venture and our
joint venture partner. Any inability to meet our obligations as a joint venture partner under the
joint venture agreement could result in our being subject to penalties and reduced percentage
interests in the joint venture for our company. Also, we could be disadvantaged in the event of
disputes and controversies with our joint venture partner, since our joint venture partner is a
relatively significant customer of our products and services and future products and services of
the joint venture.
The joint venture is also subject to various additional risks that could adversely affect
our results of operations. These risks include the following:
| our interests could diverge from BGPs interests in the future or we may not be able to agree with BGP on ongoing manufacturing, research and development and operational activities, or on the amount, timing or nature of further investments in the joint venture; |
| the terms of our joint venture arrangements may turn out to be unfavorable; |
| we currently own 49% of the total equity interests in INOVA Geophysical, so there are certain decisions affecting the business of the joint venture that we cannot control or influence; |
| the joint ventures cash flows may be inadequate to fund its capital requirements, thereby requiring additional contributions to the capital of the joint venture by the partners; |
| joint venture profits and cash flows may prove inadequate to fund cash dividends from the joint venture to the joint venture partners; and |
| the joint venture may experience difficulties and delays in ramping up production of the joint ventures products. |
If the INOVA Geophysical joint venture is not successful, our business, results of
operations and financial condition will likely be adversely affected.
A drilling moratorium in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico, or other regulatory initiatives in response
to the current oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, could adversely affect our customers and our
business.
In April 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico sank following a
catastrophic explosion and fire. Hydrocarbons have been discharged continuously into the Gulf of
Mexico from the wellhead since the time of this disaster, as efforts to permanently close the
wellhead and contain the spill continue. In response to this incident, the Minerals Management
Service (now known as the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement, or BOE)
of the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a notice on May 30, 2010 implementing a six-month
moratorium on certain drilling activities in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico. Implementation of the
moratorium was blocked by a U.S. district court, which was subsequently affirmed on appeal, but on
July 12, 2010, the BOE issued a new moratorium that applies to deep-water drilling operations that
use subsea blowout preventers or surface blowout preventers on floating facilities. The new
moratorium will last until November 30, 2010, or until such earlier time that the BOE determines
that deep-water drilling operations can proceed safely. The BOE is also expected to issue new
safety and environmental guidelines or regulations for drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, and
potentially in other geographic regions, and may take other steps that could increase the costs of
exploration and production, reduce the area of operations and result in permitting delays. This
incident could also result in drilling suspensions or other regulatory initiatives in other areas
of the U.S. and abroad.
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Although it is difficult to predict the ultimate impact of the moratorium or any new
guidelines, regulations or legislation, a prolonged suspension of drilling activity in the Gulf of
Mexico and other areas, new regulations and increased liability for companies operating in this
sector would adversely affect many of our customers who operate in the Gulf. This could, in turn,
adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition, particularly
regarding sales of our marine seismic equipment and Solutions seismic survey activities covering
locations in the Gulf of Mexico. This event negatively impacted our Solutions segment during the
second quarter, during which we experienced a reduction in new venture and multi-client seismic
data library sales. Data processing activity in out Solutions segment was not similarly impacted
during the second quarter. However, we cannot currently predict whether these events will
adversely affect our future data processing services business, and if so, the extent and length of
time that any such adverse impact will be felt.
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
(a) Not applicable.
(b) Not applicable.
(c) During the three months ended June 30, 2010, in connection with the vesting of (or lapse
of restrictions on) shares of our restricted stock held by certain employees, we acquired shares of
our common stock in satisfaction of tax withholding obligations that were incurred on the vesting
date. The date of cancellation, number of shares and average effective acquisition price per
share, were as follows:
(d) Maximum Number | ||||||||||||||||
(or Approximate | ||||||||||||||||
(c) Total Number of | Dollar Value) of | |||||||||||||||
Shares Purchased | Shares That | |||||||||||||||
(a) | (b) | as Part of Publicly | May Yet Be Purchased | |||||||||||||
Total Number of | Average Price | Announced Plans or | Under the Plans or | |||||||||||||
Period | Shares Acquired | Paid Per Share | Program | Program | ||||||||||||
April 1, 2010 to April 30, 2010 |
5,661 | $ | 14.75 | Not applicable |
Not applicable |
|||||||||||
May 1, 2010 to May 31, 2010 |
| $ | | Not applicable |
Not applicable |
|||||||||||
June 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010 |
436 | $ | 4.91 | Not applicable |
Not applicable |
|||||||||||
Total |
6,097 | $ | 14.05 | |||||||||||||
Item 6. Exhibits
31.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | ||
31.2 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | ||
32.1 | Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350. | ||
32.2 | Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350. |
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SIGNATURES
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly
caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.
ION GEOPHYSICAL CORPORATION |
||||
By | /s/ R. Brian Hanson | |||
R. Brian Hanson | ||||
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer (Duly authorized executive officer and principal financial officer) |
||||
Date: August 5, 2010
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EXHIBIT INDEX
Exhibit No. | Description | |
31.1
|
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | |
31.2
|
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). | |
32.1
|
Certification of Chief Executive Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350. | |
32.2
|
Certification of Chief Financial Officer Pursuant to 18 U.S.C. §1350. |
38