LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP - Quarter Report: 2006 September (Form 10-Q)
U.
S. SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON,
D.C. 20549
Form 10-Q
(Mark
One)
ý
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the quarterly period ended September 30, 2006
or
o
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
Commission
File Number 000-51371
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New
Jersey
|
|
57-1150621
|
||
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation
or organization)
|
|
(IRS
Employer Identification No.)
|
200
Executive Drive, Suite 340
West
Orange, NJ 07052
(Address
of principal executive offices)
(973) 736-9340
(Registrant’s
telephone number, including area code)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to
be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to
such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes ý No o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Large
accelerated filer o
|
Accelerated
filer o
|
Non-accelerated
filer ý
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes o No ý
As
of
November 13, 2006, there were 25,440,695 shares of the registrant’s common stock
outstanding.
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND SUBSIDIARIES
INDEX
TO
FORM 10-Q
FOR
THE
QUARTER ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 2006
PART
I.
|
FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
|
Item
1.
|
1
|
|
|
1
|
|
|
2
|
|
|
3
|
|
|
4
|
|
|
5
|
|
Item
2.
|
13
|
|
Item
3.
|
22
|
|
Item
4.
|
22
|
|
PART
II.
|
22
|
|
Item
1.
|
22
|
|
Item
6.
|
23
|
PART
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Item
1.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
(In
thousands)
(Unaudited)
September
30,
2006
|
December
31,
2005
|
||||||
ASSETS
|
|||||||
CURRENT
ASSETS:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$
|
12,440
|
$
|
50,257
|
|||
Restricted
cash
|
2,424
|
-
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance of $11,714 and $7,647 at September
30, 2006 and
December 31, 2005, respectively
|
22,200
|
13,950
|
|||||
Inventories
|
2,571
|
1,764
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
4,819
|
3,545
|
|||||
Due
from federal funds
|
374
|
-
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
3,499
|
3,190
|
|||||
Prepaid
income taxes
|
1,105
|
-
|
|||||
Other
receivable
|
-
|
452
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
49,432
|
73,158
|
|||||
PROPERTY,
EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES - At cost, net of accumulated depreciation
and
amortization of $69,482 and $59,570 at September 30, 2006 and
December 31,
2005, respectively
|
93,268
|
68,932
|
|||||
OTHER
ASSETS:
|
|||||||
Deferred
finance charges
|
1,067
|
1,211
|
|||||
Interest
rate swap agreement
|
184
|
-
|
|||||
Prepaid
pension cost
|
5,046
|
5,071
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
145
|
2,790
|
|||||
Goodwill
|
84,578
|
59,467
|
|||||
Other
assets
|
4,211
|
4,163
|
|||||
Total
other assets
|
95,231
|
72,702
|
|||||
TOTAL
|
$
|
237,931
|
$
|
214,792
|
|||
LIABILITIES
AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY
|
|||||||
CURRENT
LIABILITIES:
|
|||||||
Current
portion of long-term debt and lease obligations
|
$
|
335
|
$
|
283
|
|||
Unearned
tuition
|
32,680
|
34,930
|
|||||
Accounts
payable
|
16,123
|
12,675
|
|||||
Accrued
expenses
|
12,562
|
11,060
|
|||||
Advance
payments of federal funds
|
-
|
840
|
|||||
Income
taxes payable
|
-
|
4,085
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
61,700
|
63,873
|
|||||
NONCURRENT
LIABILITIES:
|
|||||||
Long-term
debt and lease obligations, net of current portion
|
26,682
|
10,485
|
|||||
Other
long-term liabilities
|
5,314
|
4,444
|
|||||
Total
liabilities
|
93,696
|
78,802
|
|||||
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
|
|||||||
STOCKHOLDERS'
EQUITY:
|
|||||||
Preferred
stock, no par value - 10,000 shares authorized, no shares issued
andoutstanding at September 30, 2006 and December 31, 2005
|
-
|
-
|
|||||
Common
stock, no par value - authorized 100,000 shares at September
30, 2006 and
December 31, 2005, issued and outstanding 25,431 shares at September
30,
2006 and 25,168 shares at December 31, 2005
|
120,122
|
119,453
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
7,448
|
5,665
|
|||||
Deferred
compensation
|
(527
|
)
|
(360
|
)
|
|||
Retained
earnings
|
17,192
|
11,232
|
|||||
Total
stockholders' equity
|
144,235
|
135,990
|
|||||
TOTAL
|
$
|
237,931
|
$
|
214,792
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
(In
thousands, except per share amounts)
(Unaudited)
Three
Months Ended September 30,
|
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
REVENUES
|
$
|
84,505
|
$
|
78,352
|
$
|
235,381
|
$
|
217,457
|
|||||
COSTS
AND EXPENSES:
|
|||||||||||||
Educational
services and facilities
|
36,818
|
32,514
|
101,565
|
91,158
|
|||||||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
43,064
|
37,943
|
122,687
|
115,091
|
|||||||||
Loss
(gain) on sale of assets
|
(7
|
)
|
(3
|
)
|
(7
|
)
|
(3
|
)
|
|||||
Total
costs & expenses
|
79,875
|
70,454
|
224,245
|
206,246
|
|||||||||
OPERATING
INCOME
|
4,630
|
7,898
|
11,136
|
11,211
|
|||||||||
OTHER:
|
|||||||||||||
Interest
income
|
82
|
278
|
860
|
308
|
|||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(696
|
)
|
(472
|
)
|
(1,740
|
)
|
(2,429
|
)
|
|||||
Other
income (loss)
|
(200
|
)
|
243
|
(130
|
)
|
243
|
|||||||
INCOME
BEFORE INCOME TAXES
|
3,816
|
7,947
|
10,126
|
9,333
|
|||||||||
PROVISION
FOR INCOME TAXES
|
1,584
|
2,462
|
4,166
|
3,034
|
|||||||||
NET
INCOME
|
$
|
2,232
|
$
|
5,485
|
$
|
5,960
|
$
|
6,299
|
|||||
Earnings
per share - basic:
|
|||||||||||||
Net
income available to common shareholders
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
0.22
|
$
|
0.24
|
$
|
0.27
|
|||||
Earnings
per share - diluted:
|
|||||||||||||
Net
income available to common shareholders
|
$
|
0.09
|
$
|
0.21
|
$
|
0.23
|
$
|
0.26
|
|||||
Weighted
average number of common shares outstanding:
|
|||||||||||||
Basic
|
25,410
|
25,037
|
25,300
|
22,908
|
|||||||||
Diluted
|
26,120
|
25,992
|
26,081
|
24,011
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
(In
thousands)
(Unaudited)
Additional
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Common
Stock
|
Paid-in
|
Deferred
|
Retained
|
||||||||||||||||
Shares
|
Amount
|
Capital
|
Compensation
|
Earnings
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||
BALANCE
- December 31, 2005
|
25,168
|
$
|
119,453
|
$
|
5,665
|
$
|
(360
|
)
|
$
|
11,232
|
$
|
135,990
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
5,960
|
5,960
|
|||||||||||||
Reduction
of issuance expenses associated with the initial public
offering
|
-
|
150
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
150
|
|||||||||||||
Issuance
of restricted stock and amortization of deferred
compensation
|
19
|
-
|
300
|
(167
|
)
|
-
|
133
|
||||||||||||
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
-
|
-
|
1,000
|
-
|
-
|
1,000
|
|||||||||||||
Tax
benefit of options exercised
|
-
|
-
|
483
|
-
|
-
|
483
|
|||||||||||||
Exercise
of stock options
|
244
|
519
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
519
|
|||||||||||||
BALANCE
- September 30, 2006
|
25,431
|
$
|
120,122
|
$
|
7,448
|
$
|
(527
|
)
|
$
|
17,192
|
$
|
144,235
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND
SUBSIDIARIES
CONDENSED
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
(In
thousands)
(Unaudited)
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
5,960
|
$
|
6,299
|
|||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
11,076
|
9,602
|
|||||
Amortization
of deferred finance charges
|
144
|
148
|
|||||
Write-off
of deferred finance costs
|
-
|
365
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(2,983
|
)
|
(342
|
)
|
|||
Fixed
asset donations
|
(16
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Loss
(gain) on disposal of assets
|
(7
|
) |
(3
|
)
|
|||
Provision
for doubtful accounts
|
12,268
|
8,055
|
|||||
Stock-based
compensation expense
|
1,133
|
1,160
|
|||||
Tax
benefit associated with exercise of stock options
|
483
|
620
|
|||||
Deferred
rent
|
850
|
1,247
|
|||||
(Increase)
decrease in assets, net of acquisitions:
|
|||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(19,797
|
)
|
(9,704
|
)
|
|||
Inventories
|
(720
|
)
|
(323
|
)
|
|||
Prepaid
expenses and current assets
|
(498
|
)
|
738
|
||||
Other
assets
|
492
|
510
|
|||||
Increase
(decrease) in liabilities, net of acquisitions:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable
|
2,562
|
1,157
|
|||||
Other
liabilities
|
(1,084
|
)
|
(1,214
|
)
|
|||
Prepaid
income taxes
|
(5,190
|
)
|
(916
|
)
|
|||
Accrued
expenses
|
1,453
|
(576
|
)
|
||||
Unearned
tuition
|
(4,460
|
)
|
(3,594
|
)
|
|||
Total
adjustments
|
(4,280
|
)
|
6,930
|
||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
1,666
|
13,229
|
|||||
CASH
FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
|
|||||||
Restricted
cash
|
(2,424
|
)
|
-
|
||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(13,806
|
)
|
(11,527
|
)
|
|||
Acquisitions,
net of cash acquired
|
(32,807
|
)
|
(18,755
|
)
|
|||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(49,037
|
)
|
(30,282
|
)
|
|||
CASH
FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
|
|||||||
Proceeds
from borrowings
|
12,000
|
31,000
|
|||||
Payments
on borrowings
|
(2,079
|
)
|
(66,750
|
)
|
|||
Payments
of deferred finance fees
|
-
|
(833
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from exercise of stock options
|
519
|
596
|
|||||
Principal
payments under capital lease obligations
|
(886
|
)
|
(234
|
)
|
|||
Repayment
from shareholder loans
|
-
|
181
|
|||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs of $6,956
and $6,895
as of September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
|
-
|
56,343
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
9,554
|
20,303
|
|||||
NET
DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS
|
(37,817
|
)
|
3,250
|
||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—Beginning of period
|
50,257
|
41,445
|
|||||
CASH
AND CASH EQUIVALENTS—End of period
|
$
|
12,440
|
$
|
44,695
|
|||
SUPPLEMENTAL
DISCLOSURES OF CASH FLOW INFORMATION:
|
|||||||
Cash
paid during the year for:
|
|||||||
Interest
|
$
|
1,704
|
$
|
2,002
|
|||
Income
taxes
|
$
|
11,859
|
$
|
4,456
|
|||
SUPPLEMENTAL
SCHEDULE OF NONCASH INVESTING AND FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
|
|||||||
Cash
paid during the period for:
|
|||||||
Fair
value of assets acquired
|
$
|
40,021
|
$
|
22,303
|
|||
Net
cash paid for the acquisitions
|
(32,807
|
)
|
(18,755
|
)
|
|||
Liabilities
assumed
|
$
|
7,214
|
$
|
3,548
|
See
notes
to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION AND
SUBSIDIARIES
NOTES
TO UNAUDITED CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS
NINE
MONTHS ENDED SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 AND 2005
(In
thousands, except share and per share amounts and unless otherwise
stated)
(Unaudited)
1.
|
SUMMARY
OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING
POLICIES
|
Business
Activities
-
Lincoln Educational Services Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiaries
(“LESC” or the “Company”) operate career-oriented post-secondary schools in
various locations, which offer technical programs of study in several different
specialties.
Basis
of Presentation
- The
accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been
prepared by the Company pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities
and Exchange Commission and in accordance with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). Certain information and
footnote disclosures normally included in annual financial statements have
been
omitted or condensed pursuant to such regulations. These statements, when
read in conjunction with the December 31, 2005 consolidated financial statements
of the Company reflect all adjustments, consisting solely of normal recurring
adjustments, necessary to present fairly the consolidated financial position,
results of operations, and cash flows for such periods. The results of
operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 are not
necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal
year
ending December 31, 2006.
The
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements as of September 30,
2006
and the condensed consolidated financial statements as of December 31, 2005
and
for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 include the
accounts of the Company. All significant intercompany accounts and
transactions have been eliminated.
Use
of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial
Statements
- The
preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires
management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts
of
assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities
at
the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts
of
revenues and expenses during the period. On an ongoing basis, the Company
evaluates the estimates and assumptions, including those related to revenue
recognition, bad debts, fixed assets, goodwill and other intangible assets,
stock-based compensation, income taxes, benefit plans and certain
accruals. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Restricted
Cash
-
Restricted cash represents amounts received from the federal and state
governments under various student aid grant and loan programs. These funds
are
either received prior to the completion of the authorization and disbursement
process for the benefit of the student or just prior to that authorization.
Restricted funds are held in separate bank accounts. Once the authorization
and
disbursement process has been completed and authorization obtained, the funds
are transferred to unrestricted accounts, and these funds then become available
for use in the Company’s current operations.
2.
|
RECENT
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
|
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 158, “Employers’
Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, an
amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106, and 132(R).”
Among
other items, SFAS 158 requires recognition of the overfunded or underfunded
status of an entity’s defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or
liability in the financial statements, requires the measurement of defined
benefit postretirement plan assets and obligations as of the end of the
employer’s fiscal year, and requires recognition of the funded status of defined
benefit postretirement plans in other comprehensive income. SFAS 158 is
effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2006. The adoption of
the
provision of SFAS No. 158 is not expected to have a material effect on the
Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair
Value Measurements.”
SFAS No.
157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value
in
GAAP, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This Statement
applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair
value
measurements, the Board having previously concluded in those accounting
pronouncements that fair value is the relevant measurement attribute.
Accordingly, this Statement does not require any new fair value measurements.
The provisions of SFAS No. 157 are effective as of January 1, 2008. The adoption
of the provision of SFAS No. 157 is not expected to have a material effect
on
the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
September 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 108 which provides interpretive guidance on how
the effects of the carryover or reversal of prior year unrecorded misstatements
should be considered in quantifying a current year misstatement. SAB No.
108 is
effective for us as of January 1, 2007. The adoption of the provision of
SAB No.
108 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated
financial statements.
In
June
2006, FASB issued FASB Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 48, “Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.”
FIN
48
clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an
enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with FASB SFAS No. 109,
“Accounting for Income Taxes”. This Interpretation defines the minimum
recognition threshold a tax position is required to meet before being recognized
in the financial statements. FIN 48 is effective for fiscal years beginning
after December 15, 2006. The Company is currently evaluating the effect that
the
adoption of FIN 48 will have on its consolidated financial
statements.
In
March
2006, FASB issued SFAS No. 156, “Accounting
for Servicing of Financial Assets.”
SFAS
No. 156 provides guidance addressing the recognition and measurement of
separately recognized servicing assets and liabilities, common with mortgage
securitization activities, and provides an approach to simplify efforts to
obtain hedge accounting treatment. SFAS No. 156 is effective for all separately
recognized servicing assets and liabilities acquired or issued after the
beginning of an entity’s fiscal year that begins after September 15, 2006, with
early adoption being permitted. The adoption of the provision of SFAS No.
156 is
not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
In
February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, “Accounting
for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments.”
SFAS
No. 155 is effective beginning January 1, 2007. The adoption of the provision
of
SFAS No. 155 is not expected to have a material effect on the Company’s
consolidated financial statements.
In
June
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154,“Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections, a replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB
Statement No. 3.”
SFAS
No. 154 applies to all voluntary changes in accounting principle, and changes
the requirements for accounting for and reporting of a change in accounting
principle. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective application to prior
periods’ financial statements of a voluntary change in accounting principle
unless it is impracticable. Accounting Principles Boards (“APB”) Opinion No. 20
previously required that most voluntary changes in accounting principle be
recognized by including in net income of the period of the change the cumulative
effect of changing to the new accounting principle. SFAS No. 154 requires
that a
change in method of depreciation, amortization, or depletion for long-lived,
nonfinancial assets be accounted for as a change in accounting estimate that
is
affected by a change in accounting principle. APB Opinion No. 20 previously
required that such a change be reported as a change in accounting principle.
The
Company adopted SFAS No. 154 on January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions
of SFAS No. 154 had no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial
statements.
In
March
2005, the FASB issued FIN 47, “Accounting
for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations”.
FIN 47
clarifies that a conditional asset retirement obligation, as used in SFAS
143,
“Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations,”
refers
to a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the
timing and/or method of the settlement are conditional on a future event
that
may or may not be within the control of the entity. Accordingly, an entity
is
required to recognize a liability for the fair value of a conditional asset
retirement obligation if the fair value can be reasonably estimated. The
Company
adopted FIN 47 on January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions of FIN
47 had
no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153,“Exchanges
of Nonmonetary Assets, an Amendment of APB Opinion No. 29, Accounting for
Nonmonetary Transactions.”
SFAS No. 153 addresses the measurement of exchanges of nonmonetary assets
and requires that such exchanges be measured at fair value, with limited
exceptions. SFAS No. 153 amends APB Opinion No. 29“Accounting
for Nonmonetary Transactions,”
by
eliminating the exception that required nonmonetary exchanges of similar
productive assets be recorded on a carryover basis. The Company adopted SFAS
No.
153 on January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions of SFAS No. 153 had
no effect on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.
3.
|
STOCK-BASED
COMPENSATION
|
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 123 (revised 2004), “Share-Based
Payment,”
(“FAS
123R”). This Statement requires companies to expense the estimated fair value
of
stock options and similar equity instruments issued to employees over the
estimated service period. On December 1, 2005, the Company adopted FAS 123R
in
advance of the mandatory adoption date of the first quarter of 2006 to better
reflect the full cost of employee compensation. The Company adopted FAS 123R
using the modified prospective method, which requires it to record compensation
expense for all awards granted after the date of adoption, and for the unvested
portion of previously granted awards that remain outstanding at the date
of
adoption. Prior to the adoption of FAS 123R, the Company recognized stock-based
compensation under FAS 123 “Stock
Based Compensation”
and as a
result, the implementation of FAS 123R did not have a material impact on
the
Company’s financial presentation. Reflected in the accompanying statements of
income is compensation expense of approximately $0.3 million and $0.4 million
for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 and $1.0 million and
$1.1
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
The
fair
value concepts were not changed significantly under FAS 123R from those utilized
under FAS No. 123; however, in adopting this Standard, companies must choose
among alternative valuation models and amortization assumptions. After assessing
these alternatives, the Company decided to continue using the Black-Scholes
valuation model. However, the Company decided to utilize straight-line
amortization of compensation expense over the requisite service period of
the
grant, rather than over the individual grant requisite period as chosen under
FAS 123. Under FAS 123, the Company had recognized stock option forfeitures
as
they incurred. Commencing with the adoption of FAS 123R, the Company makes
an
estimate of expected forfeitures upon grant issuance.
4.
|
WEIGHTED
AVERAGE COMMON SHARES
|
The
weighted average numbers of common shares used to compute basic and diluted
income per share for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and
2005, respectively, were as follows:
Three
Months Ended
September
30,
|
Nine
Months Ended
September
30,
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Basic
shares outstanding
|
25,410
|
25,037
|
25,300
|
22,908
|
|||||||||
Dilutive
effect of stock options
|
710
|
955
|
781
|
1,103
|
|||||||||
Diluted
shares outstanding
|
26,120
|
25,992
|
26,081
|
24,011
|
For
the
three and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, options to acquire
240,500 and 206,923 shares, respectively, were excluded from the above table
as
the result on reported earnings per share would have been
antidilutive.
5.
|
BUSINESS
ACQUISITIONS
|
On
May
22, 2006, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company, acquired New England
Institute of Technology at Palm Beach, Inc. (“FLA”) for approximately $40.0
million, net of cash acquired. The FLA purchase price has been preliminarily
allocated to identifiable net assets with the excess of the purchase price
over
the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired recorded as
goodwill.
On
December 1, 2005, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company acquired Euphoria
Institute LLC (“EUP”) for approximately $9.2 million, net of cash
acquired.
On
January 11, 2005, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company acquired New England
Technical Institute (“NETI”) for approximately $18.8 million, net of cash
acquired.
The
consolidated financial statements include the results of operations of FLA,
EUP
and NETI from their respective acquisition dates. The purchase prices have
been
allocated to identifiable net assets with the excess of the purchase price
over
the estimated fair value of the net assets acquired recorded as goodwill.
None
of the acquisitions were deemed material to the Company’s financial
statements.
The
following unaudited pro forma results of operations for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 and three and nine months ended September 30, 2005 assumes
that the acquisitions occurred at the beginning of the year of acquisition.
For
the three months ended September 30, 2006, all acquisitions were owned for
the
entire period. The unaudited pro forma results of operations are based on
historical results of operations, include adjustments for depreciation,
amortization, interest, and taxes, but do not necessarily reflect the actual
results that would have occurred.
Nine
months ended September 30, 2006
|
||||||||||
Historical
2006
|
Pro
forma impact FLA 2006
|
Pro
forma 2006
|
||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
235,381
|
$
|
7,148
|
$
|
242,529
|
||||
Net
Income
|
$
|
5,960
|
$
|
(302
|
)
|
$
|
5,658
|
|||
Earnings
per share - basic
|
$
|
0.24
|
$
|
0.22
|
||||||
Earnings
per share - diluted
|
$
|
0.23
|
$
|
0.22
|
Three
months ended September 30, 2005
|
|||||||||||||
Historical
2005
|
Pro
forma impact EUP 2005
|
Pro
forma impact FLA 2005
|
Pro
forma 2005
|
||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
78,352
|
$
|
1,369
|
$
|
4,407
|
$
|
84,128
|
|||||
Net
Income
|
$
|
5,485
|
$
|
45
|
$
|
(43
|
)
|
$
|
5,487
|
||||
Earnings
per share - basic
|
$
|
0.22
|
$
|
0.22
|
|||||||||
Earnings
per share - diluted
|
$
|
0.21
|
$
|
0.21
|
Nine
months ended September 30, 2005
|
||||||||||||||||
Historical
2005
|
Pro
forma impact NETI 2005
|
Pro
forma impact EUP 2005
|
Pro
forma impact FLA 2005
|
Pro
forma 2005
|
||||||||||||
Revenue
|
$
|
217,457
|
$
|
278
|
$
|
3,988
|
$
|
13,580
|
$
|
235,303
|
||||||
Net
Income
|
$
|
6,299
|
$
|
6
|
$
|
(12
|
)
|
$
|
80
|
$
|
6,373
|
|||||
Earnings
per share - basic
|
$
|
0.27
|
$
|
0.28
|
||||||||||||
Earnings
per share - diluted
|
$
|
0.26
|
$
|
0.27
|
6.
|
GOODWILL
AND OTHER INTANGIBLE
ASSETS
|
The
Company accounts for its intangible assets in accordance with SFAS No.
142,“Goodwill
and Other Intangible Assets.”
The Company reviews intangible assets with an indefinite useful life for
impairment when indicators of impairment exist. Annually, or more
frequently if necessary, the Company evaluates goodwill for impairment, with
any
resulting impairment reflected as an operating expense.
Changes
in the carrying amount of goodwill from the year ended December 31, 2005
to the
nine months ended September 30, 2006 were as follows:
Goodwill
balance as of December 31, 2005
|
$
|
59,467
|
||
Goodwill
acquired pursuant to business acquisition-FLA
|
24,294
|
|||
Goodwill
adjustments
|
917
|
|||
Goodwill
balance as of September 30, 2006
|
$
|
84,678
|
Amortization
of intangible assets was approximately $0.3 million and $0.2 million for
the
three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively, and $0.7 million
and $0.5 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
Intangible
assets, which are included in other assets in the accompanying condensed
consolidated balance sheets, consist of the following:
At
September 30, 2006
|
At
December 31, 2005
|
|||||||||||||||
Weighted
Average Amortization Period (years)
|
Gross
Carrying Amount
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
Gross
Carrying Amount
|
Accumulated
Amortization
|
||||||||||||
Student
Contracts
|
1
|
$
|
3,050
|
$
|
2,174
|
$
|
1,920
|
$
|
1,569
|
|||||||
Trade
name
|
Indefinite
|
1,590
|
-
|
1,410
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Curriculum
|
10
|
700
|
121
|
1,400
|
74
|
|||||||||||
Non-compete
|
5
|
201
|
15
|
1
|
1
|
|||||||||||
Total
|
N/A
|
$
|
5,541
|
$
|
2,310
|
$
|
4,731
|
$
|
1,644
|
The
increase in trade name and decrease in curriculum from December 31, 2005
to
September 30, 2006 was due to the finalization of the EUP purchase valuation.
The increase in student contracts and non-compete from December 31, 2005
to
September 30, 2006 was due to the acquisition of FLA.
7.
|
LONG-TERM
DEBT
|
The
Company has a credit agreement with a syndicate of banks. Under the terms
of the agreement, the syndicate provided the Company with a $100 million
credit
facility. The credit agreement permits the issuance of up to $20 million
in
letters of credit, the amount of which reduces the availability of permitted
borrowings under the agreement. In connection with entering into the credit
agreement, the Company expensed approximately $0.4 million of unamortized
deferred finance charges under the old credit agreement for the nine months
ended September 30, 2005. The Company incurred approximately $0.8 million
of
deferred finance charges under the existing credit agreement. At September
30,
2006, the Company had outstanding letters of credit aggregating
$4.4 million.
The
obligations of the Company under the credit agreement are secured by a lien
on
substantially all of the assets of the Company and its subsidiaries and any
assets that it or its subsidiaries may acquire in the future, including a
pledge
of substantially all of the subsidiaries’ common stock. Outstanding borrowings
bear interest at the rate of adjusted LIBOR plus 1.0% to 1.75%, as defined,
or a
base rate (as defined in the credit agreement). In addition to paying interest
on outstanding principal under the credit agreement, the Company and its
subsidiaries are required to pay a commitment fee to the lender with respect
to
the unused amounts available under the credit agreement at a rate equal to
0.25%
to 0.40% per year, as defined. In connection with the Company’s initial public
offering in 2005, the Company repaid the then outstanding loan balance of
$31.0
million.
On
May
16, 2006, the Company borrowed $10.0 million under the credit agreement.
The
interest rate under this borrowing is 6.17%. On July 5, 2006, the Company
borrowed $2.0 million under the credit agreement which was subsequently
repaid.
The
credit agreement contains various covenants, including a number of financial
covenants. Furthermore, the credit agreement contains customary events of
default as well as an event of default in the event of the suspension or
termination of Title IV Program funding for the Company’s and its subsidiaries'
schools aggregating 10% or more of the Company’s EBITDA (as defined) or its
consolidated total assets and such suspension or termination is not cured
within
a specified period. As of September 30, 2006, the Company was in
compliance with the financial covenants contained in the credit
agreement.
On
May
22, 2006, the Company assumed a mortgage note payable as part of the acquisition
of FLA in the amount of $7.2 million. The mortgage note is payable to the
bank
in monthly installments which vary due to the interest rate. The note has
an
interest rate which is at the bank’s LIBOR rate plus 2.0% with a maturity date
of May 1, 2023. The Note is secured by a first position mortgage on real
estate
(See Note 14).
8.
|
EQUITY
|
Pursuant
to the Company’s 2005 Non-Employee Directors Restricted Stock Plan (the
“Non-Employee Directors Plan”), two newly appointed non-employee directors
received an award of restricted shares of common stock equal to $0.06 million
on
March 1, 2006. The number of shares granted to each non-employee director
was based on the fair market value of a share of common stock on that
date. These 7,250 restricted shares (3,625 for each non-employee director)
vest ratably on the first, second and third anniversaries of the date of
grant;
however, there is no vesting period on the right to vote or the right to
receive
dividends on these restricted shares. Additionally, on May 23, 2006, the
date of
our annual meeting, each non-employee Board member received an annual restricted
award equal to $0.03 million. The number of shares granted to each non-employee
director was based on the fair market value of a share of common stock on
that
date. These 14,248 restricted shares (1,781 for each non-employee
director) vest ratably on the first, second and third anniversaries of the
date
of grant; however, there is no vesting period on the right to vote or the
right
to receive dividends on these restricted shares. As of September 30, 2006,
there
were a total of 39,912 shares awarded under the Non-Employee Directors Plan.
As
of September 30, 2006, 6,138 shares have vested.
The
fair
value of the stock options used to compute stock-based compensation is the
estimated present value at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option
pricing model. The weighted average fair values of options granted during
2006
were $9.98 using the following weighted average assumptions for
grants:
September
30,
2006
|
||||
Expected
volatility
|
55.10%
|
|
||
Expected
dividend yield
|
0%
|
|
||
Expected
life (term)
|
6
Years
|
|||
Risk-free
interest rate
|
4.13-4.84
|
%
|
||
Weighted-average
exercise price during the year
|
$17.49
|
The
following is a summary of transactions pertaining to the option
plans:
Weighted-Average
|
|||||||
Shares
|
Exercise
Price Per Share
|
||||||
Outstanding
December 31, 2005
|
1,839,173
|
$
|
7.26
|
||||
Granted
|
160,500
|
17.49
|
|||||
Cancelled
|
(89,072
|
)
|
13.42
|
||||
Exercised
|
(242,376
|
)
|
3.60
|
||||
Outstanding
September 30, 2006
|
1,668,225
|
8.44
|
The
following table presents a summary of options outstanding at September 30,
2006:
As
of September 30, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||
Stock
Options Outstanding
|
Stock
Options Exercisable
|
|||||||||||||||
Range
of Exercise Prices
|
Shares
|
Contractual
Weighted Average life (years)
|
Weighted
Average Price
|
Shares
|
Weighted
Exercise Price
|
|||||||||||
$1.55
|
50,898
|
2.73
|
$
|
1.55
|
50,898
|
$
|
1.55
|
|||||||||
$3.10
|
926,452
|
5.28
|
3.10
|
901,172
|
3.10
|
|||||||||||
$4.00-$10.00
|
38,500
|
6.59
|
5.81
|
17,300
|
5.43
|
|||||||||||
$14.00-$17.00
|
505,375
|
8.25
|
15.10
|
112,360
|
14.00
|
|||||||||||
$20.00-$25.00
|
147,000
|
8.04
|
22.30
|
46,300
|
22.93
|
|||||||||||
1,668,225
|
6.37
|
8.44
|
1,128,030
|
4.97
|
9.
|
RECOURSE
LOAN AGREEMENT
|
During
2005, the Company entered into an agreement with Student Loan Marketing
Association (Sallie Mae) to provide private recourse loans to qualifying
students. The following table reflects selected information with respect
to the
recourse loan agreements, including cumulative loan disbursements and purchase
activity under the agreement from inception through September 30,
2006:
Agreement
Effective Date (1)
|
Disbursed
Loans Limit
|
Loans
Disbursed to Date
|
Loans
Purchased to Date
|
Loans
We May be Required to Purchase (2)
|
|||||||||
March
28, 2005 to June 30, 2006
|
$
|
6,000
|
$
|
4,859
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
1,458
|
(1)
|
Either
party may terminate the agreement by giving the other party 30
days
written notice of such termination.
|
(2)
|
Represents
the maximum amount of loans under the agreement that we may be
required to
purchase in the future based on cumulative loans disbursed and
purchased
through September 30, 2006.
|
Under
the
recourse loan agreement, the Company is required to fund 30% of all loans
disbursed into a Sallie Mae reserve account. The amount of our loan purchase
obligation may not exceed 30% of loans disbursed. We record such amounts
in
accounts receivable on our condensed consolidated balance sheet. Amounts
on
deposit may ultimately be utilized to purchase loans in default, in which
case
recoverability of such amounts would be in question. Accordingly, the Company
has an allowance for the full amount of deposit.
10.
|
INCOME
TAXES
|
The
effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005
was
41.5% and 31.0%, and nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005 was 41.1%
and
32.5% respectively. For the quarter ended September 30, 2005, the Company
recognized a benefit of approximately $0.8 million resulting from the resolution
of certain tax contingencies.
11.
|
RELATED
PARTY TRANSACTIONS
|
The
Company had a consulting agreement with Hart Capital LLC (“Hart Capital”), which
terminated by its terms in June 2004, to advise the Company in identifying
acquisition and merger targets and assisting with the due diligence reviews
of
and negotiations with these targets. Hart Capital is the managing member
of Five Mile River Capital Partners LLC, which is the second largest stockholder
of the Company. Steven Hart, the President of Hart Capital, is a member of
the Company’s board of directors. The Company paid Hart Capital a monthly
retainer, reimbursement of expenses and an advisory fee for its work on
successful acquisitions or mergers. In accordance with the agreement, the
Company paid Hart Capital $0 and approximately $0.04 million for the three
months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively and $0 and approximately
$0.4 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005,
respectively. In connection with the consummation of the NETI acquisition,
which closed on January 11, 2005, the Company paid Hart Capital $0.3 million
for
its services.
In
2003,
the Company entered into a management service agreement with its major
stockholder. In accordance with this agreement the Company paid Stonington
Partners a management fee of $0.75 million per year for management consulting
and financial and business advisory services. Such services included
valuing acquisitions and structuring their financing and assisting with new
loan
agreements. The Company paid Stonington Partners $0 and $0.75 million for
the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Fees paid
to Stonington Partners were being amortized over a twelve month period.
This agreement terminated by its terms upon the Company’s completion of its
initial public offering. Selling, general and administrative expenses for
the nine months ended September 30, 2005 include $0.75 million resulting
from
the amortization of these fees.
Pursuant
to the employment agreement between Shaun E. McAlmont and the Company, the
Company agreed to pay and reimburse Mr. McAlmont the reasonable costs of
his
relocation from Denver, Colorado to West Orange, New Jersey. Such relocation
assistance included the purchase by the Company of Mr. McAlmont’s home in
Denver, Colorado. The $0.5 million price paid for Mr. McAlmont’s home equaled
the average of the amount of two independent appraisers selected by the Company.
This
amount is reflected in property, equipment and facilities in the accompanying
condensed consolidated balance sheets.
12.
|
COMMITMENTS
AND CONTINGENCIES
|
Litigation
and Regulatory Matters -
The
Company has been named as a defendant in actions resulting from the normal
course of operations. Based, in part, on the opinion of counsel,
management believes that the resolution of these matters will not have a
material effect on its financial position, results of operations and cash
flows.
13.
|
PENSION
PLAN
|
The
Company sponsors a noncontributory defined benefit pension plan covering
substantially all of the Company’s union employees. Benefits are provided based
on employees’ years of service and earnings. This plan was frozen on December
31, 1994 for non-union employees.
While
the
Company does not expect to make any contributions to the plan in 2006, after
considering the funded status of the plan, movements in the discount rate,
investment performance and related tax consequences, the Company may choose
to
make contributions to the plan in any given year.
For
the
three months ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, the net periodic benefit
income
was $0 and $11,000, respectively. For the nine months ended September 30,
2006,
the net periodic benefit cost was $25,000. For the nine months ended September
30, 2005, the net periodic benefit income was $31,000.
14.
|
DERIVATIVE
INSTRUMENTS AND HEDGING
ACTIVITIES
|
On
May
22, 2006, the Company assumed
a
mortgage note payable (See Note 7) with an accompanying interest rate swap
(the
“SWAP”) as part of the acquisition of the New England Institute of Technology at
Palm Beach, Inc. in the amount of $7.2 million. The
Company accounts for the interest rate swap agreement in accordance with
SFAS No. 133,
Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities,
as
amended. The
interest rate swap agreement converst the mortgage note payable from a variable
rate to a fixed rate of 6.48% through May 1, 2013 The SWAP is being
accounted for as an ineffective hedge as it did not meet the requirements
set
forth under SFAS No. 133. Accordingly,
other income (loss) includes a loss of $0.2 million and $0.1 million for
the three months and nine months ended September 30, 2006, respectively.
As of September 30, 2006, $0.2 million of interest rate swap related assets
is included in other long term assets in the accompanying condensed consolidated
balance sheet.
Item
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The
following discussion may contain forward-looking statements regarding us,
our
business, prospects and our results of operations that are subject to certain
risks and uncertainties posed by many factors and events that could cause
our
actual business, prospects and results of operations to differ materially
from
those that may be anticipated by such forward-looking statements. Factors
that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited
to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section of our Annual Report on Form
10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, as filed with the Securities and
Exchange Commission. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on
these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this
report. We undertake no obligation to revise any forward-looking
statements in order to reflect events or circumstances that may subsequently
arise. Readers are urged to carefully review and consider the various
disclosures made by us in this report and in our other reports filed with
the
Securities and Exchange Commission that advise interested parties of the
risks
and factors that may affect our business.
The
interim financial statements filed on this Form 10-Q and the discussions
contained herein should be read in conjunction with the annual financial
statements and notes included in our Form 10-K for the year ended December
31,
2005, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which includes
audited consolidated financial statements for our three fiscal years ended
December 31, 2005.
General
We
are a
leading and diversified for-profit provider of career-oriented post-secondary
education. We offer recent high school graduates and adults degree and
diploma programs in five areas of study: automotive technology, health
sciences, skilled trades, business and information technology and hospitality
services. As of September 30, 2006, we enrolled 19,264 students at our 37
campuses across 17 states. Our campuses primarily attract students from
their local communities and surrounding areas, although our four destination
schools attract students from across the United States, and in some cases,
from
abroad. We continue to expand our product offerings and our geographic
reach. On March 27, 2006 we opened our new automotive campus in Queens, New
York
and on May 22, 2006, we completed the acquisition of New England Institute
of
Technology at Palm Beach, Inc. (“FLA”), which was subsequently been re-branded
Lincoln College of Technology.
Critical
Accounting Policies and Estimates
Our
discussions of our financial condition and results of operations are based
upon
our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance
with accounting policies generally accepted in the United States of America,
or
GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP
requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported
amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and
liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the
reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the period. On an ongoing
basis, we evaluate our estimates and assumptions, including those related
to
revenue recognition, bad debts, fixed assets, goodwill and other intangible
assets, stock-based compensation, income taxes and certain accruals.
Actual results could differ from those estimates. The critical accounting
policies discussed herein are not intended to be a comprehensive list of
all of
our accounting policies. In many cases, the accounting treatment of a
particular transaction is specifically dictated by GAAP and does not result
in
significant management judgment in the application of such principles.
There are also areas in which management’s judgment in selecting any available
alternative would not produce a materially different result from the result
derived from the application of our critical accounting policies. We
believe that the following accounting policies are most critical to us in
that
they represent the primary areas where financial information is subject to
the
application of management’s estimates, assumptions and judgment in the
preparation of our consolidated financial statements.
Revenue
recognition.
Revenues are derived primarily from programs taught at our schools.
Tuition revenues and one-time fees, such as nonrefundable application fees
and
course material fees, are recognized on a straight-line basis over the length
of
the applicable program, which is the period of time from a student’s start date
through his or her graduation date, including internships or externships
that
take place prior to graduation. If a student withdraws from a program
prior to a specified date, any paid but unearned tuition is refunded.
Refunds are calculated and paid in accordance with federal, state and
accrediting agency standards. Other revenues, such as textbook sales, tool
sales and contract training revenues are recognized as services are performed
or
goods are delivered. On an individual student basis, tuition earned in
excess of cash received is recorded as accounts receivable and cash received
in
excess of tuition earned is recorded as unearned tuition.
Allowance
for uncollectible accounts.
Based upon experience and judgment, we establish an allowance for uncollectible
accounts with respect to tuition receivables. We use an internal group of
collectors, augmented by third-party collectors as deemed appropriate, in
our
collection efforts. In establishing our allowance for uncollectible
accounts, we consider, among other things, a student’s status (in-school or
out-of-school), whether or not additional financial aid funding will be
collected from Title IV Programs or other sources, whether or not a student
is
currently making payments and overall collection history. Changes in
trends in any of these areas may impact the allowance for uncollectible
accounts. The receivables balances of withdrawn students with delinquent
obligations are reserved based on our collection history. Although we
believe that our reserves are adequate, if the financial condition of our
students deteriorates, resulting in an impairment of their ability to make
payments, or if we underestimate the allowances required, additional allowances
may be necessary, which will result in increased selling, general and
administrative expenses in the period such determination is
made.
Our
bad
debt expense as a percentage of revenue for the three months ended September
30,
2006 and 2005 was 5.7% and 4.2%, respectively and for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 and 2005 was 5.2% and 3.7%. Our exposure to changes in
our bad debt expense could impact our operations. For additional information
regarding our bad debt expense, see “Operating Activities” below.
Because
a
substantial portion of our revenue is derived from Title IV programs, any
legislative or regulatory action that significantly reduces the funding
available under Title IV programs or the ability of our students or schools
to
participate in Title IV programs could have a material effect on the
realizability of our receivables.
Goodwill. We
test
our goodwill for impairment annually during our fourth quarter, or whenever
events or changes in circumstances indicate impairment may have occurred,
by
comparing its fair value to its carrying value. Impairment may result from,
among other things, deterioration in the performance of business, adverse
market
conditions, adverse changes in applicable laws or regulations, including
changes
that restrict the activities of the acquired business, and a variety of other
circumstances. If we determine that impairment has occurred, we are required
to
record a write-down of the carrying value and charge the impairment as an
operating expense in the period the determination is made. In evaluating
the
recoverability of the carrying value of goodwill and other indefinite-lived
intangible assets, we must make assumptions regarding estimated future cash
flows and other factors to determine the fair value of the acquired assets.
Changes in strategy or market conditions could significantly impact these
judgments in the future and require an adjustment to the recorded
balances.
Stock-based
compensation.
We
currently account for stock-based employee compensation arrangements in
accordance with the provisions of Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
(“SFAS”) No. 123R, “Share
Based Payment.”
Effective January 1, 2004, we elected to change our accounting policies
from the use of the intrinsic value method of Accounting Principles Board
("APB") Opinion No. 25, "Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation"
to the
fair value-based method of accounting for options as prescribed by SFAS No.
123
“Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation”.
As
permitted under SFAS No. 148, "Accounting
for Stock-Based Compensation—Transitions and Disclosure—an amendment to SFAS
Statement No. 123,"
we
elected to retroactively restate all periods presented. Because no market
for
our common stock existed, our board of directors determined the fair value
of
our common stock based upon several factors, including our operating
performance, forecasted future operating results, and our expected valuation
in
an initial public offering.
Prior
to
our initial public offering on June 22, 2005, we valued the exercise price
of
options issued to employees using a market based approach. This approach
took
into consideration the value ascribed to our competitors by the market. In
determining the fair value of an option at the time of grant, we reviewed
contemporaneous information about our peers, which included a variety of
market
multiples, including, but not limited to, revenue, EBITDA, net income,
historical growth rates and market/industry focus. Prior to our initial public
offering, the value we ascribed to stock options granted was based upon our
anticipated initial public offering as well as discussions with our investment
advisors. Due to the number of peer companies in our sector, we believed
using
public company comparisons provided a better indication of how the market
values
companies in the for-profit post secondary education sector.
During
2005, we adopted the provisions of SFAS No. 123R, “Share
Based Payment.”
The
adoption of SFAS No. 123R did not have a material impact on our financial
statements.
Effect
of Inflation
Inflation
has not had a material effect on our operations.
Recent
Accounting Pronouncements
In
September 2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (“SFAS”) No. 158, “Employers’
Accounting for Defined Benefit Pension and Other Postretirement Plans, an
amendment of FASB Statements No. 87, 88, 106, and 132(R).”
Among
other items, SFAS 158 requires recognition of the overfunded or underfunded
status of an entity’s defined benefit postretirement plan as an asset or
liability in the financial statements, requires the measurement of defined
benefit postretirement plan assets and obligations as of the end of the
employer’s fiscal year, and requires recognition of the funded status of defined
benefit postretirement plans in other comprehensive income. SFAS 158 is
effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2006. The adoption of
the
provision of SFAS No. 158 is not expected to have a material effect on our
consolidated financial statements.
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair
Value Measurements.”
SFAS No.
157 defines fair value, establishes a framework for measuring fair value
in
GAAP, and expands disclosures about fair value measurements. This Statement
applies under other accounting pronouncements that require or permit fair
value
measurements, the Board having previously concluded in those accounting
pronouncements that fair value is the relevant measurement attribute.
Accordingly, this Statement does not require any new fair value measurements.
The provisions of SFAS No. 157 are effective as of January 1, 2008. The adoption
of the provision of SFAS No. 157 is not expected to have a material effect
on
our consolidated financial statements.
In
September 2006, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued Staff
Accounting Bulletin (“SAB”) No. 108 which provides interpretive guidance on how
the effects of the carryover or reversal of prior year unrecorded misstatements
should be considered in quantifying a current year misstatement. SAB No.
108 is
effective for us as of January 1, 2007. The adoption of the provision of
SAB No.
108 is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
June
2006, the FASB issued FASB Interpretation (“FIN”) No. 48, “Accounting
for Uncertainty in Income Taxes.”
FIN
48
clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an
enterprise’s financial statements in accordance with FASB SFAS No. 109,
“Accounting
for Income Taxes”.
This
Interpretation defines the minimum recognition threshold a tax position is
required to meet before being recognized in the financial statements. FIN
48 is
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006. We are currently
evaluating the effect that the adoption of FIN 48 will have on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
March
2006, FASB issued SFAS No. 156, “Accounting
for Servicing of Financial Assets.”
SFAS
No. 156 provides guidance addressing the recognition and measurement of
separately recognized servicing assets and liabilities, common with mortgage
securitization activities, and provides an approach to simplify efforts to
obtain hedge accounting treatment. SFAS No. 156 is effective for all separately
recognized servicing assets and liabilities acquired or issued after the
beginning of an entity’s fiscal year that begins after September 15, 2006, with
early adoption being permitted. The adoption of the provision of SFAS No.
156 is
not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
February 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 155, “Accounting
for Certain Hybrid Financial Instruments.”
SFAS
No. 155 is effective beginning January 1, 2007. The adoption of the provision
of
SFAS No. 155 is not expected to have a material effect on our consolidated
financial statements.
In
June
2005, the FASB issued SFAS No. 154,“Accounting
Changes and Error Corrections, a replacement of APB Opinion No. 20 and FASB
Statement No. 3.”
SFAS
No. 154 applies to all voluntary changes in accounting principle, and changes
the requirements for accounting for and reporting of a change in accounting
principle. SFAS No. 154 requires retrospective application to prior
periods’ financial statements of a voluntary change in accounting principle
unless it is impracticable. Accounting Principles Board “APB” Opinion No. 20
previously required that most voluntary changes in accounting principle be
recognized by including in net income of the period of the change the cumulative
effect of changing to the new accounting principle. SFAS No. 154 requires
that a
change in method of depreciation, amortization, or depletion for long-lived,
nonfinancial assets be accounted for as a change in accounting estimate that
is
effected by a change in accounting principle. APB Opinion No. 20 previously
required that such a change be reported as a change in accounting principle.
We
adopted SFAS No. 154 on January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions of
SFAS
No. 154 had no effect on our consolidated financial statements.
In
March
2005, the FASB issued FIN 47, “Accounting
for Conditional Asset Retirement Obligations.”
FIN
47
clarifies that a conditional asset retirement obligation, as used in SFAS
143,
“Accounting
for Asset Retirement Obligations”,
refers
to a legal obligation to perform an asset retirement activity in which the
timing and/or method of the settlement are conditional on a future event
that
may or may not be within the control of the entity. Accordingly, an entity
is
required to recognize a liability for the fair value of a conditional asset
retirement obligation if the fair value can be reasonably estimated. We adopted
FIN 47 on January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions of FIN 47 had no
effect on our consolidated financial statements.
In
December 2004, the FASB issued SFAS No. 153,“Exchanges
of Nonmonetary Assets, an Amendment of APB Opinion No. 29, Accounting for
Nonmonetary Transactions”.
SFAS No. 153 addresses the measurement of exchanges of nonmonetary assets
and requires that such exchanges be measured at fair value, with limited
exceptions. SFAS No. 153 amends APB Opinion No. 29“Accounting
for Nonmonetary Transactions”,
by
eliminating the exception that required nonmonetary exchanges of similar
productive assets be recorded on a carryover basis. We adopted SFAS No. 153
on
January 1, 2006. The adoption of the provisions of SFAS No. 153 had no
effect on our consolidated financial statements.
Results
of Operations
The
following table sets forth selected consolidated statements of operations
data
as a percentage of revenues for each of the periods indicated.
Three
Months Ended
September
30,
|
Nine
Months Ended
September
30,
|
||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2006
|
2005
|
||||||||||
Revenues
|
100.0
|
%
|
100.0
|
%
|
100.0
|
%
|
100.0
|
%
|
|||||
Costs
and expenses:
|
|||||||||||||
Educational
services and facilities
|
43.5
|
%
|
41.5
|
%
|
43.2
|
%
|
41.9
|
%
|
|||||
Selling,
general and administrative
|
51.0
|
%
|
48.4
|
%
|
52.1
|
%
|
52.9
|
%
|
|||||
Total
costs and expenses
|
94.5
|
%
|
89.9
|
%
|
95.3
|
%
|
94.8
|
%
|
|||||
Operating
income
|
5.5
|
%
|
10.1
|
%
|
4.7
|
%
|
5.2
|
%
|
|||||
Interest
expense, net
|
(0.7
|
)%
|
(0.3
|
)%
|
(0.4
|
)%
|
(1.0
|
)%
|
|||||
Other
Income
|
(0.3
|
)%
|
0.3
|
%
|
(0.0
|
)%
|
0.1
|
%
|
|||||
Income
before income taxes
|
4.5
|
%
|
10.1
|
%
|
4.3
|
%
|
4.3
|
%
|
|||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
1.9
|
%
|
3.1
|
%
|
1.8
|
%
|
1.4
|
%
|
|||||
Net
income
|
2.6
|
%
|
7.0
|
%
|
2.5
|
%
|
2.9
|
%
|
Three
Months Ended September 30, 2006 Compared to Three Months Ended September
30,
2005
Revenues.
Our revenues for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 were $84.5 million,
representing an increase of $6.1 million, or 7.9%, as compared to $78.4 million
for the quarter September 30, 2005. Approximately $1.3 million and $4.1
million, respectively of this increase was as a result of our acquisition
of
Euphoria Institute LLC, or Euphoria, on December 1, 2005 and our acquisition
of
New England Institute of Technology at Palm Beach, Inc., or FLA, on May 22,
2006. The remainder of the increase was due to tuition increases. For the
quarter ended September 30, 2006, our average undergraduate full-time student
enrollment increased 2.2% to 18,427 as compared to 18,029 for the quarter
ended
September 30, 2005. Excluding our acquisition of Euphoria and FLA, our average
undergraduate student enrollment decreased by 4.8% to 17,165. For a general
discussion of trends in our student enrollment, see “Seasonality and Trends”
below.
Educational
services and facilities expenses.
Our educational services and facilities expenses for the quarter ended September
30, 2006 were $36.8 million, representing an increase of $4.3 million, or
13.2%,
as compared to $32.5 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. The
acquisitions of Euphoria and FLA resulted in $0.8 million and $2.1 million,
respectively, of this increase. Excluding these acquisitions,
instructional expenses increased by $0.8 million or 4.6% as compared to last
year due to increased compensation and benefit costs. Books and tools
expenses increased $0.2 million or 3.5% over the prior year due higher costs
for
books and tools. Additionally, facilities expenses increased by approximately
$0.4 million over the same quarter in 2005 due to normal rent escalation
clauses
and additional square footage at some of our facilities as well as due to
higher
insurance and property taxes.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses.
Our selling, general and administrative expenses for the quarter ended September
30, 2006 were $43.1 million, representing an increase of $5.1 million, or
13.5%,
as compared to $37.9 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2005.
Approximately $0.4 million and $1.9 million of the $43.1 million incurred
for
the quarter ended September 30, 2006 was related to the acquisition of Euphoria
and FLA, respectively. Excluding Euphoria and FLA, our selling, general and
administrative expenses would have increased 7.6% as compared to the same
period
in 2005. This increase was primarily due to a $3.2 million, or 20.2%,
increase in sales and marketing expenses offset by a $0.2 million, or 1.3%,
decrease in administrative costs.
Historically,
our schools have lower student populations in our first and second quarters
and
we have experienced large class starts in the third and fourth quarters.
Our
second half growth is largely dependent on a successful high school recruiting
season. We recruit our high school students several months ahead of their
scheduled start dates, and thus, while we have visibility on the number of
students who have expressed interest in attending our schools, we cannot
predict
with certainty the actual number of new student starts and its related impact
on
revenue.
As
the
third quarter progressed, we experienced erosion between the number of students
who had expressed an interest in attending our schools and enrolled and those
that commenced classes. Many of these prospective students chose immediate
employment, rather than pursuing education in the near term. Moreover, we
believe the attractive job market further elevated sensitivity levels regarding
to the affordability of education, given the attractive alternative of immediate
employment.
As
a
result of this shortfall and in an attempt to mitigate the decreased number
of
high school enrollments, we decided to increase our advertising expenditures
(primarily television and web base initiatives) for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. For additional discussion of trends in our student
enrollment, see “Seasonality and Trends” below.
For
the
quarter ended September 30, 2006, our bad debt expense was 5.7% as compared
to
4.2% for the same quarter in 2005. This increase is due to several factors,
including (1) higher accounts receivable balances at September 30, 2006 as
compared to September 30, 2005, (2) loans to our students under a recourse
agreement we entered into in 2005 with Student Marketing Association (Sallie
Mae) to provide private recourse loans to qualifying students, and (3) normal
seasonal patterns in our business. Accounts receivable at September 30, 2006
includes five new campuses that did not exist in the prior period (our two
Euphoria and two FLA campuses as well as our new Queens New York campus).
Under
the terms of the Sallie Mae agreement, we are required to fund up to 30%
of all
loans disbursed into a deposit account, which may ultimately be utilized
to
purchase loans in default. Since recoverability of such amounts is questionable,
we reserve 100% of the amounts on deposit. As of September 30, 2006, we had
reserved $1.5 million under this agreement, which represents an increase
of
approximately $1.1 million from amounts reserved at December 31, 2005. For
additional information on our accounts receivable balances, see “Operating
Activities” below.
Net
interest expense.
Our net interest expense for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 was $0.6
million, representing an increase of $0.4 million from the quarter ended
September 30, 2005. This increase was primarily due to a $10.0 million
increase in borrowings under our credit agreement as compared to prior year
as
well as from the assumption of a $7.2 million mortgage note payable in
connection with our acquisition of FLA.
Income
taxes.
Our provision for income taxes for the quarter ended September 30, 2006 was
$1.6
million, or 41.5% of pretax income, compared to $2.5 million, or 31.0% of
pretax
income, for the quarter ended September 30, 2005. The decrease in our
effective tax rate for the three months ended September 30, 2005 is primarily
attributable to the recognition of a tax benefit of approximately $0.8 million
resulting from the resolution of certain tax contingencies.
Nine
Months Ended September 30, 2006 Compared to Nine Months Ended September 30,
2005
Revenues.
Our revenues for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 were $235.4 million,
representing an increase of $17.9 million, or 8.2%, as compared to $217.5
million for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. Approximately $4.0
million and $6.1 million, respectively of this increase were as a result
of our
acquisition of Euphoria, on December 1, 2005 and our acquisition of FLA on
May
22, 2006. The remainder of the increase was due to tuition increases. For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2006, our average undergraduate full-time
student enrollment increased 1.6% to 17,828 as compared to 17,544 for the
nine
months ended September 30, 2005. Excluding our acquisition of Euphoria and
FLA,
our average undergraduate student enrollment decreased by 2.8% to 17,055.
For a
general discussion of trends in our student enrollment, see “Seasonality and
Trends” below.
Educational
services and facilities expenses.
Our educational services and facilities expenses for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 were $101.6 million, representing an increase of $10.4
million, or 11.4%, as compared to $91.2 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005. The acquisitions of Euphoria and FLA resulted in $2.3
million and $3.0 million, respectively, of this increase. Excluding these
acquisitions, instructional expenses increased by $1.9 million or 3.7% as
compared to last year due to increased compensation and benefit costs.
Books and tools expenses increased $1.0 million or 9.8% over the prior year
due
to higher tool sales for the nine months ended as compared to the comparable
period in the prior year, which resulted in increased cost of tools and from
higher costs of books during the period. Additionally, facilities expenses
increased by approximately $2.2 million over the same nine months in 2005
due to
normal rent escalation clauses and additional square footage at some of our
facilities as well as due to higher insurance and property taxes. Additionally,
for the nine months ended September 30, 2006, depreciation and amortization
expense increased by approximately $0.6 million over the same period in 2005
primarily due to additional depreciation expense associated with our Queens,
New
York facility, which opened on March 27, 2006.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses.
Our selling, general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 were $122.7 million, representing an increase of $7.6
million, or 6.6%, as compared to $115.1 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2005. Approximately $1.2 million and $2.5 million of the
$122.7 million incurred for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 related
to
the acquisition of Euphoria and FLA, respectively. Excluding Euphoria and
FLA,
our selling, general and administrative expenses would have increased 3.4%
as
compared to the same period in 2005. This increase was primarily due to a
$3.0 million, or 13.0% increase in marketing expenses as well as a $1.1 million,
or 1.9%, increase in administrative costs, which is due to the increase in
bad
debt expenses during the period.
Historically,
our schools have higher student populations and larger class starts in the
third
and fourth quarters of each year as compared to the first and second quarters.
Our second half results are largely dependent on a successful high school
recruiting season. We recruit our high school students several months ahead
of
their scheduled start dates and, while we have visibility on the number of
students who have expressed interest in attending our schools, we cannot
predict
with certainty the actual number of new student starts and its related impact
on
revenue.
As
the
third quarter progressed, we experienced erosion between the number of students
who had expressed an interest in attending our schools and enrolled and those
that commenced classes. Many of these prospective students chose immediate
employment rather than pursuing education in the near term. Moreover, we
believe
the attractive job market further elevated sensitivity levels regarding the
affordability of education, given the attractive alternative of immediate
employment.
As
a
result of this shortfall and in an attempt to mitigate for the decreased
number
of high school enrollments, we decided to increase our advertising expenditures
(primarily television and web base initiatives) for the three months ended
September 30, 2006. For additional discussion of trends in our student
enrollment, see “Seasonality and Trends” below.
For
the
nine months ended September 30, 2006, our bad debt expense was 5.2% as compared
to 3.7% for the same period in 2005. This increase is due to several factors,
including (1) higher accounts receivable balances throughout 2006 as compared
to
2005, as a greater percentage of our students choose to finance their education
with longer term loans, (2) loans to our students under a recourse agreement
we
entered into in 2005 with Sallie Mae to provide private recourse loans to
qualifying students, and (3) normal seasonal patterns in our business. Accounts
receivable at September 30, 2006 includes five new campuses that did not
exist
in the prior period (our two Euphoria and two FLA campuses as well as our
new
Queens New York campus). Under the terms of the Sallie Mae agreement, we
are
required to fund up to 30% of all loans disbursed into a deposit account,
which
may ultimately be utilized to purchase loans in default. Since recoverability
of
such amounts is questionable, we reserve 100% of the amounts on deposit.
As of
September 30, 2006, we had reserved $1.5 million under this agreement, which
represents an increase of approximately $1.1 million from amounts reserved
at
December 31, 2005.
Net
interest expense.
Our net interest expense for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 was
$0.9
million, representing a decrease of $1.2 million from the nine months ended
September 30, 2005. This decrease was primarily due to an increase in
interest income of $0.6 million due to higher cash balances during the period
as
well as a decrease of $0.7 million in interest expense due to the repayment
of
our debt outstanding under our credit facility in June 2005 with the proceeds
from our initial public offering.
Income
taxes.
Our provision for income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2006
was
$4.2 million, or 41.1% of pretax income, compared to $3.0 million, or 32.5%
of
pretax income, for the nine months ended September 30, 2005. The decrease
in our effective tax rate for the nine months ended September 30, 2005 is
primarily attributable to the recognition of a tax benefit of approximately
$0.8
million resulting from the resolution of certain tax contingencies.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
Our
primary capital requirements are for facility expansion and maintenance,
acquisitions and the development of new programs. Our principal sources of
liquidity have been cash provided by operating activities and borrowings
under
our credit agreement. The following chart summarizes the principal
elements of our cash flow for the nine months ended September 30, 2006 and
2005:
Cash
Flow Summary
Nine
Months Ended September 30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
$
|
1,666
|
$
|
13,229
|
|||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
$
|
(49,037
|
)
|
$
|
(30,282
|
)
|
|
Net
cash provided by financing activities
|
$
|
9,554
|
$
|
20,303
|
At
September 30, 2006 we had cash and cash equivalents of $12.4 million, compared
to $50.3 million as of December 31, 2005. For the nine months ended
September 30, 2006, cash and cash equivalents decreased by approximately
$37.9
million from December 31, 2005. This decrease is mainly attributable to our
acquisition of FLA on May 22, 2006 for net cash of $32.8 million, capital
expenditures during the period and normal seasonal patterns. Historically,
we
have financed our operating activities and organic growth primarily through
cash
generated from operations. In addition, we have financed acquisitions
primarily through borrowings under our credit agreement and cash generated
from
operations. In connection with our acquisition of FLA, we borrowed $10.0
million under our credit facility. We currently anticipate that we will be
able
to meet both our short-term cash needs, as well as our need to fund operations
and meet our obligations beyond the next twelve months with cash generated
by
operations, existing cash balances and borrowings under our credit agreement.
At
September 30, 2006, we had borrowings available under our credit agreement
of
approximately $85.6 million, including a $15.6 million sub-limit on letters
of
credit.
Our
primary source of cash is tuition collected from our students. Our
students fund their tuition payments from a variety of sources including
Title
IV Programs, federal and state grants, private loans and their personal
resources. A significant majority of our students’ tuition payments are
derived from Title IV Programs. Students must apply for a new loan for
each academic period. Federal regulations dictate the timing of
disbursements of funds under Title IV Programs, and loan funds are generally
provided by lenders in two disbursements for each academic year. The first
disbursement is usually received approximately 30 days after the start of
a
student’s academic year and the second disbursement is typically received at the
beginning of the sixteenth week after the start of the student’s academic
year. Certain types of grants and other funding are not subject to a
30-day delay. Our programs range from 30 to 84 weeks and may cover one or
two academic years. In certain instances, if a student withdraws from a
program prior to a specified date, any paid but unearned tuition or prorated
Title IV financial aid is refunded with the amount varying by
state.
The
majority of students enrolled at our schools rely on funds received under
various government-sponsored student financial aid programs to pay a substantial
portion of their tuition and other education-related expenses. The largest
of these programs is Title IV, which represented approximately 80% of our
cash
receipts relating to revenues in 2005. As a result of the significance of
the Title IV funds received by our students, we are highly dependent on these
funds to operate our business. Any reduction in the level of Title IV
funds that our students are eligible to receive or any impact on our ability
to
receive Title IV funds would have a significant impact on our operations
and our
financial condition.
Operating
Activities
Net
cash
provided by operating activities was $1.7 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 compared to $13.2 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2005. The $11.6 million decrease in cash provided by operating
activities was primarily due to a $12.3 million increase in accounts receivable
since December 31, 2005 as compared to $3.7 million increase in accounts
receivable for the same period in the prior year. This increase in accounts
receivable, which represents 24.2 days sales outstanding for the quarter
ended
September 30, 2006 as compared to 17.9 days sales outstanding for the same
period in 2005, is primarily attributable to the addition of five campuses
during the period as well as due to the increase in the self-pay portion
of our
student’s tuition. As the gap between the amount of funding provided by Title IV
and tuition rates widen, students are finding it increasingly difficult to
finance this portion of their tuition on a short term basis. This has resulted
in an overall increase in the term of loan programs established to assist
students in financing this gap.
In
an
ongoing effort to help those students who are unable to obtain any additional
sources of alternative financing, we assist students in financing a portion
of
their tuition. Students that elect to participate in this financing option
currently have up to seven years to repay this obligation, an increase of
two
years from the five year term that we have previously offered our students.
While
the
increase in repayment term from five to seven years benefits our students
by
decreasing their monthly payments, it adversely impacts our accounts receivable;
our allowance for doubtful accounts and our cash flows from operations. Although
we have reserved for estimated losses related to unpaid student balances,
losses
in excess of the amounts we have reserved for bad debts will result in a
reduction in our profitability.
Investing
Activities
Net
cash
used in investing activities increased $18.8 million to $49.0 million for
the
nine months ended September 30, 2006 from $30.2 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2005. This increase is primarily due to our
acquisition of FLA.
Our
cash
used in investing activities was primarily related to the purchase of property
and equipment and in acquiring schools. Our capital expenditures primarily
result from facility expansion, leasehold improvements, and investments in
classroom and shop technology and in operating systems. On January 11, 2005,
we
acquired New England Technical Institute, or NETI, for $19.9 million, net
of
cash acquired. This amount was subsequently adjusted to $18.8 million as
a
result of purchase price adjustments. On May 22, 2006, we acquired FLA for
approximately $32.8 million plus the assumption of a $7.2 million mortgage,
net
of cash acquired.
We
currently lease a majority of our campuses. In October 2005, we completed
the purchase of our Grand Prairie, Texas facility which we opened in July
2006.
In addition, on May 22, 2006, with the purchase of FLA, we acquired real
estate
valued at approximately $19.8 million. Our growth strategy is primarily focused
on internal growth, including campus expansions; however, we have in the
past,
and expect to continue to consider strategic acquisitions. To the extent
that these potential strategic acquisitions are large enough to require
financing beyond available cash from operations and borrowings under our
credit
facilities, we may incur additional debt or issue additional debt or equity
securities.
Capital
expenditures are expected to increase as we upgrade and expand current equipment
and facilities and open new facilities to meet increased student
enrollments. Additionally, we are evaluating several other expansion
opportunities. We now anticipate capital expenditures to be approximately
10% of revenues in 2006. We expect to be able to fund these capital
expenditures with cash generated from operating activities.
Financing
Activities
Net
cash
provided by financing activities was $9.6 million for the nine months ended
September 30, 2006 compared to $20.3 million for the nine months ended September
30, 2005. This decrease in 2006 is primarily attributable to the Company
borrowing less under it’s credit agreement.
On
February 15, 2005, we entered into a new credit agreement with a syndicate
of
banks led by our existing lender. Under the terms of this agreement, the
syndicate provided us with a $100 million credit facility with a term of
five
years. The credit agreement permits the issuance of letters of credit of
up to $20 million, the amount of which reduces the availability of permitted
borrowings under the agreement. In connection with entering into this new
credit agreement, we expensed approximately $0.4 million of unamortized deferred
finance costs under our old credit agreement during the nine months ended
September 30, 2005. We incurred approximately $0.8 million of deferred
finance costs under the new agreement.
The
following table sets forth our long-term debt at the dates
indicated:
September
30,
2006
|
December
31,
2005
|
||||||
Credit
agreement
|
$
|
10,000
|
$
|
-
|
|||
Mortgage
note payable
|
7,136
|
-
|
|||||
Automobile
loans
|
43
|
81
|
|||||
Finance
obligation
|
9,672
|
9,672
|
|||||
Capital
leases-computers (with rates ranging from 6.7% to 10.7%)
|
166
|
1,015
|
|||||
Subtotal
|
27,017
|
10,768
|
|||||
Less
current portion
|
(335
|
)
|
(283
|
)
|
|||
$
|
26,682
|
$
|
10,485
|
Contractual
Obligations
Long-Term
Debt.
As of September 30, 2006, our long-term debt consisted of amounts borrowed
under
our credit agreement, a mortgage note payable assumed as part of the acquisition
of FLA, the finance obligation in connection with our sale-leaseback transaction
in 2001 and amounts due under capital lease obligations.
Lease
Commitments.
We
lease offices, educational facilities and various equipment for varying periods
through the year 2020 at basic annual rentals (excluding taxes, insurance,
and
other expenses under certain leases).
The
following table contains supplemental information regarding our total
contractual obligations as of September 30, 2006, measured from the end of
our
fiscal year, December 31, 2005:
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||
Total
|
Less
than 1 year
|
2-3
years
|
4-5
years
|
After
5 years
|
||||||||||||
Credit
agreement
|
$
|
10,000
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
-
|
$
|
10,000
|
$
|
-
|
||||||
Mortgage
note payable (including interest)
|
11,648
|
700
|
1,400
|
1,400
|
8,148
|
|||||||||||
Capital
leases (including interest)
|
159
|
79
|
80
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Operating
leases
|
152,097
|
16,749
|
31,332
|
24,834
|
79,182
|
|||||||||||
Rent
on finance obligation
|
13,546
|
1,311
|
2,622
|
2,622
|
6,991
|
|||||||||||
Automobile
loans (including interest)
|
44
|
22
|
22
|
-
|
-
|
|||||||||||
Total
contractual cash obligations
|
$
|
187,494
|
$
|
18,861
|
$
|
35,456
|
$
|
38,856
|
$
|
94,321
|
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
We
had no
off-balance sheet arrangements as of September 30, 2006.
Related
Party Transactions
We
had a
consulting agreement with Hart Capital LLC (“Hart Capital”), which terminated by
its terms in June 2004, to advise us in identifying acquisition and merger
targets and assisting with the due diligence reviews of and negotiations
with
these targets. Hart Capital is the managing member of Five Mile River
Capital Partners LLC, which is the second largest stockholder of our
Company. Steven Hart, the President of Hart Capital, is a member of our
board of directors. We paid Hart Capital a monthly retainer, reimbursement
of
expenses and an advisory fee for its work on successful acquisitions or
mergers. In accordance with the agreement, we paid Hart Capital $0 and
approximately $0.04 million for the three months ended September 30, 2006
and
2005, respectively, and $0 and approximately $0.4 million for the nine months
ended September 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. In connection with the
consummation of the NETI acquisition, on January 11, 2005, we paid Hart Capital
$0.3 million for its services.
In
2003,
we entered into a management service agreement with our majority stockholder,
Stonington Partners Inc. (“Stonington Partners”). In accordance with this
agreement, we paid Stonington Partners a management fee of $0.75 million
per
year for management consulting and financial and business advisory
services. Such services include valuing acquisitions and structuring their
financing and assisting with new loan agreements. We paid Stonington
Partners $0 and $0.75 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2006
and
2005, respectively. Fees paid to Stonington Partners were being amortized
over a twelve month period. This agreement terminated by its terms upon
the completion of our initial public offering in June 2005. Selling,
general and administrative expenses for the nine months ended September 30,
2005
include a $0.75 million charge resulting from the amortization of these
fees.
Pursuant
to the employment agreement between Shaun E. McAlmont and us, we agreed to
pay
and reimburse Mr. McAlmont the reasonable costs of his relocation from Denver,
Colorado to West Orange, New Jersey. Such relocation assistance included
the
purchase by us of Mr. McAlmont’s home in Denver, Colorado. The $0.5 million
price paid for Mr. McAlmont’s home equaled the average of the amount of two
independent appraisers selected by us. This amount is reflected in property,
equipment and facilities in the accompanying condensed consolidated balance
sheets.
Seasonality
and Trends
Our
net
revenues and operating results normally fluctuate as a result of seasonal
variations in our business, principally due to changes in total student
population. Student population varies as a result of new student
enrollments, graduations and student attrition. Historically, our schools
have had lower student populations in our first and second quarters and we
have
experienced large class starts in the third and fourth quarters and student
attrition in the first half of the year. Our second half growth is largely
dependent on a successful high school recruiting season. We recruit our high
school students several months ahead of their scheduled start dates, and
thus,
while we have visibility on the number of students who have expressed interest
in attending our schools, we cannot predict with certainty the actual number
of
new student enrollments and the related impact on revenue. Our expenses,
however, do not vary significantly over the course of a year with changes
in our
student population and net revenues. During the first half of the year, we
make significant investments in marketing, staff, programs and facilities
to
ensure that we have the proper staffing to meet our second half targets and,
as
a result, such expenses do not fluctuate significantly on a quarterly
basis. To the extent new student enrollments, and related revenues, in the
second half of the year fall short of our estimates, our operating results
could
suffer. We expect quarterly fluctuations in operating results to continue
as a
result of seasonal enrollment patterns. Such patterns may change, however,
as a result of new school openings, new program introductions, increased
enrollments of adult students and/or acquisitions.
Similar
to other public for-profit post secondary education companies, the increase
in
our average undergraduate enrollments has not met our historical or anticipated
growth rates in 2005 and 2006. As a result of the slow down in 2005, we entered
2006 with fewer students enrolled than we had in January of 2005. This trend
has
continued throughout 2006 and has resulted in a shortfall in our expected
enrollments during the first half of the year and especially in our third
quarter, which has historically accounted for a majority of our yearly starts.
The slow down that has occurred in the for-profit post secondary education
sector appears to have had a greater impact on companies, like ours, that
are
more dependent on their on-ground business as opposed to on-line students.
We
believe that the slow down can be attributed to many factors, including:
(a) the
economy and the labor market; (b) the availability of student financing;
(c) the
dependency on television to attract students to our school; (d) turnover
of our
sales representatives; and (e) increased competition in the marketplace.
Despite
soft organic enrollment trends and increased volatility in the near term,
we
believe that our growth initiatives as well as the steps we have taken to
address the challenging trends that our industry and we are currently facing
will produce positive growth over the long-term. While our operating strategy,
business model and infrastructure are well suited for the short-term and
we have
ample operating flexibility, we continue to be prudent and realistic and
have
taken the necessary steps to ensure that operations that have not grown as
rapidly as expected are right sized. We also continue to make investments
in
areas that are demonstrating solid growth.
Operating
income is negatively impacted during the initial start-up phase of new campus
expansions. We incur sales and marketing costs as well as campus personnel
costs in advance of the opening of each campus. Typically we begin to
incur such costs approximately 15 months in advance of the campus opening
with
the majority of such costs being incurred in the nine-month period prior
to a
campus opening. During the current year, we continued expansion efforts
for one new campus, located in Queens, New York, which opened on March 27,
2006.
Item
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
The
Company is exposed to certain market risks as part of its on-going business
operations. The Company has a credit agreement with a syndicate of
banks. The obligations of the Company under the credit agreement are
secured by a lien on substantially all of the assets of the Company and its
subsidiaries and any assets that it or its subsidiaries may acquire in the
future, including a pledge of substantially all of the subsidiaries’ common
stock. Outstanding borrowings bear interest at the rate of adjusted LIBOR
plus 1.0% to 1.75%, as defined, or a base rate (as defined in the credit
agreement). As of September 30, 2006, the Company has $10.0 million
outstanding under the credit agreement. The interest rate under this
borrowing is 6.33% at September 30, 2006.
In
conjunction with the acquisition of FLA, the Company assumed a mortgage note
payable with an accompanying interest rate swap (the “SWAP”) in the amount of
$7.2 million. The fair value of the SWAP upon acquisition was $0.3 million
and all future changes in the market valuation of the SWAP will be recorded
as
other income or expense on the consolidated statement of operations. The
interest rate swap agreement converts the mortgage note payable from a variable
rate to a fixed rate of 6.48% through May 1, 2013.
Based
on
our outstanding debt balance, a change of one percent in the interest rate
would
cause a change in interest expense of approximately $0.1 million, or less
than
$.01 per basic share, on an annual basis. Changes in interest rates would
also impact the fair value of the interest rate swap, which would be recorded
as
interest income or expense on the condensed consolidated income
statement.
The
remainder of our interest rate risk is associated with miscellaneous capital
equipment leases, which are not material.
Item
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)
Evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures.
Our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, after evaluating
the
effectiveness of our disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in
Securities Exchange Act Rule 13a-15(e)) as of the end of the quarterly
period covered by this report, have concluded that our disclosure controls
and
procedures are adequate and effective to reasonably ensure that material
information required to be disclosed by us in the reports that we file or
submit
under the Exchange Act is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within
the time periods specific by Securities and Exchange Commissions’ Rules and
Forms and that such information is accumulated and communicated to our
management, including our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,
as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required
disclosure.
(b)
Changes in Internal Control Over Financial Reporting.
There were no changes made during our most recently completed fiscal quarter
in
our internal control over financial reporting that have materially affected,
or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
In
the
ordinary conduct of our business, we are periodically subject to lawsuits,
investigations and claims, including, but not limited to, claims involving
students or graduates and routine employment matters. Although we cannot
predict with certainty the ultimate resolution of lawsuits, investigations
and
claims asserted against us, we do not believe that any currently pending
legal
proceeding to which we are a party will have a material adverse effect on
our
business or financial condition, results of operations or cash
flows.
Item
6. EXHIBITS
EXHIBIT
INDEX
The
following exhibits are filed or incorporated by reference with this Form
10-Q.
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
|
|
3.1
|
Amended
and Restated Certificate of Incorporation of the Company
(1).
|
|
3.2
|
Amended
and Restated By-laws of the Company (2).
|
|
4.1
|
Stockholders’
Agreement, dated as of September 15, 1999, among Lincoln Technical
Institute, Inc., Back to School Acquisition, L.L.C., and Five Mile
River
Capital Partners LLC. (1).
|
|
4.2
|
Letter
agreement, dated August 9, 2000, by Back to School Acquisition,
L.L.C.,
amending the Stockholders’ Agreement (1).
|
|
4.3
|
Letter
agreement, dated August 9, 2000, by Lincoln Technical Institute,
Inc.,
amending the Stockholders’ Agreement (1).
|
|
4.4
|
Management
Stockholders Agreement, dated as of January 1, 2002, by and among
Lincoln
Technical Institute, Inc., Back to School Acquisition, L.L.C. and
the
Stockholders and other holders of options under the Management
Stock
Option Plan listed therein (1).
|
|
4.5
|
Registration
Rights Agreement between the Company and Back to School Acquisition,
L.L.C. (2).
|
|
4.6
|
Specimen
Stock Certificate evidencing shares of common stock
(1).
|
|
10.1
|
Credit
Agreement, dated as of February 15, 2005, among the Company, the
Guarantors from time to time parties thereto, the Lenders from
time to
time parties thereto and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, as Administrative
Agent (1).
|
|
10.2
|
Employment
Agreement, dated as of January 3, 2005, between the Company and
David F.
Carney (1).
|
|
10.3
|
Amended
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2005, between the Company
and
David F. Carney (1).
|
|
10.4
|
Employment
Agreement dated as of January 3, 2005, between the Company and
Lawrence E.
Brown (1).
|
|
10.5
|
Amended
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2005, between the Company
and
Lawrence E. Brown (1).
|
|
10.6
|
Employment
Agreement, dated as of January 3, 2005, between the Company and
Scott M.
Shaw (1).
|
|
10.7
|
Amended
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2005, between the Company
and
Scott M. Shaw (1).
|
|
10.8
|
Employment
Agreement, dated as of January 3, 2005, between the Company and
Cesar
Ribeiro (1).
|
|
10.9
|
Amended
Employment Agreement, dated as of March 1, 2005, between the Company
and
Cesar Ribeiro (1).
|
Exhibit
Number
|
Description
|
|
10.10
|
Lincoln
Educational Services Corporation 2005 Long Term Incentive Plan
(1).
|
|
10.11
|
Lincoln
Educational Services Corporation 2005 Non Employee Directors Restricted
Stock Plan (1).
|
|
10.12
|
Lincoln
Educational Services Corporation 2005 Deferred Compensation Plan
(1).
|
|
10.13
|
Lincoln
Technical Institute Management Stock Option Plan, effective January
1,
2002 (1).
|
|
10.14
|
Form
of Stock Option Agreement, dated January 1, 2002, between Lincoln
Technical Institute, Inc. and certain participants (1).
|
|
10.15
|
Management
Stock Subscription Agreement, dated January 1, 2002, among Lincoln
Technical Institute, Inc. and certain management investors
(1).
|
|
10.16
|
Stockholder’s
Agreement among Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, Back
to School
Acquisition L.L.C., Steven W. Hart and Steven W. Hart 2003 Grantor
Retained Annuity Trust (2).
|
|
10.17
|
Stock
Purchase Agreement, dated as of March 30, 2006, among Lincoln Technical
Institute, Inc., and Richard I. Gouse, Andrew T. Gouse, individually
and
as Trustee of the Carolyn Beth Gouse Irrevocable Trust, Seth A.
Kurn and
Steven L. Meltzer (3).
|
|
10.18
|
Employment
Agreement, dated as of September 26, 2006, between Lincoln Educational
Services Corporation and Shaun E. McAlmont (4).
|
|
Certification
of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
||
Certification
of Chief Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley
Act of 2002.
|
||
Certification
of Chairman & Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer
pursuant to 18 U.S.C. 1350, as adopted pursuant to Section 906
of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
|
_________________
*
|
Filed
herewith
|
(1)
|
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Registration Statement on Form S-1
(Registration No. 333-123664).
|
(2)
|
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on June 28,
2005.
|
(3)
|
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Form 10-Q, filed with the SEC on May 15,
2006.
|
(4)
|
Incorporated
by reference to the Company’s Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 2,
2006.
|
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 hereunto
duly authorized.
Date:
November 14, 2006
LINCOLN
EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORPORATION
|
||
|
||
By:
|
/s/
Cesar Ribeiro
|
|
Cesar
Ribeiro
|
||
Chief
Financial Officer
|
||
(Principal
Accounting and Financial
Officer)
|
25