LIQUIDITY SERVICES INC - Quarter Report: 2013 June (Form 10-Q)

Table of Contents

 

 

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-Q

 

(Mark One)

 

x      QUARTERLY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.

 

For the quarterly period ended June 30, 2013

 

OR

 

o         TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.

 

For the transition period from                    to                   

 

Commission file number 0-51813

 

LIQUIDITY SERVICES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

 

 

(202) 467-6868

(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)

 

 

(Former Name, Former Address and Former Fiscal Year, If Changed Since Last Report)

 

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

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (section 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No o

 

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

 

 

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

 

The number of shares outstanding of the issuer’s common stock, par value $.001 per share, as of August 2, 2013 was 31,745,353.

 

 

Table of Contents

 

INDEX

 

		Page
Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION (UNAUDITED)
Item 1.	Consolidated Financial Statements	3
	Consolidated Balance Sheets	3
	Consolidated Statements of Operations	4
	Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income	5
	Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity	6
	Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows	7
	Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements	8
Item 2.	Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations	20
Item 3.	Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk	34
Item 4.	Controls and Procedures	34
Part II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1.	Legal Proceedings	35
Item 1A.	Risk Factors	35
Item 6.	Exhibits	35
SIGNATURES		36

 

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PART I—FINANCIAL INFORMATION

 

Item 1. Consolidated Financial Statements.

 

Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(Dollars in Thousands)

 

		June 30,			September 30,
		2013			2012
		(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		$	63,327		$	104,782
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $1,005 and $1,248 at June 30, 2013 and September 30, 2012, respectively		22,821			16,226
Inventory		27,710			20,669
Prepaid and deferred taxes		17,752			16,927
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		5,737			3,973
Total current assets		137,347			162,577
Property and equipment, net		10,289			10,382
Intangible assets, net		31,097			34,204
Goodwill		209,357			185,771
Other assets		7,667			7,474
Total assets		$	395,757		$	400,408
Liabilities and stockholders’ equity
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable		$	12,281		$	9,997
Accrued expenses and other current liabilities		30,165			36,569
Profit-sharing distributions payable		2,813			4,041
Current portion of acquisition earn out payables		—			14,511
Customer payables		28,039			34,265
Current portion of note payable		—			10,000
Total current liabilities		73,298			109,383
Acquisition earn out payables		18,299			—
Note payable, net of current portion		—			32,000
Deferred taxes and other long-term liabilities		9,221			9,022
Total liabilities		100,818			150,405
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock, $0.001 par value; 120,000,000 shares authorized; 31,693,239 shares issued and outstanding at June 30, 2013; 31,138,111 shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2012		31			31
Additional paid-in capital		200,059			182,361
Accumulated other comprehensive income		(2,211		)	1,246
Retained earnings		97,060			66,365
Total stockholders’ equity		294,939			250,003
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity		$	395,757		$	400,408

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Operations

(Dollars in Thousands, Except Per Share Data)

 

		Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012			2013			2012
Revenue		$	99,673		$	105,601		$	307,202		$	313,405
Fee revenue		24,526			15,672			69,526			39,624
Total revenue		124,199			121,273			376,728			353,029
Costs and expenses:
Cost of goods sold (excluding amortization)		49,977			49,187			147,045			147,497
Profit-sharing distributions		8,649			10,245			27,002			34,117
Technology and operations		21,851			15,943			66,800			47,528
Sales and marketing		10,127			7,364			30,428			20,809
General and administrative		10,096			8,639			35,907			24,672
Amortization of contract intangibles		2,407			2,020			7,023			6,059
Depreciation and amortization		1,984			1,477			5,952			4,508
Acquisition costs		239			1,109			5,826			(5,562		)
Total costs and expenses		105,330			95,984			325,983			279,628
Income from operations		18,869			25,289			50,745			73,401
Interest and other (expense) income, net		(56		)	(517		)	772			(1,625		)
Income before provision for income taxes		18,813			24,772			51,517			71,776
Provision for income taxes		(7,525		)	(9,909		)	(20,822		)	(29,025		)
Net income		$	11,288		$	14,863		$	30,695		$	42,751
Basic earnings per common share		$	0.36		$	0.48		$	0.97		$	1.39
Diluted earnings per common share		$	0.35		$	0.45		$	0.94		$	1.30
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		31,651,061			31,140,261			31,565,109			30,791,297
Diluted weighted average shares outstanding		32,540,187			33,183,165			32,642,046			32,781,370

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

(In Thousands)

 

		Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012			2013			2012
Net income		$	11,288		$	14,863		$	30,695		$	42,751
Other comprehensive income (loss):
Defined benefit pension plan — unrecognized amounts, net of taxes		—			—			—			—
Foreign currency translation and other		(1,363		)	(3		)	(3,457		)	(20		)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes		(1,363		)	(3		)	(3,457		)	(20		)
Comprehensive income		$	9,925		$	14,860		$	27,238		$	42,731

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Consolidated Statement of Changes in Stockholders’ Equity

(In Thousands Except Share Data)

 

											Additional			Accumulated Other
		Treasury Stock				Common Stock					Paid-in			Comprehensive			Retained
		Shares		Amount		Shares		Amount			Capital			Income			Earnings			Total
Balance at September 30, 2012		—		—		31,138,111		$	31		$	182,361		$	1,246		$	66,365		$	250,003
Exercise of common stock options and restricted stock		—		—		555,128		—			1,394			—			—			1,394
Compensation expense and incremental tax benefit from grants of common stock options and restricted stock		—		—		—		—			16,304			—			—			16,304
Comprehensive income:
Net income		—		—		—		—			—			—			30,695			30,695
Foreign currency translation and other		—		—		—		—			—			(3,457		)	—			(3,457		)
Balance at June 30, 2013		—		—		31,693,239		$	31		$	200,059		$	(2,211	)	$	97,060		$	294,939

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Unaudited Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(In Thousands)

 

		Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012
Operating activities
Net income		$	30,695		$	42,751
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization		12,975			10,567
Gain on early extinguishment of debt		(1,000		)	—
Stock compensation expense		10,229			8,655
Inventory allowance		(1,109		)	(776		)
Doubtful accounts		(243		)	(217		)
Incremental tax benefit from exercise of common stock options		(6,074		)	(15,188		)
Changes in operating assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable		(6,352		)	(1,066		)
Inventory		(5,932		)	(4,515		)
Prepaid expenses and other assets		3,292			13,513
Accounts payable		2,284			(5,929		)
Accrued expenses and other		(8,608		)	5,912
Profit-sharing distributions payable		(1,228		)	(4,329		)
Customer payables		(6,226		)	(167		)
Acquisition earn out payables		(6,077		)	(10,068		)
Other liabilities		199			128
Net cash provided by operating activities		16,825			39,271
Investing activities
Increase in goodwill and intangibles and cash paid for acquisitions		(14,719		)	(80,063		)
Purchases of property and equipment		(3,909		)	(2,828		)
Net cash used in investing activities		(18,628		)	(82,891		)
Financing activities
Repurchases of common stock		—			(29,999		)
Repayment of notes payable		(39,000		)	—
Payment of acquisition contingent liabilities		(8,185		)	—
Proceeds from exercise of common stock options (net of tax)		1,394			14,022
Incremental tax benefit from exercise of common stock options		6,074			15,188
Net cash used in financing activities		(39,717		)	(789		)
Effect of exchange rate differences on cash and cash equivalents		65			(21		)
Net decrease in cash and cash equivalents		(41,455		)	(44,430		)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		104,782			129,089
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		$	63,327		$	84,659
Supplemental disclosure of cash flow information
Cash paid for income taxes		$	12,221		$	11,761
Cash paid for interest		2,029			52
Note payable issued in connection with acquisition		—			40,000
Contingent purchase price accrued		23,146			1,196

 

See accompanying notes to the unaudited consolidated financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements

 

1.                                      Organization

 

Liquidity Services, Inc. and subsidiaries (LSI or the Company) operates leading auction marketplaces for surplus and salvage assets. LSI enables buyers and sellers to transact in an efficient, automated online auction environment offering over 500 product categories. The Company’s marketplaces provide professional buyers access to a global, organized supply of surplus and salvage assets presented with digital images and other relevant product information. Additionally, LSI enables its corporate and government sellers to enhance their financial return on excess assets by providing a liquid marketplace and value-added services that integrate sales and marketing, logistics and transaction settlement into a single offering. LSI organizes its products into categories across major industry verticals such as consumer electronics, general merchandise, apparel, scientific equipment, aerospace parts and equipment, technology hardware, energy equipment, industrial capital assets, fleet and transportation equipment and specialty equipment. The Company’s marketplaces are www.liquidation.com, www.govliquidation.com, www.govdeals.com, www.networkintl.com, www.truckcenter.com, www.secondipity.com, and www.go-dove.com. LSI has one reportable segment consisting of operating auction marketplaces for sellers and buyers of surplus, salvage and scrap assets.

 

2.                                      Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

 

Unaudited Interim Financial Information

 

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for interim financial information. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments, consisting of normal, recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. The information disclosed in the notes to the consolidated financial statements for these periods is unaudited. Operating results for the three months ended June 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending September 30, 2013 or any future period.  Certain prior period amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation.  Revenue includes revenue earned under the profit-sharing model and the purchase model.  Fee revenue is revenue earned under the consignment model, as well as other fee revenue, and is presented separately as it accounts for more than 10% of total revenue. The incremental tax benefit of common stock options is presented separately in the operating section of the statement of cash flows.  Activity from discontinued operations is immaterial in both periods and therefore not disclosed separately from continuing operations.

 

The Company has evaluated subsequent events through the date that these financial statements were issued and filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

 

New Accounting Pronouncements

 

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU 2013-02, Comprehensive Income (Topic 220)—Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which amends existing guidance by requiring that additional information be disclosed about items reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income.  The additional information includes separately stating the total change for each component of other comprehensive income and separately disclosing both current-period other comprehensive income and reclassification adjustments.  Entities are also required to present, either on the face of the income statement or in the note to the financial statements, significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income as separate line items of net income but only if the entire amount reclassified must be reclassified to net income in the same reporting period.  For amounts that are not required to be reclassified in their entirety to net income, an entity must cross-reference to other disclosures that provide additional detail about those amounts.  ASU 2013-02 will be effective for interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2012, which for the Company will be our fiscal 2014 first quarter.  The Company does not believe the adoption of this update will have a material impact on its financial statements.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

 

Business Combinations

 

The Company recognizes all of the assets acquired, liabilities assumed, contractual contingencies, and contingent consideration at their fair value on the acquisition date. Acquisition-related costs are recognized separately from the acquisition and expensed as incurred. Subsequent changes to the purchase price (i.e., working capital adjustments) or other fair value adjustments determined during the measurement period are recorded as an adjustment to goodwill, with the exception of contingent consideration, which is expensed in the period it is modified. All subsequent changes to a valuation allowance or uncertain tax position that relate to the acquired company and existed at the acquisition date that occur both within the measurement period and as a result of facts and circumstances that existed at the acquisition date are recognized as an adjustment to goodwill. All other changes in valuation allowances are recognized as a reduction or increase to income tax expense or as a direct adjustment to additional paid-in capital as required.

 

Accounts Receivable

 

Accounts receivable are recorded at the invoiced amount and are non-interest bearing. The Company maintains an allowance for doubtful accounts to reserve for potentially uncollectible receivables. Allowances are based on management’s judgment, which considers historical experience and specific knowledge of accounts where collectability may not be probable. The Company makes provisions based on historical bad debt experience, a specific review of all significant outstanding invoices and an assessment of general economic conditions.

 

Earnings per Share

 

Basic net income attributable to common stockholders per share is computed by dividing net income attributable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period. Diluted net income attributable to common stockholders per share includes the potential dilution that could occur if securities or other contracts to issue common stock were exercised or converted into common stock. The Company had 1,405,107 unvested restricted shares outstanding at June 30, 2013, which were issued at prices ranging from $7.48 to $52.55, of which 206,546 and 431,014, and 1,026,971 and 927,589 shares have been included in the calculation of diluted income per share for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively, due to the difference between the issuance price and the average market price for the period in which they have been outstanding. The Company has also excluded the following stock options in its calculation of diluted income per share because the option exercise prices were greater than the average market prices for the applicable period:

 

(a)                        for the three months ended June 30, 2013, 151,291 options;

 

(b)                        for the nine months ended June 30, 2013, 151,291 options;

 

(c)                         for the three months ended June 30, 2012, 0 options; and

 

(d)                        for the nine months ended June 30, 2012, 0 options.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements (continued)

 

Earnings per Share (continued)

 

The following summarizes the potential outstanding common stock of the Company as of the dates set forth below:

 

		Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012			2013			2012
		(unaudited)
		(dollars in thousands, except per share amounts)
Weighted average shares calculation:
Basic weighted average shares outstanding		31,651,061			31,140,261			31,565,109			30,791,297
Treasury stock effect of options and restricted stock		889,126			2,042,904			1,076,937			1,990,073
Diluted weighted average common shares outstanding		32,540,187			33,183,165			32,642,046			32,781,370
Net income		$	11,288		$	14,863		$	30,695		$	42,751
Basic income per common share		$	0.36		$	0.48		$	0.97		$	1.39
Diluted income per common share		$	0.35		$	0.45		$	0.94		$	1.30

 

Stock-Based Compensation

 

The Company estimates the fair value of share-based awards on the date of grant. The fair value of stock options is determined using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. The fair value of restricted stock awards is based on the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of grant. The determination of the fair value of the Company’s stock option awards and restricted stock awards is based on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, the Company’s common stock price, expected stock price volatility over the expected life of awards, and actual and projected exercise behavior. Additionally, the Company has estimated forfeitures for share-based awards at the dates of grant based on historical experience, adjusted for future expectation. The forfeiture estimate is revised as necessary if actual forfeitures differ from these estimates.

 

The Company issues restricted stock awards where restrictions lapse upon either the passage of time (service vesting), achieving performance targets, or some combination of these restrictions. For those restricted stock awards with only service conditions, the Company recognizes compensation cost on a straight-line basis over the explicit service period. For awards to employees with both performance and service conditions, the Company starts recognizing compensation cost over the remaining service period, when it is probable the performance condition will be met. For awards to non-employees (who are not directors), the Company records compensation cost when the performance condition is met.

 

The Company presents the cash flows resulting from the tax benefits resulting from tax deductions in excess of the compensation cost recognized for those options (excess tax benefits) as a financing activity with a corresponding operating cash outflow in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

3.                                      Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Disposition Services Contracts

 

The Company has a Surplus Contract with the DLA Disposition Services in which the base term expired in February 2012 with two one year renewal options. The DoD has exercised both renewal options. Under the Surplus Contract, the Company is required to purchase all usable surplus property offered to the Company by the Department of Defense at a fixed percentage equal to 1.8% of the DoD’s original acquisition value. The Company retains 100% of the profits from the resale of the property and bears all of the costs for the merchandising and sale of the property. The Surplus Contract contains a provision providing for a mutual termination of the contract for convenience.

 

As a result of the Surplus Contract, the Company is the sole remarketer of all DoD surplus turned into the DLA Disposition Services available for sale within the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

 

The Company has a Scrap Contract with the DLA Disposition Services in which the base term expired in June 2012 with three one year renewal options.  The DoD has exercised the first two renewal options. Under the terms of the Scrap Contract, the Company is required to purchase all scrap government property referred to it by the DLA Disposition Services. The Company distributes to the DLA Disposition Services 77% of the profits realized from the ultimate sale of the inventory, after deduction for allowable expenses, as provided for under the terms of the contract. The Contract also has a performance incentive that allows the Company to receive up to an additional 2% of the profit sharing distribution.  This incentive is measured annually on June 30th, and is applied to the prior 12 months. The Company earned a performance incentive for the 12 months ended June 30, 2013, of approximately $1,265,000, in the quarter ended June 30, 2013.  The performance incentive is recorded in Profit-sharing distributions in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.  For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013 and 2012 profit-sharing distributions to the DLA Disposition Services under the Scrap Contract were $8,649,000 and $27,001,000; and $10,245,000 and $34,117,000, respectively, including accrued amounts, as of June 30, 2013 and 2012, of $2,811,000 and $2,938,000, respectively. The Scrap Contract may be terminated by either the Company or the DLA Disposition Services if the rate of return performance ratio does not exceed specified benchmark ratios for two consecutive quarterly periods and the preceding twelve months. The Company has performed in excess of the benchmark ratios throughout the contract period through June 30, 2013.

 

As a result of the Scrap Contract, the Company is the sole remarketer of all U.S. Department of Defense scrap turned into the DLA Disposition Services available for sale within the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

4.                                      Acquisitions

 

National Electronic Service Association (NESA)

 

On November 1, 2012, the Company acquired the assets and assumed liabilities of National Electronic Service Association (NESA) in an all cash transaction.  The acquisition price included an upfront cash payment of approximately $18.3 million and an earn-out payment. Under the terms of the agreement, the earn-out is based on EBITDA earned by NESA during the 36-48 months after closing.  EBITDA growth used in the calculation is capped at 20% of prior period.  The Company’s estimate for the total payout ranges from zero to a maximum $37.7 million.  The Company’s estimate of the fair value of the earn-out as of the date of acquisition was $18.0 million.  As of June 30, 2013, the Company’s best estimate of the fair value of the earn out is $18.3 million.  NESA is a Canadian provider of returns management, refurbishment and reverse logistics services for high-value consumer products.  NESA provides expertise and focused services to Fortune 1000 companies in the management of Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technology products.

 

Under the acquisition method of accounting, the total estimated purchase price is allocated to NESA’s net tangible and intangible assets acquired based on their estimated fair values as of November 1, 2012. Based on management’s preliminary valuation, as the Company is waiting for additional information and analysis relating to accrued expenses, of the fair value of tangible and intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed, the purchase price was allocated as follows:

 

		Consideration Amount
		(in thousands)
Cash		$	3,760
Goodwill		27,009
Vendor contract intangible asset		3,936
Covenants not to compete		1,400
Other intangible asset		225
Property and equipment		234
Accrued liabilities		(204		)
Total consideration		$	36,360

 

Goodwill was created as part of the acquisition as the Company acquired an experienced and knowledgeable workforce, 75% of which is expected to be tax deductible as a result of the asset purchase structure of the transaction.

 

Jacobs Trading Company

 

On October 1, 2011, LSI completed its acquisition of the assets of Jacobs Trading, LLC. The acquisition price included an upfront cash payment of $80.0 million, a seller subordinated 5% unsecured note of $40.0 million, the issuance of 900,171 shares of restricted stock (valued at $24.5 million by applying a 15% discount to the Company’s closing share price on September 30, 2011) and an earn-out payment. The stock consideration contained a restriction that it is not freely tradable for six months following the acquisition date and the Company used the put option analysis method to fair value the stock.  Under the terms of the agreement, the earn-out is based on EBITDA earned by Jacobs during the trailing 12 months ending December 31, 2012 and 2013. The Company’s estimate of the fair value of the earn-out as of October 1, 2011 was $8.3 million out of a possible total earn out payment of $30.0 million.  During 2012, based on the performance of the business and revised projections, the Company accrued an additional $6.2 million for the earn-out.  As of September 30, 2012, the fair value of the earn-out was $14.5 million.  During the three months ended December 31, 2012, based on the performance of the business and revised projections, the Company accrued an additional $5.1 million and paid out $17.4 million.  During the three months ended March 31, 2013, the Company paid out the remaining $2.2 million earn-out out under the 2012 target. Based on the performance of the business and projections in comparison to the elevated earn-out targets for calendar year 2013 relative to the targets for calendar year 2012, the Company believes the fair value of the calendar year 2013 earn-out as of June 30, 2013 is zero. The Company paid in full the $40.0 million seller subordinated note in November 2012.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

5.                                      Goodwill

 

The goodwill of acquired companies is primarily related to the acquisition of an experienced and knowledgeable workforce. The following summarizes our goodwill activity for the periods indicated:

 

		Goodwill (in thousands)
Balance at September 30, 2012		$	185,771
New acquisitions		27,009
Translation adjustments		(3,423		)
Balance at June 30, 2013		$	209,357

 

6.                                      Intangible Assets

 

Intangible assets at June 30, 2013 and September 30, 2012 consisted of the following:

 

				June 30, 2013									September 30, 2012
		Useful Life (in years)		Gross Carrying Amount			Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount			Gross Carrying Amount			Accumulated Amortization			Net Carrying Amount
		(dollars in thousands)
Contract intangibles		2 - 5		$	37,236		$	(14,289	)	$	22,947		$	33,300		$	(7,266	)	$	26,034
Brand and technology		3 - 5		5,960			(1,367		)	4,593			6,325			(1,023		)	5,302
Covenants not to compete		3 - 5		4,410			(1,223		)	3,187			4,400			(1,770		)	2,630
Patent and trademarks		3 - 10		498			(128		)	370			374			(136		)	238
Total intangible assets, net										$	31,097								$	34,204

 

Future expected amortization of intangible assets at June 30 was as follows:

 

Years ending September 30,		(in thousands)
2013 (remaining three months)		$	2,931
2014		11,135
2015		9,359
2016		6,440
2017 and after		1,232
Total		$	31,097

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

7.                                      Debt

 

Senior Credit Facility

 

On April 30, 2010, the Company entered into a three year term senior credit facility (the Agreement) with a bank, which provides for borrowings up to $30.0 million. Borrowings under the Agreement bear interest at an annual rate equal to the 30 day LIBOR rate plus 1.25% (1.443% at June 30, 2013) due monthly. On March 13, 2012, the Company amended this credit facility extending the term to May 31, 2014 and increasing the borrowing capacity up to $75.0 million.  As of September 30, 2012 and June 30, 2013, the Company had no outstanding borrowings under the Agreement, and the Company’s borrowing availability was $70.5 million, due to issued letters of credit for $4.5 million.

 

Borrowings under the Agreement are secured by substantially all of the assets of the Company. The Agreement contains certain financial and non-financial restrictive covenants including, among others, the requirements to maintain a minimum level of earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) and a minimum debt coverage ratio. As of June 30, 2013, the Company was in compliance with these covenants.

 

Subordinated Note

 

In conjunction with the Jacobs Trading acquisition, the Company issued a $40,000,000 seller subordinated 5% unsecured note.  The note was repaid in full in November 2012.  In conjunction with the repayment, the Company received a $1.0 million discount on the principal.  This gain on the early extinguishment of debt has been reflected in interest expense and other income (expense) in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.

 

8.                                      Income Taxes

 

The Company’s interim effective income tax rate is based on management’s best current estimate of the expected annual effective income tax rate. The Company estimates that its fiscal year 2013 tax rate will be approximately 40%.

 

The Company applies the guidance related to uncertainty in income taxes. The Company has concluded that there were no uncertain tax positions identified during its analysis. The Company’s policy is to recognize interest and penalties in the period in which they occur in the income tax provision. The Company and its subsidiaries file income tax returns in the U.S. federal jurisdiction, various state and local jurisdictions and in foreign jurisdictions, primarily the U.K. Currently, the Company is not subject to any income tax examinations. The statute of limitations for years prior to fiscal 2009 is now closed. However, certain tax attribute carryforwards that were generated prior to fiscal 2009 may be adjusted upon examination by tax authorities if they are utilized.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

9.                                      Stockholders’ Equity

 

Share Repurchase Program

 

The Company’s Board of Directors has approved up to $70.0 million in shares under a share repurchase program. On December 2, 2008, the Company’s Board of Directors approved a $10.0 million share repurchase program.  Under the program, the Company is authorized to repurchase the issued and outstanding shares of common stock.  Share repurchases may be made through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or otherwise, at times and in such amounts as management deems appropriate. The timing and actual number of shares repurchased will depend on a variety of factors including price, corporate and regulatory requirements and other market conditions.  The repurchase program may be discontinued or suspended at any time, and will be funded using our available cash. On each of February 2, 2010, November 30, 2010 and May 3, 2011, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the repurchase of up to an additional $10.0 million in shares under the share repurchase program, and on May 17, 2012, the Company’s Board of Directors approved the repurchase of up to an additional $30.0 million in shares under the share repurchase program. The Company’s Board of Directors reviews the share repurchase program periodically, the last such review having occurred in May 2012. During the year ended September 30, 2009, 707,462 shares were purchased under the program for approximately $3,874,000. During the year ended September 30, 2010, 1,225,019 shares were purchased under the program for approximately $14,471,000. During the year ended September 30, 2011, 229,575 shares were purchased under the program for approximately $3,541,000.  During the year ended September 30, 2012, 505,067 shares were purchased under the program for approximately $30,000,000.  All repurchased shares have been retired.  During the nine months ended June 30, 2013, no shares were purchased under the program. As of June 30, 2013, approximately $18,114,000 may yet be expended under the program.

 

2006 Omnibus Long-Term Incentive Plan (the 2006 Plan)

 

Under the 2006 Plan, as amended, 10,000,000 shares of common stock were available for issuance. At September 30, 2011, there were 3,152,804 shares remaining reserved for issuance in connection with awards under the 2006 Plan.  During fiscal year 2012, the Company granted options to purchase 181,783 shares to employees and directors with exercise prices between $31.37 and $42.31, and options to purchase 78,148 shares were forfeited. During fiscal year 2012, the Company granted 633,647 restricted shares to employees and directors at prices ranging from $31.37 to $52.55, and 138,052 restricted shares were forfeited. At September 30, 2012, there were 2,553,574 shares remaining reserved for issuance in connection with awards under the 2006 Plan. During the nine months ended June 30, 2013, the Company issued options to purchase 89,092 shares to employees and directors at prices ranging from $38.09 to $46.72, and options to purchase 32,244 shares were forfeited. During the nine months ended June 30, 2013, the Company issued 616,158 restricted shares to employees and directors at prices ranging from $31.63 to $42.47, and 104,860 restricted shares were forfeited. During the nine months ended June 30, 2013, the Company cancelled 281,500 restricted shares to a non-employee that vest based on performance conditions. At June 30, 2013, there were 2,056,928 shares remaining reserved for issuance in connection with awards under the 2006 Plan. The maximum number of shares subject to options or stock appreciation rights that can be awarded under the 2006 Plan to any person is 1,000,000 per year. The maximum number of shares that can be awarded under the 2006 Plan to any person, other than pursuant to an option or stock appreciation right, is 700,000 per year. These shares and options generally vest over a period of one to four years conditioned on continued employment for the incentive period.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

9.                                      Stockholders’ Equity (Continued)

 

Stock Option Activity

 

A summary of the Company’s stock option activity for the year ended September 30, 2012, the three months ended December 31, 2012, March 31, 2013, and June 30, 2013, is as follows:

 

		Options		Weighted- Average Exercise Price
Options outstanding at September 30, 2011		2,894,547		$	11.55
Options granted		181,783		34.42
Options exercised		(1,322,387	)	11.72
Options canceled		(78,148	)	12.72
Options outstanding at September 30, 2012		1,675,795		13.84
Options granted		59,322		42.37
Options exercised		(20,776	)	10.04
Options canceled		(3,208	)	25.06
Options outstanding at December 31, 2012		1,711,133		14.86
Options granted		—		—
Options exercised		(27,479	)	10.73
Options canceled		(29,036	)	17.96
Options outstanding at March 31, 2013		1,654,618		14.87
Options granted		29,770		40.11
Options exercised		(72,573	)	12.27
Options canceled		—		—
Options outstanding at June 30, 2013		1,611,815		15.45
Options exercisable at June 30, 2013		1,202,947		13.29

 

The intrinsic value and weighted average remaining contractual life in years of outstanding and exercisable options at June 30, 2013 is approximately $31,929,000 and 5.88 and $26,003,000 and 5.44, respectively, based on a stock price of $34.67 on June 30, 2013.  Over the last three years, volatility rates have ranged from 53.50% - 67.54%, a dividend rate of 0%, risk free interest rates have ranged from 0.14% - 1.67%, and expected forfeiture rates have ranged from 18.42% - 19.70%.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

9.                                      Stockholders’ Equity (Continued)

 

Restricted Share Activity

 

A summary of the Company’s restricted share activity for the year ended September 30, 2012, the three months ended December 31, 2012, March 31, 2013, and June 30, 2013, is as follows:

 

		Restricted Shares		Weighted- Average Fair Value
Unvested restricted shares at September 30, 2011		1,294,082		$	13.13
Restricted shares granted		633,647		34.05
Restricted shares vested		(390,068	)	12.53
Restricted shares canceled		(138,052	)	15.70
Unvested restricted shares at September 30, 2012		1,399,609		22.51
Restricted shares granted		679,509		39.48
Restricted shares vested		(342,494	)	17.62
Restricted shares canceled		(114,883	)	30.62
Unvested restricted shares at December 31, 2012		1,621,741		30.08
Restricted shares granted		119,711		34.17
Restricted shares vested		(68,518	)	32.23
Restricted shares canceled		(66,894	)	28.43
Unvested restricted shares at March 31, 2013		1,606,040		30.36
Restricted shares granted		26,938		33.87
Restricted shares vested		(23,288	)	36.73
Restricted shares canceled		(204,583	)	40.45
Unvested restricted shares at June 30, 2013		1,405,107		28.86

 

The intrinsic value and weighted average remaining contractual life in years of unvested restricted shares at June 30, 2013 is approximately $48,715,000 and 8.37, respectively, based on a stock price of $34.67 on June 30, 2013.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

10.                               Fair Value Measurement

 

The Company measures and records in the accompanying consolidated financial statements certain liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis. Authoritative guidance issued by the FASB establishes a fair value hierarchy for those instruments measured at fair value that distinguishes between assumptions based on market data (observable inputs) and the Company’s assumptions (unobservable inputs).  On January 1, 2012, the Company adopted Accounting Standards Update 2011-04, Fair Value Measurement: Amendments to Achieve Common Fair Value Measurement and Disclosure Requirements in U.S. GAAP and IFRS, which amended FASB ASC Topic 820, Fair Value Measurement.  Adoption of the disclosure requirements did not have a material impact on our financial position or results of operations.  The hierarchy consists of three levels:

 

Level 1		Quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;
Level 2		Inputs other than Level 1 inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable; and
Level 3		Unobservable inputs developed using estimates and assumptions developed by the Company, which reflect those that a market participant would use.

 

As of June 30, 2013 and September 30, 2012, the Company had no Level 1 or Level 2 assets or liabilities that were recorded at fair value on a recurring basis. As of September 30, 2012, the Company’s $14,511,000 liability for the earn-out related to the Jacobs Trading Company acquisition, and, as of June 30, 2013, the $18,299,000 liability for the earn-out related to the National Electronic Service Association acquisition are the only liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis and are classified as Level 3 within the fair value hierarchy. The changes in liabilities measured at fair value for which the Company has used Level 3 inputs to determine fair value for the year ended September 30, 2012 and the nine months ended June 30, 2013 are as follows ($ in thousands):

 

		Level 3 Liabilities
Balance at September 30, 2011		$	10,151
Acquisition contingent consideration		8,185
Settlements		(3,162		)
Increase (decrease) of contingent consideration		(663		)
Balance at September 30, 2012		14,511
Acquisition contingent consideration		18,050
Settlements		(19,608		)
Increase (decrease) of contingent consideration		5,346
Balance at June 30, 2013		$	18,299

 

When valuing its Level 3 liabilities, the Company gives consideration to operating results, financial condition, economic and/or market events, and other pertinent information that would impact its estimate of the expected earn-out payment. The valuation procedures are primarily based on management’s projection of EBITDA for the acquired businesses and applying a discount to the expected earn out payments to estimate fair value. Discount rates range from 2.0% to 6.0% and are based on the Company’s cost of borrowing. Changes in the discount rate are not expected to have a material impact on the fair value of these liabilities. Because of the inherent uncertainty, this estimated value may differ significantly from the value that would have been used had a ready market for the liability existed, and it is reasonably possible that the difference could be material. Changes in fair value of the Company’s Level 3 liabilities are recorded in Acquisition Costs in the Consolidated Statements of Operations.

 

The Company’s financial assets not measured at fair value are cash and cash equivalents (which includes cash and commercial paper with original maturities of less than 90 days).  The Company believes the carrying value approximates fair value due to the short term maturity of these instruments.

 

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Liquidity Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries
Notes to the Unaudited Consolidated Financial Statements — (Continued)

 

11.                               Defined Benefit Pension Plan

 

Certain employees of GoIndustry, which the Company acquired in July 2012, are covered by a qualified defined benefit pension plan.

 

The net periodic benefit cost recognized for the periods indicated included the following components:

 

Qualified Defined Benefit Pension Plan

 

		Three Months Ended June 30,					Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012		2013			2012
		(dollars in thousands)
Service cost		—			—		—			—
Interest cost		$	266		—		$	804		—
Expected return on plan assets		(267		)	—		(798		)	—
Amortization of prior service cost		—			—		—			—
Amortization of actuarial (gain)/loss		—			—		—			—
Amortization of transitional obligation/(asset)		—			—		—			—
Total net periodic benefit cost		$	(1	)	—		$	6		—

 

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

 

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

 

This document contains forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions. The outcome of the events described in these forward-looking statements is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements to differ materially from any future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These risks and other factors include but are not limited to the factors set forth in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended September 30, 2012 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You can identify forward-looking statements by terminology such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “would,” “expects,” “intends,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continues” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. There may be other factors of which we are currently unaware or deem immaterial that may cause our actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements.

 

All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf apply only as of the date of this document and are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements included in this document. Except as may be required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this document or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

 

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and the information contained elsewhere in this document.

 

Overview

 

About us.  We operate leading auction marketplaces for surplus and salvage assets. We enable buyers and sellers to transact in an efficient, online auction environment offering over 500 product categories. Our marketplaces provide professional buyers access to a global, organized supply of surplus and salvage assets presented with customer focused information including digital images and other relevant product information along with services to efficiently complete the transaction. Additionally, we enable our corporate and government sellers to enhance their financial return on excess assets by providing liquid marketplaces and value-added services that integrate sales and marketing, logistics and transaction settlement into a single offering. We organize our products into categories across major industry verticals such as consumer electronics, general merchandise, apparel, scientific equipment, aerospace parts and equipment, technology hardware, energy equipment, industrial capital assets, fleet and transportation equipment and specialty equipment. Our online marketplaces are www.liquidation.com, www.govliquidation.com, www.govdeals.com, www.networkintl.com, www.truckcenter.com, www.secondipity.com, and www.go-dove.com.

 

We believe our ability to create liquid marketplaces for surplus and salvage assets generates a continuous flow of goods from our corporate and government sellers. This flow of goods in turn attracts an increasing number of professional buyers to our marketplaces. During the 12 months ended June 30, 2013, the number of registered buyers grew from approximately 1,764,000 to approximately 2,360,000, or 33.8%.

 

Recent initiatives.  On November 1, 2012, we completed the acquisition of the assets of National Electronic Service Association (NESA).  The acquisition price included an upfront cash payment of approximately $18,300,000 and an earn-out payment. Under the terms of the agreement, the earn-out is based on EBITDA earned by NESA during the 36-48 months after closing.  Our estimate of the fair value of the earn-out as of the date of acquisition was $18.0 million.  NESA is a Canadian provider of returns management, refurbishment and reverse logistics services for high-value consumer products.  NESA provides expertise and focused services to Fortune 1000 companies in the management of Consumer Electronics, Telecommunications, and Information Technology products.  We continue to integrate NESA according to our original implementation plan, which is on schedule.

 

During the three months ended June 30, 2013, we made significant progress implementing our restructuring plan for GoIndustry, which we acquired in July 2012. We closed non performing locations and rationalized the remaining supporting infrastructure, while maintaining the key elements of the organization that have consistently provided a high level of service to our Fortune 1,000 clients.  We expect to complete our restructuring plan over the next three months, and we believe these changes will enable the GoIndustry marketplace to achieve profitable operations in fiscal year 2014.

 

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Our revenue.  We generate substantially all of our revenue by retaining a percentage of the proceeds from the sales we manage for our sellers. We offer our sellers three primary transaction models: a profit-sharing model, a consignment model and a purchase model.

 

·                  Profit-sharing model.  Under our profit-sharing model, we purchase inventory from our suppliers and share with them a portion of the profits received from a completed sale in the form of a distribution. Distributions are calculated based on the value received from the sale after deducting direct costs, such as sales and marketing, technology and operations and other general and administrative costs. Because we are the primary obligor, and take general and physical inventory risks and credit risk under this transaction model, we recognize as revenue the sale price paid by the buyer upon completion of a transaction. Revenue from our profit-sharing model accounted for approximately 14.7% and 13.6 % of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The merchandise sold under our profit-sharing model accounted for approximately 7.9% and 7.1% of our gross merchandise volume, or GMV, for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.

 

·                  Consignment model — fee revenue.  Under our consignment model, we recognize commission revenue from sales of merchandise in our marketplaces that is owned by others. These commissions, which we refer to as seller commissions, represent a percentage of the sale price the buyer pays upon completion of a transaction. We vary the percentage amount of the seller commission depending on the various value-added services we provide to the seller to facilitate the transaction. For example, we generally increase the percentage amount of the commission if we take possession, handle, ship or provide enhanced product information for the merchandise. We collect the seller commission by deducting the appropriate amount from the sales proceeds prior to their distribution to the seller after completion of the transaction. Revenue from our consignment model, as well as other fee revenue, accounted for approximately 19.7% and 18.4% of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The merchandise sold under our consignment model accounted for approximately 57.6% and 58.1% of our GMV for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.

 

·                  Purchase model.  Under our purchase model, we offer our sellers a fixed amount or the option to share a portion of the proceeds received from our completed sales in the form of a distribution. Distributions are calculated based on the value we receive from the sale after deducting a required return to us that we have negotiated with the seller. Because we are the primary obligor, and take general and physical inventory risks and credit risk under this transaction model, we recognize as revenue the sale price paid by the buyer upon completion of a transaction. Revenue from our purchase model accounted for approximately 65.6% and 68.0% of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The merchandise sold under our purchase model accounted for approximately 34.5% and 34.8% of our GMV for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.

 

We collect a buyer premium on substantially all of our transactions under all of our transaction models. Buyer premiums are calculated as a percentage of the sale price of the merchandise sold and are paid to us by the buyer. Buyer premiums are in addition to the price of the merchandise. Under our profit-sharing model, we typically share the proceeds of any buyer premiums with our sellers.

 

Industry trends.  We believe there are several industry trends impacting the growth of our business including: (1) the increase in the adoption of the Internet by businesses to conduct e-commerce both in the United States and abroad; (2) in the long term product innovation in the retail supply chain has increased the pace of product obsolescence and, therefore, the supply of surplus assets; (3) the increase in the volume of returned merchandise handled by both online and offline retailers; (4) the increase in government regulations necessitating verifiable recycling and remarketing of surplus assets; (5) the increase in outsourcing by corporate and government organizations of disposition activities for surplus and end-of-life assets; (6) as a result of the economic downturn, an increase in buyer demand for surplus merchandise as consumers trade down by purchasing less expensive goods and seek greater value from their purchases, which results in lower per unit prices and margins in our retail goods marketplace; and (7) in the near term, the decrease in the volume and price of consumer electronic products, resulting in lower supply from our retail clients and lower per unit prices and margins in our retail goods marketplace.

 

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Our Seller Agreements

 

Our DoD agreements.  We have two contracts with the DoD pursuant to which we acquire, manage and sell excess property:

 

·                  Surplus Contract.  In June 2001, we were awarded the original Surplus Contract, a competitive-bid exclusive contract under which we acquire, manage and sell all usable DoD surplus personal property turned into the DLA Disposition Services. Surplus property generally consists of items determined by the DoD to be no longer needed, and not claimed for reuse by, any federal agency, such as computers, electronics, office supplies, scientific and medical equipment, aircraft parts, clothing and textiles. On November 6, 2008, the DoD extended the original Surplus Contract through December 17, 2008, the original Contract wind down period was completed during fiscal year 2010. We responded to a RFP from the DLA Disposition Services regarding a renewal of the Surplus Contract, and we were awarded the contract. We executed the new Contract on December 18, 2008. The new Surplus Contract expires in February 2014. Revenue from our Surplus Contract (including buyer premiums) accounted for approximately 26.0% and 27.5% of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The property sold under our Surplus Contract accounted for approximately 14.0% and 14.3% of our GMV for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.

 

·                  Scrap Contract.  In June 2005, we were awarded a competitive-bid exclusive contract under which we acquire, manage and sell substantially all scrap property of the DoD turned into the DLA Disposition Services. Scrap property generally consists of items determined by the DoD to have no use beyond their base material content, such as metals, alloys, and building materials. We were required to pay $5.7 million to the DoD in fiscal 2005 for the right to manage the operations and remarket scrap material in connection with the Scrap Contract. Following the DoD’s exercise of its first two renewal options, the Scrap Contact expires in June 2014.  Revenue from our Scrap Contract (including buyer premiums) accounted for approximately 14.7% and 13.6% of our total revenue for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013. The property sold under our Scrap Contract accounted for approximately 7.9% and 7.1% of our GMV for the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013.

 

Under the new Surplus Contract, as amended, we are obligated to purchase all DoD surplus property at 1.8% of Disposition Services’ original acquisition value. The DoD has broad discretion to determine what property will be made available for sale to us under the new Surplus Contract and may retrieve or restrict property previously sold to us for national security reasons or if the property is otherwise needed to support the mission of the DoD.

 

Under the Scrap Contract, we acquire scrap property at a per pound price.  We disburse to the DLA Disposition Services 77% of the profits realized from the ultimate sale of the inventory, after deduction for allowable expenses, as provided for under the terms of the contract.  We refer to these disbursement payments to the DoD as profit-sharing distributions. As a result of these arrangements, we recognize as revenue the gross proceeds from these sales. The DoD also reimburses us for actual costs incurred for packing, loading and shipping property under the Scrap and original Surplus Contracts that we are obligated to pick up from non-DoD locations.  We also have a small business performance incentive based on the number of scrap buyers that are small businesses that allows us to receive up to an additional 2% of the profit sharing distribution. We earned a performance incentive for the 12 months ended June 30, 2013, of approximately $1,265,000, in the quarter ended June 30, 2013.  The performance incentive is recorded in Profit-sharing distributions in the Consolidated Statement of Operations.  On May 21, 2007, we entered into a bilateral contract modification under which the DoD agreed to increase our profit-sharing distribution for the Scrap Contract from 20% to 23% effective June 1, 2007, in exchange for our agreement to implement additional inventory assurance processes and procedures with respect to the mutilation of demilitarized scrap property sold.

 

During April 2013, the DoD issued a Request For Information (RFI) for the Surplus and Scrap Contracts.

 

Our Wal-Mart Contracts.  We have various contracts with Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., pursuant to which we have the exclusive right to purchase certain consumer products from Wal-Mart that have been removed from the sales stream of its retail operations. All of these agreements have customary commercial terms, which generally expire within a year and allow both parties to terminate for convenience with reasonable notice.  As a result of the Jacobs Trading acquisition, we also have a long-term contract with Wal-Mart that does not provide for termination for convenience.  The term of this agreement expires on May 16, 2016 and thereafter continues on a month to month basis.

 

Our commercial agreements.  We have over 600 corporate clients each of which has sold in excess of $10,000 of surplus and salvage assets in our marketplaces during the last twelve months. Our agreements with these clients are generally terminable at will by either party.

 

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Key Business Metrics

 

Our management periodically reviews certain key business metrics for operational planning purposes and to evaluate the effectiveness of our operational strategies, allocation of resources and our capacity to fund capital expenditures and expand our business. These key business metrics include:

 

Gross merchandise volume.  Gross merchandise volume, or GMV, is the total sales value of all merchandise sold through our marketplaces during a given period. We review GMV because it provides a measure of the volume of goods being sold in our marketplaces and thus the activity of those marketplaces. GMV also provides a means to evaluate the effectiveness of investments that we have made and continue to make, including in the areas of customer support, value-added services, product development, sales and marketing, and operations. The GMV of goods sold in our marketplaces during the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013 totaled $230.3 million and $722.8 million, respectively.

 

Completed transactions.  Completed transactions represents the number of auctions in a given period from which we have recorded revenue. Similar to GMV, we believe that completed transactions is a key business metric because it provides an additional measurement of the volume of activity flowing through our marketplaces. During the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013, we completed approximately 130,000 and 397,000 transactions, respectively.

 

Total registered buyers.  We grow our buyer base through a combination of marketing and promotional efforts.  A person becomes a registered buyer by completing an online registration process on one of our marketplaces. As part of this process, we collect business and personal information, including name, title, company name, business address and contact information, and information on how the person intends to use our marketplaces. Each prospective buyer must also accept our terms and conditions of use. Following the completion of the online registration process, we verify each prospective buyer’s e-mail address and confirm that the person is not listed on any banned persons list maintained internally or by the U.S. federal government. After the verification process, which is completed generally within 24 hours, the registration is approved and activated and the prospective buyer is added to our registered buyer list.

 

Total registered buyers, as of a given date, represents the aggregate number of persons or entities who have registered on one of our marketplaces. We use this metric to evaluate how well our marketing and promotional efforts are performing. Total registered buyers excludes duplicate registrations, buyers who are suspended from utilizing our marketplaces and those buyers who have voluntarily removed themselves from our registration database. In addition, if we become aware of registered buyers that are no longer in business, we remove them from our database. As of June 30, 2013, we had approximately 2,360,000 registered buyers.

 

Total auction participants.  For each auction we manage, the number of auction participants represents the total number of registered buyers who have bid one or more times in that auction. As a result, a registered buyer who bids, or participates, in more than one auction is counted as an auction participant in each auction in which he or she participates. Thus, total auction participants for a given period is the sum of the auction participants in each auction conducted during that period. We use this metric to allow us to compare our online auction marketplaces to our competitors, including other online auction sites and traditional on-site auctioneers. In addition, we measure total auction participants on a periodic basis to evaluate the activity level of our base of registered buyers and to measure the performance of our marketing and promotional efforts. For the three and nine months ended June 30, 2013, approximately 623,000 and 1,832,000 total auction participants participated in auctions on our marketplaces, respectively.

 

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Non-GAAP Financial Measures

 

EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA. EBITDA is a supplemental non-GAAP financial measure and is equal to net income plus interest and other expense (income), net; provision for income taxes; amortization of contract intangibles; and depreciation and amortization. Our definition of adjusted EBITDA differs from EBITDA because we further adjust EBITDA for stock-based compensation expense and acquisition costs.

 

We believe EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA are useful to an investor in evaluating our performance for the following reasons:

 

·                                          The amortization of contract intangibles relates to amortization of the Scrap Contract beginning in June 2005 and the contract related intangible assets associated with the Jacobs Trading acquisition on October 1, 2011 and the NESA acquisition on November 1, 2012. Depreciation and amortization expense primarily relates to property and equipment. Both of these expenses are non-cash charges that have fluctuated significantly over the past five years. As a result, we believe that adding back these non-cash charges to net income is useful in evaluating the operating performance of our business on a consistent basis from year-to-year.

 

·                                          As a result of varying federal, state and foreign income tax rates, we believe that presenting a financial measure that adjusts net income for provision for income taxes is useful to investors when evaluating the operating performance of our business.

 

·                                          The authoritative guidance requires all share-based payments to employees, including grants of employee stock options, to be recognized in the income statement based on their estimated fair values. Accordingly, we believe adjusting net income for this non-cash stock based compensation expense is useful to investors when evaluating the operating performance of our business.

 

·                                          The authoritative guidance related to business combinations requires the recognition of contingent consideration so that it is recognized at the time of acquisition rather than when it is probable and disallows the capitalization of transaction costs. Accordingly, we believe adjusting net income for these acquisition related expenses is useful to investors when evaluating the operating performance of our business on a consistent basis from year-to-year.

 

·                                          We believe these measures are important indicators of our operational strength and the performance of our business because they provide a link between profitability and operating cash flow.

 

·                                          We also believe that analysts and investors use EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as supplemental measures to evaluate the overall operating performance of companies in our industry.

 

Our management uses EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA:

 

·                                          as measurements of operating performance because they assist us in comparing our operating performance on a consistent basis as they remove the impact of items not directly resulting from our core operations;

 

·                                          for planning purposes, including the preparation of our internal annual operating budget;

 

·                                          to allocate resources to enhance the financial performance of our business;

 

·                                          to evaluate the effectiveness of our operational strategies; and

 

·                                          to evaluate our capacity to fund capital expenditures and expand our business.

 

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EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA as calculated by us are not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies. In addition, EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA: (a) do not represent net income or cash flows from operating activities as defined by GAAP; (b) are not necessarily indicative of cash available to fund our cash flow needs; and (c) should not be considered as alternatives to net income, income from operations, cash provided by operating activities or our other financial information as determined under GAAP.

 

We prepare adjusted EBITDA by adjusting EBITDA to eliminate the impact of items that we do not consider indicative of our core operating performance. You are encouraged to evaluate these adjustments and the reasons we consider them appropriate for supplemental analysis. As an analytical tool, adjusted EBITDA is subject to all of the limitations applicable to EBITDA. Our presentation of adjusted EBITDA should not be construed as an implication that our future results will be unaffected by unusual or non-recurring items.

 

The table below reconciles net income to EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA for the periods presented.

 

		Three Months Ended June 30,						Nine Months Ended June 30,
		2013			2012			2013			2012
		(in thousands) (unaudited)
Net income		$	11,288		$	14,863		$	30,695		$	42,751
Interest and other expense (income), net		56			517			(772		)	1,625
Provision for income taxes		7,525			9,909			20,822			29,025
Amortization of contract intangibles		2,407			2,020			7,023			6,059
Depreciation and amortization		1,984			1,477			5,952			4,508
EBITDA		23,260			28,786			63,720			83,968
Stock compensation expense		2,927			3,537			10,229			8,655
Acquisition costs		239			1,109			5,826			(5,562		)
Adjusted EBITDA		$	26,426		$	33,432		$	79,775		$	87,061

 

Critical Accounting Estimates

 

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities. A “critical accounting estimate” is one which is both important to the portrayal of our financial condition and results and requires management’s most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, often as a result of the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain. We continuously evaluate our critical accounting estimates. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.

 

Revenue recognition.  For transactions in our online marketplaces, which generate substantially all of our revenue, we recognize revenue when all of the following criteria are met:

 

·                  a buyer submits the winning bid in an auction and, as a result, evidence of an arrangement exists and the sale price has been determined;

 

·                  title has passed to a buyer and the buyer has assumed risks and rewards of ownership; and

 

·                  collection is reasonably assured.

 

Substantially all of our sales are recorded subsequent to payment authorization being received, utilizing credit cards, wire transfers and PayPal, an Internet based payment system, as methods of payments. As a result, we are not subject to significant collection risk, as goods are generally not shipped before payment is received.

 

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