NEOGEN CORP - Annual Report: 2021 (Form 10-K)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

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

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Based on the closing sale price on November 30, 2020 the aggregate market value of the voting stock held by of the registrant was $3,951,774,000. For these purposes, the registrant considers its Directors and executive officers to be its only affiliates.

10-K,

COVID-19

10-K

10-K

10-K,

 

2

 

by-products,

single-use,

Neogen’s Animal Safety segment is engaged in the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of veterinary instruments, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, topicals, diagnostic products, rodenticides, cleaners, disinfectants, insecticides and genomics testing services for the worldwide animal safety market. The majority of these consumable products are marketed through veterinarians, retailers, livestock producers and animal health product distributors. Our line of drug detection products is sold worldwide for the detection of abused and therapeutic drugs in animals and animal products, and has expanded into the workplace and human forensic markets.

Neogen’s products are marketed by our sales personnel in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Central America, Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, the United Kingdom, the European Union, China, India and Australia, and by distributors throughout the rest of the world.

Our mission is to be the leading company in the development and marketing of solutions for food and animal safety. To meet this mission, a growth strategy consisting of the following elements has been developed: (i) increasing sales of existing products; (ii) introducing innovative products and services; (iii) growing international sales; and (iv) acquiring businesses and forming strategic alliances. We have historically been successful at increasing product sales organically, including international growth, and maintain an active acquisition program to identify and capitalize on opportunities to acquire new products, businesses, or technology.

(517) 372-9200.

10-K,

10-Q,

8-K,

www.neogen.com

10-K.

PRODUCTS

Product trademarks and registered trademarks owned by Neogen include:

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10-K

by-products,

3-D

DNA-definitive

one-step

 

4

Neogen’s Reveal lateral flow tests for shellfish toxins include rapid tests to detect the toxins that cause amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP), diarrhetic shellfish poisoning (DSP) and paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP).

ISO-accredited

The majority of Neogen’s food safety test kits use immunoassay technology to rapidly detect target substances. Our ability to produce high quality antibodies sets our products apart from immunoassay test kits produced and sold by other companies. Our kits are available in microwell formats, which allow for automated and rapid processing of a large number of samples, and lateral flow and other similar devices that provide distinct visual results. Typically, test kits use antibody-coated test devices and chemical reagents to indicate a positive or negative result for the presence of a target substance in a test sample; the simplicity of the tests makes them accessible to all levels of food producers, processors and handlers. Neogen also offers other test methods and products to complement its immunoassay tests.

non-exclusive

Neogen’s international operations in the U.K., Mexico, Brazil, China and India originally focused on food safety products, and each of these units reports through the Food Safety segment. In recent years, these operations have expanded to offer our complete line of products and services, including those usually associated with the Animal Safety segment such as cleaners, disinfectants, rodenticides, insecticides, veterinary instruments and genomics services. These additional products and services are managed and directed by existing management at our international operations, and report through the Food Safety segment.

Revenues from Neogen’s Food Safety segment accounted for 50.0%, 50.9%, and 51.5% of our total revenues for fiscal years ended May 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Neogen’s Animal Safety segment is primarily engaged in the development, manufacture, marketing and distribution of veterinary instruments, pharmaceuticals, vaccines, topicals, diagnostic products, a full suite of agricultural biosecurity products such as rodenticides, cleaners, disinfectants and insecticides, and genomics services.

 

5

E-AD,

Vita-15

Stress-Dex,

Pour-on

Many of the products and services in the Animal Safety segment use licensed technology. In fiscal year 2021, the Animal Safety segment incurred expense totaling $331,000 for royalties for licensed technology used in our products and services, including expense of $213,000 related to the genomics services line.

 

6

Neogen’s operation in Australia originally focused on providing genomics services and sales of animal safety products and reports through the Animal Safety segment. With the acquisition of Cell BioSciences in February 2020, our Australian operation has expanded to offer our complete line of products and services, including those usually associated with the Food Safety segment. These additional products are managed and directed by existing management at Neogen Australasia and report through the Animal Safety segment.

Revenues from Neogen’s Animal Safety segment accounted for 50.0%, 49.1%, and 48.5% of our total revenues for fiscal years ended May 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Neogen is organized under two segments — Food Safety and Animal Safety. Within these segments, our sales efforts are generally organized by specific markets, and/or geography. During the fiscal year that ended May 31, 2021, we had approximately 33,000 customers for our products. As many of our customers are distributors and certain animal safety products are offered to the general retail market, the total number of end users of our products is considerably greater than 33,000. As of May 31, 2021, a total of 494 employees were assigned to sales and marketing functions, compared to 507 at the end of May 2020. During the fiscal years ended May 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, no single customer or distributor accounted for 10% or more of our revenues.

FOOD SAFETY

To reach each customer and prospect with expertise and experience, Neogen has a staff of specialized food safety sales and technical service representatives assigned to specific markets or geographies. This staff sells our products directly to end users, and also handles technical support issues that arise with customers in the United States.

Neogen’s food safety markets are primarily comprised of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANIMAL SAFETY

Neogen’s staff of specialized animal safety sales, marketing, customer and technical service representatives sell our products and services directly to consumers, dealers, veterinarians, distributors and other manufacturers and also handle domestic technical support issues. Neogen further supports its distribution channels through product training, field support, various promotions and advertising.

 

7

Neogen’s animal safety markets are primarily comprised of:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neogen maintains 16 Company-owned locations outside of the United States to provide a direct presence in regions of particular importance to us; we maintain an extensive network of distributors to reach countries where we do not have a direct presence.

Neogen Europe management is also responsible for Neogen’s other European operations, which include:

 

 

 

Neogen Europe has two additional manufacturing locations in:

 

 

 

8

Sales to customers outside the United States accounted for 39.1%, 39.4%, and 40.1% of our total revenues for fiscal years ended May 31, 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. No individual foreign country contributed 10% or more of our revenues for those same periods.

Management maintains a strong commitment to Neogen’s research and development activities. Our product development efforts are focused on the enhancement of existing products and on the development of new products that fit our business strategy. As of May 31, 2021, we employed 112 scientists and support staff in our worldwide research and development group, including immunologists, chemists and microbiologists. Research and development costs were approximately $16.3 million, $14.8 million, and $12.8 million representing 3.5%, 3.5%, and 3.1% of total revenues in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Management currently expects our future research and development expenditures to approximate 3% of total revenues annually.

Neogen has ongoing development projects for several new and improved diagnostic tests and other complementary products for both the Food Safety and Animal Safety markets. Management expects that a number of these products will be commercially available at various times during fiscal years 2022 and 2023.

Certain technologies used in some products manufactured and marketed by Neogen were acquired from or developed in collaboration with affiliated partners, independent scientists, governmental agencies, universities and other third parties. We have entered into agreements with these parties that provide for the payment of royalties based upon sales of products that use the pertinent licensed technology. Royalties, expensed to sales and marketing, under these agreements amounted to $2,129,000, $2,524,000, and $2,795,000 in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Neogen uses trade secrets as proprietary protection in many of its food and animal safety products. In many cases, we have developed unique antibodies capable of detecting microorganisms and residues at minute levels. The supply of these antibodies, and the proprietary techniques utilized for their development, may offer better protection than filing patents. Such proprietary reagents are maintained in secure facilities and stored in more than one location to reduce exposure to complete destruction by natural disaster or other means.

 

9

Patent and trademark applications are submitted whenever appropriate. Since its inception, Neogen has acquired and been granted numerous patents and trademarks, and has numerous pending patents and trademark applications. The patents expire at various times over the next 21 years.

A summary of patents by product categories follows:

 

We do not expect the near-term expiration of any single patent to have a significant effect on future results of operations.

Management believes that Neogen has adequate rights to commercialize our products. However, we are aware that substantial research is conducted at universities, governmental agencies and other companies throughout the world and that it is always possible that patents have been applied for and could be granted that are relevant to technologies that may be used in our products. To the extent some of our products may now, or in the future, embody technologies protected by patents or trade secrets of others, we may need to obtain licenses to use such technologies to continue to sell the products. These licenses may not be available on commercially reasonable terms. Failure to obtain any such licenses could delay or prevent the sale of certain new or existing products. In addition, patent litigation is not uncommon. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that we will continue to have adequate rights to commercialize our new products or that we will avoid litigation.

One of the major areas affecting the success of biotechnology development involves the time, cost and uncertainty surrounding regulatory approvals. Neogen products requiring regulatory approval, which we currently have in place, include BotVax B, EqStim, ImmunoRegulin, Uniprim and BetaStar. Our general strategy is to focus on technical and proprietary products that do not require mandatory approval by regulatory bodies to be marketed. Neogen’s rodenticide, disinfectant, and insecticide products are subject to registration in the United States and internationally.

Neogen utilizes third-party validations on many of our disposable test kits to provide our customers with assurances that our products perform to specified levels. These include validation by the AOAC International, independently administered third-party, multi-laboratory collaborative studies and approvals by the USDA Food Safety Inspection Service for the use of our products in their operations.

Neogen manufactures our products in Michigan, Kentucky, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Iowa, Tennessee, California, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Brazil and provides genomics services in Nebraska, Scotland, Brazil, Australia, China and Canada. As of May 31, 2021, there were approximately 920 full-time employees assigned to manufacturing operations and providing of services in these locations, operating on multiple shift schedules; with occasional 24/7 production during high demand periods. Future demand increases could be accommodated by adding shifts. Management believes we could increase the current output of our primary product lines by more than 30% using the current space available; however, to do so would require investment in additional equipment.

ISO-approved

 

10

FDA-registered

48-hour

Although competitors vary in individual markets, management knows of no single competitor that is pursuing Neogen’s fundamental strategy of developing and marketing a broad line of products, ranging from disposable tests and culture media to veterinary pharmaceuticals and instruments for a large number of food safety and animal safety concerns. For each of our individual products or product lines, we face intense competition from companies ranging from small businesses to divisions of large multinational companies. Some of these organizations have substantially greater financial resources than Neogen. We compete primarily on the basis of ease of use, speed, accuracy and other similar performance characteristics of our products. The breadth of our product line, the effectiveness of our sales and customer service organizations, and pricing are also components in management’s competitive strategy.

Future competition may become even more intense, and could result from the development of new technologies, which could affect the marketability and profitability of Neogen’s products. Our competitive position will also depend on our ability to continue to develop proprietary products, attract and retain qualified scientific and other personnel, develop and implement production and marketing plans and obtain patent protection for new products. Additionally, we must continue to generate or have access to adequate capital resources to execute our strategy.

FOOD SAFETY:

With a large professional sales organization offering a comprehensive catalog of food safety solutions, management believes we maintain a general advantage over competitors offering only limited product lines. In most cases, Neogen sales and technical service personnel can offer unique insight into a customer’s numerous safety and quality challenges, and offer testing and other solutions to help the customer overcome those challenges.

 

11

Competition for pathogen detection products includes traditional methods and antibody and genetic-based platforms; competition for natural toxins and allergen detection products include instrumentation and antibody-based tests. While our offerings will not always compete on all platforms in all markets, the products we offer provide tests that can be utilized by most customers to meet their testing needs.

In addition to our extensive product offerings and robust distribution network, we focus our competitive advantage in the areas of customer service, product performance, speed, and ease of use of our products. Additionally, by aggressively maintaining Neogen’s ability to produce at low cost, we believe that we can be competitive with new market entrants that may choose a low pricing strategy in an attempt to gain market share.

ANIMAL SAFETY:

Neogen’s Animal Safety segment faces no single competitor across the products and markets we serve. In the racing industry market, we believe we hold a leading market share position. In the life sciences and forensics markets, we compete against several other diagnostic and reagent companies with similar product offerings.

In the veterinary market, Neogen markets BotVax B, the only USDA-approved vaccine for the prevention of botulism Type B in horses. We compete on other key products through differentiated product performance and superior customer and technical support. With some of our products, we provide solutions as a lower cost alternative and also offer a private label option for our distributors.

Competition in the rodenticide market includes several companies of comparable size that offer products into similar market segments. The retail rodenticide market is not dominated by a single brand. While the technical materials used by competing companies are similar, Neogen uses manufacturing and bait formula techniques which we believe may better attract rodents to the product and thereby improves overall product performance.

Within the insecticide market, Chem-Tech products specifically focus on the area of insect control for food and animal safety applications. There are several competitors offering similar products, however, we have a proprietary formulation chemistry that optimizes the delivery and safe application of insecticides at the customer’s location. These products are currently only sold in the U.S. through a combination of direct sales and distributors.

Numerous companies, including a number of large multinationals, compete for sales in the cleaner and disinfectant product segment. Neogen’s broad line of products are sold through our distributor network around the world, primarily to assist in the cleaning and disinfecting of animal production facilities.

In addition to our extensive portfolio of Animal Safety products, Neogen also competes in the retail market by providing solutions to common retail problems, such as stock outs, wasted floor space and inconsistent brand identity. We differentiate ourselves by offering planograms and convenient reordering systems to maximize turns and profitability for our retail customers.

Neogen Genomics, the leading worldwide commercial agricultural genomics laboratory in the U.S., employs cutting-edge technology in the area of genomics. The result of this technology allows the acceleration of natural selection through parentage testing and selective breeding of traits such as disease resistance, yield improvement and meat quality. Competition comes mainly from a number of service providers, some significantly larger than us as well as several smaller companies offering genomics services. Neogen Genomics is not involved in cloning or the development of transgenic animals.

A significant portion of Neogen’s products and revenues are affected by the regulations of various domestic and foreign government agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Changes in these regulations could affect revenues and/or costs of production and distribution.

Neogen’s development and manufacturing processes involve the use of certain hazardous materials, chemicals and compounds. Management believes that our safety procedures for handling and disposing of such commodities comply with the standards prescribed by federal, state and local regulations; however, changes in such regulations or rules could involve significant costs to us and could be materially adverse to our business.

The rodenticides, insecticides, cleaners, disinfectants, and sanitizers manufactured and distributed by Neogen are subject to EPA and various state regulations. In general, any international sale of our products must also comply with similar regulatory requirements in the country of destination. Each country has its own individual regulatory construct with specific requirements (e.g., label in the language of the importing country). To the best of our knowledge, Neogen products are compliant with applicable regulations in the countries where such products are sold.

 

12

FDA-approved

Many of the food safety diagnostic products do not require direct government approval. However, we have pursued AOAC approval for a number of these products to enhance their marketability.

(USDA-CVB)

Other animal safety and food safety products generally do not require additional registrations or approvals. However, Neogen’s regulatory staff routinely monitors amendments to current regulatory requirements to ensure compliance.

Our people are a critical component in our continued success. As a team, they put Neogen’s core values into action, while executing on key growth initiatives to maintain long-term sustainable growth. We strive to create a workplace of choice to attract, retain and develop top talent to achieve our vision and deliver shareholder results. As of May 31, 2021, we employed 1,841 full-time persons worldwide. None of these employees are covered by collective bargaining agreements. We adhere to a philosophy that includes, among other things, commitments to create ongoing job opportunities, pay fair wages, and protect worker health and safety. Fundamental to these commitments are Neogen’s Pillars of Trust, consisting of openness, honesty, credibility, respect and service. Management considers its relations with employees to generally be positive.

 

13

10-K,

RISKS RELATING TO

The ongoing effects of the pandemic could adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

COVID-19

COVID-19

During the course of the pandemic, we modified our business practices to comply with safety measures required by federal, state, and local governments, as well as those we determine to be in the best interests of our employees and customers, including implementing social distancing, remote work, reducing employee travel, restricting building access, and more. In taking such precautionary actions, we may experience disruptions in our supply chain, operations, facilities, and workforce, which could negatively affect efficiency and productivity, cause delays in developing new products, our ability to market products and services, and, ultimately, our stock price and financial performance.

Additional future impacts to us may include, but are not limited to, material adverse effects on the demand for our products and services, our supply chain and sales and distribution channels, our cost structure and profitability. An extended period of global supply chain and economic disruption could materially affect our business, results of operations, and financial condition.

COVID-19

COVID-19

Our business has grown significantly over the past several years as a result of both internal growth and acquisitions of existing businesses and their products. Management initiatives may be attempted to augment internal growth, such as strengthening our presence in select markets, reallocating research and development funds to products with higher growth potential, development of new applications for our technologies, enhancing our service offerings, continuing key customer efforts, and finding new markets for our products. Failure of these management initiatives may have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

Identifying and pursuing acquisition opportunities, integrating these acquisitions into our business and managing their growth requires a significant amount of management’s time and skill. We cannot assure that we will be effective in identifying, integrating or managing future acquisition targets. Our failure to successfully integrate and manage a future acquisition may have a material adverse effect on our operating results and financial condition.

 

14

In addition, if we continue to experience growth in our business, such growth could place a significant strain on our management, customer service, operations, sales and administrative personnel, and other resources. To serve the needs of our existing and future customers we will be required to recruit, train, motivate and manage qualified employees. We have incurred and will continue to incur significant costs to retain qualified management, sales and marketing, engineering, production, manufacturing and administrative personnel, as well as expenses for marketing and promotional activities. Our ability to manage our planned growth depends upon our success in expanding our operating, management, information and financial systems, which might significantly increase our operating expenses.

We may not be able to effectively manage our future growth, and if we fail to do so, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

paid-for

web-based

While we have implemented network security and internal control measures, especially for the purpose of protecting our connected products and services from cyberattacks, and invested in our data and information technology infrastructure, there can be no assurance that these efforts will prevent a system disruption, attack, or security breach and, as such, the risk of system disruptions and security breaches from a cyberattack remains.

If our security and information systems are compromised, or employees fail to comply with the applicable laws and regulations, or this information is obtained by unauthorized persons or used inappropriately, it could adversely affect our reputation, as well as results of operations, and could result in litigation, the imposition of penalties, or significant expenditures to remediate any damage to persons whose personal information has been compromised.

COVID-19

man-made

 

15

We rely on third-party suppliers to provide raw materials and other components in our products, manufacture products that we do not manufacture ourselves and perform services that we do not provide ourselves. Because these suppliers are independent third parties with their own financial objectives, actions taken by them could have a negative effect on our results of operations. The risks of relying on suppliers include our inability to enter into contracts with third party suppliers on reasonable terms, inconsistent or inadequate quality control, relocation of supplier facilities, supplier work stoppages and suppliers’ failure to comply with their contractual obligations. In addition, we currently purchase some raw materials and products from sole or single sources. Some of the products that we purchase from these sources are proprietary and, therefore, cannot be readily or easily replaced by alternative sources. Problems with suppliers could negatively impact our ability to supply the market, substantially decrease sales, lead to higher costs or damage our reputation with our customers.

We ship a significant portion of our products to customers through independent package delivery companies, such as UPS, Federal Express and DHL. We also ship our products through other carriers, including national and regional trucking firms, overnight carrier services and the U.S. Postal Service. If one or more of these third-party package delivery providers were to experience a major work stoppage, preventing our products from being delivered in a timely fashion or causing us to incur additional shipping costs we could not pass on to our customers, our costs could increase and our relationships with some of our customers could be adversely affected. In addition, if one or more of our third-party package delivery providers were to increase prices, and we were not able to find comparable alternatives or make adjustments within our delivery network, our profitability could be adversely affected.

We sell many of our products, both within and outside of the U.S., through distribution. As a result, we are dependent on distributors to sell our products and assist us in promoting and creating a demand for our products. Our distributors sometimes offer products from several different companies, and those distributors may carry our competitors’ products and promote our competitors’ products over our own. We have limited ability, if any, to cause our distributors to devote adequate resources to promoting, marketing, selling and supporting our products. We cannot assure that we will be successful in maintaining and strengthening our relationships with our distributors or establishing relationships with new distributors who have the ability to market, sell and support our products effectively. We may rely on one or more key distributors for a product or region, and the loss of one or more of these distributors could reduce our revenue. Distributors could face financial difficulties, including bankruptcy, which could impact our ability to collect our accounts receivable and negatively impact our financial results. In addition, violations of anti-bribery and anti-corruption or similar laws by our distributors could have a material impact on our business. Further, termination of a distributor relationship could result in increased competition in the applicable jurisdiction. Failing to manage the risks associated with our use of distributors could reduce sales, increase expenses and weaken our competitive position, which could have a negative impact on our operating results.

The development of new products entails substantial risk of failure due to the production of products, lack of properly identifying market potential, and competitors better serving the marketplace.

non-viable

 

16

The markets in which we compete are subject to rapid and substantial changes in technology and are characterized by extensive research and development and intense competition. Our competitors and potential competitors may have greater financial, technical, manufacturing, marketing, research and development and management resources than we do. These competitors could use their resources, reputations and ability to leverage existing customer relationships to give them a competitive advantage over us. They might also succeed in developing products that are more reliable and effective than our products, are less costly than our products or provide alternatives to our products.

Our primary customers are in the agricultural and food production industries. Economic conditions affecting agricultural industries are cyclical and are dependent upon many factors outside of our control, including weather conditions, changes in consumption patterns or commodity prices. Any of these factors in the agricultural marketplace could affect our sales and overall financial performance.

We have experienced, and may experience in the future, significant fluctuations in our quarterly or annual operating results. The mix of products sold and the acceptance of new products, in addition to other factors such as cost increases, could contribute to this variability. We operate with relatively little backlog and have few long-term customer contracts. Substantially all our product revenue in each period results from orders received in that period. In addition, our expense levels are based, in part, on our expectation of future revenue levels. Therefore, a shortfall in expected revenue could result in a disproportionate decrease in our net income.

10-K,

 

 

 

 

Our success and ability to compete depends in part on our ability to obtain protection in the U.S. and other countries for our products by establishing and maintaining intellectual property rights capable of protecting our technology and products. Patent applications filed by us may not result in the issuance of patents or, if granted, may not be granted in a form that will be commercially advantageous to us. Even if granted, patents can be challenged, narrowed, invalidated or circumvented, which could limit our ability to stop competitors from marketing similar products or limit the length of time we have patent protection for our products. We also cannot assure that our nondisclosure agreements, together with trade secrets and other common law rights, will provide meaningful protection for our trade secrets and other proprietary information. Moreover, the laws of some foreign jurisdictions may not protect intellectual property rights to the same extent as in the U.S., and many companies have encountered significant difficulties in protecting and defending such rights in foreign jurisdictions. If we encounter such difficulties or we are otherwise precluded from effectively protecting our intellectual property rights domestically or in foreign jurisdictions, we could incur substantial costs and our business, including our business prospects, could be substantially harmed.

 

17

non-infringement

 

 

 

 

 

non-infringing

A portion of our products and facilities are regulated by various domestic and foreign government agencies including, but not limited to, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency. A significant portion of our revenue is derived from products used to monitor and detect the presence of residues that are regulated by various government agencies. Furthermore, our growth may be adversely affected by the implementation of new regulations. The costs of compliance or failure to comply with any obligations related to these laws or regulations could adversely impact our business.

Our success depends, in large part, on members of our management team. Our loss of any of these, or other key employees could have a material adverse effect on us. We have not executed long-term employment agreements with any of these employees and do not expect to do so in the foreseeable future. Our success depends, significantly, on our ability to continue to attract and retain such personnel. We cannot assure that we will be able to retain our existing personnel or attract additional qualified persons when required and on acceptable terms.

The manufacturing and distribution of our products or performance of our services involves an inherent risk of liability claims being asserted against us. Regardless of whether we are ultimately determined to be liable or our products are determined to be defective, we might incur significant legal expenses not covered by insurance. In addition, product liability litigation could damage our reputation and impair our ability to market our products, regardless of the outcome. Litigation could also impair our ability to retain product liability insurance or make our insurance more expensive. Although we currently maintain liability insurance, we cannot assure that we will be able to continue to obtain such insurance on acceptable terms, or that such insurance will provide adequate coverage against all potential claims. If we are subject to an uninsured or inadequately insured product or services liability claim, our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

 

18

In fiscal 2021, sales to customers outside of the U.S. accounted for 39.1% of our total revenue. We expect that our international business will continue to account for a significant portion of our total sales. Foreign regulatory bodies may establish product standards different from those in the U.S. and with which our current products do not comply. Our potential inability to design products that comply with foreign standards could have a material adverse effect on our future growth. Other risks related to sales to customers outside of the U.S. include possible disruptions in transportation, difficulties in building and managing foreign distribution, fluctuation in the value of foreign currencies, changes in import duties and quotas and unexpected economic and political changes in foreign markets. These factors could negatively impact our competitiveness in these markets or otherwise adversely impact our business results or financial condition. Moreover, discriminatory or conflicting fiscal or trade policies in different countries, including potential changes to tariffs and existing trade policies and agreements, could adversely affect our results.

Changes in the political conditions in markets in which we manufacture, sell or distribute our products may be difficult to predict and may adversely affect our business and financial results. For example, the U.K.’s decision to leave the European Union has created uncertainty regarding, among other things, the U.K.’s future legal and economic framework and how the U.K. will interact with other countries, including with respect to the free movement of goods, services, capital and people. In addition, results of elections, referendums or other political processes in certain markets in which our products are manufactured, sold or distributed could create uncertainty regarding how existing governmental policies, laws and regulations may change, including with respect to sanctions, taxes, the movement of goods, services, capital and people between countries and other matters. The potential implications of such uncertainty, which include, among others, exchange rate fluctuations, trade barriers and market contraction, could adversely affect the Company’s business and financial results.

Climate change resulting from increased concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could present risks to our future operations from natural disasters and extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, wildfires or flooding. Such extreme weather conditions could pose physical risks to our facilities and disrupt operation of our supply chain and may impact operational costs. The impacts of climate change on global water resources may result in water scarcity, which could in the future impact our ability to access sufficient quantities of water in certain locations and result in increased costs. Concern over climate change could result in new legal or regulatory requirements designed to mitigate the effects of climate change on the environment. If such laws or regulations are more stringent than current legal or regulatory requirements, we may experience increased compliance burdens and costs to meet the regulatory obligations and may adversely affect raw material sourcing, manufacturing operations and the distribution of our products.

We are subject to the tax laws and regulations of the U.S., including state and local governments, as well as foreign jurisdictions. Legislation may be enacted that could materially adversely affect our financial results There can be no assurance that our effective tax rate will not be adversely affected by legislation.

Our tax expense and liabilities may also be affected by other factors, such as changes in our business operations, acquisitions, investments, entry into new businesses and geographies, intercompany transactions, the relative amount of our foreign earnings, losses incurred in jurisdictions for which we are not able to realize related tax benefits, changes in our stock price, and changes in our deferred tax assets and liabilities and their valuation. In addition, tax laws and regulations are extremely complex and subject to varying interpretations. For example, the legislation known as the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (the “U.S. Tax Act”) requires complex computations to be performed that were not previously required by U.S. tax law, significant judgments to be made in interpretation of the provision of the U.S. Tax Act, significant estimates in calculations, and the preparation and analysis of information not previously relevant or regularly produced. The U.S. Treasury Department, the IRS, and other standard-setting bodies will continue to interpret or issue guidance on how provisions of the U.S. Tax Act will be applied or otherwise administered. As future guidance is issued, we may make adjustments to amounts that we have previously recorded that may materially impact our financial statements in the period in which the adjustments are made.

 

19

Although we believe that our historical tax positions are sound and consistent with applicable laws, regulations and existing precedent, there can be no assurance that our tax positions will not be challenged by relevant tax authorities or that we would be successful in any such challenge. Additionally, we operate in multiple income tax jurisdictions and must determine the appropriate allocation of income to each of these jurisdictions based on current interpretations of complex income tax regulations. Income tax audits associated with the allocation of income and other complex issues may result in significant income tax adjustments that could negatively impact our future operating results.

 

20

 

 

 

21

Our corporate headquarters are located in Lansing, Michigan, with administrative, sales, manufacturing and warehousing in other locations domestically and globally. These properties are in good condition, well-maintained, and generally suitable and adequate to support our business. For those leases expiring within the next 12 months, we believe that we will be able to negotiate agreements to extend such leases on similar terms.

 

Neogen is subject to certain legal proceedings in the normal course of business that, in the opinion of management, should not have a material effect on our future results of operations or financial position. On March 6, 2020, the Company received an administrative subpoena from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) regarding activities or transactions involving parties located in Iran. The Company subsequently conducted an internal investigation under the direction of outside legal counsel and disclosed information concerning certain genomic testing services provided to an unrelated U.S.-based party engaged in veterinary activities involving an Iranian party. The Company continues to cooperate with OFAC’s investigation and is currently examining whether certain of these activities may be eligible for OFAC General Licenses authorizing agricultural and veterinary activities. In addition to responding to the administrative subpoena, the Company is implementing additional compliance measures to prevent inadvertent dealings with restricted countries or parties. These measures will further enhance the Company’s international trade compliance program, which is designed to assure that the Company does not conduct business directly or indirectly with any countries or parties subject to U.S. economic sanctions and export control laws. Although it is too early to predict what action, if any, that OFAC will take, the Company does not currently have any reason to believe that OFAC’s pending investigation will have a meaningful impact on its operations, the results of operations for any future period, or its overall financial condition. In fiscal 2020, the Company took a charge to expense and recorded a reserve of $600,000 to provide for potential fines or penalties on this matter. At this time, the Company believes that it is adequately reserved for this issue.

 

 

Neogen Common Stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol NEOG.

As of June 30, 2021, there were approximately 221 stockholders of record of Common Stock and management believes there are a total of approximately 10,000 beneficial holders.

Neogen has never paid cash dividends on its Common Stock.

 

22

5-Year

 

 

 

23

10-K.

 

 

 

 

24

COVID-19

non-manufacturing

on-site

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

The following critical accounting policy reflects management’s more significant judgments and estimates used in the preparation of the consolidated financial statements.

We account for income taxes using the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred income tax assets and liabilities are determined based on differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and for tax credit carryforwards and are measured using the enacted tax rates in effect for the years in which the differences are expected to reverse. Deferred income tax expense represents the change in net deferred income tax assets and liabilities during the year. The determination of income subject to income tax in each tax paying jurisdiction requires us to apply transfer pricing guidelines for certain intercompany transactions.

Our tax rate is subject to adjustment over the balance of the year due to, among other things, income tax rate changes by governments; the jurisdictions in which our profits are determined to be earned and taxed; changes in the valuation of our deferred tax assets and liabilities; adjustments to our interpretation of transfer pricing standards; changes in available tax credits or other incentives; changes in stock-based compensation expense; changes in tax laws or the interpretation of such tax laws; and changes in U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.

 

25

Although we believe our tax estimates are reasonable and we prepare our tax filings in accordance with all applicable tax laws, the final determination with respect to any audit, and any related litigation, could be materially different from our estimates or from our historical income tax provisions and accruals. The results of an audit or litigation could have a material effect on operating results and/or cash flows in the periods for which that determination is made. In addition, future period earnings may be adversely impacted by litigation costs, settlements, penalties, and/or interest assessments.

Bio-Scientific

re-invested

re-evaluation

re-invest

 

26

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Neogen’s international revenues were $183.2 million in fiscal 2021, compared to $164.7 million in fiscal 2020. Currency translation had a negligible impact on revenues for the full year, with gains in the U.K., Italy, China, Australia and Canada almost entirely offset by negative impact in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina. In a neutral currency environment, sales would have been $3.4 million higher than reported in the first nine months of fiscal 2021. However, the Brazilian real and Mexican peso strengthened significantly in the fourth quarter, resulting in an overall positive effect of approximately $3.3 million from currency translations; the full year impact from currency translations was minimal.

Sales results for fiscal 2021 compared to the prior year are as follows for each of our international locations:

 

COVID-19

COVID-19

Revenues in Brazil decreased 8% in USD in fiscal 2021 but increased 15% in local currency, as the Brazilian real devalued significantly against the U.S. dollar during the year. In local currency, sales of our diagnostic test kits increased 10%, genomics revenues increased 19%, due to new business in the beef market, and insecticides revenues grew 22%, partially the result of a large tender sale. Neogen Latinoamerica grew revenues by 9% in USD, with growth in biosecurity products, veterinary instruments and diagnostic test kits. China’s sales approximately doubled, from growth in biosecurity products and genomics services. Neogen Australasia benefitted from the February 2020 acquisition of a food safety distributor; organic sales increased 59% at this location in fiscal 2021, from strength in genomics services for the companion animal and bovine markets and increased market share of food safety diagnostic test kits.

 

27

Service revenue, which consists primarily of genomics services sales to animal protein and companion animal markets, was $92.2 million in fiscal 2021, an increase of 12% over prior fiscal year sales of $82.6 million. The growth was led by increases in sample volumes from the global companion animal and commercial beef markets and the Chinese porcine market, as that country has begun recovery from its African swine fever outbreak.

 

Year Ended May 31, 2021 Compared to Year Ended May 31, 2020

COVID-19

end-market

 

28

non-Neogen

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

Year Ended May 31, 2020 Compared to Year Ended May 31, 2019

COVID-19

end-market

 

29

COVID-19.

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

COVID-19

 

30

COVID-19

 

Cost of revenues increased 14% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020 and was essentially flat in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019. This compares with revenue increases of 12% in fiscal 2021 and 1% in fiscal 2020. Expressed as a percentage of sales, cost of revenues was 54.1%, 53.1% and 53.7% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively. Gross margins were 45.9%, 46.9%, and 46.3% for fiscal years 2021, 2020, and 2019, respectively.

COVID-19

COVID-19.

Food Safety gross margins were 49.2%, 51.4% and 51.8% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Animal Safety gross margins were 42.6%, 42.3% and 40.6% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

 

31

COVID-19

 

Overall operating expenses increased by 9% in fiscal 2021 and 4% in fiscal 2020, each compared to the prior year. These increases compare to revenue increases of 12% and 1%, respectively, for each comparative period.

Sales and marketing expenses increased by 5% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020 and decreased 1% in fiscal 2020 compared to the prior year. As a percentage of sales, sales and marketing expense was 15.7%, 16.7% and 17.0% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

COVID-19

COVID-19

General and administrative expenses rose 15% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020 and by 9% in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019. As a percentage of sales, general and administrative expense was 10.9%, 10.6% and 9.8% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

(non-cash)

(non-cash)

 

32

e-commerce

IT-related

Research and development expenses increased 10% in fiscal 2021 and 15% in fiscal 2020, each compared to the prior year. As a percentage of revenue, these expenses were 3.5% in fiscal year 2021, 3.5% in fiscal year 2020 and 3.1% in fiscal year 2019; we expect to spend between 3% and 4% of total revenue on research and development annually as we continue to make investments in our future growth.

 

Our operating income rose 10% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020 and decreased by 1% in fiscal 2020 compared to fiscal 2019. Expressed as a percentage of revenues, operating income was 15.8%, 16.1% and 16.4% in fiscal years 2021, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Gross margins rose by $18.8 million, or 10% in fiscal 2021; this increase was partially offset by an increase of $12.1 million, or 9%, in operating expenses, resulting in a $6.6 million, or 10%, increase in operating income compared to fiscal 2020.

Gross margins rose by $4.4 million in fiscal 2020; the increase was more than offset by an overall increase of $4.9 million, or 4.0%, in operating expenses, resulting in a 1% decrease in operating income compared to fiscal 2019.

 

33

 

COVID-19

In fiscal 2021, we received proceeds of $309,000 for a property loss settlement and recorded $300,000 of expense resulting from a legal settlement with a vendor. Additionally, adjustments to contingent consideration accruals resulted in $148,000 of income. In fiscal 2020, we took a charge to expense and recorded a reserve of $600,000 to provide for potential fines or penalties resulting from an administrative subpoena issued by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Asset Control. This was partially offset by a $483,000 gain resulting from a settlement with the Brazilian government related to sales taxes charged over several years, and proceeds received for a property loss settlement. In fiscal 2019, gains were recognized on insurance proceeds received for property loss settlements; additionally, adjustments were made to Quat-Chem and Deoxi contingent consideration amounts based on the level of achievement of revenue targets for the acquired businesses in that fiscal year.

 

Income tax expense for fiscal 2021 was $14,386 million, an effective tax rate of 19.1%, compared to income tax expense of $12.8 million in 2020, an effective tax rate of 17.7%. For fiscal 2019, income tax expense of $12.8 million represented an effective tax rate of 17.5%.

Differences from the U. S. statutory rate of 21% to our effective rate are primarily due to provisions in the U.S. Tax Act and the exercise of stock options. Please refer to Note 6 to the consolidated financial statements for more information.

 

34

 

Net income increased 2% in fiscal 2021 compared to fiscal 2020, primarily due to the $6.7 million increase in operating income. The increase in operating income was partially offset by lower other income and higher tax expense for the year.

pre-tax

Neogen Corporation’s future operating results involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ materially from those discussed in this report. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the factors discussed below as well as those discussed elsewhere in this report. Management’s ability to grow the business in the future depends upon our ability to successfully implement various strategies, including:

 

 

 

 

 

 

non-current

COVID-19

COVID-19

Neogen has been consistently profitable and has generated strong cash flow from operations during each of the past three fiscal years. However, our cash on hand and current borrowing capacity may not be sufficient to meet our cash requirements to commercialize products currently under development or our future plans to acquire additional businesses, technology and products that fit within our strategic plan. Accordingly, we may be required, or may choose, to issue equity securities or enter into other financing arrangements for a portion of our future capital needs.

We are subject to certain legal and other proceedings in the normal course of business that have not had, and, in the opinion of management, are not expected to have, a material effect on our results of operations or financial position.

 

35

As of May 31, 2021, we have the following contractual obligations due by period:

 

 

See discussion of any New Accounting Pronouncements in Note 1 to consolidated financial statements.

 

36

We have interest rate and foreign exchange rate risk exposure but no long-term fixed rate investments or borrowings. Our primary interest rate risk is due to potential fluctuations of interest rates for short-term investments.

Foreign exchange risk exposure arises because we market and sell our products throughout the world. Revenues in certain foreign countries as well as certain expenses related to those revenues are transacted in currencies other than the U.S. dollar. Our operating results are exposed to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the British pound sterling, the euro, the Mexican peso, the Brazilian real, the Chinese yuan, the Australian dollar and to a lesser extent, the Indian rupee, the Canadian dollar, the Argentine peso, the Uruguayan peso and the Chilean peso; there is also exposure to a change in exchange rate between the British pound sterling and the euro. When the U.S. dollar weakens against foreign currencies, the dollar value of revenues denominated in foreign currencies increases. When the U.S. dollar strengthens, the opposite situation occurs. Additionally, previously invoiced amounts can be positively or negatively affected by changes in exchange rates in the course of collection. We use derivative financial instruments to help manage the economic impact of fluctuations in certain currency exchange rates. These contracts are adjusted to fair value through earnings.

Neogen has assets, liabilities and operations outside of the U.S., located in Scotland, England, Ireland, Italy, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, China, India, Canada and Australia where the functional currency is the British pound sterling, Brazilian real, Mexican peso, Argentine peso, Uruguayan peso, Chilean peso, Chinese yuan, Indian rupee, Canadian dollar and Australian dollar, respectively, and also transacts business throughout Europe in the euro. Our investments in foreign subsidiaries are considered to be long-term. As discussed in ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected by currency fluctuations.

The following table sets forth the potential loss in future earnings or fair values, resulting from hypothetical changes in relevant market rates or prices:

 

 

F-1.

 

 

13a-15

 

37

15d-15(f).

No changes in our internal control over financial reporting were identified as having occurred during the quarter ended May 31, 2021 that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, internal control over financial reporting.

 

 

 

38

Shareholders and Board of Directors

Neogen Corporation

Grand Rapids, Michigan

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the consolidated balance sheets of the Company as of May 31, 2021 and 2020, the related consolidated statements of income, comprehensive income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended May 31, 2021, and the related notes and our report dated July 30, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

The Company’s management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Item 9A, Management’s Report on Internal Control over Financial Reporting. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s internal control over financial reporting based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audit of internal control over financial reporting in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether effective internal control over financial reporting was maintained in all material respects. Our audit included obtaining an understanding of internal control over financial reporting, assessing the risk that a material weakness exists, and testing and evaluating the design and operating effectiveness of internal control based on the assessed risk. Our audit also included performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.

Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

Grand Rapids, Michigan

July 30, 2021

 

39

 

Information regarding the Company and certain corporate governance matters appearing under the captions “Proposal 1—Election of Directors,” “Information About the Board and Corporate Governance Matters,” and “Miscellaneous-Delinquent Section 16(a) Reports” is incorporated by reference to Neogen’s 2021 proxy statement to be filed within 120 days of May 31, 2021.

The officers of Neogen serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. The names and titles of our officers as of May 31, 2021 are set forth below.

 

Information concerning the officers of Neogen follows:

John E. Adent, age 53, joined Neogen as Chief Executive Officer on July 17, 2017 and was then named President on September 22, 2017. Prior to joining Neogen, Mr. Adent served as the Chief Executive Officer of Animal Health International, Inc., formerly known as Lextron, Inc., from 2004 to 2015, also serving as its President during that time. Animal Health International was sold to Patterson Companies, Inc. in 2015, and Mr. Adent served as the Chief Executive Officer of the $3.3 billion Animal Health Division of Patterson Animal Health from that period until his resignation on July 1, 2017. Mr. Adent began his career with management responsibilities for Ralston Purina Company, developing animal feed manufacturing and sales operations in China and the Philippines. When Ralston Purina spun off that business to Agribrands, he continued his management role in the European division in Spain and Hungary, serving as managing director of the Hungarian operations. He left Ralston Purina in 2004.

Joseph A. Corbett, age 52, joined Neogen in December 1993 as a sales representative in the Animal Safety operation based in Lexington, Kentucky. Prior to joining Neogen, he worked for the Marriott Corporation in sales and operations. He has served in various sales, marketing and operational roles in the Neogen Animal Safety segment. He was named Vice President, Animal Safety Sales in October 2014, responsible for all Animal Safety revenues, excluding Genomics and Life Sciences.

 

40

Dr. Robert S. Donofrio, age 48, joined Neogen in February 2016 as Director of Microbiology Research and Development, and was promoted to Director of Food Safety Research and Development in December 2016. In April 2018, Dr. Donofrio was named Vice President, Food Safety Research and Development. Prior to joining Neogen, he worked for 15 years at NSF International in various positions of increasing responsibility, including Director of Microbiology and Molecular Biology and Director of Applied Research, where he led efforts in grant research and method development with partners in academia, industry and government. At Neogen, Dr. Donofrio is responsible for our worldwide food safety and animal safety research activities.

Shane M. Fitzwater, age 48, joined Neogen in April 2018 as Vice President, Animal Safety Operations. In his role, Mr. Fitzwater is responsible for manufacturing, quality systems, supply chain, shipping and warehousing for our Animal Safety operations, excluding Genomics. Prior to joining Neogen, he spent 18 years in positions of increasing responsibility at Ecolab, Inc., including five years as Ecolab’s Vice President of Supply Chain, Global Specialty Sector. Mr. Fitzwater managed Ecolab’s global supply chain for a $750 million business unit with worldwide manufacturing and logistics operations. Before being named a vice president, he spent four years as a director of operations at Ecolab, managing a group of 450 employees and an annual operating budget of $40 million.

Jerome L. Hagedorn, age 55, joined Neogen in April 2018 as Vice President, Food Safety Operations; in 2020, he was named Vice President, North American Operations. In the role, Mr. Hagedorn is responsible for the manufacturing, supply chain, shipping and warehousing, production engineering and quality systems for Neogen’s North American operations. Prior to joining Neogen, Mr. Hagedorn spent the past eight years as Vice President of Operations at Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. At Siemens, he was responsible for multiple plant operations, including diagnostic instrument manufacturing and new product introduction. Prior to joining Siemens, Mr. Hagedorn held a variety of senior level positions over a 20 year career, including Director of Manufacturing at Bayer Healthcare in Indiana, Director of Lean Manufacturing at Invensys in Ohio, and Manager of Automated Manufacturing at Siemens Electronic Components in Mexico.

Douglas E. Jones, age 51, joined Neogen as Chief Commercial Officer on August 17, 2020. Prior to joining Neogen, Mr. Jones served as the President of the Companion Animal Division at Patterson Companies from 2016 to August 2020. Prior to joining Patterson, Mr. Jones served as the Head of Business Operations for the North American Merial Animal Health Division of Sanofi. Mr. Jones began his career as a management consultant with the North Highland Company and PriceWaterhouseCoopers, focusing on commercial transformation and strategy projects in the pharmaceutical, healthcare distribution, and high-tech industries.

Dr. Jason W. Lilly, age 47, joined Neogen in June 2005 as Market Development Manager for Food Safety. In June 2009, he moved to the Corporate Development group. He was named Vice President of Corporate Development in December 2011, responsible for the identification and acquisition of new business opportunities for the Company. In January 2019, Dr. Lilly was named Vice President, International Business, responsible for Neogen’s operations outside of the U.S. and Canada. Prior to joining Neogen, he served in various technical sales and marketing roles at Invitrogen Corporation.

Julie L. Mann, age 56, joined Neogen in 2017 as Director of Human Resources and was promoted to Senior Director of Human Resources in June 2019. On June 1, 2020, Ms. Mann was named Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer, with responsibilities for people-focused programs and initiatives for Neogen’s more than 1,800 global employees. Ms. Mann has more than 30 years of experience focused on all aspects of strategic human resources including talent acquisition, compensation and benefits, employee development and employee relations. Prior to joining Neogen, Ms. Mann held the positions of Director, Talent Acquisition at Holland, a logistics company, and Director, People Services Consulting at Herman Miller.

Marylinn Munson, age 57, joined Neogen in May 2020 as Vice President, Agrigenomics. Ms. Munson has held positions with increasing responsibility in sales and operations in the life science, biotechnology and agriculture industries for more than 20 years, with an additional seven years of experience in clinical and research labs. In the five years prior to joining Neogen, Ms. Munson was Board Chair at NorthShore Bio, Sr Partner at TNK Associates, LLC (dba Devil Doc Distributors) and provided consulting services at MPower Network. Her previous positions included VP of Global NGS Informatics at Qiagen, VP of Global Business Development and Sales at Biomatrica, Director of Global Sales Operations and America Sales at Illumina, and Global Market/Business Development Manager at Agilent Technologies.

Steven J. Quinlan, age 58, joined Neogen in January 2011 as Vice President & Chief Financial Officer and was also Corporate Secretary until March 2021. He is responsible for all internal and external financial reporting for Neogen, and manages the accounting, information technology corporate purchasing, treasury and investor relations functions. Mr. Quinlan came to Neogen following 19 years at Detrex Corporation (1992-2010), the last eight years serving as Vice President-Finance, CFO and Treasurer. He was on the audit staff at the public accounting firm Price Waterhouse (now PWC) from 1985-1989.

Amy M. Rocklin, Ph.D., age 49, joined Neogen in March 2021 as Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary. In this role, she is responsible for all legal and compliance matters and serves as the Corporate Secretary. Prior to joining Neogen, Dr. Rocklin was the Division Vice President, Corporate Law at Corning Incorporated, one of the world’s leading innovators in materials science. In her nearly ten years at

 

41

Corning, she held multiple leadership positions within Corning’s Law Department, including Director of Law, M&A and Emerging Innovations. Before Corning, Dr. Rocklin held positions at Smiths Group plc and was in private practice at the law firm of Foley & Lardner LLP.

 

The information required by this Item, and pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, is incorporated by reference from the sections entitled “Compensation Discussion and Analysis”, “Compensation Committee Report”, “Executive Compensation”, “Information About the Board and Corporate Governance Matters-Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation”, “CEO Pay Ratio”, and “Compensation of Directors” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days of May 31, 2021.

 

The information required by this Item, and pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, is incorporated by reference from the section entitled “Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners, Directors and Management” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days of May 31, 2021.

 

The information required by this Item, and pursuant to Regulation 14A of the Exchange Act, is incorporated by reference from the section entitled “Information about the Board and Corporate Governance Matters-Independent Directors” and “-Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions” in the Company’s definitive Proxy Statement to be filed within 120 days of May 31, 2021.

 

 

F-1.

(a) (3) and (b). The Exhibits, listed on the accompanying Exhibit Index on page 40, are incorporated herein by reference.

 

 

42

Neogen Corporation

10-K

Year Ended May 31, 2021

 

 

43

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this Report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

 

Dated: July 30, 2021

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this Report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated.

 

 

 

 

44

10-K

ITEM 15 (a)(1)(a)(2) and (c)

LIST OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

YEAR ENDED MAY 31, 2021

NEOGEN CORPORATION

LANSING, MICHIGAN

10-K—ITEM

LIST OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES

The following consolidated financial statements of Neogen Corporation and subsidiaries are included below and incorporated in ITEM 8:

 

Schedules for which provision is made in the applicable accounting regulation of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission are not required under the related instructions or are inapplicable and, therefore, have been omitted.

 

F-1

Shareholders and Board of Directors

Neogen Corporation

Lansing, Michigan

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the PCAOB and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

F-2

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of critical audit matters does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing separate opinions on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates it relates.

low-taxed

We identified the assumptions and allocations used to calculate international components of U.S. income taxes to be a critical audit matter. These assumptions and allocations include: (i) technical merit of tax positions including considerations related to transfer pricing guidelines for certain intercompany transactions, and (ii) allocation methodologies that are subjective in nature. Auditing these assumptions and allocations involved subjective auditor judgment due to the complexity and the extent of specialized knowledge needed.

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

 

 

 

/s/ BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2014.

July 30, 2021

 

F-3