NORDSON CORP - Quarter Report: 2014 April (Form 10-Q)

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FORM 10-Q

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

(Mark One)

For the quarterly period ended April 30, 2014

OR

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 0-7977

NORDSON CORPORATION

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(440) 892-1580

(Telephone Number)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Common Shares, without par value

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

None

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, and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes   x    No  ¨

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

Indicate by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer or a smaller reporting company. See definition of “large accelerated filer,” “large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

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

Indicate the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock, as of the latest practicable date: Common Shares, without par value, as of April 30, 2014: 63,664,407

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Nordson Corporation

PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Income

See accompanying notes.

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Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income

See accompanying notes.

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Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets

See accompanying notes.

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Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows

See accompanying notes.

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Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements

April 30, 2014

NOTE REGARDING AMOUNTS AND FISCAL YEAR REFERENCES

In this quarterly report, all amounts related to United States dollars and foreign currency and to the number of Nordson Corporation’s common shares, except for per share earnings and dividend amounts, are expressed in thousands. Unless the context otherwise indicates, all references to “we” or the “Company” mean Nordson Corporation.

Unless otherwise noted, all references to years relate to our fiscal year ending October 31.

Basis of presentation. The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles for interim financial information and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and footnotes required by generally accepted accounting principles for complete financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (consisting of normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for a fair presentation have been included. Operating results for the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the full year. For further information, refer to the consolidated financial statements and footnotes included in our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2013.

Basis of consolidation. The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Nordson Corporation and its majority-owned and controlled subsidiaries. Investments in affiliates and joint ventures in which our ownership is 50% or less or in which we do not have control but have the ability to exercise significant influence, are accounted for under the equity method. All significant intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Use of estimates. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements. Actual amounts could differ from these estimates.

Revenue recognition. Most of our revenues are recognized upon shipment, provided that persuasive evidence of an arrangement exists, the sales price is fixed or determinable, collectibility is reasonably assured, and title and risk of loss have passed to the customer.

A relative selling price hierarchy exists for determining the selling price of deliverables in multiple deliverable arrangements. Vendor specific objective evidence (VSOE) is used, if available. Third-party evidence (TPE) is used if VSOE is not available, and best estimated selling price is used if neither VSOE nor TPE is available. Our multiple deliverable arrangements include installation, installation supervision, training, and spare parts, which tend to be completed in a short period of time, at an insignificant cost, and utilizing skills not unique to us, and, therefore, are typically regarded as inconsequential or perfunctory. Revenue for undelivered items is deferred and included within accrued liabilities in the accompanying balance sheet. Revenues deferred in 2014 and 2013 were not material.

Earnings per share. Basic earnings per share are computed based on the weighted-average number of common shares outstanding during each year, while diluted earnings per share are based on the weighted-average number of common shares and common share equivalents outstanding. Common share equivalents consist of shares issuable upon exercise of stock options computed using the treasury stock method, as well as restricted shares and deferred stock-based compensation. Options whose exercise price is higher than the average market price are excluded from the calculation of diluted earnings per share because the effect would be anti-dilutive. Options of 276 and 138 were excluded from the diluted earnings per share calculations for the three and six month periods, respectively, ending April 30, 2014. No options were excluded from the 2013 calculations of diluted earnings per share.

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In July 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued an Accounting Standards Update which requires the netting of unrecognized tax benefits against a deferred tax asset for a loss or other carry forward that would apply in settlement of uncertain tax positions. Under the new standard, unrecognized tax benefits will be netted against all available same-jurisdiction loss or other tax carry forwards that would be utilized, rather than only against carry forwards that are created by the unrecognized tax benefits. The new guidance is effective prospectively to all existing unrecognized tax benefits, but entities can choose to apply it retrospectively. The guidance will be effective for us in our first quarter of 2015, with early adoption permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this guidance will have on our consolidated financial statements.

In May 2014, the FASB issued a new standard regarding revenue recognition. Under this standard, a company recognizes revenue when it transfers promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The standard creates a five-step model that requires companies to exercise judgment when considering the terms of the contract(s) and all relevant facts and circumstances. The steps are: identify the contract(s) with the customer, identify the separate performance obligations in the contract, determine the transaction price, allocate the transaction price to the separate performance obligations and recognize revenue when each performance obligation is satisfied. This standard will be effective for us beginning in 2018, with early adoption not permitted. We are currently assessing the impact this standard will have on our consolidated financial statements.

At April 30, 2014 and October 31, 2013, inventories consisted of the following:

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Changes in the carrying amount of goodwill for the six months ended April 30, 2014 by operating segment are as follows:

Accumulated impairment losses, which were recorded in 2009, were $232,789 at April 30, 2014 and October 31, 2013. Of these losses, $229,173 related to the Advanced Technology Systems segment, and $3,616 related to the Industrial Coating Systems segment.

Information regarding our intangible assets subject to amortization is as follows:

Amortization expense for the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $6,310 and $5,683, respectively. Amortization expense for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $12,640 and $11,484, respectively.

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The components of net periodic pension cost for the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 and April 30, 2013 were:

The components of other postretirement benefit cost for the three and six months ended April 30, 2014 and April 30, 2013 were:

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We record our interim provision for income taxes based on our estimated annual effective tax rate, as well as certain items discrete to the current period. The effective tax rate for both the three- and six-month periods ended April 30, 2014 was 30.5%. The effective tax rates for the three- and six-month periods ended April 30, 2013 were 30.1% and 28.2%, respectively.

The effective tax rate for the six months ending April 30, 2014, was higher than the comparable prior year period due to the expiration of the Federal Research and Development Tax Credit (the “Federal R&D Tax Credit”) on December 31, 2013 and certain discrete tax items recorded in 2013.

During the six months ending April 30, 2013 we recorded a favorable adjustment to unrecognized tax benefits of $900 primarily related to expiration of certain foreign statutes of limitations. On January 2, 2013, the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was enacted which retroactively reinstated and extended the Federal R&D Tax Credit from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2013 and extended certain other tax provisions. As a result, the Company’s income tax provision for the six months ending April 30, 2013 included a discrete tax benefit of $1,700 related to 2012.

Accumulated other comprehensive loss at April 30, 2014 and October 31, 2013 consisted of:

For the three months ended April 30, 2014, reclassification adjustments out of accumulated other comprehensive loss affecting net income were $1,645 (net of tax of $888) and related to pension and postretirement adjustments.

During the 2013 Annual Meeting of Shareholders on February 26, 2013, our shareholders approved the 2012 Stock Incentive and Award Plan (the “2012 Plan”). The 2012 Plan provides for the granting of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted shares, performance shares, stock purchase rights, stock equivalent units, cash awards and other stock or performance-based incentives. A maximum of 2,900 common shares is available for grant under the Plan, inclusive of shares available to be granted under the 2008 Plan immediately prior to shareholder approval of the 2012 Plan.

Stock Options

Nonqualified or incentive stock options may be granted to our employees and directors. Generally, options granted to employees may be exercised beginning one year from the date of grant at a rate not exceeding 25% per year and expire 10 years from the date of grant. Vesting accelerates upon the occurrence of events that involve or may result in a change of control. For grants made prior to November 2012, vesting would cease upon retirement, death and disability, and unvested shares would be forfeited. For grants made in or after November 2012, in the event of termination of employment due to early retirement or normal retirement at age 65, options granted within 12 months prior to termination are forfeited, and vesting continues post retirement for all other unvested options granted. In the event of disability or death, all unvested stock options fully vest. Termination for any other reason results in forfeiture of unvested options and vested options in certain circumstances. The amortized cost of options is accelerated if the retirement eligibility date occurs before the normal vesting date. Option exercises are satisfied through the issuance of treasury shares on a first-in, first-out basis. We recognized compensation expense related to stock options of $2,178 and $1,199 in the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. Corresponding amounts for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and April 30, 2013 were $5,844 and $2,403, respectively. Most of the increases are related to accelerated amortization of the cost of options.

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The following table summarizes activity related to stock options for the six months ended April 30, 2014:

At April 30, 2014, there was $11,338 of total unrecognized compensation cost related to nonvested stock options. That cost is expected to be amortized over a weighted average period of approximately 1.4 years.

The fair value of each option grant was estimated at the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model with the following assumptions:

The weighted-average expected volatility used to value the 2014 and 2013 options was 44.5% and 46.3%, respectively.

Historical information was the primary basis for the selection of the expected volatility, expected dividend yield and the expected lives of the options. The risk-free interest rate was selected based upon yields of U.S. Treasury issues with a term equal to the expected life of the option being valued.

The weighted average grant date fair value of stock options granted during the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $27.92 and $24.12, respectively.

The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $2,307 and $1,773, respectively. The total intrinsic value of options exercised during the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $5,961 and $8,355, respectively. Cash received from the exercise of stock options for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $3,499 and $4,058, respectively. The tax benefit realized from tax deductions from exercises for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $1,795 and $2,553, respectively.

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Restricted Shares and Restricted Share Units

We may grant restricted shares and/or restricted share units to our employees and directors. These shares or units may not be transferred for a designated period of time (generally one to three years) defined at the date of grant.

For employee recipients, in the event of termination of employment due to early retirement, restricted shares granted within 12 months prior to termination are forfeited, and other restricted shares vest on a pro-rata basis. In the event of termination of employment due to retirement at normal retirement age restricted shares granted within 12 months prior to termination are forfeited, and, for other restricted shares, the restriction period will terminate and the shares will vest and be transferable. Restrictions lapse in the event of a recipient’s disability or death. Termination for any other reason prior to the lapse of any restrictions results in forfeiture of the shares.

For non-employee directors, all restrictions lapse in the event of disability or death of the non-employee director. Termination of service as a director for any other reason within one year of date of grant results in a pro-rata vesting of shares or units.

As shares or units are issued, deferred stock-based compensation equivalent to the fair market value on the date of grant is expensed over the vesting period. Tax benefits arising from the lapse of restrictions are recognized when realized and credited to capital in excess of stated value.

The following table summarizes activity related to restricted shares during the six months ended April 30, 2014:

As of April 30, 2014, there was $2,579 of unrecognized compensation cost related to restricted shares. The cost is expected to be amortized over a weighted average period of 2.0 years. The amount charged to expense related to restricted shares was $424 and $555 in the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, respectively. These amounts included common share dividends for the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 of $12 and $13, respectively. For the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, the amounts charged to expense related to restricted shares were $895 and $1,136, respectively. These amounts included common share dividends for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 of $25 and $28, respectively.

The following table summarizes activity related to restricted share units during the six months ended April 30, 2014:

As of April 30, 2014, there was $440 of remaining expense to be recognized related to outstanding restricted share units, which is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 0.5 years. The amount charged to expense related to restricted share units during the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $223 and $102, respectively. For the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, the amounts were $445 and $218, respectively.

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Directors Deferred Compensation

Non-employee directors may defer all or part of their cash and equity-based compensation until retirement. Cash compensation may be deferred as cash or as share equivalent units. Deferred cash amounts are recorded as liabilities, and share equivalent units are recorded as equity. Additional share equivalent units are earned when common share dividends are declared.

The following table summarizes activity related to director deferred compensation share equivalent units during the six months ended April 30, 2014:

The amount charged to expense related to director deferred compensation for the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013 was $25 and $53, respectively. For the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, the corresponding amounts were $52 and $109, respectively.

Long-Term Incentives

Executive officers and selected other key employees participate in a common share-based long-term incentive compensation program. Payouts vary based on the degree to which corporate financial performance exceeds predetermined threshold, target and maximum performance levels over three-year performance periods. No payout will occur unless certain threshold performance objectives are exceeded.

The amount of compensation expense is based upon current performance projections for each three-year period and the percentage of the requisite service that has been rendered. The calculations are also based upon the grant date fair value determined using the closing market price of our common shares at the grant date, reduced by the implied value of dividends not to be paid. This value was $69.25 per share for 2014, $59.59 per share for 2013 and $42.12 per share for 2012. During the three months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, $1,303 and $654, respectively, was charged to expense. For the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, the corresponding amounts were $2,445 and $2,267, respectively. The cumulative amount recorded in shareholders’ equity at April 30, 2014 was $5,711.

Our executive officers and other highly compensated employees may elect to defer up to 100% of their base pay and annual cash incentive compensation and for executive officers, up to 90% of their share-based long-term incentive compensation plan payout each year. Additional share units are credited for quarterly dividends paid on our common shares. There was $32 of expense related to dividends paid under this plan for both the three months ended April 30, 2014 and April 30, 2013. For the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013, the amounts were $58 and $32, respectively.

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We offer warranties to our customers depending on the specific product and terms of the customer purchase agreement. A typical warranty program requires that we repair or replace defective products within a specified time period (generally one year) from the date of delivery or first use. We record an estimate for future warranty-related costs based on actual historical return rates. Based on analysis of return rates and other factors, the adequacy of our warranty provisions are adjusted as necessary. The liability for warranty costs is included in accrued liabilities in the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Following is a reconciliation of the product warranty liability for the six months ended April 30, 2014 and 2013:

We conduct business across three primary business segments: Adhesive Dispensing Systems, Advanced Technology Systems, and Industrial Coating Systems. The composition of segments and measure of segment profitability is consistent with that used by our chief operating decision maker. The primary measure used by the chief operating decision maker for purposes of making decisions about allocating resources to the segments and assessing performance is operating profit, which equals sales less cost of sales and certain operating expenses. Items below the operating profit line of the Consolidated Statement of Income (interest and investment income, interest expense and other income/expense) are excluded from the measure of segment profitability reviewed by our chief operating decision maker and are not presented by operating segment. The accounting policies of the segments are generally the same as those described in Note 1, Significant Accounting Policies, of our annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended October 31, 2013.

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The following table presents sales and operating profits of our reportable segments: