Oil-Dri Corp of America - Quarter Report: 2009 April (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D. C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
[x] | Quarterly Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the |
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | |
For the Quarterly Period Ended April 30, 2009 |
OR
[ ] | Transition Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the |
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 | |
For the transition period from _____________ to ______________ |
Commission
File Number 001-12622
OIL-DRI CORPORATION OF
AMERICA
(Exact
name of the registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware
|
36-2048898
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or
organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer
|
Identification
No.)
|
|
410 North
Michigan Avenue, Suite 400
|
60611-4213
|
Chicago,
Illinois
|
(Zip
Code)
|
(Address of
principal executive offices)
|
The
Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (312) 321-1515
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 at least the past 90
days.
Yes x No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit
and post such files).
Yes o No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”
“accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer
|
Accelerated
filer x
|
Non-accelerated
filer
|
Smaller
Reporting Company
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No
x
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock
as of April 30, 2009.
Common
Stock – 5,152,780 Shares and Class B Stock – 1,914,797 Shares
CONTENTS
|
||
Page | ||
PART I – FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
|
||
Item 1: | Financial Statements | 3 – 17 |
Item 2: | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results Of Operations | 18 - 26 |
Item 3: | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 27 - 28 |
Item 4: | Controls and Procedures | 29 |
PART II – OTHER
INFORMATION
|
||
Item 2: | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 30 |
Item 6: | Exhibits | 31 |
Signatures | 32 | |
Exhibits | 33 | |
FORWARD-LOOKING
STATEMENTS
Certain statements in this report,
including, but not limited to, those under the heading “Management’s Discussion
and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and those
statements elsewhere in this report and other documents we file with the
Commission contain forward-looking statements that are based on current
expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about our future performance,
our business, our beliefs, and our management’s assumptions. In
addition, we, or others on our behalf, may make forward-looking statements in
press releases or written statements, or in our communications and discussions
with investors and analysts in the normal course of business through meetings,
webcasts, phone calls, and conference calls. Words such as
“expect,” “outlook,” “forecast,” “would”, “could,” “should,” “project,”
“intend,” “plan,” “continue,” “believe,” “seek,” “estimate,” “anticipate,”
“believe”, “may,” “assume,” variations of such words and similar expressions are
intended to identify such forward-looking statements, which are made pursuant to
the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995.
Such statements are subject to
certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to
differ materially, including those described in Item 1A, Risk Factors, of our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2008, which risk
factors are incorporated herein by reference. Should one or more of
these or other risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those
anticipated, intended, expected, believed, estimated, projected or
planned. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date
hereof. Except to the extent required by law, we do not have any
intention or obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements after
the distribution of this report, whether as a result of new information, future
events, changes in assumptions, or otherwise.
TRADEMARK
NOTICE
Oil-Dri, Agsorb, Cat’s Pride, Jonny
Cat, KatKit, ConditionAde, Pelunite, Perform, Select, Pure-Flo, UltraClear,
Poultry Guard, Flo-Fre and Terra Green are all registered trademarks of Oil-Dri
Corporation of America or of its subsidiaries. Pro’s Choice and
Saular are trademarks of Oil-Dri Corporation of America. Fresh Step
is a registered trademark of The Clorox Company.
2
PART
I - FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
|
ITEM
1. Financial Statements
|
|
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
|
|
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
|
(unaudited)
|
ASSETS
|
April
30,
2009
|
July
31,
2008
|
||||||
Current Assets
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 11,680 | $ | 6,848 | ||||
Investment
in securities
|
3,996 | 20,916 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance of $671 and
|
||||||||
$614
at April 30, 2009 and July 31, 2008, respectively
|
28,711 | 31,383 | ||||||
Inventories
|
20,136 | 17,744 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
890 | 890 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
5,888 | 4,870 | ||||||
Total
Current Assets
|
71,301 | 82,651 | ||||||
Property, Plant and
Equipment
|
||||||||
Cost
|
166,223 | 155,934 | ||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(107,681 | ) | (104,494 | ) | ||||
Total
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
|
58,542 | 51,440 | ||||||
Other Assets
|
||||||||
Goodwill
|
5,162 | 5,162 | ||||||
Trademarks
and patents, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$371 and $349 at April 30, 2009 and July 31,
2008, respectively
|
666 | 733 | ||||||
Debt
issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$460 and $525 at April 30, 2009 and July 31, 2008,
respectively
|
319 | 338 | ||||||
Licensing
agreements and non-compete agreements, net of
|
||||||||
accumulated
amortization of $3,276 and $2,987 at
April
30, 2009 and July 31, 2008, respectively
|
1,463 | 1,752 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
2,052 | 2,048 | ||||||
Other
|
4,599 | 4,864 | ||||||
Total
Other Assets
|
14,261 | 14,897 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 144,104 | $ | 148,988 | ||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
|
3
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
|
||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
LIABILITIES
& STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
April
30,
2009
|
July
31,
2008
|
||||||
Current Liabilities
|
||||||||
Current
maturities of notes payable
|
$ | 3,200 | $ | 5,580 | ||||
Accounts
payable
|
5,887 | 7,491 | ||||||
Dividends
payable
|
922 | 919 | ||||||
Accrued
expenses:
|
||||||||
Salaries,
wages and commissions
|
4,725 | 5,578 | ||||||
Trade
promotions and advertising
|
2,167 | 2,126 | ||||||
Freight
|
1,564 | 2,345 | ||||||
Other
|
5,979 | 6,062 | ||||||
Total
Current Liabilities
|
24,444 | 30,101 | ||||||
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
||||||||
Notes
payable
|
18,300 | 21,500 | ||||||
Deferred
compensation
|
5,750 | 5,498 | ||||||
Other
|
4,208 | 4,263 | ||||||
Total
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
28,258 | 31,261 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities
|
52,702 | 61,362 | ||||||
Stockholders’ Equity
|
||||||||
Common
Stock, par value $.10 per share, issued
|
||||||||
7,438,301
shares at April 30, 2009 and 7,392,475
shares
at July 31, 2008
|
744 | 739 | ||||||
Class
B Stock, par value $.10 per share, issued
|
||||||||
2,239,538
shares at April 30, 2009 and 2,239,538
shares
at July 31, 2008
|
224 | 224 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
22,809 | 22,218 | ||||||
Restricted
unearned stock compensation
|
(455 | ) | (674 | ) | ||||
Retained
earnings
|
110,053 | 105,966 | ||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Income
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain on marketable securities
|
41 | 68 | ||||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
(85 | ) | (121 | ) | ||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
(158 | ) | 612 | |||||
133,173 | 129,032 | |||||||
Less
Treasury Stock, at cost (2,285,521 Common and 324,741
|
||||||||
Class
B shares at April 30, 2009 and 2,261,942 Common and
|
||||||||
324,741
Class B shares at July 31, 2008)
|
(41,771 | ) | (41,406 | ) | ||||
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
91,402 | 87,626 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities & Stockholders’ Equity
|
$ | 144,104 | $ | 148,988 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
4
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Income and Retained Earnings
|
||||||||
(in
thousands, except for per share amounts)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended
April
30
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 180,311 | $ | 172,854 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(142,802 | ) | (138,019 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
37,509 | 34,835 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(26,711 | ) | (25,347 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
10,798 | 9,488 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(1,453 | ) | (1,696 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
321 | 884 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
9 | 346 | ||||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(1,123 | ) | (466 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
9,675 | 9,022 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(2,641 | ) | (2,436 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
7,034 | 6,586 | ||||||
Retained
Earnings
|
||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
105,966 | 100,503 | ||||||
Cash
dividends declared and treasury stock issuances
|
(2,947 | ) | (2,539 | ) | ||||
Retained
Earnings – April 30
|
$ | 110,053 | $ | 104,550 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 1.06 | $ | 1.01 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.86 | $ | 0.81 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.97 | $ | 0.91 | ||||
Average
Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,135 | 5,052 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,872 | 1,852 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,237 | 7,206 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
5
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
|
||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended
April
30
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 7,034 | $ | 6,586 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on marketable securities
|
(27 | ) | 3 | |||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
36 | 13 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
(770 | ) | 156 | |||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 6,273 | $ | 6,758 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
6
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Income and Retained Earnings
|
||||||||
(in
thousands, except for per share amounts)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Three Months Ended
April
30
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 58,053 | $ | 59,543 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(44,833 | ) | (48,486 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
13,220 | 11,057 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(9,631 | ) | (8,236 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
3,589 | 2,821 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(470 | ) | (552 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
60 | 232 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
241 | 213 | ||||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(169 | ) | (107 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
3,420 | 2,714 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(1,004 | ) | (701 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,416 | $ | 2,013 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 0.36 | $ | 0.30 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.29 | $ | 0.25 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.33 | $ | 0.28 | ||||
Average
Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,149 | 5,092 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,880 | 1,862 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,223 | 7,223 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
7
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income
|
||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Three Months Ended
April
30
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,416 | $ | 2,013 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain on marketable securities
|
11 | 12 | ||||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
12 | 1 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
107 | (55 | ) | |||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 2,546 | $ | 1,971 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
8
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
|
||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
For
The Nine Months Ended April 30
|
||||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING
ACTIVITIES
|
2009
|
2008
|
||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 7,034 | $ | 6,586 | ||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash
|
||||||||
provided
by operating activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
5,427 | 5,596 | ||||||
Amortization
of investment discount
|
(115 | ) | (601 | ) | ||||
Non-cash
stock compensation expense
|
353 | 691 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
(189 | ) | (277 | ) | ||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
5 | 16 | ||||||
Provision
for bad debts
|
50 | 109 | ||||||
Loss
on the sale of fixed assets
|
35 | 161 | ||||||
(Increase)
Decrease in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
2,623 | (3,285 | ) | |||||
Inventories
|
(2,392 | ) | (1,704 | ) | ||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
(1,018 | ) | (770 | ) | ||||
Other
assets
|
(1,042 | ) | (790 | ) | ||||
Increase
(Decrease) in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
(1,424 | ) | 1,431 | |||||
Accrued
expenses
|
(1,676 | ) | (1,233 | ) | ||||
Deferred
compensation
|
252 | 392 | ||||||
Other
liabilities
|
384 | (199 | ) | |||||
Total
Adjustments
|
1,273 | (463 | ) | |||||
Net
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
|
8,307 | 6,123 | ||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(12,682 | ) | (4,352 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from sale of property, plant and equipment
|
22 | 43 | ||||||
Purchases
of investment securities
|
(73,965 | ) | (71,940 | ) | ||||
Dispositions
of investment securities
|
91,000 | 71,500 | ||||||
Net
Cash Provided by (Used in) Investing Activities
|
4,375 | (4,749 | ) | |||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Principal
payments on notes payable
|
(5,580 | ) | (4,080 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid
|
(2,760 | ) | (2,528 | ) | ||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
(656 | ) | (20 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from issuance of treasury stock
|
107 | -- | ||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock
|
272 | 1,075 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
189 | 277 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
(312 | ) | 45 | |||||
Net
Cash Used in Financing Activities
|
(8,740 | ) | (5,231 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes
|
890 | (111 | ) | |||||
Net
Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
4,832 | (3,968 | ) | |||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Year
|
6,848 | 12,133 | ||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, April 30
|
$ | 11,680 | $ | 8,165 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated financial
statements.
9
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
Notes
To Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements
(Unaudited)
1.
|
BASIS
OF STATEMENT PRESENTATION
|
The
accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been
prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) for interim financial information and
with 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 U.S. GAAP for complete financial
statements. The financial statements and the related notes are
condensed and should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial
statements and related notes for the year ended July 31, 2008 included in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
The
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements include the accounts of
the parent company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany
transactions are eliminated.
The
unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements reflect all adjustments,
consisting of normal recurring accruals, which are, in the opinion of
management, necessary for a fair presentation of the statements contained
herein. Operating results for the three months and the nine months
ended April 30, 2009 are not necessarily an indication of the results that may
be expected for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2009.
The
preparation of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in
conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the use of estimates and assumptions related
to the reporting of assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses and related
disclosures. Estimates are revised periodically. Actual
results could differ from these estimates.
Under the
terms of our sales agreements with customers, we recognize revenue when title is
transferred. Upon shipment an invoice is generated that sets the
fixed and determinable price. Promotional reserves are provided for
sales incentives made directly to consumers and customers and are netted against
sales. Sales returns and allowances have historically not been
material. Selling, general and administrative expenses include
salaries, wages and benefits associated with staff outside the manufacturing and
distribution functions, all marketing related costs, any miscellaneous trade
spending expenses not required to be included in net sales, research and
development costs, depreciation and amortization related to assets outside the
product manufacturing and distribution process and
all other non-manufacturing and non-distribution expenses.
We
evaluate our allowance for doubtful accounts utilizing a combination of a
historical experience and a periodic review of our accounts receivable aging and
specific customer account analysis. A customer is determined to be
uncollectible when we have completed our internal collection procedures,
including termination of shipments, direct customer contact and formal demand of
payment. We maintain and monitor a list of customers whose
creditworthiness has diminished. We will continue to monitor customer
creditworthiness given the recent economic credit crisis.
As part
of our overall operations, we mine sorbent materials on property that we either
own or lease. A significant part of our overall mining cost is
incurred during the process of removing the overburden (non-usable material)
from the mine site, thus exposing the sorbent material that is then used in a
majority of our production processes. In accordance with EITF Issue
No. 04-06, Accounting for
Stripping Costs Incurred during Production in the Mining Industry,
production stripping costs are treated as a variable inventory production cost
and are included in cost of sales in the period they are incurred. We
defer and amortize the pre-production overburden removal costs associated with
opening a new mine.
During
the normal course of our overburden removal activities we perform on-going
reclamation activities. As overburden is removed from a pit, it is
hauled to previously mined pits and used to refill older sites. This
process allows us to continuously reclaim older pits and dispose of overburden
simultaneously.
Additionally,
it is our policy to capitalize the purchase cost of land and mineral rights,
including associated legal fees, survey fees and real estate
fees. The costs of obtaining mineral patents, including legal fees
and drilling expenses, are also capitalized. Pre-production
development costs on new mines and any prepaid royalties that can be offset
against future royalties due upon extraction of the mineral are also
capitalized. All exploration related costs are expensed as
incurred.
10
2.
|
RECENTLY
ISSUED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
|
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 115-2 and FAS No. 124-2, Recognition and Presentation of
Other-Than Temporary Impairments. This FSP amends the
other-than-temporary impairment guidance in U.S. GAAP for debt securities by
clarifying the interaction of the factors that should be considered when
determining whether a debt security is other than temporarily impaired and by
improving the related presentation and disclosure for such debt and equity
securities in the financial statements. This FSP is effective for
interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early
adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. We will
adopt this FSP at our fiscal year end of July 31, 2009. We do not
believe this FSP will have a material impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 107-1 and APB 28-1, Interim Disclosures about Fair Value
of Financial Instruments. This FSP requires a publicly traded
company to include disclosures about the fair value of its financial instruments
whenever it issues summarized financial information for interim reporting
periods. This FSP is effective for interim and annual reporting
periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods
ending after March 15, 2009. We will adopt this FSP at our fiscal
year end July 31, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a
material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In April
2009, FASB issued FSP SFAS No. 157-4 (“FSP SFAS 157-4) Determining Fair Value When the
Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly
Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not
Orderly. This FSP provides additional guidance for estimating
fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“SFAS 157”) when the volume and level of activity for the asset or
liability have significantly decreased. FSP SFAS 157-4 also includes
guidance on identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not
orderly. This FSP is effective for interim and annual reporting
periods ending after June 15, 2009. We will adopt this FSP at our fiscal year
end July 31, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a material
impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 141(R)-1, Accounting for Assets Acquired and
Liabilities Assumed in a Business Combination That Arise from
Contingencies. This FSP addresses issues on initial
recognition and measurement, subsequent measurement and accounting, and
disclosure of assets and liabilities arising from contingencies in a business
combination. This FSP is effective for assets and liabilities arising
from contingencies in business combinations for which the acquisition date is on
or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or
after December 15, 2008. We will adopt this FSP as of August 1, 2009
and will apply it to future business combinations.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests in
Consolidated Financial Statements—An Amendment of ARB No. 51 (“SFAS
160”). This
statement establishes new accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. SFAS 160 requires the noncontrolling interest to be
reported as a component of equity, changes in a parent’s ownership interest
while the parent retains its controlling interest be accounted for as equity
transactions, and any retained noncontrolling equity investment upon the
deconsolidation of a subsidiary be initially measured at fair
value. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods
within those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15,
2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited. We will adopt this
Statement as of August 1, 2009. We do not believe this SFAS will have
an impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In June
2008, the FASB issued FSP EITF No. 03-6-1, Determining Whether Instruments
Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions Are Participating Securities
(“FSP EITF 03-6-1). This FSP states that unvested share-based
payment awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend
equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities and shall be
included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class
method. The FSP is effective for financial statements issued for
fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those
years. Upon adoption, a company is required to retrospectively adjust
its earnings per share data (including any amounts related to interim periods,
summaries of earnings and selected financial data) to conform to the provisions
in this FSP. Earlier adoption is prohibited. We will adopt
this FSP as of August 1, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a
material impact on our consolidated financial statements or our earnings per
share.
In
November 2008, the FASB issued FSP EITF No. 08-7 (“FSP EITF 08-7), Accounting for Defensive Intangible
Assets. This FSP clarifies the definition and accounting for
defensive intangible assets acquired in a business combination or an asset
acquisition. This FSP states that, upon acquisition, an intangible
asset must be recognized at fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurement,
regardless of how the acquiring entity intends to use the asset. The
intangible asset should be amortized over a useful life approximated by the
period over which it is expected to provide direct and indirect cash flows
benefits resulting from the limitation against others to use the intangible
asset. FSP EITF 08-7 will be effective for any intangible assets we
acquire on or after August 1, 2009.
11
In
December 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 132(R)-1 (“FSP FAS 132(R)-1”), Employers’ Disclosures about
Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets. This FSP amends SFAS No.
132 (Revised 2003), Employers’
Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits, to expand
the disclosure requirements for employers’ pension and other postretirement
benefit plan assets. FSP FAS 132(R)-1 requires employers to disclose
information about fair value measurements of plan assets, the investment
policies and strategies for the major categories of plan assets and significant
concentrations of risk within plan assets. We will adopt this FSP in
our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010,
on a prospective basis. We are currently evaluating the impact FSP
FAS 132(R)-1 will have on our consolidated financial statements.
3.
|
RECENTLY
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
|
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair Value
Measurements. This Statement defines fair value, establishes a
framework for measuring fair value in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles and expands disclosures about fair value
measurements. In February 2008, SFAS 157 was amended by FASB Staff
Positions (“FSP”) SFAS No. 157-1 Application of FASB Statement No.
157 to FASB Statement No. 13 and Other Accounting Pronouncements That Address
Fair Value Measurements for Purposes of Lease Classification or Measurement
under Statement 13 (“FSP SFAS 157-1”) and by FSP SFAS No. 157-2 Effective Date of FASB Statement No.
157 (“FSP SFAS 157-2”). FSP SFAS 157-1 amends SFAS 157 to
exclude FASB Statement No. 13, Accounting for Leases (“SFAS
13”) and other
accounting pronouncements that address fair value measurements for purposes of
lease classification or measurement under SFAS 13. FSP SFAS 157-1
was effective upon the initial adoption of SFAS 157. FSP SFAS 157-2
delays the effective date of SFAS 157 until fiscal years
beginning after November 15, 2008 for nonfinancial assets and nonfinancial
liabilities, except for items that are recognized or disclosed at fair value in
the financial statements on a recurring basis (at least annually).
In
October 2008, SFAS 157 was further amended by FSP SFAS No. 157-3 (“FSP SFAS
157-3”) Determining the Fair
Value of a Financial Asset When the Market for That Asset is Not
Active. FSP SFAS 157-3 was effective upon issuance and
clarifies the application of SFAS 157 in a market that is not
active. We did not have any financial assets in a market that was not
active; therefore, the adoption of FSP SFAS 157-3 had no impact on our
consolidated financial statements. See Note 5 for the description of
our adoption of the nondelayed portions of SFAS 157.
In
February 2007, the FASB issued FASB Statement No. 159, The Fair Value Option for Financial
Assets and Financial Liabilities (“SFAS 159”). SFAS 159
permits entities to choose to measure many financial instruments and certain
other items at fair value. The objective of SFAS 159 is to improve
financial reporting by mitigating volatility in reported earnings caused by
measuring related assets and liabilities differently without having to apply
complex hedge accounting provisions. We adopted this Statement as of
August 1, 2008. We did not elect the Fair Value Option for any
of our financial assets or liabilities; therefore, the adoption of FAS 159 had
no impact on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash
flows.
In June
2007, the EITF reached consensus on Issue No. 06-11, Accounting for Income Tax Benefits
of Dividends on Share-Based Payment Awards (“EITF
06-11”). EITF 06-11 requires that the tax benefit related to dividend
and dividend equivalents paid on equity-classified nonvested shares and
nonvested share units, which are expected to vest, be recorded as an increase to
additional paid-in capital. EITF 06-11 was to be applied
prospectively for tax benefits on dividends declared in our fiscal year
beginning August 1, 2008. The adoption of EITF 06-11 had an
insignificant impact on our consolidated financial position, results of
operations and cash flows.
4.
|
INVENTORIES
|
The
composition of inventories is as follows (in thousands of dollars):
April
30,
|
July
31,
|
|||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Finished
goods
|
$ | 12,308 | $ | 10,076 | ||||
Packaging
|
3,955 | 3,798 | ||||||
Other
|
3,873 | 3,870 | ||||||
$ | 20,136 | $ | 17,744 |
Inventories
are valued at the lower of cost (first-in, first-out) or
market. Inventory costs include the cost of raw materials, packaging
supplies, labor and other overhead costs. We perform a quarterly
review of our inventory items to determine if an obsolescence reserve adjustment
is necessary. The review surveys all of our operating facilities and
sales groups to ensure that both historical issues and new market trends are
considered. The allowance not only considers specific items, but also
takes into consideration the overall value of the inventory as of the balance
sheet date. The inventory obsolescence reserve values at April 30,
2009 and July 31, 2008 were $176,000 and $138,000, respectively.
12
5. FAIR
VALUE MEASUREMENTS
We
adopted the required portions of SFAS 157, as amended, on August 1,
2008. SFAS 157 applies to all assets and liabilities that are being
measured and reported at fair value. SFAS 157 defines fair value as
the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a
liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the
measurement date. SFAS 157 establishes a fair value hierarchy that
prioritizes the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair
value. An asset or liability’s level is based on the lowest level of
input that is significant to the fair value measurement. This
Statement requires that financial assets and liabilities carried at fair value
be classified and disclosed in one of the following three
categories:
|
Level
1:
|
Financial
assets and liabilities whose values are based on quoted market prices in
active markets for identical assets or
liabilities.
|
|
Level
2:
|
Financial
assets and liabilities whose values are based
on:
|
1)
|
Quoted
prices for similar assets or liabilities in active
markets.
|
2) | Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. |
3)
|
Valuation
models whose inputs are observable, directly or indirectly, for
substantially the full term of the asset or
liability.
|
|
Level
3:
|
Financial
assets and liabilities whose values are based on valuation techniques that
require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall
fair value measurement. These inputs may reflect estimates of
the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the
financial assets and liabilities.
|
The
following table summarizes our financial assets and liabilities that were
measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy:
Fair
Value at April 30, 2009
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 1,801 | $ | 1,801 | $ | -- | ||||||
Marketable
equity securities
|
44 | 44 | -- | |||||||||
Cash
surrender value of life insurance
|
3,622 | -- | 3,622 | |||||||||
Cash and
cash equivalents are classified as Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy because
they were valued using quoted market prices in active markets. These
cash instruments are primarily money market mutual funds.
Marketable
equity securities were valued using quoted market prices in active markets and
as such are classified as Level 1 in the fair value hierarchy. These
securities represent stock we own in one publicly traded company.
Cash
surrender value of life insurance is classified as Level 2. The value
was determined by the underwriting insurance company’s valuation models and
represents the guaranteed value we would receive upon surrender of these
policies as of April 30, 2009. These life insurance policies are held
on key employees.
The
investments in securities of $3,996,000 reported on our unaudited condensed
consolidated balance sheets consisted of U.S. Treasury securities carried at
amortized cost and are not included in the above table.
We
generally apply fair value techniques on a non-recurring basis associated with:
1) valuing potential impairment loss related to goodwill and indefinite-lived
intangible assets accounted for pursuant to SFAS No. 142 Goodwill and other Intangible Assets
and 2) valuing potential impairment loss related to long-lived assets
accounted for pursuant to SFAS No. 144 Accounting for Impairment and
Disposal of Long-Lived Assets.
6. PENSION
AND OTHER POST RETIREMENT BENEFITS
The
components of net periodic pension benefits cost of our sponsored defined
benefit plans were as follows:
13
PENSION
PLANS
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic pension benefit cost:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 210 | $ | 254 | $ | 631 | $ | 678 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
334 | 414 | 1,002 | 998 | ||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(324 | ) | (506 | ) | (974 | ) | (1,200 | ) | ||||||||
Net
amortization
|
11 | (78 | ) | 35 | 8 | |||||||||||
$ | 231 | $ | 84 | $ | 694 | $ | 484 |
We have
funded the plan based upon actuarially determined contributions that take into
account the amount deductible for income tax purposes, the normal cost and the
minimum contribution required and the maximum contribution allowed under the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended. During
the third quarter of fiscal 2009 we made a contribution of $827,000 to our
pension plan. See Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk for certain information regarding the potential impact of
financial market fluctuations on pension plan assets and future funding
contributions.
The
components of the net periodic postretirement health benefit cost were as
follows:
POST
RETIREMENT HEALTH BENEFITS
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended
|
Nine
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic postretirement benefit cost:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 15 | $ | 21 | $ | 46 | $ | 55 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
23 | 25 | 70 | 61 | ||||||||||||
Amortization
of net transition obligation
|
4 | 4 | 12 | 12 | ||||||||||||
Net
actuarial loss
|
4 | (5 | ) | 11 | 1 | |||||||||||
$ | 46 | $ | 45 | $ | 139 | $ | 129 |
Our plan
covering postretirement health benefits is an unfunded plan.
Assumptions
used in the previous calculations were as follows:
PENSION
PLAN
|
POST
RETIREMENT HEALTH BENEFITS
|
|||||||||||||||
For
three and nine months ended:
|
||||||||||||||||
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
April
30,
2009
|
April
30,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Discount
rate for net periodic benefit cost
|
7.00 | % | 6.50 | % | 7.00 | % | 6.50 | % | ||||||||
Rate
of increase in compensation levels
|
4.00 | % | 4.00 | % | -- | -- | ||||||||||
Long-term
expected rate of return on assets
|
7.50 | % | 8.00 | % | -- | -- | ||||||||||
Measurement
date
|
7/31/2008
|
7/31/2007
|
7/31/2008
|
7/31/2007
|
||||||||||||
Census
date
|
8/1/2008
|
8/1/2007
|
8/1/2008
|
8/1/2007
|
The
medical cost trend assumption for postretirement health benefits was a graded
rate starting at 10% and decreasing to an ultimate rate of 5% in 1% annual
increments.
14
7.
|
SEGMENT
REPORTING
|
SFAS No.
131, Disclosures About
Segments of an Enterprise and Related Information establishes standards
for reporting information about operating segments. Under this
standard, we have two reportable operating segments: Retail and
Wholesale Products and Business to Business Products. These segments
are managed separately because each business has different customer
characteristics. Net sales and operating income for each segment are
provided below. Revenues by product line are not provided because it
would be impracticable to do so.
The
accounting policies of the segments are the same as those described in Note 1 of
the consolidated financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K
for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2008 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
We do not
rely on any segment asset allocations and we do not consider them meaningful
because of the shared nature of our production facilities; however, we have
estimated the segment asset allocations below for those assets for which we can
reasonably determine. The unallocated asset category is the remainder
of our total assets. The asset allocation is estimated and is not a
measure used by our chief operating decision maker about allocating resources to
the operating segments or in assessing their performance. The
corporate expenses line includes certain unallocated expenses including
primarily salaries, wages and benefits, purchased services, rent, utilities and
depreciation and amortization associated with corporate functions such as
research and development, information systems, finance, legal, human resources
and customer service. Corporate expenses also include the annual
incentive plan bonus accrual.
Assets
|
|||||||||
April
30,
|
July
31,
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 42,518 | $ | 38,026 | |||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
68,413 | 66,838 | |||||||
Unallocated
Assets
|
33,173 | 44,124 | |||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 144,104 | $ | 148,988 |
(in
thousands)
Nine
Months Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
Sales
|
Operating
Income
|
|||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 58,841 | $ | 55,802 | $ | 11,991 | $ | 11,561 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
121,470 | 117,052 | 11,908 | 11,416 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 180,311 | $ | 172,854 | 23,899 | 22,977 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
13,092 | 13,143 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
Income
|
1,132 | 812 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
9,675 | 9,022 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(2,641 | ) | (2,436 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 7,034 | $ | 6,586 |
Three
Months Ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
Sales
|
Operating
Income
|
|||||||||||||||
2009 | 2008 | 2009 | 2008 | |||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 19,992 | $ | 20,322 | $ | 4,085 | $ | 3,904 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
38,061 | 39,221 | 4,693 | 3,183 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 58,053 | $ | 59,543 | 8,778 | 7,087 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
4,948 | 4,053 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
Income
|
410 | 320 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
3,420 | 2,714 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(1,004 | ) | (701 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,416 | $ | 2,013 |
15
8. STOCK-BASED
COMPENSATION
We
adopted Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 123 (revised 2004),
Share-Based Payments
(“SFAS 123R”) in the first quarter of fiscal 2006. In accordance with
this pronouncement, we record compensation expense for all awards granted after
the date of adoption and for the unvested portion of previously granted awards
that remain outstanding at the date of adoption. The stock-based
compensation expense in the first nine months of fiscal years 2009 and 2008 is
the cost related to the unvested portion of grants issued after August 1, 2000
and grants issued after July 31, 2005.
Stock
Options
Our 1995
Long Term Incentive Plan (the “1995 Plan”) provided for grants of both incentive
and non-qualified stock options principally at an option price per share of 100%
of the fair market value of our Class A Common Stock or, if no Class A Common
Stock is outstanding, our Common Stock (“Stock”) on the date of
grant. Stock options were generally granted with a five-year vesting
period and a 10-year term. The stock options generally vest 25% two
years after the grant date and 25% in each of the three following anniversaries
of the grant date. This plan expired for purposes of issuing new
grants on August 5, 2005. All stock issued from option exercises
under this plan were from authorized but unissued stock. All
restricted stock issued was from treasury stock.
On March
14, 2006, our Board of Directors unanimously approved adoption of the Oil-Dri
Corporation of America 2006 Long Term Incentive Plan; our Board amended and
restated the plan following the five-for-four stock split described below (as so
amended and restated, the “2006 Plan”). The 2006 Plan was approved by
our stockholders at our annual meeting on December 5, 2006. The 2006
Plan permits the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted
stock, restricted stock units, performance awards and other stock-based and
cash-based awards. Our employees and non-employee directors are eligible
to receive grants under the 2006 Plan. The total number of shares of Stock
subject to grants under the 2006 Plan may not exceed 919,500. Since
plan inception, option grants covering 25,000 shares were issued to our outside
directors with a vesting period of one year and option grants covering 32,500
shares were issued to employees with vesting similar to the vesting described
above under the 1995 Plan. There were 90,000 shares of restricted
stock issued under the 2006 Plan.
The
Oil-Dri Corporation of America Outside Director Stock Plan (the “Directors’
Plan”) provides for grants of stock options to our directors at an option price
per share of 100% of the fair market value of Common Stock on the date of
grant. Our directors are considered employees under the provisions of
SFAS 123R. Stock options have been granted to our directors for a
10-year term with a one year vesting period. There are 63,250 stock
options outstanding as of April 30, 2009 and no stock options available for
future grants under this plan. All stock issued under this plan were
from treasury stock.
A
five-for-four stock split was announced by our Board on June 6,
2006. In keeping with historical practices, we have adjusted the
number of shares and the option prices to equitably adjust all outstanding stock
options. Under SFAS 123R, the equitable adjustment of outstanding
options to reflect a change in capitalization (such as a stock split) may
require the recognition of incremental compensation expense if the adjustment is
not determined to have been required by the actual terms of the equity incentive
plan. The Directors’ Plan and the 1995 Plan may be deemed to have
been discretionary, rather than required by the actual terms of these
plans. We therefore recognized additional stock-based compensation
expense as a result of the modification of approximately $8,000 and $99,000 in
the third quarter of fiscal 2009 and 2008, respectively, and $69,000 and
$306,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
There
were no stock options granted in the first nine months of fiscal years 2009 or
2008.
16
Changes
in our stock options during the first nine months of fiscal 2009 were as
follows:
Number
of Shares (in thousands)
|
Weighted
Average Exercise Price
|
Weighted
Average Remaining Contractual Term (Years)
|
Aggregate
Intrinsic Value (in thousands)
|
||||
Options
outstanding, July 31, 2008
|
624
|
$ 8.66
|
4.4
|
$ 4,688
|
|||
Exercised
|
(64)
|
$ 5.94
|
$ 713
|
||||
Cancelled
|
(15)
|
$ 8.32
|
$ 117
|
||||
Options
outstanding, April 30, 2009
|
545
|
$ 8.99
|
3.9
|
$ 3,919
|
|||
Options
exercisable, April 30, 2009
|
513
|
$ 8.60
|
3.7
|
$ 3,870
|
The
amount of cash received from the exercise of stock options during the third
quarter of fiscal 2009 was $36,000 and the related tax benefit was
$19,000. The amount of cash received from the exercise of stock
options during the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was $379,000 and the related
tax benefit was $192,000.
Restricted
Stock
Our 1995
Plan and 2006 Plan both provide for grants of restricted stock. The
vesting schedule under the 1995 Plan has varied, but has generally been three
years or less. Under the 2006 Plan, the grants issued so far have
vesting periods between three and five years.
Included
in our stock-based compensation expense in the third quarter of fiscal years
2009 and 2008 is $71,000 and $77,000, respectively, related to the unvested
restricted stock granted in fiscal 2006. In the first nine months of
fiscal years 2009 and 2008, the expense related to the unvested restricted stock
was $219,000 and $244,000, respectively. No shares of restricted
stock were granted in the first nine months of fiscal 2009.
Changes
in our restricted stock outstanding during the first nine months of fiscal 2009
were as follows:
(shares
in thousands)
|
|||
Restricted
Shares
|
Weighted
Average Grant Date Fair Value
|
||
Unvested
restricted stock at July 31, 2008
|
55
|
$15.42
|
|
Vested
|
(20)
|
||
Unvested
restricted stock at April 30, 2009
|
35
|
$15.37
|
17
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS
OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of
operations should be read together with the financial statements and the related
notes included herein and our consolidated financial statements, accompanying
notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended July 31, 2008. This discussion contains forward-looking
statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results
may differ materially from the results discussed in the forward-looking
statements. Factors that might cause a difference include, but are
not limited to, those discussed under “Forward-Looking Statements” and Item 1A
(Risk Factors) of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July
31, 2008.
OVERVIEW
We
develop, manufacture and market sorbent products principally produced from clay
minerals and, to a lesser extent, other sorbent materials. Our principal
products include cat litter, industrial and automotive absorbents, bleaching
clay and clarification aids, agricultural chemical carriers, animal health and
nutrition and sports field products. Our products are sold to two
primary customer groups, including customers who resell our products as
originally produced to the end customer and those who use our products as part
of their production process or use them as an ingredient in their final finished
product. We have two reportable segments, the Retail and Wholesale
Products Group and the Business to Business Products Group, as described in Note
7 of the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements.
RESULTS OF
OPERATIONS
NINE MONTHS ENDED APRIL 30,
2009 COMPARED TO
NINE MONTHS ENDED APRIL 30,
2008
Consolidated
net sales for the nine months ended April 30, 2009 were $180,311,000, an
increase of 4% from net sales of $172,854,000 in the first nine months of fiscal
2008. Net income for the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was
$7,034,000, an increase of 7% from net income of $6,586,000 in the first nine
months of fiscal 2008. Diluted income per share for the first nine
months of fiscal 2009 was $0.97 compared to $0.91 for the first nine months of
fiscal 2008.
Net
income for the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was positively impacted by a
higher average net selling price and was negatively affected by higher costs and
by lower tons sold compared to the first nine months of fiscal
2008. Selling prices were increased to contend with higher costs
incurred throughout our business, and particularly in freight, packaging and
materials. Freight costs were impacted by fuel prices which affect
our truck, rail and ship distribution channels. Packaging costs were
affected by prices for resin and paper commodities. Our fuel, paper and resin
costs decreased during the later part of the first nine months of fiscal 2009;
however, our overall freight and packaging costs were higher than in the first
nine months of fiscal 2008. Material costs were similarly impacted by
the cost of fuel used to dry our clay-based products and to transport raw
materials. As described in Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative
Disclosure About Market Risk, we employ a forward purchase policy to mitigate
the volatility of the cost of fuel used to dry our clay-based
products. Under this policy, the impact of fuel cost increases may be
lessened; however, the benefit of fuel cost decreases may also be
moderated. Both the Business to Business Products Group and the
Retail and Wholesale Products Group experienced improved operating income as
higher net selling prices outweighed increased costs and decreased tons
sold.
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the first nine months of fiscal
2009 were $58,841,000, an increase of $3,039,000 from net sales of $55,802,000
in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. The net sales increase was
attributed primarily to higher net selling prices that more than offset an
overall 8% decrease in tons sold. Tons sold were down for all
products, except for co-packaged cat litter products. Our co-packaged
traditional coarse cat litter net sales increased 13% due primarily to an
increase in net selling price accompanied by a 4% increase in tons
sold. Net sales of agricultural chemical carriers increased 15% due
primarily to higher net selling prices that overcame a 9% decrease in tons
sold. Fewer tons were sold in the crop protection market due to
greater use of genetically modified seed and in the lawn and garden market due
to the weak economy and the increased use of engineered granules. Net
sales of our flowability aid product increased 5% while tons sold decreased
21%. The demand for flowability aid products used in animal feed was
reduced due to the protein content of the soybean crop which is a determining
factor in feed formulations. Net sales of bleaching earth and fluid
purification products increased 4% due primarily to a higher net selling price
while tons sold declined 6%. A good quality soybean crop, which
requires less bleaching clay to process the oil, a weak global economy and high
export freight costs resulted in lower tons sold for bleaching earth
products. Animal health and nutrition products reported a 10%
increase in net sales with a 21% decline in tons sold. The increase
in net sales of animal health and nutrition products was due primarily to
increased net selling prices and the initial sales of new
products. Tons sold declined during the first nine months of fiscal
2009 in part due to the transition of customers to these new
products. Sports products experienced a 19% decline in net sales
along with a 23% decline in tons sold. Sales of our baseball products
suffered from the impact of the economic downturn on municipalities and other
recreational baseball customers. Sales of golf products declined upon
the loss of a golf products distributor.
18
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income increased 4% from
$11,561,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2008 to $11,991,000 in the first
nine months of fiscal 2009. Higher net selling prices offset
decreased tons sold and an approximately 11% increase in combined freight,
materials and packaging costs. Freight costs increased approximately
14%. Although overall international freight costs and domestic diesel
fuel prices declined during the later part of the first nine months of fiscal
2009, on average our freight costs were higher compared to the first nine months
of fiscal 2008. Material costs were impacted by increased costs for
fuel used to dry our clay-based products which resulted in approximately a 13%
cost increase. See the discussion of manufacturing costs under
Consolidated Results below. Conversely, packaging costs decreased
approximately 7% due primarily to lower costs for resin. Selling,
general and administrative expenses for the Group were up approximately 26% due
primarily to increased product development and marketing costs associated with
the launch of new animal health and nutrition products.
RETAIL
AND WHOLESALE PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Retail and Wholesale Products Group for the first nine months of fiscal
2009 were $121,470,000, an increase of $4,418,000 from net sales of $117,052,000
reported in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. The net sales
growth was driven by increased average net selling prices that more than offset
a 2% decline in tons sold. The decline in total tons sold was driven
by reductions in tons sold by our foreign subsidiaries and in sales of our
industrial absorbents, while domestic cat litter tons sold were
flat. Net sales of private label cat litter increased 9% due
primarily to 3% more tons sold and a higher net selling price. The
higher tons sold was the result of expanded distribution to existing customers,
as well as distribution to new customers. Net sales of branded cat
litter also increased 6% due to higher net selling prices that more than offset
a 6% decline in tons sold. Our branded coarse cat litter tons sold
declined; however, our branded scoopable cat litter tons sold increased as a
result of new products and marketing programs. Net sales of domestic
industrial absorbents also increased 4% due to a higher net selling price while
tons sold were 2% lower due to poor economic conditions in the domestic
manufacturing and automotive industries. Net sales of our foreign
subsidiaries decreased 23% with a 14% decline in tons sold. Both our
United Kingdom and Canadian subsidiaries have been negatively impacted by weak
local currencies compared to the U.S. Dollar and the worldwide economic
slowdown. See Foreign Operations below for further information
regarding our foreign subsidiaries’ results.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income increased 4% to
$11,908,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 from $11,416,000 in the
first nine months of fiscal 2008. A higher net selling price overcame
an approximate 5% increase in combined freight, materials and packaging costs
compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2008. Packaging costs
increased approximately 7% due primarily to higher paper
prices. Material costs increased approximately 6% due primarily to
the higher cost for fuel used to dry our clay-based products compared to the
prior fiscal year. Freight costs were even with the prior fiscal year
as lower diesel prices have reduced domestic freight costs, particularly in the
later part of the first nine months of fiscal 2009. Selling, general
and administrative expenses for the Group increased approximately 10% due
primarily to higher advertising costs.
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the first nine months
of fiscal 2009 was 21% compared to 20% in the first nine months of fiscal
2008. Higher net selling prices outweighed increased fuel,
manufacturing, freight, material and packaging costs. The cost of
fuel used in the manufacturing process was 24% higher in the first nine months
of fiscal 2009 compared to the first nine months of fiscal
2008. Non-fuel manufacturing costs, including depreciation and
amortization, also increased 10% over the same period of the prior fiscal
year. Significant manufacturing cost increases were in purchased
materials, repairs, labor and non-kiln fuel.
We use
natural gas, fuel oil and coal in the manufacturing process to operate kilns
that dry our clay. As described below in Item 3. Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk, we have contracted for a substantial
portion of our planned fuel needs for fiscal 2009. Despite recent
decreased market prices in some energy-related commodities, we anticipate that
fuel costs incurred during fiscal 2009 will exceed costs in fiscal
2008.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales for the first
nine months of fiscal 2009 were 15%, the same as in the first nine months
of fiscal 2008. The discussions of the Groups’ operating income above
describe the fluctuation in the selling, general and administrative expenses
that were allocated to the operating segments. The remaining
unallocated corporate expenses were slightly lower due primarily to a lower
estimated annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The lower incentive
bonus expense was based on performance targets that are established for each
year.
19
Interest
expense was $243,000 less for the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to
the same period in fiscal 2008 due to continued debt
reduction. Interest income was $563,000 lower in the first nine
months of fiscal 2009 due primarily to a lower average interest rate and a lower
average investment balance.
Our
effective tax rate was 27% of pre-tax income in the first nine months of fiscal
2009, the same as in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. The
effective tax rate was based on the projected level and composition of our
taxable income for fiscal 2009.
Total
assets decreased $4,884,000 or 3% during the first nine months of fiscal
2009. Current assets decreased $11,350,000 or 14% from fiscal 2008
year-end balances due primarily to decreased investments in Treasury securities
and accounts receivable. These decreases were partially offset by
increased cash and cash equivalents, inventories and prepaid
expenses. The changes in current assets are described below in
Liquidity and Capital Resources. Property, plant and equipment, net
of accumulated depreciation, increased $7,102,000 during the first nine months
of fiscal 2009 due primarily to the capital projects related to new product
development at our manufacturing facilities and the purchase of
land.
Total
liabilities decreased $8,660,000 or 14% during the first nine months of fiscal
2009. Current liabilities decreased $5,657,000 or 19% due primarily
to decreased current maturities of notes payable, accounts payable, accrued
salaries and accrued freight. Increased accrued trade promotions
partially offset these decreases. The changes in current liabilities
are described below in Liquidity and Capital Resources. Non-current
liabilities decreased $3,003,000 or 10% due to lower notes payable partially
offset by an increased deferred compensation liability. The decrease
in notes payable is due to the reclassification from long-term to
current. The increase in the deferred compensation liability is due
to ongoing deferrals and accrued interest.
THREE MONTHS ENDED APRIL 30,
2009 COMPARED TO
THREE MONTHS ENDED APRIL 30,
2008
Consolidated
net sales for the three months ended April 30, 2009 were $58,053,000, a decrease
of 3% from net sales of $59,543,000 in the third quarter of fiscal
2008. Net income for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 was $2,416,000,
an increase of 20% from net income of $2,013,000 in the third quarter of fiscal
2008. Diluted income per share for the third quarter of fiscal 2009
was $0.33 compared to $0.28 diluted net income per share for the third quarter
of fiscal 2008.
Net
income for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 was positively impacted by a higher
average net selling price and generally flat costs for fuel used in the
manufacturing process and combined materials, packaging and freight
costs. To a lesser extent, net income was negatively affected by
lower tons sold and higher non-fuel manufacturing costs, including depreciation
and amortization. Operating income improved for both the Retail and
Wholesale Products Group and for the Business to Business Products
Group.
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the third quarter of fiscal 2009
were $19,992,000, a decrease of $330,000 or 2% from net sales of $20,322,000 in
the third quarter of fiscal 2008. This decrease was due primarily to
a 14% decline in tons sold which prevailed over higher net selling
prices. Net sales were down for sports products, bleaching earth and
fluid filtration products. Net sales of sports products declined 24%
with 26% lower tons sold. Sales of our baseball products declined due
to the negative impact of economic conditions on municipalities and other
recreational baseball customers. Sales of golf products decreased
upon the loss of a distributor. Net sales of bleaching earth and
fluid purification products were down 10% from the third quarter last year as a
17% decline in tons sold outweighed a higher net selling price. The
lower tons sold for bleaching earth products were the result of a weak global
economy and a good quality soybean crop, which requires less bleaching clay to
process the oil. Net sales of our flowability aid product decreased
11% with 25% lower tons sold. The demand for flowability aid products
used in animal feed was reduced due to the protein content of the soybean crop
which is a determining factor in feed formulations. Net sales
increased for agricultural chemical carriers, co-packaged products and animal
health and nutrition products. Net sales of agricultural chemical
carriers were up 15% due primarily to a higher net selling price that more than
offset a 7% decrease in tons sold. Agricultural chemical carriers
tons sold declined primarily in the lawn and garden market due to the increased
use of engineered granules and the poor economy. A higher net selling
price for our co-packaged traditional coarse cat litter and a 5% increase in
tons sold resulted in an 11% net sales increase; however, under the terms of the
agreement with our co-packaging partner, the net selling price was reduced at
the end of the third quarter of fiscal 2009. Net sales of animal
health and nutrition products were up 14% due primarily to increased net selling
prices and the sales of new products.
20
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income increased 5% from
$3,904,000 in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 to $4,085,000 in the third
quarter of fiscal 2009. The income increase was due primarily to a
higher net selling price that offset both lower tons sold and slightly higher
combined freight, materials and packaging costs. Material costs
increased approximately 10% due to higher costs associated with the mining and
processing of our clay as described under Consolidated Results below. The
Group’s average freight cost was approximately 9% lower compared to the third
quarter of fiscal 2008 as the result of lower international freight costs and
lower domestic diesel fuel prices. Packaging costs decreased about 8% in the
third quarter of fiscal 2009 due to lower costs for resin and
paper. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the Group
increased approximately 31% due primarily to increased marketing and other costs
associated with the launch of new animal health and nutrition
products.
RETAIL
AND WHOLESALE PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Retail and Wholesale Products Group for the third quarter of fiscal 2009
were $38,061,000, a decrease of $1,160,000 or 3% from net sales of $39,221,000
reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2008. The net sales decline
was driven by a 9% decrease in tons sold that outweighed increased net selling
prices. Domestic industrial absorbents and cat litter products, as
well as our foreign subsidiaries all experienced a reduction in tons
sold. Net sales of our foreign subsidiaries decreased 31% with a 17%
decline in tons sold. Both our United Kingdom and Canadian
subsidiaries have been negatively impacted by weak local currencies compared to
the U.S. Dollar and the worldwide economic slowdown. See Foreign
Operations below for further information regarding our foreign subsidiaries’
results. Total cat litter net sales were up 1% as a higher net
selling price offset a decrease in tons sold of approximately 6%. Net
sales of private label cat litter increased 1% due a higher net selling price
that offset 4% lower tons sold. Net sales of branded cat litter also
increased 1% due primarily to higher net selling prices that offset a 10%
decline in tons sold. Sales of our branded coarse cat litter declined
in dollars and tons sold; however, sales of our branded scoopable cat litter
increased in dollars and tons sold due to improved sales to existing
customers. Our industrial absorbents net sales were flat for the
quarter with 7% lower tons sold. The continuing poor economic conditions in the
manufacturing and automotive industries had a negative impact on industrial
absorbent sales.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income increased 47% to
$4,693,000 in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 from $3,183,000 in the third
quarter of fiscal 2008. Combined freight, materials and packaging
costs decreased slightly compared to the third quarter of fiscal
2008. Freight costs declined approximately 9% due to lower diesel
fuel prices. Material and packaging costs were flat with the third
quarter of fiscal 2008. Selling, general and administrative expenses
for the Group increased approximately 5% due primarily to higher advertising
costs.
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 23% for the third
quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to 19% in the third quarter of fiscal
2008. Higher net selling prices prevailed over an increase in
non-fuel manufacturing costs, while the cost of fuel used in the manufacturing
process and combined materials, packaging and freight were
flat. Non-fuel manufacturing costs, including depreciation and
amortization, increased 8%. Significant manufacturing cost increases
were in purchased materials, repairs, labor and non-kiln fuel.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales were 17% for
the third quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to 14% in the third quarter of fiscal
2008. The discussions of the Groups’ operating income above describe the
fluctuation in the selling, general and administrative expenses that were
allocated to the operating segments. The remaining unallocated
corporate expenses were higher due primarily to a higher quarterly estimated
annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The incentive bonus accrual was
based on performance targets that are established for each year and the
estimated accrual is calculated quarterly based on actual results compared to
these targets.
Interest
expense was $82,000 lower for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the
same period in fiscal 2008 due to continued debt reduction. Interest
income was $172,000 lower in the third quarter of fiscal 2009 due primarily to a
lower average interest rate and a lower average investment balance.
Our
effective tax rate was 29% of pre-tax income in the third quarter of fiscal 2009
compared to 26% for the third quarter of fiscal 2008. The effective
tax rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2009 included an adjustment to increase
the nine month effective tax rate to 27% based on the projected level and
composition of our taxable income for fiscal 2009. The effective tax
rate for the third quarter of fiscal 2008 included an adjustment to decrease the
nine month effective tax rate to 27% based on the projected level and
composition of our taxable income for fiscal 2008.
21
FOREIGN
OPERATIONS
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the first nine months of fiscal 2009 were
$10,206,000 or 6% of our consolidated net sales. This represents a
decrease of 23% compared to foreign subsidiary net sales from the first nine
months of fiscal 2008 of $13,186,000 or 8% of our consolidated net
sales. Net sales and tons sold decreased in both our Canadian and
United Kingdom subsidiaries. Industrial absorbent sales were down for
both subsidiaries as the worldwide economic slowdown impacted sales through
reduced orders. In addition, the British Pound was approximately 21%
weaker and the Canadian Dollar was approximately 15% weaker against the U.S.
Dollar for the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to the first nine
months of fiscal 2008, which resulted in lower sales values after translation to
U.S. Dollars for the first nine months of fiscal 2009. For the first
nine months of fiscal 2009, our foreign subsidiaries reported a net loss of
$496,000, a decrease of $1,432,000 from the $936,000 net income reported in the
first nine months of fiscal 2008. The lower tons sold and currency
impacts described above contributed to the net loss, along with increased
material and packaging costs.
Identifiable
assets of our foreign subsidiaries as of April 30, 2009 were $9,186,000 compared
to $11,101,000 as of April 30, 2008. The decrease is due primarily to
lower cash balances and the weaker value of both the British Pound and Canadian
Dollar compared to the U.S. Dollar as of April 30, 2009 versus April 30,
2008. The exchange rate fluctuation resulted in lower asset values
translated to U.S. Dollars as of April 30, 2009.
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the third quarter of fiscal 2009 were
$3,117,000 or 5% of our consolidated net sales. This represents a 31%
decrease compared to foreign subsidiary net sales from with the third quarter of
fiscal 2008 of $4,488,000 or 8% of our consolidated net sales. Net
sales and tons sold decreased in both our Canadian and United Kingdom
subsidiaries. Industrial
absorbent sales were down for both subsidiaries due to the continued worldwide
economic slowdown. Canadian cat litter sales also declined for the
third quarter of fiscal 2009. The quarter’s results were further
impacted by the British Pound approximately 27% weaker and the Canadian Dollar
approximately 19% weaker against the U.S. Dollar as described for the nine month
period above. For the third quarter of fiscal 2009, our foreign
subsidiaries reported a net loss of $63,000, a decrease of $510,000 from the
$447,000 net income reported in the third quarter of fiscal 2008.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL
RESOURCES
Our
principal capital requirements include funding working capital needs, the
purchasing and upgrading of real estate, equipment and facilities, funding new
product development and investing in infrastructure and potential
acquisitions. We principally have used cash generated from operations
and, to the extent needed, issuance of debt securities and borrowings under our
credit facilities to fund these requirements. Cash and cash
equivalents increased $4,832,000 during the first nine months of fiscal 2009 to
$11,680,000 at April 30, 2009.
The
following table sets forth certain elements of our unaudited condensed
consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
Nine
Months Ended
|
||||||||
April
30, 2009
|
April
30, 2008
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
$ | 8,307 | $ | 6,123 | ||||
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
|
4,375 | (4,749 | ) | |||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(8,740 | ) | (5,231 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes
|
890 | (111 | ) | |||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
$ | 4,832 | $ | (3,968 | ) |
Net
cash provided by operating activities
Net cash
provided by operations was $8,307,000 for the first nine months of fiscal 2009,
compared to $6,123,000 for the first nine months of fiscal 2008. The
increase was due primarily to increased net income and changes in working
capital. For the first nine months of fiscal years 2009 and 2008, the
primary components of working capital that impacted operating cash flows were as
follows:
Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts, decreased by $2,623,000 in the
first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to an increase of $3,285,000 in the
first nine months of fiscal 2008. Sales in the third quarter of
fiscal 2009 were significantly less than in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008,
particularly in the comparison of the last month of each
quarter. Sales in the third quarter of fiscal 2008 were greater than
in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2007, again particularly in the comparison of
the last month of each quarter. The change in both years is also
subject to timing of sales and collections and ongoing efforts to improve
collection procedures. We assessed our accounts receivable as of
April 30, 2009 using various statistical measures and specific account reviews
and believe the quality of our accounts receivable has not diminished compared
to April 30, 2008.
22
Inventories
increased $2,392,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to an
increase of $1,704,000 in the same period in fiscal 2008. Finished
goods inventories increased in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 due
primarily to increased tons in inventory to cover downtime for planned
maintenance. Finished goods and packaging inventories increased in
the first nine months of fiscal 2008 due to normal operational fluctuations and
higher costs.
Other
assets increased $1,042,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to
an increase of $790,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. The
change in other assets includes the effect of currency exchange rate
fluctuations on non-cash assets held by our foreign subsidiaries. The
change in the relative value of the U.S. Dollar to both the British Pound and
the Canadian Dollar resulted in a significant increase in other assets in the
first nine months of fiscal 2009, while in the same period of fiscal 2008 the
result was a small decrease. The increase in other assets in the
first nine months of fiscal 2008 was primarily due to a noncurrent receivable
established in a new arrangement with our co-packaging partner.
Other
prepaid expenses increased $1,018,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009
compared to an increase of $770,000 in the first nine months of fiscal
2008. The timing of insurance premium payments resulted in an
increase in prepaid expenses in both years. Spare parts inventory
also increased in the first nine months of fiscal 2009.
Accrued
expenses decreased $1,676,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared
to a decrease of $1,233,000 in the first nine months of fiscal
2008. The decrease in both years was due primarily to nine months of
discretionary bonus accrued at April 30 compared
to twelve months accrued at July 31. The lower bonus accrual at April
30, 2009 resulted in a comparatively greater decrease. Accrued
freight decreased for the first nine months of fiscal 2009 due to lower costs
and lower tons sold, particularly during the last month of the
quarter. Accrued freight increased for the first nine months of
fiscal 2008 due to higher costs and higher tons sold during the third
quarter. Accrued freight in both years is impacted by the timing of
payments and shipments at quarter-end.
Accounts
payable decreased $1,424,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared to
an increase of $1,431,000 in the same period in fiscal 2008. The
decrease in fiscal 2009 reflected a recent decline in manufacturing fuel costs
combined with fewer tons of clay processed at our plants, particularly during
the last month of the fiscal 2009 third quarter. The increase in
fiscal 2008 reflected higher manufacturing fuel costs and more tons of clay
processed at our plants. Both years were subject to normal
fluctuations in the timing of payments.
Other
liabilities increased $384,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 compared
to a decrease of $199,000 in the same period of fiscal 2008. The
change relates primarily to the currency exchange rate fluctuation described
above for other assets.
Net
cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash
provided by investing activities was $4,375,000 in the first nine months of
fiscal 2009 compared to cash used in investing activities of $4,749,000 in the
first nine months of fiscal 2008. Dispositions of investment
securities were greater than purchases of investment securities during the first
nine months of fiscal 2009 as a result of the funds needed for capital projects,
as well as to make payments on long-term debt, to pay the fiscal 2008 bonus and
to pay dividends. Cash used for capital expenditures of $12,682,000
during this period included approximately $7,000,000 related to construction of
a new plant to produce engineered granules and land
purchases. Purchases of investment securities were greater than
dispositions during the first nine months of fiscal 2008. During
fiscal 2008 we changed our investment strategy to allocate a greater portion of
our financial resources to investments compared to cash. Purchases
and dispositions of investment securities in both periods are subject to
variations in the timing of investment maturities. Cash used for
capital expenditures during the first nine months of fiscal 2008 was
$4,352,000.
Net
cash used in financing activities
Cash used
in financing activities was $8,740,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2009
compared to $5,231,000 in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. Cash
used for payment of long-term debt in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was
$1,500,000 higher than in the first nine months of fiscal 2008. Cash
used to purchase treasury stock in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was
$656,000 compared to $20,000 in the first nine months of fiscal
2008. Dividend payments in the first nine months of fiscal 2009 were
$232,000 higher compared to the first nine months of fiscal 2008 due to a
dividend increase. In addition, cash provided from the issuance of
common stock and treasury stock related to stock options exercise activity in
the first nine months of fiscal 2009 was $696,000 less than for the same period
in fiscal 2008. The decrease in stock option exercises also provided
$88,000 lower excess tax benefit in the first nine months of fiscal 2009
compared to the same period of fiscal 2008.
23
Other
Total
cash and investment balances held by our foreign subsidiaries at April 30, 2009
and 2008 were $1,125,000 and $2,116,000, respectively. Our foreign
subsidiaries’ cash and investment balances decreased due to lower net
sales.
As part
of our normal course of business, we guarantee certain debts and trade payables
of our wholly owned subsidiaries. These arrangements are made at the
request of the subsidiaries’ creditors because separate financial statements are
not distributed for the wholly owned subsidiaries. As of April 30,
2009, the value of these guarantees was $451,000 of lease
liabilities.
On
December 19, 2008, we signed an amendment to extend our $15,000,000 unsecured
revolving credit agreement with Harris N.A. (“Harris”) that was set to expire on
January 27, 2009. The amended agreement is effective until December
31, 2011 and changes certain terms of the original agreement.
The
credit agreement with Harris provides that we may select a variable rate based
on either Harris’ prime rate or a LIBOR-based rate, plus a margin which varies
depending on our debt to earnings ratio, or a fixed rate as agreed between us
and Harris. At April 30, 2009, the variable rates would have been
3.3% for the Harris’ prime-based rate or 2.5% for the LIBOR-based
rate. The credit agreement contains restrictive covenants that, among
other things and under various conditions, limit our ability to incur additional
indebtedness or to dispose of assets. The agreement also requires us
to maintain a minimum fixed coverage ratio and a minimum consolidated net
worth. As of April 30, 2009 and 2008, we had $15,000,000 available
under this credit facility and we were in compliance with its
covenants.
We
believe that cash flow from operations, availability under our revolving credit
facility and current cash and investment balances will provide adequate cash
funds for foreseeable working capital needs, capital expenditures at existing
facilities and debt service obligations for at least the next 12
months. We expect cash requirements for capital expenditures in
fiscal 2009 to increase significantly from fiscal 2008 due to investment in our
manufacturing facilities. During the first nine months of fiscal 2009
we had capital expenditures of approximately $7,000,000 related to construction
of a new plant to produce engineered granules and land purchases. Our
ability to fund operations, to make planned capital expenditures, to make
scheduled debt payments and to remain in compliance with all of the financial
covenants under debt agreements, including, but not limited to, the credit
agreement, depends on our future operating performance, which, in turn, is
subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business and other
factors. The timing and size of any new business ventures or
acquisitions that we complete may also impact our cash
requirements.
Our
capital requirements are subject to change as business conditions warrant and
opportunities arise. The tables in the following subsection summarize
our contractual obligations and commercial commitments at April 30, 2009 for the
time frames indicated.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND
COMMERCIAL COMMITMENTS
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
Less
Than 1 Year
|
1
– 3 Years
|
4
– 5 Years
|
After
5 Years
|
|||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Debt
|
$ | 21,500,000 | $ | 3,200,000 | $ | 7,100,000 | $ | 7,300,000 | $ | 3,900,000 | ||||||||||
Interest
on Long-Term Debt
|
4,337,000 | 1,325,000 | 1,920,000 | 953,000 | 139,000 | |||||||||||||||
Operating
Leases
|
12,459,000 | 2,836,000 | 3,686,000 | 2,060,000 | 3,877,000 | |||||||||||||||
Unconditional
Purchase Obligations
|
9,032,000 | 6,671,000 | 2,361,000 | -- | -- | |||||||||||||||
Total
Contractual Cash Obligations
|
$ | 47,328,000 | $ | 14,032,000 | $ | 15,067,000 | $ | 10,313,000 | $ | 7,916,000 |
24
The
unconditional purchase obligations represent forward purchase contracts we have
entered into for a portion of our natural gas fuel needs for fiscal 2009, 2010
and 2011. As of April 30, 2009, the remaining purchase obligation for
fiscal 2009 was $3,322,000 for 360,000 MMBtu, for fiscal 2010 was $4,346,000 for
570,000 MMBtu and for fiscal 2011 was $1,364,000 for 160,000
MMBtu. These contracts were entered into in the normal course of
business and no contracts were entered into for speculative
purposes.
In the
third quarter of fiscal 2009 we made a contribution of $827,000 to our defined
benefit pension plan. We have not presented this obligation for
future years in the table above because the funding requirement can vary from
year to year based on changes in the fair value of plan assets and actuarial
assumptions. See Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures
About Market Risk below for certain information regarding the potential impact
of financial market fluctuations on pension plan assets and future funding
contributions.
As of
April 30, 2009, our non-current liability for uncertain tax positions was
approximately $200,000. We have not presented this obligation in the
table above because the timing of future cash flows is dependent on examinations
by taxing authorities and can not reasonably be estimated.
Amount
of Commitment Expiration Per Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Other
Commercial Commitments
|
Total
|
Less
Than 1 Year
|
1
– 3 Years
|
4
– 5 Years
|
After
5 Years
|
|||||||||||||||
Other
Commercial Commitments
|
$ | 49,886,000 | $ | 36,348,000 | $ | 9,792,000 | $ | 3,746,000 | $ | -- |
The other
commercial commitments represent open purchase orders, including blanket
purchase orders, for items such as packaging, additives and pallets used in the
normal course of operations. The expected timing of payments of these
obligations is estimated based on current information. Timing of
payments and actual amounts paid may be different depending on the time of
receipt of goods or services, or changes to agreed-upon amounts for some
obligations.
CRITICAL ACCOUNTING POLICIES
AND ESTIMATES
This
discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is
based on our unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements, which have
been prepared in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the
United States. The preparation of these financial statements requires the use of
estimates and assumptions related to the reporting of assets, liabilities,
revenues, expenses and related disclosures. In preparing these financial
statements, we have made our best estimates and judgments of certain amounts
included in the financial statements. Estimates are revised periodically. Actual
results could differ from these estimates.
See the
information concerning our critical accounting policies included under
Management’s Discussion of Financial Condition and Results of Operations in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2008 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is incorporated by reference in
this Form 10-Q. For additional information on our adoption of SFAS
157, see Notes 3 and 5 of the notes to unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. For
additional information on our adoption of SFAS 159 and EITF 06-11, see Note 3 of
the notes to unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.
RECENTLY ISSUED ACCOUNTING
STANDARDS
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 115-2 and FAS No. 124-2, Recognition and Presentation of
Other-Than Temporary Impairments. This FSP amends the
other-than-temporary impairment guidance in U.S. GAAP for debt securities by
clarifying the interaction of the factors that should be considered when
determining whether a debt security is other than temporarily impaired and by
improving the related presentation and disclosure for such debt and equity
securities in the financial statements. This FSP is effective for
interim and annual reporting periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early
adoption permitted for periods ending after March 15, 2009. We will
adopt this FSP at our fiscal year end of July 31, 2009. We do not
believe this FSP will have a material impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 107-1 and APB 28-1, Interim Disclosures about Fair Value
of Financial Instruments. This FSP requires a publicly traded
company to include disclosures about the fair value of its financial instruments
whenever it issues summarized financial information for interim reporting
periods. This FSP is effective for interim and annual reporting
periods ending after June 15, 2009, with early adoption permitted for periods
ending after March 15, 2009. We will adopt this FSP at our fiscal
year end July 31, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a
material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
25
In April
2009, FASB issued FSP SFAS No. 157-4 (“FSP SFAS 157-4) Determining Fair Value When the
Volume and Level of Activity for the Asset or Liability Have Significantly
Decreased and Identifying Transactions That Are Not
Orderly. This FSP provides additional guidance for estimating
fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“SFAS 157”) when the volume and level of activity for the asset or
liability have significantly decreased. FSP SFAS 157-4 also includes
guidance on identifying circumstances that indicate a transaction is not
orderly. This FSP is effective for interim and annual reporting
periods ending after June 15, 2009. We will adopt this FSP at our fiscal year
end July 31, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a material
impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In April
2009, the FASB issued FSP FAS No. 141(R)-1, Accounting for Assets Acquired and
Liabilities Assumed in a Business Combination That Arise from
Contingencies. This FSP addresses issues on initial
recognition and measurement, subsequent measurement and accounting, and
disclosure of assets and liabilities arising from contingencies in a business
combination. This FSP is effective for assets and liabilities arising
from contingencies in business combinations for which the acquisition date is on
or after the beginning of the first annual reporting period beginning on or
after December 15, 2008. We will adopt this FSP as of August 1, 2009
and will apply it to future business combinations.
In
December 2007, the FASB issued SFAS No. 160, Noncontrolling Interests in
Consolidated Financial Statements—An Amendment of ARB No. 51 (“SFAS
160”). This
statement establishes new accounting and reporting standards for the
noncontrolling interest in a subsidiary and for the deconsolidation of a
subsidiary. SFAS 160 requires the noncontrolling interest to be
reported as a component of equity, changes in a parent’s ownership interest
while the parent retains its controlling interest be accounted for as equity
transactions, and any retained noncontrolling equity investment upon the
deconsolidation of a subsidiary be initially measured at fair
value. SFAS 160 is effective for fiscal years, and interim periods
within those fiscal years, beginning on or after December 15,
2008. Earlier adoption is prohibited. We will adopt this
Statement as of August 1, 2009. We do not believe this SFAS will have
an impact on our consolidated financial statements.
In June
2008, the FASB issued FSP EITF No. 03-6-1, Determining Whether Instruments
Granted in Share-Based Payment Transactions Are Participating Securities
(“FSP EITF 03-6-1). This FSP states that unvested share-based
payment awards that contain nonforfeitable rights to dividends or dividend
equivalents (whether paid or unpaid) are participating securities and shall be
included in the computation of earnings per share pursuant to the two-class
method. The FSP is effective for financial statements issued for
fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2008, and interim periods within those
years. Upon adoption, a company is required to retrospectively adjust
its earnings per share data (including any amounts related to interim periods,
summaries of earnings and selected financial data) to conform to the provisions
in this FSP. Earlier adoption is prohibited. We will adopt
this FSP as of August 1, 2009. We do not believe this FSP will have a
material impact on our consolidated financial statements or our earnings per
share.
In
November 2008, the FASB issued FSP EITF No. 08-7 (“FSP EITF 08-7), Accounting for Defensive Intangible
Assets. This FSP clarifies the definition and accounting for
defensive intangible assets acquired in a business combination or an asset
acquisition. This FSP states that, upon acquisition, an intangible
asset must be recognized at fair value in accordance with SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurement,
regardless of how the acquiring entity intends to use the asset. The
intangible asset should be amortized over a useful life approximated by the
period over which it is expected to provide direct and indirect cash flows
benefits resulting from the limitation against others to use the intangible
asset. FSP EITF 08-7 will be effective for any intangible assets we
acquire on or after August 1, 2009.
In
December 2008, the FASB issued FSP No. FAS 132(R)-1 (“FSP FAS 132(R)-1”), Employers’ Disclosures about
Postretirement Benefit Plan Assets. This FSP amends SFAS No.
132 (Revised 2003), Employers’
Disclosures about Pensions and Other Postretirement Benefits, to expand
the disclosure requirements for employers’ pension and other postretirement
benefit plan assets. FSP FAS 132(R)-1 requires employers to disclose
information about fair value measurements of plan assets, the investment
policies and strategies for the major categories of plan assets and significant
concentrations of risk within plan assets. We will adopt this FSP in
our consolidated financial statements for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2010,
on a prospective basis. We are currently evaluating the impact FSP
FAS 132(R)-1 will have on our consolidated financial
statements.
26
ITEM
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK
We are
exposed to interest rate risk and employ policies and procedures to manage our
exposure to changes in the market risk of our cash equivalents and short-term
investments. We had two offsetting interest rate swap agreements with
the same counterparty as of April 30, 2009. We believe that the
market risk arising from holding these financial instruments is not
material.
We are
exposed to foreign currency fluctuation risk, primarily U.S. Dollar/British
Pound, U.S. Dollar/Euro and U.S. Dollar/Canadian Dollar, as it relates to
certain accounts receivables and our foreign operations. Foreign
currency denominated accounts receivable is a small fraction of our consolidated
accounts receivable. We are also subject to translation exposure of
our foreign subsidiaries’ financial statements. In recent years, our
foreign subsidiaries have not generated a substantial portion of our
consolidated sales or net income. We do not enter into any hedge
contracts in an attempt to offset any adverse effect of changes in currency
exchange rates. We believe that the foreign currency fluctuation risk
is limited due to our minimal foreign operations and assets held in such
countries.
We are
exposed to market risk at it relates to the investments that make up our plan
assets under our defined benefit pension plan. The fair value of
these assets is subject to change due to fluctuations in the financial
markets. Changes in the value of plan assets are not expected to have
an impact on the income statement for fiscal 2009; however, reduced benefit plan
assets could result in increased benefit costs in future years and may increase
the amount and accelerate the timing of future funding
contributions.
We are
exposed to regulatory risk in the fluid purification, animal health and
agricultural markets, principally as a result of the risk of increasing
regulation of the food chain in the United States and Europe. We actively
monitor developments in this area, both directly and through trade organizations
of which we are a member.
We are
exposed to commodity price risk with respect to fuel. We have
contracted for a portion of our anticipated fuel needs for fiscal years 2009,
2010 and 2011 using forward purchase contracts to mitigate the volatility of our
kiln fuel prices. We increased our forward gas contract purchases for
future years to take advantage of declines in gas prices. As of April
30, 2009, we have purchased natural gas contracts representing approximately 70%
of our planned kiln fuel needs for fiscal 2009. We estimate the
weighted average cost of these natural gas contracts in fiscal 2009 to be
approximately 17% higher than the contracts in fiscal 2008.
The
tables below provide information about our natural gas purchase contracts, which
are sensitive to changes in commodity prices, specifically natural gas prices.
For the purchase contracts outstanding at April 30, 2009, the table presents the
notional amounts in MMBtu’s, the weighted average contract prices, and the total
dollar contract amount, which will mature by July 31 of 2009, 2010 and
2011. The Fair Value was determined using the “Most Recent Settle”
price for the “Henry Hub Natural Gas” option contract prices as listed by the
New York Mercantile Exchange on June 2, 2009. All contracts are
related to the normal course of business and no contracts are entered into for
speculative purposes; therefore, the difference between the contract value and
fair value is not recorded on the balance sheet in accordance with the normal
purchases exception provided by FAS No. 133, Accounting for Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities.
Commodity
Price Sensitivity
Natural
Gas Future Contracts
For
the Year Ending July 31, 2009
|
||||||||
Expected
2009 Maturity
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||
Natural
Gas Future Volumes (MMBtu)
|
360,000 | -- | ||||||
Weighted
Average Price (Per MMBtu)
|
$ | 9.23 | -- | |||||
Contract
Amount ($ U.S., in thousands)
|
$ | 3,321.6 | $ | 1,317.5 |
27
Commodity
Price Sensitivity
Natural
Gas Future Contracts
For
the Year Ending July 31, 2010
|
||||||||
Expected
2010 Maturity
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||
Natural
Gas Future Volumes (MMBtu)
|
570,000 | -- | ||||||
Weighted
Average Price (Per MMBtu)
|
$ | 7.62 | -- | |||||
Contract
Amount ($ U.S., in thousands)
|
$ | 4,346.0 | $ | 3,170.2 |
Commodity
Price Sensitivity
Natural
Gas Future Contracts
For
the Year Ending July 31, 2011
|
||||||||
Expected
2011 Maturity
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||
Natural
Gas Future Volumes (MMBtu)
|
160,000 | -- | ||||||
Weighted
Average Price (Per MMBtu)
|
$ | 8.53 | -- | |||||
Contract
Amount ($ U.S., in thousands)
|
$ | 1,364.4 | $ | 1,100.4 |
Factors
that could influence the fair value of the natural gas contracts, include, but
are not limited to, the creditworthiness of our natural gas suppliers, the
overall general economy, developments in world events, and the general demand
for natural gas by the manufacturing sector, seasonality and the weather
patterns throughout the United States and the world. Some of these
same events have allowed us to mitigate the impact of the natural gas contracts
by the continued, and in some cases expanded, use of recycled oil in our
manufacturing processes. Accurate estimates of the impact that these
contracts may have on our financial results are difficult to make due to
the inherent uncertainty of future fluctuations in option contract prices in the
natural gas options market.
28
ITEM
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and Procedures
Management
conducted an evaluation of the effectiveness of the design and operation of our
disclosure controls and procedures as of the end of the period covered by this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. The controls evaluation was conducted under the
supervision and with the participation of management, including our Chief
Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”). Based upon the
controls evaluation, our CEO and CFO have concluded that, as of the end of the
period covered by this report, our disclosure controls and procedures were
effective to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be
disclosed in our Exchange Act reports is recorded, processed, summarized and
reported within the time periods specified by the SEC, and that material
information relating to us and our consolidated subsidiaries is accumulated and
communicated to management, including the CEO and CFO, as appropriate to allow
timely decisions regarding required disclosure.
Changes
in Internal Control over Financial Reporting
There
were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting that occurred
during the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2009 that have materially affected, or
are reasonably likely to materially affect, our internal control over financial
reporting.
Inherent
Limitations on Effectiveness of Controls
Our
management, including the CEO and CFO, do not expect that our disclosure
controls and procedures or our internal control over financial reporting will
prevent or detect all error and all fraud. A control system, no matter how well
designed and operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that
the control system’s objectives will be met. The design of a control system must
reflect the fact that there are resource constraints, and the benefits of
controls must be considered relative to their costs. Further, because of the
inherent limitations in all control systems, no evaluation of controls can
provide absolute assurance that misstatements due to error or fraud will not
occur or that all control issues and instances of fraud, if any, within the
Company have been detected. These inherent limitations include the realities
that judgments in decision-making can be faulty and that breakdowns can occur
because of simple error or mistake. Controls can also be circumvented by the
individual acts of some persons, by collusion of two or more people, or by
management override of the controls. The design of any system of controls is
based in part on certain assumptions about the likelihood of future events, and
there can be no assurance that any design will succeed in achieving its stated
goals under all potential future conditions. Projections of any evaluation of
controls effectiveness to future periods are subject to risks. Over time,
controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions or deterioration
in the degree of compliance with policies or procedures.
29
PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
Items 1,
1A, 3, 4 and 5 of this Part II are either inapplicable or are answered in the
negative and are omitted pursuant to the instructions to Part II.
ITEM
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS
During
the three months ended April 30, 2009, we did not sell any securities which were
not registered under the Securities Act. The following chart
summarizes Common Stock repurchases during this period.
ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES1
|
||||
For
the Three Months Ended April 30, 2009
|
(a)
Total Number of Shares Purchased
|
(b)
Average Price Paid per Share
|
(c)
Total Number of Shares Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced Plans or
Programs
|
(d)
Maximum Number of Shares that may yet be Purchased Under Plans or
Programs2
|
February
1, 2009 to
|
||||
February
28, 2009
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
272,688
|
March
1, 2009 to
|
||||
March
31, 2009
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
272,688
|
April
1, 2009 to
|
||||
April
30, 2009
|
445
|
$15.28
|
--
|
272,243
|
1 The
table summarizes repurchases of (and remaining authority to repurchase) shares
of our Common Stock. We did not repurchase any shares of our Class B
Stock during the period in question, and no shares of our Class A Common Stock
are currently outstanding. Descriptions of our Common Stock, Class B
Stock and Class A Common Stock are contained in Note 6 of the consolidated
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended July 31, 2008 filed with the Securities and Exchange
Commission.
2 On
October 10, 2005, our Board of Directors authorized the repurchase of up to
500,000 shares of Common Stock, with repurchases to be made from time to time in
the discretion of our management and in accordance with applicable laws, rules
and regulations. This authorization does not have a stated expiration
date. The share numbers in this column indicate the number of shares of
Common Stock that may yet be repurchased under this
authorization. The share numbers were not affected by the
five-for-four stock split that occurred on September 8, 2006. We do
not have any current authorization from our Board of Directors to repurchase
shares of Class B Stock, and no shares of Class A Common Stock are currently
outstanding.
30
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS
(a)
|
EXHIBITS:
|
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
SEC Document Reference
|
|
11
|
Statement
re: Computation of Earnings per Share.
|
Filed
herewith.
|
|
31
|
Certifications
pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a).
|
Filed
herewith.
|
|
32
|
Certifications
pursuant to Section 1350 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
Furnished
herewith.
|
|
31
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA
(Registrant)
BY /s/ Andrew N.
Peterson
Andrew N.
Peterson
Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer
BY /s/ Daniel S.
Jaffee
Daniel S.
Jaffee
President
and Chief Executive Officer
Dated: June
5, 2009
32
EXHIBITS
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
Statement
re: Computation of Earnings per Share.
|
|
Certifications
pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a).
|
|
Certifications
pursuant to Section 1350 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
Note:
|
Stockholders may receive copies
of the above listed exhibits, without fee, by written request to Investor
Relations, Oil-Dri Corporation of America, 410 North Michigan Avenue,
Suite 400, Chicago,
Illinois 60611-4213.
|
33