Oil-Dri Corp of America - Quarter Report: 2009 January (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 January 31,
2009
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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
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
36-2048898
(I.R.S.
Employer
Identification
No.)
|
|||
410
North Michigan Avenue, Suite 400
Chicago, Illinois
(Address
of principal executive offices)
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60611-4213
(Zip
Code)
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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
|
þ
|
No
|
¨
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the Registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See 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
|
þ
|
|
Non-accelerated
filer
|
¨
|
Smaller
reporting company
|
¨
|
|
(Do
not check if a 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
|
¨
|
No
|
þ
|
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common
stock, as of the close of the period covered by this report.
Common
Stock – 5,146,225 Shares
Class B
Stock – 1,914,797 Shares
CONTENTS
Page
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PART
I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION
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||
Item
1:
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Financial
Statements
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3 –
17
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Item
2:
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Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition
|
|
and
Results Of Operations
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18
- 26
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Item
3:
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Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
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26
- 27
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Item
4:
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Controls
and Procedures
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28
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PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
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||
Item
1A:
|
Risk
Factors
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29
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Item
2:
|
Unregistered
Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds
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29
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Item
4:
|
Submission
of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders
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30
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Item
6:
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Exhibits
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30
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Signatures
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31
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Exhibits
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32
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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
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(in
thousands of dollars)
(unaudited)
January 31,
2009
|
July 31,
2008
|
|||||||
ASSETS
|
||||||||
Current Assets
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 2,272 | $ | 6,848 | ||||
Investment
in securities
|
14,494 | 20,916 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance of $700 and
|
||||||||
$614
at January 31, 2009 and July 31, 2008, respectively
|
31,399 | 31,383 | ||||||
Inventories
|
19,235 | 17,744 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
890 | 890 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
5,673 | 4,870 | ||||||
Total
Current Assets
|
73,963 | 82,651 | ||||||
Property, Plant and
Equipment
|
||||||||
Cost
|
161,379 | 155,934 | ||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(106,183 | ) | (104,494 | ) | ||||
Total
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
|
55,196 | 51,440 | ||||||
Other Assets
|
||||||||
Goodwill
|
5,162 | 5,162 | ||||||
Trademarks
and patents, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$363 and $349 at January 31, 2009 and July 31,
2008, respectively
|
727 | 733 | ||||||
Debt
issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$563 and $525 at January 31, 2009 and July 31, 2008,
respectively
|
330 | 338 | ||||||
Licensing
agreements and non-compete agreements, net of
|
||||||||
accumulated
amortization of $3,179 and $2,987 at
January
31, 2009 and July 31, 2008, respectively
|
1,559 | 1,752 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
2,034 | 2,048 | ||||||
Other
|
4,620 | 4,864 | ||||||
Total
Other Assets
|
14,432 | 14,897 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 143,591 | $ | 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)
January
31,
2009
|
July
31,
2008
|
|||||||
LIABILITIES
& STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
||||||||
Current Liabilities
|
||||||||
Current
maturities of notes payable
|
$ | 1,700 | $ | 5,580 | ||||
Accounts
payable
|
6,330 | 7,491 | ||||||
Dividends
payable
|
921 | 919 | ||||||
Accrued
expenses:
|
||||||||
Salaries,
wages and commissions
|
3,294 | 5,578 | ||||||
Trade
promotions and advertising
|
2,560 | 2,126 | ||||||
Freight
|
1,553 | 2,345 | ||||||
Other
|
5,920 | 6,062 | ||||||
Total
Current Liabilities
|
22,278 | 30,101 | ||||||
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
||||||||
Notes
payable
|
21,300 | 21,500 | ||||||
Deferred
compensation
|
5,617 | 5,498 | ||||||
Other
|
4,763 | 4,263 | ||||||
Total
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
31,680 | 31,261 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities
|
53,958 | 61,362 | ||||||
Stockholders’ Equity
|
||||||||
Common
Stock, par value $.10 per share, issued
|
||||||||
7,438,301
shares at January 31, 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 January 31, 2009 and 2,239,538
shares
at July 31, 2008
|
224 | 224 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
22,764 | 22,218 | ||||||
Restricted
unearned stock compensation
|
(526 | ) | (674 | ) | ||||
Retained
earnings
|
108,637 | 105,966 | ||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Income
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain on marketable securities
|
29 | 68 | ||||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
(97 | ) | (121 | ) | ||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
(265 | ) | 612 | |||||
131,510 | 129,032 | |||||||
Less
Treasury Stock, at cost (2,292,076 Common and 324,741
|
||||||||
Class
B shares at January 31, 2009 and 2,261,942 Common and
|
||||||||
324,741
Class B shares at July 31, 2008)
|
(41,877 | ) | (41,406 | ) | ||||
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
89,633 | 87,626 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities & Stockholders’ Equity
|
$ | 143,591 | $ | 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 Six Months Ended
January 31
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 122,258 | $ | 113,311 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(97,969 | ) | (89,533 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
24,289 | 23,778 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(17,080 | ) | (17,111 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
7,209 | 6,667 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(983 | ) | (1,144 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
261 | 652 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
(232 | ) | 133 | |||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(954 | ) | (359 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
6,255 | 6,308 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(1,637 | ) | (1,735 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
4,618 | 4,573 | ||||||
Retained
Earnings
|
||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
105,966 | 100,503 | ||||||
Cash
dividends declared and treasury stock issuances
|
(1,947 | ) | (1,690 | ) | ||||
Retained
Earnings – January 31
|
$ | 108,637 | $ | 103,386 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 0.70 | $ | 0.70 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.56 | $ | 0.57 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.64 | $ | 0.64 | ||||
Average Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,129 | 5,033 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,868 | 1,846 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,245 | 7,196 |
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 Six Months Ended
January 31
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,618 | $ | 4,573 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
loss on marketable securities
|
(38 | ) | (9 | ) | ||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
24 | 12 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
(877 | ) | 211 | |||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 3,727 | $ | 4,787 |
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
January 31
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 59,130 | $ | 58,026 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(47,217 | ) | (46,678 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
11,913 | 11,348 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(8,342 | ) | (8,251 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
3,571 | 3,097 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(478 | ) | (570 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
96 | 284 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
(11 | ) | 71 | |||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(393 | ) | (215 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
3,178 | 2,882 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(806 | ) | (793 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,372 | $ | 2,089 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 0.36 | $ | 0.32 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.29 | $ | 0.26 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.33 | $ | 0.29 | ||||
Average
Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,131 | 5,062 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,873 | 1,853 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,242 | 7,239 |
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
January 31
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,372 | $ | 2,089 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
loss on marketable securities
|
(22 | ) | (35 | ) | ||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
12 | 6 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
(103 | ) | (236 | ) | ||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 2,259 | $ | 1,824 |
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 Six Months Ended
January 31
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,618 | $ | 4,573 | ||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash
|
||||||||
provided
by operating activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
3,684 | 3,735 | ||||||
Amortization
of investment discount
|
(109 | ) | (455 | ) | ||||
Non-cash
stock compensation expense
|
257 | 468 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
(169 | ) | (238 | ) | ||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(5 | ) | 10 | |||||
Provision
for bad debts
|
73 | 120 | ||||||
Loss
on the sale of fixed assets
|
24 | 18 | ||||||
(Increase)
Decrease in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
(89 | ) | (2,159 | ) | ||||
Inventories
|
(1,491 | ) | (1,159 | ) | ||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
(803 | ) | (1,196 | ) | ||||
Other
assets
|
(1,321 | ) | 180 | |||||
Increase
(Decrease) in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
(972 | ) | 144 | |||||
Accrued
expenses
|
(2,784 | ) | (1,893 | ) | ||||
Deferred
compensation
|
119 | 202 | ||||||
Other
liabilities
|
914 | 372 | ||||||
Total
Adjustments
|
(2,672 | ) | (1,851 | ) | ||||
Net
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
|
1,946 | 2,722 | ||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(7,757 | ) | (3,828 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from sale of property, plant and equipment
|
11 | 28 | ||||||
Purchases
of investment securities
|
(52,969 | ) | (56,006 | ) | ||||
Dispositions
of investment securities
|
59,500 | 50,000 | ||||||
Net
Cash Used in Investing Activities
|
(1,215 | ) | (9,806 | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Principal
payments on notes payable
|
(4,080 | ) | (80 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid
|
(1,838 | ) | (1,678 | ) | ||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
(649 | ) | — | |||||
Proceeds
from issuance of treasury stock
|
70 | — | ||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock
|
272 | 893 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
169 | 238 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
(349 | ) | 68 | |||||
Net
Cash Used in Financing Activities
|
(6,405 | ) | (559 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes
|
1,098 | (165 | ) | |||||
Net
Decrease in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
(4,576 | ) | (7,808 | ) | ||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Year
|
6,848 | 12,133 | ||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, January 31
|
$ | 2,272 | $ | 4,325 |
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 six months
ended January 31, 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, therefore minimizing the liability for the reclamation
function.
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 March
2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities—an amendment of SFAS No. 133 (“SFAS
161”). This
Statement requires disclosures of how and why an entity uses derivative
instruments, how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted
for and how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s
financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. SFAS 161 is effective
for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with
early application encouraged. We will adopt this Statement as of
February 1, 2009, the beginning of our third quarter of our fiscal year ending
July 31, 2009. We have not historically used any derivative
instruments or hedging activities within the scope of SFAS 161, therefore we do
not believe this Statement will have a material impact on our consolidated
financial statements.
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 are currently evaluating the
impact this Statement will have on our consolidated financial statements and
earnings per share computations.
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 are currently evaluating the impact
FSP EITF 03-6-1 will have on our consolidated financial statements.
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.
3.
|
RECENTLY
ADOPTED ACCOUNTING STANDARDS
|
In
September 2006, the FASB issued SFAS No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“SFAS 157). 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 157-2
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 and
provides an example. See Note 5 for the description of our
adoption of the nondelayed portions of SFAS 157.
11
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, and 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):
January
31,
|
July
31,
|
|||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Finished
goods
|
$ | 11,536 | $ | 10,076 | ||||
Packaging
|
4,037 | 3,798 | ||||||
Other
|
3,662 | 3,870 | ||||||
$ | 19,235 | $ | 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 January 31,
2009 and July 31, 2008 were $168,000 and $138,000, respectively.
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.
|
12
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 January 31, 2009
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 2,272 | $ | 2,272 | $ | — | ||||||
Marketable
equity securities
|
32 | 32 | — | |||||||||
Cash
surrender value of life insurance
|
3,543 | — | 3,543 |
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 January 31, 2009. These life insurance policies are
held on key employees.
The
investments in securities reported on our 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:
PENSION
PLANS
|
||||||||||||||||
Three Months Ended
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic pension benefit cost:
|
(dollars
in thousands)
|
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 211 | $ | 212 | $ | 421 | $ | 424 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
334 | 292 | 668 | 584 | ||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(325 | ) | (347 | ) | (650 | ) | (694 | ) | ||||||||
Net
amortization
|
12 | 37 | 24 | 86 | ||||||||||||
$ | 232 | $ | 194 | $ | 463 | $ | 400 |
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. We did
not make a contribution to our pension plan during the first six months of the
fiscal year ending July 31, 2009. We intend to make a contribution to
the pension plan during the current fiscal year approximately equal to the
annual actuarial determined cost. We currently estimate this amount
to be approximately $827,000. See Item 3. Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk for a discussion of the potential
impact of financial market fluctuations on pension plan assets and future
funding contributions.
13
The
components of the net periodic postretirement health benefit cost were as
follows:
POST
RETIREMENT HEALTH BENEFITS
|
||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended
|
Six
Months Ended
|
|||||||||||||||
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic postretirement benefit cost:
|
(dollars
in thousands)
|
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 15 | $ | 17 | $ | 31 | $ | 34 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
24 | 18 | 47 | 36 | ||||||||||||
Amortization
of net transition obligation
|
4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||
Net
actuarial loss
|
4 | (1 | ) | 7 | 6 | |||||||||||
$ | 47 | $ | 38 | $ | 93 | $ | 84 |
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 six months ended:
|
||||||||||||||||
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Discount
rate for net periodic benefit cost
|
7.00 | % | 6.25 | % | 7.00 | % | 6.25 | % | ||||||||
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
|
8/1/2007
|
8/1/2006
|
8/1/2007
|
8/1/2006
|
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.
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
administrative costs, research and development costs and other non-operating
expenses.
14
Assets
|
||||||||
January
31,
|
July
31,
|
|||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 41,560 | $ | 38,026 | ||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
67,823 | 66,838 | ||||||
Unallocated
Assets
|
34,208 | 44,124 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 143,591 | $ | 148,988 |
Six
Months Ended January 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
Sales
|
Operating
Income
|
|||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 38,849 | $ | 35,480 | $ | 7,906 | $ | 7,657 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
83,409 | 77,831 | 7,215 | 8,233 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 122,258 | $ | 113,311 | 15,121 | 15,890 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
8,144 | 9,090 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
Income
|
722 | 492 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
6,255 | 6,308 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(1,637 | ) | (1,735 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,618 | $ | 4,573 |
Three
Months Ended January 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
Net
Sales
|
Operating
Income
|
|||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 18,204 | $ | 18,563 | $ | 3,480 | $ | 3,656 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
40,926 | 39,463 | 4,053 | 3,883 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 59,130 | $ | 58,026 | 7,533 | 7,539 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
3,973 | 4,371 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of
|
||||||||||||||||
Interest
Income
|
382 | 286 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
3,178 | 2,882 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(806 | ) | (793 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,372 | $ | 2,089 |
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 six 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. The stock options granted
before August 1, 2000 were fully vested as of the beginning of fiscal
2006.
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.
15
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. 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 70,250 stock
options outstanding as of January 31, 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 $9,000 and $96,000 in
the second quarter of fiscal 2009 and 2008, respectively, and $61,000 and
$207,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 and 2008,
respectively.
There
were no stock options granted in the first six months of fiscal years 2009 or
2008.
Changes
in our stock options during the first six 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 | $ | 5,406 | ||||||||||
Exercised
|
(57 | ) | $ | 6.03 | $ | 642 | ||||||||||
Cancelled
|
(15 | ) | $ | 8.32 | $ | 125 | ||||||||||
Options
outstanding, January 31, 2009
|
552 | $ | 8.94 | 4.1 | $ | 4,938 | ||||||||||
Options
exercisable, January 31, 2009
|
517 | $ | 8.52 | 4.0 | $ | 4,400 |
The
amount of cash received from the exercise of stock options during the second
quarter of fiscal 2009 was $209,000 and the related tax benefit was
$110,000. The amount of cash received from the exercise of stock
options during the first six months of fiscal 2009 was $343,000 and the related
tax benefit was $173,000.
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 second quarter of fiscal years
2009 and 2008 is $73,000 and $84,000, respectively, related to the unvested
restricted stock granted in fiscal 2006. In the first six months of
fiscal years 2009 and 2008, the expense related to the unvested restricted stock
was $148,000 and $164,000, respectively. No shares of restricted
stock were granted in the first six months of fiscal 2009.
16
Changes
in our restricted stock outstanding during the first six 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
|
(19 | ) | ||||||
Unvested
restricted stock at January 31, 2009
|
36 | $ | 15.44 |
17
ITEM
2.
|
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OFF
INANCIAL 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
SIX MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31,
2009 COMPARED TO
SIX MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31,
2008
Consolidated
net sales for the six months ended January 31, 2009 were $122,258,000, an
increase of 8% from net sales of $113,311,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2008. Net income for the first six months of fiscal 2009 was
$4,618,000, an increase of 1% from net income of $4,573,000 in the first six
months of fiscal 2008. Diluted income per share for the first six
months of fiscal 2009 was $0.64, the same as for the first six months of fiscal
2008.
Net
income for the first six 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 six months of fiscal
2008. Selling prices increased to contend with higher costs incurred
throughout our business, and particularly in freight, materials and
packaging. Freight costs were impacted by fuel prices which affect
our truck, rail and ship distribution channels. Although fuel costs
began to trend downward during the first six months of fiscal 2009, the decline
started from near record high levels. Material costs were 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. Packaging costs for some products benefited from changes
in the resin and paper markets; however, our overall packaging costs were higher
than in the comparable prior year period. The Business to Business
Products Group experienced improved operating income as higher net selling
prices outweighed increased costs and decreased tons sold; however, in the
Retail and Wholesale Products Group the higher costs prevailed over both
increased net selling prices and tons sold.
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the first six months of fiscal
2009 were $38,849,000, an increase of $3,369,000 from net sales of $35,480,000
in the first six months of fiscal 2008. The increase was primarily
attributed to higher net selling prices that more than offset an overall 6%
decrease in tons sold for the Group compared to the first six months of fiscal
2008. Net selling prices were higher for all product lines in the
Group. Tons sold were down for all product lines, except for
co-packaged cat litter products. Our co-packaged traditional
coarse cat litter net sales increased 15% due primarily to an increase in net
selling price accompanied by a 3% increase in tons sold. Under the
terms of the agreement with our co-packaging partner, the net selling price is
subject to adjustment in the third quarter of fiscal 2009. We expect
this adjustment to result in a lower net selling price. The
introduction of a new product by our co-packaging partner contributed to the
higher tons sold. Net sales of bleaching earth and fluid purification
products increased 12% due primarily to a higher net selling price while tons
sold declined 1%. Net sales of agricultural chemical carriers
increased 19% due primarily to higher net selling prices that overcame an 8%
decrease in tons sold as genetically modified seed and other seed treatments
continued to erode the market for these carriers. Net sales of
Flo-Fre (a by-product of the manufacture of our agricultural chemical carriers)
increased 14% while tons sold decreased 18%. Animal health and
nutrition products reported a 4% increase in net sales with a 23% decline in
tons sold. Tons sold declined during the first six months of fiscal
2009 as some customers had built inventory levels at the end of fiscal 2008 in
advance of price increases. 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. Sports products experienced a
10% decline in sales along with a 20% decline in tons sold. Uncertain
economic conditions and the loss of a golf products distributor are expected to
weaken sports products sales through the remainder of fiscal 2009.
18
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income increased 3% from
$7,657,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2008 to $7,906,000 in the first six
months of fiscal 2009. Higher net selling prices offset decreased
tons sold and an approximately 15% increase in combined freight, materials and
packaging costs. Freight costs increased approximately 29% due
primarily to higher diesel fuel costs that impact our truck, rail and ship
distribution channels. Although diesel fuel prices declined during
the first six months of fiscal 2009, our average freight cost was higher than
during the first six months of fiscal 2008. Material costs were
impacted by increased costs for fuel used to dry our clay-based products and to
transport raw materials which resulted in approximately a 14% cost
increase. See the discussion of manufacturing costs under
Consolidated Results below. Conversely, packaging costs decreased
approximately 9% due primarily to lower costs for resin. Selling,
general and administrative expenses for the Group were up due 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 six months of fiscal
2009 were $83,409,000, an increase of $5,578,000 from net sales of $77,831,000
reported in the first six months of fiscal 2008. The net sales growth
was driven by increases in both net selling prices and tons sold. The
Group’s total tons sold increased 1% compared to the first six months of fiscal
2008, including a 3% increase in cat litter tons. Net sales of
private label cat litter increased 13% due primarily to 6% 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 9% due to
higher net selling prices that more than offset a 4% 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 industrial absorbents also increased
6% due to a higher net selling price while tons sold were flat with the first
six months of fiscal 2008.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income decreased 12% to
$7,215,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 from $8,233,000 in the first
six months of fiscal 2008. The decrease in six month segment
operating income largely occurred in the first quarter of fiscal 2009 due to
higher costs; in contrast, the second quarter saw a small increase in segment
operating income, as described in the three months discussion
below. The Group’s combined freight, materials and packaging costs
increased approximately 7% compared to the first six months of fiscal
2008. Materials and packaging costs increased approximately 8% each
and freight increased approximately 4%. Materials and freight costs
increased for the reasons described above for the Business to Business Products
Group. Packaging costs increased as the Retail and Wholesales
Products Group did not experience the benefit of recent price declines in the
resin markets and paper prices have remained high. Selling, general
and administrative expenses for the Group increased due primarily to higher
advertising costs.
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the first six months
of fiscal 2009 was 20% compared to 21% in the first six months of fiscal
2008. Higher net selling prices were outweighed by increased fuel,
manufacturing, freight, material and packaging costs. The cost of
fuel used in the manufacturing process was 38% higher in the first six months of
fiscal 2009 compared to the first six months of fiscal 2008. Gross
profit was further reduced by an 11% increase in non-fuel manufacturing costs,
including depreciation and amortization. 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 continue to exceed costs in fiscal
2008.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales for the first
six months of fiscal 2009 were 14% compared to 15% in the first six months
of fiscal 2008. Expenses in the first six months of fiscal 2009
included a lower estimated annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The
lower incentive bonus expense was based on performance targets that are
established for each year. The lower bonus expense was partially
offset by increased advertising and other costs related to new products and
special promotions.
19
Interest
expense was $161,000 less for the first six months of fiscal 2009 compared to
the same period in fiscal 2008 due to continued debt
reduction. Interest income was $391,000 lower in the first six months
of fiscal 2009 due primarily to a lower average interest rate
and a lower average investment balance.
Our
effective tax rate was 26% of pre-tax income in the first six months of fiscal
2009, the same as for the full year 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 $5,397,000 or 4% during the first six months of fiscal
2009. Current assets decreased $8,688,000 or 11% from fiscal 2008
year-end balances, due primarily to decreased cash and cash equivalents and
investments in Treasury securities. These decreases were partially
offset by increased 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 $3,756,000 during the first six months of fiscal 2009
due to the purchase of land and an increase in capital projects at our
manufacturing facilities.
Total
liabilities decreased $7,404,000 or 12% during the first six months of fiscal
2009. Current liabilities decreased $7,823,000 or 26% due primarily
to decreased current maturities of notes payable, accrued salaries, accounts
payable 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 increased $419,000 or 1% due to a higher pension accrual and
deferred compensation liabilities. The accrued pension liability is
based on the most recent actuarial estimates. The increase in the
deferred compensation liability is due to ongoing deferrals and accrued
interest. These increases were partially offset by a decrease in
notes payable due to the reclassification from long-term to
current.
THREE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY
31, 2009 COMPARED TO
THREE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY
31, 2008
Consolidated
net sales for the three months ended January 31, 2009 were $59,130,000, an
increase of 2% from net sales of $58,026,000 in the second quarter of fiscal
2008. Net income for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 was
$2,372,000, an increase of 14% from net income of $2,089,000 in the second
quarter of fiscal 2008. Diluted income per share for the second
quarter of fiscal 2009 was $0.33 versus $0.29 diluted net income per share for
the second quarter of fiscal 2008.
Net
income for the second quarter 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 second quarter of fiscal
2008. Selling prices have increased to contend with higher costs
incurred throughout our business, and particularly in fuel, freight, materials
and packaging, as described in the six months commentary above. The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group experienced improved operating income as
higher net selling prices outweighed increased costs and decreased tons sold;
however, in the Business to Business Products Group the higher costs and lower
tons sold prevailed over increased net selling prices.
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the second quarter of fiscal 2009
were $18,204,000, a decrease of $359,000 or 2% from net sales of $18,563,000 in
the second quarter of fiscal 2008. This decrease was due primarily to
a 15% decline in tons sold which more than offset a higher net selling price for
all product lines in the Group. Net sales were down for sports
products and agricultural chemical carriers. Net sales of sports
products were down 27% with 33% lower tons sold. The uncertain
economic conditions and aggressive competitive pricing negatively impacted
sports products sales. Net sales of agricultural
chemical carriers were down 1% and tons sold decreased 22%. The
second quarter tons sold was lower as certain agricultural customers shifted
purchases from the second quarter to the first quarter in fiscal
2009. Net sales increased for co-packaged products and animal health
and nutrition products and were flat for bleaching earth and fluid purification
products. A higher net selling price for our co-packaged traditional
coarse cat litter resulted in a 9% net sales increase that offset a 1% decrease
in tons sold. Net sales of animal health and nutrition products were
up 7% due primarily to increased net selling prices that outweighed 38% lower
tons sold. Tons sold declined as customers used inventories built in
advance of price increases. The higher net selling price and initial
sales from the launch of new animal health and nutrition products partially
offset the decline in tons sold. Net sales of bleaching earth and fluid
purification products were even with the second quarter last year as higher net
selling prices offset a 14% decline in tons sold. A weak global
economy and the strength of the U.S. Dollar relative to some foreign currencies,
which made our bleaching earth products more expensive, resulted in decreased
sales in certain export markets.
20
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income decreased 5% from
$3,656,000 in the second quarter of fiscal 2008 to $3,480,000 in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. The income decrease was due primarily to
lower tons sold accompanied by approximately 10% higher combined freight,
materials and packaging costs. The Group’s average freight cost was
approximately 21% higher compared to the second quarter of fiscal
2008. High international freight costs offset the benefit of lower
domestic diesel fuel prices during the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Material costs were impacted by increased costs increased costs
for fuel used to dry our clay-based products and to transport raw materials
which resulted in approximately a 10% cost increase. Conversely,
packaging costs decreased approximately 14% primarily as this Group realized the
benefits of lower costs for resin. Selling, general and
administrative expenses for the Group increased 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 second quarter of fiscal 2009
were $40,926,000, an increase of $1,463,000 or 4% from net sales of $39,463,000
reported in the second quarter of fiscal 2008. The net sales growth
was driven by increased net selling prices that overcame a 3% decrease in tons
sold. Total cat litter net sales increased 8% due to a higher net
selling price that offset 1% lower tons sold. Net sales of private
label cat litter increased 9% due primarily to 2% more tons sold and a higher
net selling price. The increased tons sold were 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
primarily to higher net selling prices that offset a 6% decline in tons
sold. Our branded coarse cat litter tons sold declined; however our
branded scoopable cat litter tons sold increased due to improved sales to
existing customers and a full quarter’s sales in fiscal 2009 for a new product
introduced during fiscal 2008. Our industrial absorbents net sales
were flat for the quarter with 6% lower tons sold. The manufacturing
sector decline due to worsened economic conditions during our second quarter had
a negative impact on industrial absorbent sales.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income increased 4% to
$4,053,000 in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 from $3,883,000 in the second
quarter of fiscal 2008. The increase is attributed to the higher net
sales described above that prevailed over an increase of approximately 5% for
combined freight, materials and packaging costs compared to the second quarter
of fiscal 2008. Packaging costs increased approximately 10% in the
second quarter as the Retail and Wholesale Products Group did not realize the
benefit of recent price declines in the resin markets and paper prices remained
high. Materials costs increased approximately 7% for the reasons
described above for the Business to Business Products Group. The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group experienced some relief in domestic freight
costs due to lower diesel fuel prices that resulted in approximately 5% lower
freight costs compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2008. Selling,
general and administrative expenses for the Group increased due primarily to
higher advertising costs.
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales was 20% for the second
quarter of fiscal 2009, the same as the second quarter of fiscal
2008. Higher net selling prices helped moderate the impact of
increased fuel, manufacturing, freight, material and packaging
costs. The cost of fuel used in the manufacturing process was 30%
higher in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the second quarter of
fiscal 2008. Gross profit was further impacted by a 9% increase in
non-fuel manufacturing costs, including depreciation and
amortization. Significant manufacturing cost increases were in labor,
purchased materials, repairs and non-kiln fuel.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales were 14% for
the second quarter of fiscal 2009, the same as in the second quarter of fiscal
2008. Expenses in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 included a lower
estimated annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The lower incentive
bonus expense was based on performance targets that are established for each
year. The lower bonus cost was partially offset by increased
advertising related to new products and special marketing
promotions.
Interest
expense was $92,000 lower for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 compared to the
same period in fiscal 2008 due to continued debt reduction. Interest
income was $188,000 lower in the second quarter of fiscal 2009 due primarily to
a lower average interest rate and a lower average investment
balance.
Our
effective tax rate was 25% of pre-tax income in the second quarter of fiscal
2009 compared to 26% for the full year of fiscal 2008. The effective
tax rate is based on the projected level and composition of our taxable income
for fiscal 2009.
21
FOREIGN
OPERATIONS
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the first six months of fiscal 2009 were
$7,089,000 or 6% of our consolidated net sales. This represents a
decrease of 18% from the first six months of fiscal 2008, in which foreign
subsidiary sales were $8,698,000 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 primarily as the worldwide economic slowdown impacted sales
through reduced orders. In addition, both the British Pound and the
Canadian Dollar were weaker against the U.S. Dollar for the first six months of
fiscal 2009 compared to the first six months of fiscal 2008, which resulted in
lower sales values after translation to U.S. Dollars for the first six months of
fiscal 2009. For the first six months of fiscal 2009, our foreign
subsidiaries reported a net loss of $433,000, a decrease of $921,000 from the
$488,000 net income reported in the first six months of fiscal
2008. The lower tons sold and currency impacts described above
contributed to the net loss.
Identifiable
assets of our foreign subsidiaries as of January 31, 2009 were $9,103,000
compared to $10,195,000 as of January 31, 2008. The decrease is due
primarily to the weaker value of both the British Pound and Canadian Dollar
compared to the U.S. Dollar as of January 31, 2009 versus January 31,
2008. This exchange rate fluctuation resulted in lower asset values
translated to U.S. Dollars as of January 31, 2009, particularly for fixed assets
and accounts receivable.
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the second quarter of fiscal 2009 were
$3,219,000 or 5% of total Company sales. This represents a 23%
decrease from with the second quarter of fiscal 2008, in which foreign
subsidiary sales were $4,206,000 or 7% of total Company 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. A decline in Canadian
cat litter sales was partially offset by increased net selling
prices. The quarter was also impacted by the weaker exchange rates
for the British Pound and the Canadian Dollar as described for the six month
period above. For the second quarter of fiscal 2009, our foreign
subsidiaries reported a net loss of $254,000, a decrease of $419,000 from the
$165,000 net income reported in the second 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 decreased $4,576,000 during the first six months of fiscal 2009 to
$2,272,000 at January 31, 2009.
The
following table sets forth certain elements of our unaudited condensed
consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
Six
Months Ended
|
||||||||
January 31,
2009
|
January 31,
2008
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
$ | 1,946 | $ | 2,722 | ||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(1,215 | ) | (9,806 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(6,405 | ) | (559 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes
|
1,098 | (165 | ) | |||||
Net
decrease in cash and cash equivalents
|
$ | (4,576 | ) | $ | (7,808 | ) |
Net
cash provided by operating activities
Net cash
provided by operations was $1,946,000 for the first six months of fiscal 2009,
compared to $2,722,000 for the first six months of fiscal 2008. The
decrease was due primarily to changes in working capital. For the
first six months of fiscal years 2009 and 2008, the primary components of
working capital that impacted operating cash flows were as follows:
Inventories
increased $1,491,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 versus an increase
of $1,159,000 in the same period in fiscal 2008. Finished goods and
packaging inventories increased in the first six months of fiscal 2009 due
primarily to higher costs and increased tons in inventory to cover downtime for
planned maintenance. Inventories increased in the first six months of
fiscal 2008 due to higher costs, an effort to build finished goods inventory to
meet future demand of specific products and to increase safety stock of
packaging inventory.
Other
assets increased $1,321,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 versus a
decrease of $180,000 in the first six 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 was greater in the first six months of fiscal 2009 compared
to the same period of fiscal 2008.
22
Accrued
expenses decreased $2,784,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 versus a
decrease of $1,893,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2008. The
decrease in both years was due primarily to six months of discretionary bonus
accrued at January 31 versus
twelve months at July 31. Accrued freight decreased for the first six
months of fiscal 2009 and increased for the first six months of fiscal 2008 due
to the timing of payments and shipments at quarter-end. Both years
also reported higher trade spending and advertising accruals due to the timing
of promotional activities.
Accounts
payable decreased $972,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 versus an
increase of $144,000 in the same period in fiscal 2008. Both years
were subject to normal fluctuations in the timing of payments.
Other
prepaid expenses increased $803,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009
versus an increase of $1,196,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2008. The timing of insurance premium payments resulted in an
increase in prepaid expenses in both years. In the first six months
of fiscal 2009 spare parts inventory also increased. In the first six
months of fiscal 2008 prepaid income taxes also increased due to timing of tax
payments.
Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts, increased by $89,000 in the
first six months of fiscal 2009 versus an increase of $2,159,000 in the first
six months of fiscal 2008. Sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2009
were slightly less than in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2008, while sales in the
second quarter of fiscal 2008 were greater than in the fourth quarter of fiscal
2007. The comparative sales increase was greater for the second
quarter of fiscal 2008 resulting in a larger change in accounts
receivable. 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 January 31,
2009 using various statistical measures and specific account reviews and believe
the quality of our accounts receivable has not diminished compared to January
31, 2008.
Other
liabilities increased $914,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009 compared
to an increase of $372,000 in the same period of fiscal 2008. The
change relates primarily to the currency exchange rate fluctuation described
above for other assets.
Net
cash used in investing activities
Cash used
in investing activities was $1,215,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009
compared to $9,806,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2008. Cash
used for capital expenditures was $7,757,000 for the first six months of fiscal
2009 due primarily to a large capital project related to new product
development. Dispositions of investment securities were greater than
purchases of investment securities during this period as a result of the funds
needed for the 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 during the first six months of fiscal 2008 was
$3,828,000. Purchases of investment securities were greater than
dispositions during this period. Purchases and dispositions of
investment securities in both periods are subject to variations in the timing of
investment maturities. During fiscal 2008 we also changed our
investment strategy to allocate a greater portion of our financial resources to
investments versus cash.
Net
cash used in financing activities
Cash used
in financing activities was $6,405,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009
compared to $559,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2008. Cash
used for payment of long-term debt in the first six months of fiscal 2009 was
$4,000,000 higher than in the first six months of fiscal 2008. Cash
used to purchase treasury stock in the first six months of fiscal 2009 was
$649,000, while no purchases were made in the first six months of fiscal
2008. Dividend payments in the first six months of fiscal 2009 were
$160,000 higher compared to the first six months of fiscal 2008 due to a
dividend increase. In addition, cash provided from the issuance of
common stock related to stock options exercise activity in the first six months
of fiscal 2009 was $621,000 less than for the same period in fiscal
2008. The decrease in stock option exercises also provided $69,000
lower excess tax benefit in the first six months of fiscal 2009 compared to the
same period of fiscal 2008.
Other
Total
cash and investment balances held by our foreign subsidiaries at January 31,
2009 and 2008 were $1,262,000 and $1,372,000, 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 January 31,
2009, the value of these guarantees was $551,000 of lease
liabilities.
23
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 January 31, 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 January 31, 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 by over $5,000,000 from fiscal 2008 due to significant
investment in our manufacturing facilities. 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 January 31, 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
|
$ | 23,000,000 | $ | 1,700,000 | $ | 8,600,000 | $ | 8,800,000 | $ | 3,900,000 | ||||||||||
Interest
on Long-Term Debt
|
5,045,000 | 1,374,000 | 2,190,000 | 1,228,000 | 253,000 | |||||||||||||||
Operating
Leases
|
12,255,000 | 2,668,000 | 3,657,000 | 2,053,000 | 3,877,000 | |||||||||||||||
Unconditional
Purchase Obligations
|
13,464,000 | 10,001,000 | 3,463,000 | — | — | |||||||||||||||
Total
Contractual Cash Obligations
|
$ | 53,764,000 | $ | 15,743,000 | $ | 17,910,000 | $ | 12,081,000 | $ | 8,030,000 |
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 January 31, 2009, the remaining purchase obligation
for fiscal 2009 was $7,754,000 for 840,000 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.
We are
not required to make a contribution to our defined benefit pension plan in
fiscal 2009, although we intend to make a contribution of approximately $827,000
as discussed in Note 6 of the notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated
financial statements. We have not presented this obligation for the
current or 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 a discussion of the potential impact of
financial market fluctuations on pension plan assets and future funding
contributions.
As of
January 31, 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.
24
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
|
$ | 54,332,000 | $ | 39,061,000 | $ | 13,006,000 | $ | 2,265,000 | $ | — |
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 Note 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 March
2008, the FASB issued SFAS No. 161, Disclosures about Derivative
Instruments and Hedging Activities—an amendment of SFAS No. 133 (“SFAS
161”). This
Statement requires disclosures of how and why an entity uses derivative
instruments, how derivative instruments and related hedged items are accounted
for and how derivative instruments and related hedged items affect an entity’s
financial position, financial performance, and cash flows. SFAS 161 is effective
for fiscal years and interim periods beginning after November 15, 2008, with
early application encouraged. We will adopt this Statement as of
February 1, 2009, the beginning of our third quarter of our fiscal year ending
July 31, 2009. We have not historically used any derivative
instruments or hedging activities within the scope of SFAS 161, therefore we do
not believe this Statement will have a material impact on our consolidated
financial statements.
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 are currently evaluating the
impact this Statement will have on our consolidated financial statements and
earnings per share computations.
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 are currently evaluating the impact
FSP EITF 03-6-1 will have on our consolidated financial statements.
25
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.
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 January 31, 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 as
gas prices declined. As of January 31, 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 January 31, 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 March 4, 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.
26
Commodity
Price Sensitivity
Natural
Gas Future Contracts
For
the Year Ending July 31, 2009
|
||||||||
Expected 2009
Maturity |
Fair Value
|
|||||||
Natural
Gas Future Volumes (MMBtu)
|
840,000 | — | ||||||
Weighted
Average Price (Per MMBtu)
|
$ | 9.23 | — | |||||
Contract
Amount ($ U.S., in thousands)
|
$ | 7,753.9 | $ | 3,695.7 |
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 | $ | 3,179.5 |
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 | $ | 1,028.6 |
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.
27
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 January 31, 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.
28
PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
Items 1,
3 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
1A. RISK FACTORS
For
information regarding Risk Factors, please refer to Item 1A in our Annual Report
on Form 10-K for the year ended July 31, 2008. There have been no
material changes in risk factors since July 31, 2008.
ITEM
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS
During
the three months ended January 31, 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
January 31, 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
|
||||||||||||
November
1, 2008 to
|
||||||||||||||||
November
30, 2008
|
300 | $ | 16.24 | 300 | 272,688 | |||||||||||
December
1, 2008 to
|
||||||||||||||||
December
31, 2008
|
— | — | — | 272,688 | ||||||||||||
January
1, 2009 to
|
||||||||||||||||
January
31, 2009
|
— | — | — | 272,688 |
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.
29
ITEM
4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS
On
December 9, 2008, we held our 2008 Annual Meeting of Stockholders for the
purpose of considering and voting on two matters, summarized below.
1. Election of
Directors
The
following schedule sets forth the results of the vote to elect eight
directors. As of the record date of the meeting a total of 7,050,955
shares of Common Stock and Class B Stock were eligible to cast a total of
24,284,128 votes. At the meeting, shares representing a total of
23,326,102 votes were present in person or by proxy.
Director
|
Votes For
|
Votes Withheld
|
||||||
J.
Steven Cole
|
23,255,418 | 70,684 | ||||||
Arnold
W. Donald
|
23,222,032 | 104,070 | ||||||
Daniel
S. Jaffee
|
22,107,680 | 1,218,422 | ||||||
Richard
M. Jaffee
|
22,107,580 | 1,218,522 | ||||||
Joseph
C. Miller
|
22,088,489 | 1,237,613 | ||||||
Michael
A. Nemeroff
|
22,085,536 | 1,240,566 | ||||||
Allan
H. Selig
|
23,225,636 | 100,466 | ||||||
Paul
E. Suckow
|
23,270,787 | 55,315 |
2. Ratification of Independent
Registered Public Accounting Firm
Our Audit
Committee’s selection of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as our independent
registered public accounting firm for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2009 was
ratified by receiving 23,205,956 votes of a total 24,284,128 eligible votes,
with 88,207 votes against and 31,938 votes to abstain.
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS
|
(a)
|
EXHIBITS:
|
Exhibit
No. |
Description
|
SEC Document Reference
|
||
10.1
|
First
Amendment, dated as of December 19, 2008, to Credit Agreement among the
Company, certain subsidiaries of the Company and Harris N.A. dated as of
January 27, 2006.
|
Filed
herewith.
|
||
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.
|
30
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: March
10, 2009
|
31
EXHIBITS
Exhibit
No. |
Description
|
|
10.1
|
First
Amendment, dated as of December 19, 2008, to Credit Agreement among the
Company, certain subsidiaries of the Company and Harris N.A. dated as of
January 27, 2006.
|
|
11
|
Statement
re: Computation of Earnings per Share.
|
|
31
|
Certifications
pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a).
|
|
32
|
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.
|
32