Oil-Dri Corp of America - Quarter Report: 2010 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, 2010 |
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)
|
60611-4213
(Zip
Code)
|
The
registrant's telephone number, including area code: (312) 321-1515
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be
filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the
preceding 12 months and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for at
least the past 90 days.Yes x No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding
12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit
and post such files).
Yes o No
o
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”
“accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act. (Check one):
Large
accelerated filer
|
Accelerated
filer x
|
Non-accelerated
filer
|
Smaller
reporting company
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes o No
x
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer’s classes of common stock
as of January 31, 2010.
Common
Stock – 5,203,937 Shares and Class B Stock – 1,919,476 Shares
CONTENTS | ||
Page | ||
PART I – FINANCIAL INFORMATION | ||
Item 1: | Financial Statements | 3 – 16 |
Item 2: | Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results Of Operations | 17 - 25 |
Item 3: | Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk | 25 - 26 |
Item 4: | Controls and Procedures | 27 |
PART II – OTHER INFORMATION | ||
Item 2: | Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds | 28 |
Item 4: | Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders | 29 |
Item 6: | Exhibits | 29 |
Signatures | 30 | |
Exhibits | 31 | |
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, 2009, 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
Agsorb, Calibrin, Cat’s Pride,
ConditionAde, Flo-Fre, Jonny Cat, KatKit, Oil-Dri, Pel-Unite, Perform, Poultry
Guard, Pro Mound, Pure-Flo, Rapid Dry, Select, Terra-Green, and Ultra-Clear are
all registered trademarks of Oil-Dri Corporation of America or of its
subsidiaries. Pro’s Choice, Saular and Verge 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)
|
||||||||
ASSETS
|
January
31,
2010
|
July
31,
2009
|
||||||
Current Assets
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents
|
$ | 20,864 | $ | 11,839 | ||||
Investment
in securities
|
5,999 | 7,998 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, less allowance of $578 and
|
||||||||
$652
at January 31, 2010 and July 31, 2009, respectively
|
27,210 | 29,000 | ||||||
Inventories
|
16,985 | 17,795 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
1,080 | 1,080 | ||||||
Prepaid
repairs expense
|
3,992 | 4,345 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other assets
|
1,903 | 1,660 | ||||||
Total
Current Assets
|
78,033 | 73,717 | ||||||
Property, Plant and
Equipment
|
||||||||
Cost
|
172,617 | 169,130 | ||||||
Less
accumulated depreciation and amortization
|
(112,247 | ) | (109,645 | ) | ||||
Total
Property, Plant and Equipment, Net
|
60,370 | 59,485 | ||||||
Other Assets
|
||||||||
Goodwill
|
5,162 | 5,162 | ||||||
Trademarks
and patents, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$366 and $351 at January 31, 2010 and July 31,
2009, respectively
|
634 | 649 | ||||||
Debt
issuance costs, net of accumulated amortization
|
||||||||
of
$498 and $473 at January 31, 2010 and July 31, 2009,
respectively
|
281 | 306 | ||||||
Licensing
agreements and non-compete agreements, net of
|
||||||||
accumulated
amortization of $3,486 and $3,361 at
January
31, 2010 and July 31, 2009, respectively
|
1,253 | 1,378 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
4,026 | 4,144 | ||||||
Other
|
4,107 | 4,420 | ||||||
Total
Other Assets
|
15,463 | 16,059 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 153,866 | $ | 149,261 | ||||
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of the condensed consolidated
financial statements.
|
3
OIL-DRI
CORPORATION OF AMERICA & SUBSIDIARIES
|
||||||||
Condensed
Consolidated Balance Sheets
|
||||||||
(in
thousands of dollars)
|
||||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
LIABILITIES
& STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
|
January
31,
2010
|
July
31,
2009
|
||||||
Current Liabilities
|
||||||||
Current
maturities of notes payable
|
$ | 4,500 | $ | 3,200 | ||||
Accounts
payable
|
5,450 | 5,304 | ||||||
Dividends
payable
|
997 | 994 | ||||||
Accrued
expenses:
|
||||||||
Salaries,
wages and commissions
|
5,061 | 5,794 | ||||||
Trade
promotions and advertising
|
2,386 | 2,073 | ||||||
Freight
|
1,725 | 1,073 | ||||||
Other
|
5,881 | 5,330 | ||||||
Total
Current Liabilities
|
26,000 | 23,768 | ||||||
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
||||||||
Notes
payable
|
16,800 | 18,300 | ||||||
Deferred
compensation
|
6,281 | 5,892 | ||||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
11,269 | 10,491 | ||||||
Other
|
1,269 | 1,247 | ||||||
Total
Noncurrent Liabilities
|
35,619 | 35,930 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities
|
61,619 | 59,698 | ||||||
Stockholders’ Equity
|
||||||||
Common
Stock, par value $.10 per share, issued
|
||||||||
7,516,458
shares at January 31, 2010 and 7,475,171
shares
at July 31, 2009
|
752 | 747 | ||||||
Class
B Stock, par value $.10 per share, issued
|
||||||||
2,244,217
shares at January 31, 2010 and 2,240,201
shares
at July 31, 2009
|
224 | 224 | ||||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
23,847 | 23,366 | ||||||
Restricted
unearned stock compensation
|
(310 | ) | (383 | ) | ||||
Retained
earnings
|
114,042 | 111,593 | ||||||
Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Income
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain on marketable securities
|
55 | 40 | ||||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
(4,487 | ) | (4,584 | ) | ||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
319 | 282 | ||||||
|
134,442 | 131,285 | ||||||
Less
Treasury Stock, at cost (2,312,521 Common and 324,741
|
||||||||
Class
B shares at January 31, 2010 and 2,282,521 Common and
|
||||||||
324,741
Class B shares at July 31, 2009)
|
(42,195 | ) | (41,722 | ) | ||||
Total
Stockholders’ Equity
|
92,247 | 89,563 | ||||||
Total
Liabilities & Stockholders’ Equity
|
$ | 153,866 | $ | 149,261 | ||||
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,
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 108,138 | $ | 122,258 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(83,145 | ) | (97,969 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
24,993 | 24,289 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(18,158 | ) | (17,080 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
6,835 | 7,209 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(715 | ) | (983 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
74 | 261 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
82 | (232 | ) | |||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(559 | ) | (954 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
6,276 | 6,255 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(1,820 | ) | (1,637 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
4,456 | 4,618 | ||||||
Retained
Earnings
|
||||||||
Balance
at beginning of year
|
111,593 | 105,966 | ||||||
Cash
dividends declared and treasury stock issuances
|
(2,007 | ) | (1,947 | ) | ||||
Retained
Earnings – January 31
|
$ | 114,042 | $ | 108,637 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 0.67 | $ | 0.70 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.50 | $ | 0.53 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.61 | $ | 0.64 | ||||
Average
Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,200 | 5,129 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,885 | 1,868 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,259 | 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,
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,456 | $ | 4,618 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
gain (loss) on marketable securities
|
15 | (38 | ) | |||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
97 | 24 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
37 | (877 | ) | |||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 4,605 | $ | 3,727 | ||||
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
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Net
Sales
|
$ | 54,734 | $ | 59,130 | ||||
Cost
of Sales
|
(42,064 | ) | (47,217 | ) | ||||
Gross
Profit
|
12,670 | 11,913 | ||||||
Selling,
General and Administrative Expenses
|
(9,187 | ) | (8,342 | ) | ||||
Income
from Operations
|
3,483 | 3,571 | ||||||
Other
Income (Expense)
|
||||||||
Interest
expense
|
(341 | ) | (478 | ) | ||||
Interest
income
|
34 | 96 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
45 | (11 | ) | |||||
Total
Other Income (Expense), Net
|
(262 | ) | (393 | ) | ||||
Income
Before Income Taxes
|
3,221 | 3,178 | ||||||
Income
taxes
|
(959 | ) | (806 | ) | ||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,262 | $ | 2,372 | ||||
Net
Income Per Share
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
$ | 0.34 | $ | 0.36 | ||||
Basic
Class B
|
$ | 0.26 | $ | 0.27 | ||||
Diluted
|
$ | 0.31 | $ | 0.33 | ||||
Average
Shares Outstanding
|
||||||||
Basic
Common
|
5,206 | 5,131 | ||||||
Basic
Class B
|
1,890 | 1,873 | ||||||
Diluted
|
7,269 | 7,199 | ||||||
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
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,262 | $ | 2,372 | ||||
Other
Comprehensive Income:
|
||||||||
Unrealized
loss on marketable securities
|
(2 | ) | (22 | ) | ||||
Pension
and postretirement benefits
|
43 | 12 | ||||||
Cumulative
translation adjustment
|
50 | (103 | ) | |||||
Total
Comprehensive Income
|
$ | 2,353 | $ | 2,259 | ||||
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,
|
||||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING
ACTIVITIES
|
2010
|
2009
|
||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,456 | $ | 4,618 | ||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash
|
||||||||
provided
by operating activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
3,711 | 3,684 | ||||||
Amortization
of investment discount
|
(6 | ) | (109 | ) | ||||
Non-cash
stock compensation expense
|
173 | 257 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
(88 | ) | (169 | ) | ||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
67 | (5 | ) | |||||
Provision
for bad debts
|
(52 | ) | 73 | |||||
Loss
on the sale of fixed assets
|
63 | 24 | ||||||
(Increase)
Decrease in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
receivable
|
1,842 | (89 | ) | |||||
Inventories
|
810 | (1,491 | ) | |||||
Prepaid
expenses
|
109 | (803 | ) | |||||
Other
assets
|
329 | (1,321 | ) | |||||
Increase
(Decrease) in:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable
|
285 | (972 | ) | |||||
Accrued
expenses
|
783 | (2,784 | ) | |||||
Deferred
compensation
|
388 | 119 | ||||||
Other
liabilities
|
893 | 914 | ||||||
Total
Adjustments
|
9,307 | (2,672 | ) | |||||
Net
Cash Provided by Operating Activities
|
13,763 | 1,946 | ||||||
CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Capital
expenditures
|
(4,818 | ) | (7,757 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from sale of property, plant and equipment
|
337 | 11 | ||||||
Purchases
of investment securities
|
(14,995 | ) | (52,969 | ) | ||||
Dispositions
of investment securities
|
17,000 | 59,500 | ||||||
Net
Cash (Used in) Investing Activities
|
(2,476 | ) | (1,215 | ) | ||||
CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING
ACTIVITIES
|
||||||||
Principal
payments on notes payable
|
(200 | ) | (4,080 | ) | ||||
Dividends
paid
|
(1,991 | ) | (1,838 | ) | ||||
Purchase
of treasury stock
|
(538 | ) | (649 | ) | ||||
Proceeds
from issuance of treasury stock
|
52 | 70 | ||||||
Proceeds
from issuance of common stock
|
297 | 272 | ||||||
Excess
tax benefits for share-based payments
|
88 | 169 | ||||||
Other,
net
|
26 | (349 | ) | |||||
Net
Cash Used in Financing Activities
|
(2,266 | ) | (6,405 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
|
4 | 1,098 | ||||||
Net
Increase (Decrease) in Cash and Cash Equivalents
|
9,025 | (4,576 | ) | |||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, Beginning of Year
|
11,839 | 6,848 | ||||||
Cash
and Cash Equivalents, January 31
|
$ | 20,864 | $ | 2,272 | ||||
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, 2009 included in our
Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(“SEC”).
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 and the six months ended
January 31, 2010 are not necessarily an indication of the results that may be
expected for the fiscal year ending July 31, 2010.
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 risk of
loss and title are 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 are not
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 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.
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. These 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 ongoing
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. SIX
MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31, 2010 RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The
results of operations for the six months ending January 31, 2010 included an
increase in cost of sales of approximately $400,000 related to an overstatement
of supplies inventory at one of our manufacturing facilities as of July 31,
2009. The overstatement of inventory had accumulated over a number of
years, and was the result of alleged theft. This increase was offset
by the expected receipt of insurance proceeds related to the supplies inventory
overstatement; a receivable for which was recorded in the first quarter of
fiscal 2010. The net effect of the two adjustments resulted in no
impact to net income. We have determined that the adjustment to
supplies inventory was not material to the first six months of fiscal 2010 or
any previously reported period.
3.
|
NEW
ACCOUNTING PRONOUNCEMENTS
|
Recently
Adopted Accounting Standards
For this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending January 31, 2010 we adopted
the FASB guidance issued in February 2010 under ASC 855-10 Subsequent
Events. This guidance amended several definitions and removed
the requirement for an SEC filer to disclose the date through which subsequent
events have been evaluated. The adoption of this guidance resulted in
revised disclosures and had no impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
Recently
Issued Accounting Standards
In
December 2008, the FASB issued guidance under ASC 715-20 Compensation – Retirement Benefits
that will require expanded disclosure for employers’ pension and other
postretirement benefit plan assets fair value measurements, investment policies
and strategies for the major categories of plan assets and significant
concentrations of risk within plan assets. The adoption of the
guidance will result in enhanced disclosures in our fiscal 2010 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, but will have no impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
January 2010, the FASB issued guidance under ASC 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures: Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements that
will require new disclosures and provides clarification of existing disclosures
about fair value measurements. Adoption of certain provisions related
to the reconciliation of changes in fair value measurements using significant
unobservable inputs will result in enhanced disclosures in our Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending October 31, 2010. Other
provisions of this guidance will require enhanced disclosures for fair value
measurements in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending April
30, 2010. Adoption of this guidance in either period affects
disclosures only and will have no impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
4.
|
INVENTORIES
|
The
composition of inventories is as follows (in thousands of dollars):
January
31,
|
July
31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Finished
goods
|
$ | 10,808 | $ | 10,568 | ||||
Packaging
|
2,783 | 3,474 | ||||||
Other
|
3,394 | 3,753 | ||||||
$ | 16,985 | $ | 17,795 |
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,
2010 and July 31, 2009 were $282,000 and $274,000, respectively.
11
5. FAIR
VALUE MEASUREMENTS
Fair
value is defined 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. The inputs used to measure fair value are
prioritized into one of three categories based on the lowest level of input that
is significant to the fair value measurement. The categories in the
hierarchy are:
Level 1: | Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on quoted market prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities. | |
Level 2: | Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on: | |
1) Quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets. | ||
2) Quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not active. | ||
3) Valuation models whose inputs are observable, directly or indirectly, for substantially the full term of the asset or liability. | ||
Level 3: | Financial assets and liabilities whose values are based on valuation techniques that require inputs that are both unobservable and significant to the overall fair value measurement. These inputs may reflect estimates of the assumptions that market participants would use in valuing the financial assets and liabilities. |
The
following table summarizes our financial assets and liabilities that were
measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy:
Fair
Value at January 31, 2010
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
Level
1
|
Level
2
|
||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Cash
equivalents
|
$ | 11,222 | $ | 11,222 | $ | -- | ||||||
Marketable
equity securities
|
58 | 58 | -- | |||||||||
Cash
surrender value of life insurance
|
3,707 | -- | 3,707 | |||||||||
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, 2010. These life insurance policies are
held on key employees.
The
carrying values of investments in securities, accounts receivable, accounts
payable and notes payable approximate their fair values at January 31, 2010 and
July 31, 2009, due to the short maturity and nature of those balances and are
not included in the above table. The investments in securities
consisted of U.S. Treasury securities carried at amortized cost. The
estimated fair value of long-term debt, including current maturities, was
approximately $21,422,000 and $21,523,000 as of January 31, 2010 and July 31,
2009, respectively.
We apply
fair value techniques on a non-recurring basis associated with: (1) valuing
potential impairment loss related to goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible
assets and (2) valuing potential impairment loss related to long-lived
assets.
12
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
PLAN
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended January 31,
|
Six
Months Ended
January
31,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic pension benefit cost:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 301 | $ | 211 | $ | 569 | $ | 421 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
252 | 334 | 708 | 668 | ||||||||||||
Expected
return on plan assets
|
(217 | ) | (325 | ) | (583 | ) | (650 | ) | ||||||||
Net
amortization
|
59 | (12 | ) | 137 | 24 | |||||||||||
$ | 395 | $ | 232 | $ | 831 | $ | 463 |
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 six months ended January
31, 2010. 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
$900,000. 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.
The
components of the net periodic postretirement health benefit cost were as
follows:
POST
RETIREMENT HEALTH BENEFITS
(dollars
in thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended January 31,
|
Six
Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Components
of net periodic postretirement benefit cost:
|
||||||||||||||||
Service
cost
|
$ | 16 | $ | 15 | $ | 37 | $ | 31 | ||||||||
Interest
cost
|
16 | 24 | 48 | 47 | ||||||||||||
Amortization
of net transition obligation
|
4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||||||||||||
Net
actuarial loss
|
5 | 4 | 10 | 7 | ||||||||||||
$ | 41 | $ | 47 | $ | 103 | $ | 93 |
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,
2010
|
January
31,
2009
|
January
31,
2010
|
January
31,
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Discount
rate for net periodic benefit cost
|
6.00 | % | 7.00 | % | 6.00 | % | 7.00 | % | ||||||||
Rate
of increase in compensation levels
|
4.00 | % | 4.00 | % | -- | -- | ||||||||||
Long-term
expected rate of return on assets
|
7.50 | % | 7.50 | % | -- | -- | ||||||||||
Measurement
date
|
7/31/2009
|
7/31/2008
|
7/31/2009
|
7/31/2008
|
||||||||||||
Census
date
|
8/1/2009
|
8/1/2007
|
8/1/2009
|
8/1/2007
|
The
medical cost trend assumption for postretirement health benefits was a graded
rate starting at 9% and decreasing to an ultimate rate of 5% in 1% annual
increments.
13
7.
|
SEGMENT
REPORTING
|
We have
two 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, 2009 filed with
the SEC.
We do not
rely on any operating segment asset allocations and we do not consider them
meaningful because of the shared nature of our production facilities; however,
we have estimated the segment asset allocations below for those assets for which
we can reasonably determine. The unallocated asset category is the
remainder of our total assets. The asset allocation is estimated and
is not a measure used by our chief operating decision maker about allocating
resources to the operating segments or in assessing their
performance. The corporate expenses line includes certain unallocated
expenses, including primarily salaries, wages and benefits, purchased services,
rent, utilities and depreciation and amortization associated with corporate
functions such as research and development, information systems, finance, legal,
human resources and customer service. Corporate expenses also include
the annual incentive plan bonus accrual.
Assets
|
||||||||
January
31,
|
July
31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 43,144 | $ | 42,581 | ||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
64,801 | 69,300 | ||||||
Unallocated
Assets
|
45,921 | 37,380 | ||||||
Total
Assets
|
$ | 153,866 | $ | 149,261 |
Six
Months Ended January 31,
|
||||||||||||||||
Net Sales | Operating Income | |||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 36,133 | $ | 38,849 | $ | 9,426 | $ | 7,906 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
72,005 | 83,409 | 6,332 | 7,215 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 108,138 | $ | 122,258 | 15,758 | 15,121 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
8,841 | 8,144 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of Interest Income
|
641 | 722 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
6,276 | 6,255 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(1,820 | ) | (1,637 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 4,456 | $ | 4,618 |
Three Months Ended January 31, | ||||||||||||||||
Net Sales | Operating Income | |||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Business
to Business Products
|
$ | 18,563 | $ | 18,204 | $ | 4,917 | $ | 3,480 | ||||||||
Retail
and Wholesale Products
|
36,171 | 40,926 | 3,116 | 4,053 | ||||||||||||
Total
Sales/Operating Income
|
$ | 54,734 | $ | 59,130 | 8,033 | 7,533 | ||||||||||
Less:
|
||||||||||||||||
Corporate
Expenses
|
4,505 | 3,973 | ||||||||||||||
Interest
Expense, net of Interest Income
|
307 | 382 | ||||||||||||||
Income
before Income Taxes
|
3,221 | 3,178 | ||||||||||||||
Income
Taxes
|
(959 | ) | (806 | ) | ||||||||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 2,262 | $ | 2,372 |
14
8. STOCK-BASED
COMPENSATION
We
determine the fair value of stock options and restricted stock issued under our
long term incentive plans as of the grant date. We recognize the
related compensation expense over the period from the date of grant to the date
when the award is no longer contingent on the employee providing additional
service to the company.
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 was from authorized but unissued stock. All
restricted stock issued was from treasury stock.
The
Oil-Dri Corporation of America 2006 Long Term Incentive Plan (“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
937,500. Option grants covering 25,000 shares have been issued to our
outside directors with a vesting period of one year and option grants covering
32,500 shares have been issued to employees with vesting similar to the vesting
described above under the 1995 Plan. In addition, 95,182 restricted
shares have been 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, who are considered
employees, at an option price per share of 100% of the fair market value of
Common Stock on the date of grant. Stock options have been granted to
our directors for a 10-year term with a one year vesting
period. There are 56,250 stock options outstanding as of January 31,
2010 and no stock options available for future grants under this
plan. All stock issued under this plan were from treasury
stock.
Our Board
announced a five-for-four stock split on June 6, 2006. 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. In keeping with historical practices, we
adjusted the number of shares and the option prices to equitably adjust all
outstanding stock options; however, 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 in the second quarter and
the first six months of fiscal 2009 of approximately $9,000 and $61,000,
respectively. As of the end of fiscal 2009, all additional
compensation expense had been recognized; therefore, no additional expense has
been recognized in fiscal 2010.
There
were no stock options granted in the first six months of fiscal years 2010 or
2009.
Changes
in our stock options during the first six months of fiscal 2010 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, 2009
|
505 | $ | 9.14 | $ | 3,426 | ||||||||||
Exercised
|
(44 | ) | $ | 7.92 | $ | 342 | |||||||||
Canceled
|
(2 | ) | $ | 11.65 | $ | 8 | |||||||||
Options
outstanding, January 31, 2010
|
459 | $ | 9.25 | 3.5 | $ | 3,067 | |||||||||
Options
exercisable, January 31, 2010
|
446 | $ | 9.03 | 3.4 | $ | 3,064 |
15
The
amount of cash received from the exercise of stock options during the second
quarter of fiscal 2010 was $296,000 and the related tax benefit
was $93,000. 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 2010 was
$350,000 and the related tax benefit was $99,000. The amount of cash
received from the exercise of stock options during the first six month 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. Grants issued under the 2006 Plan to date have vesting
periods between two and five years.
Under the
2006 Plan, 5,182 restricted shares of Class B Stock were granted in the first
six months of fiscal 2010. No shares of restricted stock were granted
in the first six months of fiscal 2009.
Included
in our stock-based compensation expense in the second quarter of fiscal years
2010 and 2009 was $79,000 and $73,000, respectively, related to unvested
restricted stock. In the first six months of fiscal years 2010 and
2009, the expense related to the unvested restricted stock was $151,000 and
$148,000, respectively.
Changes
in our restricted stock outstanding during the first six months of fiscal 2010
were as follows:
(shares
in thousands)
|
||||||||
Restricted
Shares
|
Weighted
Average Grant Date Fair Value
|
|||||||
Unvested
restricted stock at July 31, 2009
|
35 | $ | 15.37 | |||||
Vested
|
(17 | ) | ||||||
Granted
|
5 | |||||||
Unvested
restricted stock at January 31, 2010
|
23 | $ | 15.31 |
16
ITEM
2. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS
The
following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of
operations should be read together with the financial statements and the related
notes included herein and our consolidated financial statements, accompanying
notes and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations contained in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year
ended July 31, 2009. 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, 2009.
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,
2010 COMPARED TO SIX MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31,
2009
Consolidated
net sales for the six months ended January 31, 2010 were $108,138,000, a
decrease of 12% from net sales of $122,258,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. Net income for the first six months of fiscal 2010 was
$4,456,000, a decrease of 4% from net income of $4,618,000 in the first six
months of fiscal 2009. Diluted net income per share for the first six
months of fiscal 2010 was $0.61 compared to $0.64 for the first six months of
fiscal 2009.
Net
income for the first six months of fiscal 2010 was negatively affected by
decreased tons sold; however, the impact of the decrease was partially offset by
lower costs that had a significant positive impact on our
results. Lower costs for freight, materials and packaging partially
offset the decrease in net sales. Material costs decreased due
primarily to the lower cost of fuel used to dry our clay-based products and to
transport raw materials. Freight costs declined due primarily to
lower diesel fuel prices, which impacted our truck, rail and ship distribution
channels. Packaging costs declined due to price decreases in the
resin and paper markets. The Business to Business Products Group
experienced improved operating income as lower costs and a greater proportion of
sales of higher margin products outweighed the reduced tons sold; however, in
the Retail and Wholesale Products Group the decline in tons sold prevailed over
lower costs.
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the first six months of fiscal
2010 were $36,133,000, a decrease of $2,716,000, or 7%, from net sales of
$38,849,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009. The decrease was
primarily attributed to a 9% decrease in tons sold for the Group; however,
increased sales of higher priced products partially offset the decline in tons
sold. Net sales and tons sold were down for all product lines, except
for bleaching earth and fluid purification products. Our co-packaged
traditional coarse cat litter net sales decreased 18% with 7% fewer tons sold in
the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to the first six months of fiscal
2009. Net sales were adversely affected by a lower net selling price
under the terms of the agreement with our co-packaging partner and the loss of a
small co-packaging customer during the later part of fiscal 2009. Net
sales of agricultural chemical carriers decreased 18% and tons sold decreased
20% compared to the first six months of 2009 due primarily to the downturn in
the agricultural market. Net sales of our flowability aid product
were down 20% compared to the first six months of 2009. The demand
was lower for flowability aid products used in animal feed due to price
competition, including with respect to freight charges, and due to the naturally
varying level of protein in the soybean crop, which is a determining factor in
feed formulations. Net sales of animal health and nutrition products
decreased 5% in the first six months of fiscal 2010. Net sales of our
traditional animal health and nutrition products declined as sales efforts
focused on our mycotoxin binding products outside the United States, which were
introduced during fiscal 2009. Net sales of bleaching earth and fluid
purification products increased 8% in the first six months of fiscal 2010 due to
5% more tons sold. Sales in export markets improved as lower freight
costs and a weaker U.S. dollar relative to certain foreign currencies made our
products more competitive in the global marketplace. Some export
markets also experienced a decline in the quality of soybean oil that resulted
in increased demand for our bleaching earth products. In addition,
sales of our products used in the biodiesel industry and in palm oil processing
increased compared to the first six months of fiscal
2009. Baseball-related sports products sales were slightly higher
than in the first six months of fiscal 2009. We had no golf-related
sports products sales in the first six months of fiscal 2010 due to the loss of
the distributor in fiscal 2009.
17
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income for the first six
months of fiscal 2010 was $9,426,000, an increase of $1,520,000, or 19%, from
operating income of $7,906,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. This increase was due primarily to an approximately 10%
decrease in combined freight, materials and packaging costs. Freight
costs decreased approximately 15% due primarily to lower diesel fuel prices and
export freight costs. Packaging costs decreased approximately 11% due
to lower prices for resin and paper used in packaging. Material costs
were impacted by lower energy-related costs in our mining and manufacturing
processes which contributed to an approximately 7% decrease in material
costs. Operating income was also positively impacted by a greater
proportion of sales for higher margin products. Selling, general and
administrative expenses for the Group were up 7% due to increased personnel,
market research and promotion costs associated with our upcoming launch of a new
agricultural engineered granule product, as well as with investigation of
potential new markets for existing products.
RETAIL
AND WHOLESALE PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Retail and Wholesale Products Group for the first six months of fiscal
2010 were $72,005,000, a decrease of $11,404,000, or 14%, from net sales of
$83,409,000 reported in the first six months of fiscal 2009. The net
sales decline was driven by decreases in both average net selling prices and
tons sold. The Group’s total tons sold were down 10% compared to the
first six months of fiscal 2009. Cat litter net sales were down
approximately 19% compared to the first six months of fiscal 2009 due primarily
to 12% lower tons sold. The average net selling price for cat litter
also declined in part due to increased trade spending for product promotions,
which were deducted from net sales. As discussed in our Form 10-K for
the fiscal year ended July 31, 2009, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (“Wal-Mart”) began to
carry a reduced number of cat litter brands in August 2009. The
impact of this decision is reflected in the sales decline of both our branded
and private label cat litter. In a recent development, Wal-Mart
notified us that they are reinstating our branded scoopable litter in a limited
number of stores; however, the new store count remains materially reduced from
the store count at the end of fiscal 2009. Net sales of branded cat
litter decreased 31% compared to the first six months of fiscal 2009 due
primarily to 20% fewer tons sold. Customer loyalty to our branded cat
litter and increased trade spending drove incremental sales at customers other
than Wal-Mart, which partially offset the overall sales decline. Net
sales of private label cat litter decreased 7% compared to the first six months
of fiscal 2009 due to 9% fewer tons sold. Purchases by several of our
larger private label customers declined due to general economic conditions and a
continued overall decline in the coarse cat litter
category. Industrial absorbents net sales decreased 9% compared to
the first six months of fiscal 2009 with 12% lower volume due primarily to weak
economic conditions in the manufacturing and automotive industries.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income for the first six
months of fiscal 2010 was $6,332,000, a decrease of $883,000, or 12%, from
operating income of $7,215,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. The decrease is attributed to the lower net sales described
above that prevailed over a decrease of approximately 6% for the Group’s
combined freight, materials and packaging costs compared to the first six months
of fiscal 2009. Packaging costs decreased approximately 14% due to
lower prices for resin and paper used in packaging. Freight costs
decreased approximately 8% in the first six months of fiscal 2010 due primarily
to lower diesel fuel prices. Material costs were slightly lower
compared to the same period in fiscal 2009. Selling, general and
administrative expenses for the Group decreased 5% compared to the
first six months of fiscal 2009 due primarily to a currency translation loss
reported by our foreign operations in the first six months of fiscal 2009 which
was not incurred in the first six month of fiscal 2010.
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the first six months
of fiscal 2010 was 23% compared to 20% in the first six months of fiscal
2009. Gross profit was positively impacted by lower costs for
freight, packaging, material, fuel used in our manufacturing processes and
increased sales of higher margin products. The cost of fuel was 41%
lower in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to the first six months of
fiscal 2009. We use natural gas, fuel oil and coal in the
manufacturing process to operate kilns that dry our clay. As
described in Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
below, we have contracted for a portion of our planned fuel needs for fiscal
2010. Gross profit for the first six months of fiscal 2010 was
negatively impacted by a 13% increase in non-fuel manufacturing costs per ton
produced, which include depreciation and amortization. This cost
increase per ton was driven primarily by 12% fewer tons produced and increased
expenditures for employee benefits and repairs. Many of the other
non-fuel manufacturing costs were relatively consistent with fiscal 2009 levels,
despite the reduced number of tons produced, due to their fixed
nature.
18
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales for the first
six months of fiscal 2010 were 17% compared to 14% in the first six months of
fiscal 2009. The discussions of the Groups’ operating income above
describe the fluctuation in the selling, general and administrative expenses
that were allocated to the operating segments. The remaining
unallocated corporate expenses in the first six months of fiscal 2010 included a
higher estimated annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The higher
incentive bonus expense was based on performance targets that are established
for each fiscal year. The higher bonus expense was partially offset
by reduced spending for research and development as we moved further through the
development cycle for several new products.
Interest
expense was $268,000 less for the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to
the same period in fiscal 2009 due to continued debt reduction and capitalized
interest expense for a new product-related capital project. Interest
income was $187,000 lower in the first six months of fiscal 2010 due to a lower
average interest rate and a lower average investment balance.
Our
effective tax rate was 29% of pre-tax income for the first six months of fiscal
2010, which is comparable to the 28% effective tax rate for the full year of
fiscal 2009. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 is based on the
projected composition and level of our taxable income for the
year. The percentage of income attributable to higher margin Business
to Business Group products is expected to be greater in fiscal 2010 compared to
fiscal 2009.
Total
assets increased $4,605,000, or 3%, during the first six months of fiscal
2010. Current assets increased $4,316,000, or 6%, from fiscal 2009
year end balances due primarily to increased cash and cash equivalents and
prepaid expenses. These increases were partially offset by decreases
in investment in securities, accounts receivable, inventories and prepaid
repairs expense. The changes in current assets are described below in
Liquidity and Capital Resources. Property, plant and equipment, net
of accumulated depreciation, increased $885,000 during the first six months of
fiscal 2010 due to additions in excess of depreciation
expense. Additions were primarily for land, replacement of machinery
and other capital projects at our manufacturing facilities. During
the second quarter of fiscal 2010, we acquired approximately 800 acres of land
for approximately $2,300,000 near our Georgia production plant, which we believe
contain deposits of high quality mineral reserves. Other noncurrent
assets decreased $596,000 from fiscal 2009 year end balances due to payments
received on a lease receivable related to a co-packaging agreement, lower
deferred income taxes and amortization of other assets.
Total
liabilities increased $1,921,000, or 3%, during the first six months of fiscal
2010. Current liabilities increased $2,232,000, or 9%, from fiscal
2009 year end balances due primarily to increased current maturities of notes
payable, accrued freight, accrued trade promotions and other accrued
expenses. Lower accrued salaries partially offset these
increases. The changes in current liabilities are described below in
Liquidity and Capital Resources. Noncurrent liabilities decreased
$311,000, or 1%, from fiscal 2009 year end balances due to the reclassification
of notes payable from noncurrent to current that was partially offset by higher
accruals for pension and postretirement benefits and deferred
compensation. The accrued pension and postretirement benefit
liability was based on the most recent actuarial estimates. The
increase in the deferred compensation liability was due to ongoing deferrals and
accrued interest in excess of payouts.
The
results of operations for the first six months of fiscal 2010 included an
increase in cost of sales of approximately $400,000 related to an overstatement
of supplies inventory at one of our manufacturing facilities as of July 31,
2009. The overstatement of inventory had accumulated over a number of
years, and was the result of alleged theft. This increase was offset
by the expected receipt of insurance proceeds related to the supplies inventory
overstatement; a receivable for which was recorded in the first quarter of
fiscal 2010. The net effect of the two adjustments resulted in no
impact to net income. We have determined that the adjustment to
supplies inventory was not material to the first six months of fiscal 2010 or to
any previously reported period.
THREE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY
31, 2010 COMPARED TO THREE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY,
2009
Consolidated
net sales for the three months ended January 31, 2010 were $54,734,000, a
decrease of 7% from net sales of $59,130,000 in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Net income for the second quarter fiscal 2010 was $2,262,000, a
decrease of 5% from net income of $2,372,000 in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Diluted net income per share for the second quarter of fiscal
2010 was $0.31 compared to $0.33 for the second quarter of fiscal
2009.
Net
income for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 was negatively affected by
decreased tons sold; however, the impact of the decrease was partially offset by
lower costs that had a significant positive impact on the quarter’s
results. Material costs decreased due primarily to the lower cost of
fuel used to dry our clay-based products and to transport raw
materials. Freight costs declined due primarily to lower diesel fuel
prices, which impacted our truck, rail and ship distribution
channels. Packaging costs declined primarily due to price decreases
in the resin and paper markets. The Business to Business Products
Group’s operating income improved due to lower costs and a greater proportion of
sales from higher margin products which outweighed the reduced tons sold;
however, in the Retail and Wholesale Products Group, the decline in tons sold
prevailed over lower costs.
19
BUSINESS
TO BUSINESS PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Business to Business Products Group for the second quarter of fiscal 2010
were $18,563,000, an increase of $359,000, or 2%, from net sales of $18,204,000
in the second quarter of fiscal 2009. The Group benefited from a
greater proportion of sales from higher priced products that offset a 1% decline
in tons sold. Net sales and tons sold were up for bleaching earth and
fluid purification products, but were down for most other product categories in
this Group. Net sales of bleaching earth and fluid purification
products increased 28% with approximately 27% more tons sold in the second
quarter of fiscal 2010 compared to the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Lower freight costs and a weaker U.S. dollar relative to
certain foreign currencies made our products more competitive in the global
marketplace, which resulted in improved export sales. Some export
markets also experienced increased demand for our bleaching earth products due
to a decline in the quality of soybean oil. In addition, sales also
increased for bleaching earth and fluid purification products used in the
biodiesel industry and in palm oil processing. Baseball-related
sports products sales were also slightly higher compared to the second quarter
of fiscal 2009. Our co-packaged traditional coarse cat litter net
sales decreased 12% with 1% fewer tons sold compared to the second quarter of
fiscal 2009. Net sales were adversely affected by a lower net selling
price under the terms of the agreement with our co-packaging partner and the
loss of a small co-packaging customer during the later part of fiscal
2009. Net sales of agricultural chemical carriers decreased 17% and
tons sold decreased 22% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2009 due
primarily to the downturn in the agricultural market. Net sales of
our flowability aid product were also down 13% compared to the second quarter of
fiscal 2009. The demand was lower for flowability aid products used
in animal feed due to price competition, including with respect to freight
charges, and due to the naturally varying level of protein in the soybean crop,
which is a determining factor in feed formulations. Animal health and
nutrition products net sales decreased 10% compared to the second quarter of
fiscal 2009. Net sales of our traditional animal health and nutrition
products declined as sales efforts focused on our mycotoxin binding products
outside the United States, which were introduced during fiscal
2009. Increased sales of mycotoxin binding products partially offset
this decline.
The
Business to Business Products Group’s segment operating income for the second
quarter of fiscal 2010 was $4,917,000, an increase of $1,437,000, or 41%, from
operating income of $3,480,000 in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. This increase was due primarily to an approximately 9% decrease
in combined freight, materials and packaging costs. Freight costs
decreased approximately 9% due primarily to lower diesel fuel
prices. Packaging costs decreased approximately 4% due primarily to
lower prices for paper used in packaging. Material costs were
impacted by lower energy-related costs in our mining and manufacturing
processes, which contributed to an approximately 10% decrease in material
costs. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the Group
were up 10% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2009 due to increased
personnel, market research, and promotion costs associated with our upcoming
launch of a new agricultural engineered granule product, as well as with
investigation of potential new markets for existing products.
RETAIL
AND WHOLESALE PRODUCTS GROUP
Net sales
of the Retail and Wholesale Products Group for the second quarter of fiscal 2010
were $36,171,000, a decrease of $4,755,000 from net sales of $40,926,000 in the
second quarter of fiscal 2009. The net sales decline was driven by
decreases in both average net selling prices and tons sold. The
Group’s total tons sold were down 9% compared to the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Cat litter net sales were down approximately 17% compared to
the second quarter of fiscal 2009 due primarily to 11% lower tons
sold. The average net selling price declined in part due to increased
trade spending for product promotions, which are deducted from net
sales. As discussed in our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended July
31, 2009, Wal-Mart began to carry a reduced number of cat litter brands in
August 2009. The impact of this decision is reflected in the sales
decline of both our branded and private label cat litter. In a recent
development, Wal-Mart notified us that they are reinstating our branded
scoopable litter in a limited number of stores; however, the new store count
remains materially reduced from the store count at the end of fiscal
2009. Net sales of branded cat litter decreased 29% compared to the
second quarter of fiscal 2009 due primarily to 22% fewer tons
sold. Customer loyalty to our branded cat litter and increased trade
spending drove incremental sales at customers other than Wal-Mart, which
partially offset the overall sales decline. Net sales of private
label cat litter decreased 5% in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 due to 6%
fewer tons sold. Purchases by several of our larger private label
customers declined due to general economic condition and a continued overall
decline in the coarse cat litter category. Industrial absorbents net
sales decreased 6% compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2009 with 10% lower
volume due primarily to weak economic conditions in the manufacturing and
automotive industries.
The
Retail and Wholesale Products Group’s segment operating income for the second
quarter of fiscal 2010 was $3,116,000, a decrease of $937,000, or 23%, from
operating income of $4,053,000 in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. The Group’s combined freight, materials and packaging costs
decreased approximately 1% from the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Freight costs were down approximately 1% due primarily to lower
diesel fuel prices. Packaging costs decreased approximately 15% due
primarily to lower prices for resin and paper used in
packaging. Material costs increased 2% as the benefit of lower
energy-related costs in our mining and manufacturing processes was offset by the
negative cost impact of lower tons produced at some of our manufacturing
facilities. Selling, general and administrative expenses for the
Group were 1% higher compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2009.
20
CONSOLIDATED
RESULTS
Our
consolidated gross profit as a percentage of net sales for the second quarter of
fiscal 2010 was 23% compared to 20% in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Gross profit was positively impacted by lower costs for
freight, packaging, material and fuel used in our manufacturing
processes. The cost of fuel was 37% lower in the second quarter of
fiscal 2010 compared to the second quarter of fiscal 2009. We use
natural gas, fuel oil and coal in the manufacturing process to operate kilns
that dry our clay. As described in Item 3. Quantitative and
Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk below, we have contracted for a
portion of our planned fuel needs for fiscal 2010. Gross profit for
the second quarter of fiscal 2010 was negatively impacted by a 14% increase in
non-fuel manufacturing cost per ton produced, which includes depreciation and
amortization. This cost increase per ton was driven primarily by 7%
fewer tons produced and increased expenditures for benefits and
repairs. Many of the other non-fuel manufacturing costs were
relatively consistent with the second quarter of fiscal 2009 levels, despite the
reduced number of tons produced, due to their fixed nature.
Selling,
general and administrative expenses as a percentage of net sales for the second
quarter of fiscal 2010 were 17% compared to 14% in the second quarter of fiscal
2009. The discussions of the Groups’ operating income above describe
the fluctuation in the selling, general and administrative expenses that were
allocated to the operating segments. The remaining unallocated
corporate expenses in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 included a higher
estimated annual incentive plan bonus accrual. The higher incentive
bonus expense was based on performance targets that are established for each
fiscal year. The higher bonus expense was partially offset by reduced
spending for research and development as we moved further through the
development cycle for several new products.
Interest
expense was $137,000 less for the second quarter of fiscal 2010 compared to the
same period in fiscal 2009 due to continued debt reduction and capitalized
interest expense for a new product-related capital project. Interest
income was $62,000 lower in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 due to a lower
average interest rate.
Our
effective tax rate was 30% of pre-tax income in the second quarter of fiscal
2010, which brought our tax rate for the first six months of fiscal 2010 to
29%. The effective tax rate for fiscal 2010 is based on the projected
composition and level of our taxable income for the year and is comparable to
the 28% effective tax rate for the full year of fiscal 2009. The
percentage of income attributable to higher margin Business to Business Group
products is expected to be greater in fiscal 2010 compared to fiscal
2009.
FOREIGN
OPERATIONS
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the first six months of fiscal 2010 were
$7,462,000, an increase of 5% from net sales of $7,089,000 during the first six
months of fiscal 2009. Net sales by our foreign subsidiaries
represented 7% of our consolidated net sales during the first six months of
fiscal 2010 and 6% of our consolidated net sales during the first six months of
fiscal 2009. Net sales of our Canadian subsidiary increased due to
higher sales of both industrial products and cat litter, including sales to a
new customer. In addition, the Canadian Dollar was about 8% stronger
on average against the U.S. Dollar for the first six months of fiscal 2010
compared to the first six months of fiscal 2009, which resulted in higher sales
values after translation to U.S. Dollars. Net sales of industrial
absorbents by our United Kingdom subsidiary were down due primarily to the
continued slump in the manufacturing industry in its principal
market.
For the
first six months of fiscal 2010, our foreign subsidiaries reported net income of
$168,000, an increase of $601,000 from the $433,000 net loss reported in the
first six months of fiscal 2009. The increase in net income was due
in part to the higher sales for our Canadian subsidiary, which more than offset
the sales decline of our United Kingdom subsidiary. In addition, the
currency translation loss reported by our foreign operations in the first six
months of fiscal 2010 was significantly less than the loss reported in fiscal
2009. The British Pound declined significantly in value compared to
the U.S. Dollar during the first six months of fiscal 2009, which resulted in a
substantial currency translation loss; however, the average exchange rate for
the British Pound for the first six months of fiscal 2010 was approximately the
same as compared to the first six months of fiscal 2009.
21
Identifiable
assets of our foreign subsidiaries as of January 31, 2010 were $8,997,000
compared to $9,103,000 as of January 31, 2009. The decrease is
primarily due to lower accounts receivable and inventories that were partially
offset by higher cash and cash equivalents.
Net sales
by our foreign subsidiaries during the second quarter of fiscal 2010 were
$3,645,000, an increase of 13% from net sales of $3,219,000 during the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. Net sales by our foreign subsidiaries
represented 7% of our consolidated net sales during the second quarter of fiscal
2010 and 5% of our consolidated net sales during the second quarter of fiscal
2009. Net sales of our Canadian subsidiary increased due to higher
sales of both industrial products cat litter, including sales to a new
customer. Net sales of industrial absorbents by our United Kingdom
subsidiary were down due primarily to the continued slump in the manufacturing
industry in its principal market.
For the
second quarter of fiscal 2010, our foreign subsidiaries reported a net loss of
$132,000, an increase of $122,000 from the $254,000 net loss reported in the
second quarter of fiscal 2009. The increase in net income was due in
part to the higher sales for our Canadian subsidiary, which more than offset the
sales decline in our United Kingdom subsidiary. In addition, in the
second quarter of fiscal 2010 we did not incur a significant currency
translation loss that was reported by our foreign operations in the second
quarter of fiscal 2009. Compared to the U.S. Dollar, the average
value of the Canadian Dollar was about 14% higher and the average value of the
British Pound was about 10% higher in the second quarter of fiscal 2010 compared
to the second quarter of fiscal 2009.
LIQUIDITY AND CAPITAL
RESOURCES
Our
principal capital requirements include funding working capital needs, the
purchasing and upgrading of real estate, equipment and facilities, funding new
product development and investing in infrastructure and potential
acquisitions. We principally have used cash generated from operations
and, to the extent needed, issuance of debt securities and borrowings under our
credit facilities to fund these requirements. Cash and cash
equivalents increased $9,025,000 during the first six months of fiscal 2010 to
$20,864,000 at January 31, 2010.
The
following table sets forth certain elements of our unaudited condensed
consolidated statements of cash flows (in thousands):
Six
Months Ended
|
||||||||
January
31, 2010
|
January
31, 2009
|
|||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
$ | 13,763 | $ | 1,946 | ||||
Net
cash used in investing activities
|
(2,476 | ) | (1,215 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(2,266 | ) | (6,405 | ) | ||||
Effect
of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
|
4 | 1,098 | ||||||
Net
increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
$ | 9,025 | $ | (4,576 | ) |
Net
cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Net cash
provided by operations was $13,763,000 for the first six months of fiscal 2010,
compared to $1,946,000 for the first six months of fiscal 2009. The
increase was due primarily to changes in working capital that offset lower net
income. For the first six months of fiscal years 2010 and 2009, the
primary components of working capital that impacted operating cash flows were as
follows:
Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts, decreased $1,790,000 in the
first six months of fiscal 2010 due to lower sales in the second quarter of
fiscal 2010 compared to sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2009. Accounts
receivable, less allowance for doubtful accounts, increased $16,000 in the first
six months of fiscal 2009. Net sales in the second quarter of
fiscal 2009 were slightly lower than net sales in the fourth quarter of fiscal
2008. The change in both periods is also subject to timing of sales
and collections and the payment terms provided to various
customers. The quality of our accounts receivable in terms of aging
and days sales outstanding has improved as of January 31, 2010 compared to
January 31, 2009.
Inventories
decreased $810,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to an
increase of $1,491,000 in the same period in fiscal 2009. Packaging
inventories decreased in the first six months of fiscal 2010 primarily due to
lower sales requirements and lower costs. Supplies inventories
decreased due to the adjustment of an overstatement described in Note 2 of the
notes to the consolidated financial statements. In the first six
months of fiscal 2009, finished goods and packaging inventories increased due
primarily to higher costs and increased tons in inventory to cover downtime for
planned maintenance.
22
Other
liabilities increased $893,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared
to an increase of $914,000 in the same period of fiscal
2009. Accruals for postretirement benefits increased during the first
six months of both fiscal years. The change in other liabilities also
included the effect of currency exchange rate fluctuations on the liabilities of
our foreign subsidiaries. The fluctuation in the relative value of
the U.S. Dollar to both the British Pound and the Canadian Dollar was less for
the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to the same period of fiscal
2009.
Accrued
expenses increased $783,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to a
decrease of $2,784,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. Accrued expenses included the discretionary bonus
accrual. The bonus accrual net changed in both years by the payout of
the prior fiscal year’s bonus accrual less the current fiscal year’s first six
month bonus accrual. The net decrease in the first six months of
fiscal 2009 was significantly greater than in the first six months of fiscal
2010 due to a higher payout and a lower accrual. Accrued freight and
other accrued expenses increased in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared
to a decrease in the first six months of fiscal 2009 due primarily to the timing
of payments.
Deferred
compensation increased $388,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared
to an increase of $119,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. The increase in both years is due to continued employee
deferrals and interest on accumulated deferred compensation balances in excess
of payouts.
Other
assets decreased $329,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to an
increase of $1,321,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009. The
change in other assets included 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 significantly less for the first six months of fiscal
2010 compared to the same period of fiscal 2009.
Accounts
payable increased $285,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to a
decrease of $972,000 in the same period in fiscal 2009. Both years
were subject to normal fluctuations in the timing of payments.
Prepaid
expenses decreased $109,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010 compared to
an increase of $803,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2009. Prepaid repair expense decreased in the first six months of
fiscal 2010 compared to an increase in the first six months of fiscal 2009 due
to the timing of repairs and the implementation of a new process during fiscal
2009 to manage spare parts inventory. The timing of insurance premium
payments also resulted in an increase in prepaid expenses in both
years.
Net
cash used in investing activities
Cash used
in investing activities was $2,813,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010
compared to $1,215,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009. Cash
used for capital expenditures of $4,818,000 in the first six months of fiscal
2010 included approximately $2,300,000 to purchase approximately 800 acres of
land purchased near our Georgia production plant, which we believe contain
deposits of high quality mineral reserves. Capital expenditures of
$7,757,000 in the same period of fiscal 2009 included capital projects related
to new product development at our manufacturing facilities. In the
first six months of fiscal 2010, net cash provided by dispositions of investment
securities was $2,005,000 compared to $6,531,000 in the first six months of
fiscal 2009. In the first six months of fiscal 2009, more cash was
needed to fund capital expenditures and payments on long-term debt compared to
the first six months of fiscal 2010. Purchases and dispositions of
investment securities in both periods are subject to variations in the timing of
investment maturities. In addition, in the first six months of fiscal
2010 we received $337,000 from the sale of land and buildings at our United
Kingdom subsidiary.
Net
cash used in financing activities
Cash used
in financing activities was $2,266,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2010
compared to $6,405,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2009. Cash
used for payment of long-term debt in the first six months of fiscal 2010 was
$3,880,000 less than in the first six months of fiscal 2009. In
addition, $111,000 less cash was used to purchase treasury stock in the first
six months of fiscal 2010 compared to the same period in fiscal
2009. Conversely, cash used for dividend payments were $153,000
higher in the first six months of fiscal 2010 due to a dividend
increase.
Other
Total
cash and investment balances held by our foreign subsidiaries at January 31,
2010 and 2009 were $1,490,000 and $1,262,000, respectively. Our
foreign subsidiaries’ cash and investment balances increased during fiscal 2010
as a result of increased profitability.
23
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,
2010, the value of these guarantees was $257,000 of lease
liabilities.
Our
$15,000,000 unsecured revolving credit agreement with Harris N.A. (“Harris”) is
effective until December 31, 2011. The credit agreement 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, 2010, the variable rates would have been 3.25% for the Harris’ prime-based
rate or 1.23% for the LIBOR-based rate. The credit agreement contains
restrictive covenants that, among other things and under various conditions
(including a limitation on capital expenditures), 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, 2010 and 2009, there were
no outstanding borrowings 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 and debt
service obligations for at least the next 12 months. We expect cash
requirements for capital expenditures in fiscal 2010 to decrease from fiscal
2009 due primarily to completion of certain capital projects at our
manufacturing facilities. Our capital requirements are subject to
change as business conditions warrant and opportunities arise. 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.
The
tables in the following subsection summarize our contractual obligations and
commercial commitments at January 31, 2010 for the time frames
indicated.
CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS AND
COMMERCIAL COMMITMENTS
Payments
Due by Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
Less
Than 1 Year
|
1
– 3 Years
|
4
– 5 Years
|
After
5 Years
|
|||||||||||||||
Long-Term
Debt
|
$ | 21,300,000 | $ | 4,500,000 | $ | 7,900,000 | $ | 8,500,000 | $ | 400,000 | ||||||||||
Interest
on Long-Term Debt
|
3,624,000 | 1,209,000 | 1,676,000 | 715,000 | 24,000 | |||||||||||||||
Capital
Leases
|
106,000 | 49,000 | 57,000 | |||||||||||||||||
Operating
Leases
|
12,927,000 | 2,710,000 | 3,514,000 | 2,463,000 | 4,240,000 | |||||||||||||||
Unconditional
Purchase Obligations
|
3,553,000 | 2,874,000 | 679,000 | -- | -- | |||||||||||||||
Total
Contractual Cash Obligations
|
$ | 41,510,000 | $ | 11,342,000 | $ | 13,826,000 | $ | 11,678,000 | $ | 4,664,000 |
We plan
to make a contribution to our defined benefit pension plan in fiscal 2010 of
approximately $900,000. We have not presented this obligation 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, 2010, 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.
The
unconditional purchase obligations include forward purchase contracts we have
entered into for a portion of our natural gas fuel needs for fiscal 2010 and
2011. As of January 31, 2009, the remaining purchase obligation for
fiscal 2010 was $2,189,000 for 290,000 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.
24
Amount
of Commitment Expiration Per Period
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Total
|
Less
Than 1 Year
|
1
– 3 Years
|
4
– 5 Years
|
After
5 Years
|
||||||||||||||||
Other
Commercial Commitments
|
$ | 27,800,000 | $ | 21,389,000 | $ | 5,631,000 | $ | 780,000 | $ | -- |
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, 2009 filed with
the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is incorporated by reference in
this Form 10-Q.
Recently
Adopted Accounting Standards
For this
Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending January 31, 2010 we adopted
the FASB guidance issued in February 2010 under ASC 855-10 Subsequent
Events. This guidance amended several definitions and removed
the requirement for an SEC filer to disclose the date through which subsequent
events have been evaluated. The adoption of this guidance resulted in
revised disclosures and had no impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
Recently
Issued Accounting Standards
In
December 2008, the FASB issued guidance under ASC 715-20 Compensation – Retirement Benefits
that will require expanded disclosure for employers’ pension and other
postretirement benefit plan assets fair value measurements, investment policies
and strategies for the major categories of plan assets and significant
concentrations of risk within plan assets. The adoption of the
guidance will result in enhanced disclosures in our fiscal 2010 Annual Report on
Form 10-K, but will have no impact on our consolidated financial
statements.
In
January 2010, the FASB issued guidance under ASC 820-10 Fair Value Measurements and
Disclosures: Improving Disclosures about Fair Value Measurements that
will require new disclosures and provides clarification of existing disclosures
about fair value measurements. Adoption of certain provisions related
to the reconciliation of changes in fair value measurements using significant
unobservable inputs will result in enhanced disclosures in our Quarterly Report
on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending October 31, 2010. Other
provisions of this guidance will require enhanced disclosures for fair value
measurements in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ending April
30, 2010. Adoption of this guidance in either period affects
disclosures only and will have no impact 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 interest rate swap agreements as of January
31, 2010. 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 not material to our consolidated financial statements.
25
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. The decline in the equity markets resulted in a
lower value of our pension plan assets as of July 31, 2009. The lower
asset value increased our expense for fiscal 2010 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 using forward purchase
contracts to mitigate the volatility of our kiln fuel prices. As of
January 31, 2010, we have purchased natural gas contracts representing
approximately 45% of our planned kiln fuel needs for fiscal 2010. We
estimate the weighted average cost of these natural gas contracts in fiscal 2010
to be approximately 38% lower than the contracts in fiscal 2009; however, this
average will change if we continue to buy natural gas contracts. We
have also purchased contracts for a portion of our fuel requirements for fiscal
2011 to take advantage of declines in natural gas prices. All
contracts are related to the normal course of business and no contracts are
entered into for speculative purposes.
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, 2010, 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 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, 2010.
Commodity
Price Sensitivity
Natural
Gas Future Contracts
For
the Six Months Ending July 31, 2010
|
||||||||
Expected
2010 Maturity
|
Fair
Value
|
|||||||
Natural
Gas Future Volumes (MMBtu)
|
290,000 | -- | ||||||
Weighted
Average Price (Per MMBtu)
|
$ | 7.55 | -- | |||||
Contract
Amount ($ U.S., in thousands)
|
$ | 2,189.0 | $ | 1,406.1 |
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 | $ | 862.8 |
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.
26
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 such information
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, 2010 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.
27
PART
II – OTHER INFORMATION
Items 1,
1A, 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
2. UNREGISTERED SALES OF EQUITY SECURITIES AND USE OF
PROCEEDS
During
the three months ended January 31, 2010, 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, 2010
|
(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, 2009 to
|
||||
November
30, 2009
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
272,243
|
December
1, 2009 to
|
||||
December
31, 2009
|
--
|
--
|
--
|
272,243
|
January
1, 2010 to
|
||||
January
31, 2010
|
34,000
|
$15.83
|
34,000
|
238,243
|
1 The
table summarizes repurchases of (and remaining authority to repurchase) shares
of our Common Stock. We did not repurchase any shares of our Class B
Stock during the period in question, and no shares of our Class A Common Stock
are currently outstanding. Descriptions of our Common Stock, Class B
Stock and Class A Common Stock are contained in Note 7 of the consolidated
financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended July 31, 2009 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.
28
ITEM
4. SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY
HOLDERS
On
December 8, 2009, we held our 2009 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 7,112,985
shares of Common Stock and Class B Stock were eligible to cast a total of
24,352,125 votes. At the meeting, shares representing a total of
22,791,042 votes were present in person or by proxy.
Director
|
Votes
For
|
Votes
Withheld
|
||||||
J.
Steven Cole
|
22,650,671 | 140,371 | ||||||
Arnold
W. Donald
|
22,631,269 | 159,773 | ||||||
Daniel
S. Jaffee
|
21,726,367 | 1,064,675 | ||||||
Richard
M. Jaffee
|
21,708,104 | 1,082,938 | ||||||
Joseph
C. Miller
|
21,634,019 | 1,157,023 | ||||||
Michael
A. Nemeroff
|
21,027,664 | 1,763,378 | ||||||
Allan
H. Selig
|
22,632,428 | 158,614 | ||||||
Paul
E. Suckow
|
22,659,749 | 131,293 |
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, 2010 was
ratified by receiving 22,737,155 votes of a total 22,791,042 eligible votes,
with 37,349 votes against and 16,538 votes to abstain.
ITEM
6. EXHIBITS
(a)
|
EXHIBITS:
|
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
SEC Document Reference
|
|
10.1
|
Letter
Agreement, dated as of January 11, 2010, between Oil-Dri Corporation of
America and Brian K. Bancroft.*
|
Incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Oil-Dri’s (File No. 001-12622) Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on January 12, 2010.
|
|
Statement
re: Computation of Earnings per Share.
|
Filed
herewith.
|
||
Certifications
pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a).
|
Filed
herewith.
|
||
Certifications
pursuant to Section 1350 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
Furnished
herewith.
|
||
*
|
Management
contract or compensatory plan or
arrangement.
|
29
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, 2010
30
EXHIBITS
Exhibit No.
|
Description
|
10.11
|
Letter
Agreement, dated as of January 11, 2010, between Oil-Dri Corporation of
America and Brian K. Bancroft.*
|
Statement
re: Computation of Earnings per Share.
|
|
Certifications
pursuant to Rule 13a – 14(a).
|
|
Certifications
pursuant to Section 1350 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002.
|
|
*
|
Management
contract or compensatory plan or arrangement.
|
1
|
Incorporated
by reference to Exhibit 10.1 to Oil-Dri’s (File No. 001-12622) Current
Report on Form 8-K filed on January 12,
2010.
|
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, by
telephone (312) 321-1515 or by e-mail to
info@oildri.com.
|
31