VALUE LINE INC - Annual Report: 2006 (Form 10-K)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-K
(Mark
One)
x |
ANNUAL
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
ACT OF
1934
|
For
the
fiscal year ended April
30, 2006
or
o |
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: 0-11306
VALUE
LINE, INC.
(Exact
name of registrant as specified in its charter)
New
York
|
13-3139843
|
|
(State
or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)
|
(I.R.S.
Employer Identification No.)
|
220
East 42nd Street, New York, New York
|
10017-5891
|
|
(Address
of principal executive offices)
|
(Zip
Code)
|
Registrant's
telephone number, including area code (212)
907-1500
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Securities
registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:
Common
Stock, $.10 par value
(Title
of
class)
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined
in
Rule 405 of the Securities Act. o Yes x
No
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to
Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. o Yes x
No
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 (or for such shorter period
that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject
to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. x
Yes
o No
Indicate
by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of
Regulations S-K (§229.405 of this chapter) is not contained herein, and will not
be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, indefinitive proxy or
information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K
or any amendment to this Form 10-K. x
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated
filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check
one):
Large
accelerated filer o
Accelerated filer o
Non-accelerated filer x
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
The
aggregate market value of the registrant's voting and non-voting common stock
held by non-affiliates at October 31, 2005, was $52,672,152.
There
were 9,981,600 shares of the registrant’s Common Stock outstanding at June 30,
2006.
DOCUMENTS
INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
None
Part
I
Item
1.
BUSINESS.
Value
Line, Inc. (the "Company"), a New York corporation, was organized in 1982 and
is
the successor to substantially all of the operations of Arnold Bernhard &
Company, Inc. ("AB&Co."). As of June 30, 2006, AB & Co. owned
approximately 86.5% of the Company’s issued and outstanding common
stock.
The
Company's primary businesses are producing investment related periodical
publications through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Value Line Publishing, Inc.
("VLP"), and providing investment advisory services to mutual funds,
institutions and individual accounts. VLP publishes in both print and electronic
formats The Value Line Investment SurveyÒ,
one of
the nation's major periodical investment services, as well as The Value Line
Investment Survey - Small and Mid-Cap Edition, The Value Line 600, Value Line
Select, The Value Line Mutual Fund Survey, The Value Line No-Load Fund Advisor,
The Value Line Special Situations Service, The Value Line Daily Options Survey
and The Value Line Convertibles Survey. VLP also provides current and historical
financial databases which include DataFile, Estimates & Projections,
Convertibles and Mutual Funds in standard computer formats. The Company also
markets investment analysis software which includes The Value Line Investment
Analyzer, Value Line ETF Survey, Mutual Fund Survey for
Windows®,
Value
Line Daily Options Survey, Value Line Electronic Convertibles and Value Line
Research Center. These electronic products are available on CD-ROM and/or on
the
Company’s internet site,
www.valueline.com.
The
Company's print and electronic services are marketed from time to time through
media, direct mail and the internet to retail and institutional
investors.
The
Company is the investment adviser for the Value Line Family of Mutual Funds
(“Value Line Funds”), which on April 30, 2006 included 14 open-end investment
companies with various investment objectives. In addition, the Company manages
investments for private and institutional clients. The Company is registered
with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an investment adviser under
the
Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
In
addition to Value Line Publishing, the Company's other wholly-owned subsidiaries
include Value Line Securities, Inc., Vanderbilt Advertising Agency, Inc.,
Compupower Corporation and Value Line Distribution Center (“VLDC”). Value Line
Securities, Inc. is a registered broker-dealer and distributor to the Value
Line
Funds. Vanderbilt Advertising Agency, Inc. places advertising on behalf of
the
Company and its subsidiaries’ businesses. Compupower Corporation serves the
subscription fulfillment needs of the VLP’s publishing operations. VLDC
primarily handles all of the mailings of the publications to VLP’s subscribers.
Additionally, VLDC is a disaster recovery site for the New York operations.
The
name "Value Line," as used to describe the Company, its products, and its
subsidiaries, is a registered trademark of the Company.
-2-
A. |
Investment
Information Periodicals and
Publications.
|
VLP
publishes investment periodicals, related publications and produces electronic
products described below:
l. |
Periodicals
and Publications:
|
The
Value Line Investment Survey®
The
Value
Line Investment Survey is a weekly investment related periodical that in
addition to various timely articles on current economic, financial and
investment matters ranks common stocks for future relative performance based
primarily on computer-generated statistics of financial results and
stock price performance. Two of the more important evaluations for each
stock covered are "Timeliness(tm)"
and
"Safety(tm).”
Timeliness(tm)
relates
to the probable relative price performance of one stock over the next six to
twelve months, as compared to the rest of the approximately 1,700 covered
stocks. Rankings are updated each week and range from Rank 1 for the expected
best performing stocks to Rank 5 for the expected poorest performers. "Safety"
Ranks are a measure of risk and are based on the issuer's relative financial
strength and its stock's price stability. "Safety" ranges from Rank 1 for the
least risky stocks to Rank 5 for the riskiest. VLP employs analysts and
statisticians who prepare articles of interest for each periodical and who
evaluate stock performance and provide future earnings estimates and quarterly
written evaluations with more frequent updates when relevant.
The
Value Line Investment Survey - Small and Mid-Cap Edition
The
Value
Line Investment Survey - Small and Mid-Cap Edition is a weekly publication
introduced in 1995 that provides detailed descriptions of approximately 1,800
small- and medium-capitalization stocks, many listed on NASDAQ, beyond the
approximately 1,700 stocks of larger-capitalization companies traditionally
covered in The Value Line Investment Survey - Standard Edition. Like The Value
Line Investment Survey, the Small and Mid-Cap Edition has its own "Summary
&
Index" providing updated performance ranks and other data, as well as "screens"
of key financial performance measures. The "Ratings and Reports" section,
providing updated reports on about 140 stocks each week, has been organized
to
correspond closely to the industries reviewed in the Standard Edition of The
Value Line Investment Survey. A combined Index, published quarterly, allows
the
subscriber to easily locate a specific stock among the approximately 3,500
stocks covered.
The
Small
and Mid-Cap Edition includes a number of unique as well as standard features.
One unique feature, The Performance Ranking System, incorporates many of the
elements of the Value Line Timeliness(tm)
Ranking
System, modified to accommodate the approximate 1,800 stocks in the Small and
Mid-Cap Edition. The Performance(tm)
Rank is
based on earnings growth and price momentum and is designed to predict relative
price performance over the next six to twelve months.
The
principal difference between the Small and Mid-Cap Edition and The Value Line
Investment Survey’s Standard Edition is that the Small and Mid-Cap Edition does
not include Value Line’s financial forecasts or analysts' comments or a
Selection & Opinion section. These modifications allow VLP to offer this
service at a relatively low price.
The
Value Line Mutual Fund Survey
The
Value
Line Mutual Fund Survey is published once every three weeks and was introduced
in 1993. It provides full-page profiles of about 700 mutual funds and condensed
coverage of more than 1,250 funds. Every three weeks subscribers receive an
updated issue, containing over 200 fund reports, plus a "Performance &
Index" providing current rankings and performance figures for the full universe
of more than 2,000 funds, as well
as
articles on investment trends and issues concerning mutual fund investors.
Funds
are ranked for both risk and overall risk-adjusted performance using strictly
quantitative means. The Value Line Mutual Fund Survey also includes annual
profiles and analyses on 100 of the nation's major fund families.
-3-
The
Value Line No-Load Fund Advisor
The
Value
Line No-Load Fund Advisor is a 36-page monthly newsletter for investors who
wish
to manage their own portfolios of no- and low-load, open-end mutual funds.
It
was introduced in 1994. Each issue features strategies for maximizing total
return, and model portfolios for a range of investor profiles. It also includes
information about retirement planning, industry news, and specific fund reviews.
A full statistical review, including latest performance, rankings and sector
weightings, is updated each month on 600 leading no-load and low-load
funds.
The
Value Line Special Situations Service
The
Value
Line Special Situations Service, published twice a month, concentrates on
fast-growing, smaller companies whose stocks are perceived by VLP analysts
as
having exceptional appreciation potential. It was introduced in
1951.
The
Value Line Daily Options Survey
The
Value
Line Daily Options Survey, a semi-monthly service published 24 times a year,
evaluates and ranks the expected performance of the most active options listed
on United States exchanges (approximately 130,000). It was introduced in 1973.
An electronic version of this publication, The Value Line Daily Options Survey
(available over the Internet), was introduced during fiscal 1995. An enhanced
version was introduced in 2002. Features include an interactive database and
a
new spreadsheet.
The
Value Line Convertibles Survey
The
Value
Line Convertibles Survey, a semi-monthly service published 24 times a year,
evaluates and ranks approximately 660 convertible securities (bonds and
preferred stocks) and approximately 100 warrants for future market performance.
It was introduced in 1972. The information is also available
online.
Value
Line Select
Value
Line Select, a monthly publication, was first published in 1998. As a stock
recommendation service with an exclusive circulation, it focuses each month
on
one company that VLP analysts, economists and statisticians recommend as an
investment. Recommendations are backed by in-depth research and are subject
to
ongoing monitoring.
The
Value Line 600
The
Value
Line 600 is a monthly service, which contains full-page reports on approximately
600 stocks. Its reports provide information on many actively traded, larger
capitalization issues as well as some smaller growth stocks. Since it was
introduced in fiscal 1996, it has proven to be popular among investors who
want
the same type of analysis provided in the full Investment Survey, but who don’t
want or need coverage of the large number of companies contained in that
publication. Readers also receive supplemental reports as well as a monthly
Index, which includes updated statistics.
2.
|
Electronic
and Internet Products:
|
Value
Line Publishing products and services are available from the Company’s Web
site
www.valueline.com.
The
site includes a multimedia section that features daily market reports and
updates on stocks, options, mutual funds and convertibles as well as webcasting
of daily analyst commentary and developments on companies in the news. In
addition, the Company’s Web site includes tools to chart and filter stocks and
mutual funds along with tools to build a portfolio, customize a report and
receive Value Line Publishing reports.
-4-
Value
Line Investment Analyzer
Value
Line Investment Analyzer on CD-ROM is a powerful menu-driven software program
with fast filtering, ranking, reporting and graphing capabilities utilizing
over
350 data fields for about 8,000 stocks, industries and indices, including the
1,700 stocks covered in VLP’s benchmark publication, The Value Line Investment
Survey. The product was introduced in June 1996 and permits users to update
data
from the Internet.
Value
Line Investment Analyzer provides over 350 data fields and more than 200
charting and graphing variables for comparative research. In addition to
containing digital replicas of the entire Value Line Investment Survey, the
Analyzer includes daily data updates through its seamless integration with
the
Value Line databases via a secure Internet connection. The software includes
a
portfolio module that lets users create and track their own stock portfolios
and
up to ten years of historical financial data for scrutinizing performance,
risk,
yield and return.
Value
Line Mutual Fund Survey for Windows®
Value
Line Mutual Fund Survey for
Windows®,
a
monthly
CD-ROM product with weekly internet updates, is the electronic version of The
Value Line Mutual Fund Survey. The program features powerful sorting and
filtering analysis tools. It includes features, such as style attribution
analysis, a portfolio stress tester, portfolio rebalancing, correlation of
fund
returns and hypothetical assets. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft
Corp. Value Line, Inc. and Microsoft Corp. are not affiliated
companies.
Value
Line DataFile
Value
Line DataFile contains current and historic annual and quarterly financial
records for about 8,500 active companies and over 5,000 companies that no longer
exist in numerous industries, including air transport, industrial services,
beverage, machinery, bank, insurance and finance, savings and loan associations,
toys, and securities brokers. DataFile has over 400 annual and over 80 quarterly
fields for each of the companies included in the database. DataFile is sold
to
the institutional market. Value Line DataFile II, which includes less historical
data, is also available. This version complies with Microsoft Access format
for
small businesses. During fiscal 1997, VLP introduced the Value Line Mutual
Fund
DataFile. It covers about 13,000 mutual funds with up to 20 years of historical
data with almost 200 data fields. VLP also offers an Estimates and Projections
File, with year-ahead and three- to five-year estimates of financial data and
projections of stock-price ranges on companies covered in The Value Line
Investment Survey, as well as a Convertible Securities File and custom
services.
The
Total Return Service
The
Total
Return Service is a customized data service. It was developed to help publicly
traded companies meet the SEC's mandated stock performance disclosure
requirements. The service consists of a line graph comparing the total return
of
a public company's stock over the last five years to a broad market equity
index
and a published or constructed industry index.
The
Value Line Research Center
The
Value
Line Research Center, an internet-only service, provides on-line access to
certain of VLP’s leading publications covering stocks, mutual funds, and options
and convertible securities as well as special situation stocks. This service
includes full subscriptions to The Value Line Investment Survey, The Value
Line
Mutual Fund Survey, The Value Line Daily Options Survey, The Value Line
Investment Survey - Small and Mid-Cap Edition, The Value Line Convertibles
Survey, The Value Line Special Situations Service and Value Line ETF
Survey.
-5-
3. |
Licensing
Programs
|
The
Company has licensed for fees certain trademarks and proprietary information
for
a series of products, including unit investment trusts, closed-end funds and
exchange traded funds. The sponsors of these products typically act as
wholesalers and distribute the products by syndicating them through an extensive
network of national and regional brokerage firms. Such a broad marketing network
is assembled and re-assembled each time that a product is introduced into the
retail marketplace by a licensed product sponsor.
The
sponsors of these various products will typically license one or more
proprietary ranking systems, which may include Value Line Timeliness™, Safety™,
Technical™ and Performance™ ranks, as screens for their portfolios. The sponsors
are also given permission to associate Value Line trademarks with the products.
Value Line collects a licensing fee from each of the product sponsors/managers
primarily based upon the market value of assets invested in each product’s
portfolio. Since these fees are based on the daily market value of the
respective portfolio, the payments to Value Line, which are typically received
on a quarterly basis, will fluctuate.
Total
assets within the series of licensing products at April 30, 2006,
were:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
Unit
Investment Trusts
|
$
|
4,200,000
|
||
Closed-end
Funds
|
$
|
1,100,000
|
||
Exchange
Traded Fund
|
$
|
160,000
|
||
Other
|
$
|
800,000
|
||
$
|
6,260,000
|
The
closed end funds are listed on the American Stock Exchange and trade under
the
symbols FVL, FVD and FVI. The exchange traded fund is listed on the American
Stock Exchange and trades under the symbol PIV.
B. |
Investment
Management.
|
As
of
April 30, 2006, the Company was the investment adviser for 14 mutual funds
registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Value Line Securities,
Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, acts as principal underwriter
and distributor for the Value Line Funds. State Street Bank and Trust Company,
an unaffiliated entity, acts as custodian of the Funds' assets and provides
fund
accounting and administrative services to the Value Line Funds. Shareholder
services for the Value Line Funds are provided by Boston Financial Data
Services.
-6-
Total
net
assets of the Value Line Funds at April 30, 2006, were:
(in
thousands)
|
||||
The
Value Line Fund, Inc.
|
$
|
233,250
|
||
Value
Line Income and Growth Fund, Inc.
|
340,626
|
|||
The
Value Line Premier Growth Fund, Inc.
|
494,566
|
|||
Value
Line Larger Companies Fund, Inc.
|
327,697
|
|||
The
Value Line Cash Fund, Inc.
|
166,142
|
|||
Value
Line U.S. Government Securities Fund, Inc.
|
100,158
|
|||
Value
Line Centurion Fund, Inc.
|
343,631
|
|||
The
Value Line Tax Exempt Fund, Inc.
|
112,617
|
|||
Value
Line Convertible Fund, Inc.
|
36,505
|
|||
Value
Line Aggressive Income Trust
|
41,328
|
|||
Value
Line New York Tax Exempt Trust
|
23,414
|
|||
Value
Line Strategic Asset Management Trust
|
711,438
|
|||
Value
Line Emerging Opportunities Fund, Inc.
|
695,795
|
|||
Value
Line Asset Allocation Fund, Inc.
|
143,288
|
|||
$
|
3,770,455
|
Advisory
fee rates vary among the funds and may be subject to certain limitations. Each
mutual fund may use "Value Line" in its name only so long as the Company acts
as
its investment adviser.
Value
Line Asset Management ("VLAM"), a division of the Company, manages pension
funds
and institutional and individual portfolios. VLAM has investment advisory
agreements with its clients, which call for payments to the Company calculated
on the basis of the market value of the assets under management. VLAM engages
third party solicitors who are paid ongoing fees based on the market value
of
assets raised by their efforts.
C. |
Other
Businesses
|
Value
Line Arithmetic Composite and Value Line Geometric Composite
Value
Line Publishing publishes the Value Line Arithmetic Composite and the Value
Line
Geometric Composite, daily indices of the stock market performance of the
approximately 1,700 common stocks contained in The Value Line Investment Survey.
The calculation of both indices is done by a third party. VLP receives fees
in
connection with these activities.
D. |
Wholly-Owned
Operating Subsidiaries.
|
1. |
Vanderbilt
Advertising Agency, Inc.:
|
Vanderbilt
Advertising Agency, Inc. ("Vanderbilt") places advertising for the Company's
publications, investment advisory services, and mutual funds. Commission income
generated by Vanderbilt serves to reduce VLP’s advertising
expenses.
-7-
2. |
Compupower
Corporation:
|
Compupower
provides computerized subscription fulfillment services and subscriber relations
services for VLP publications.
3. |
Value
Line Securities, Inc.:
|
Value
Line Securities, Inc. ("VLS") is registered as a broker-dealer under the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is a member of the National Association
of
Securities Dealers, Inc. VLS acts as the underwriter and distributor of the
Value Line Funds with the exception of the Strategic Asset Management and
Centurion Funds, which are available through Guardian Insurance Company. Shares
of the Value Line Funds are sold to the public without a sales charge (i.e.,
on
a "no-load" basis). VLS receives service and distribution fees, pursuant to
SEC
rule 12b-1, from certain Value Line Funds, which are used to offset marketing
and distribution costs for these funds. During certain periods prior to December
2004, VLS earned brokerage commission income on securities transactions executed
by VLS on behalf of the funds that were cleared on a fully disclosed basis
through non-affiliated brokers who received a portion of the gross commission.
VLS in November 2004 suspended execution of trades through VLS for any of the
Value Line Funds.
4. |
Value
Line Distribution Center, Inc.:
|
Value
Line Distribution Center, Inc. (“VLDC”) primarily handles all of the mailings of
the publications to VLP’s subscribers. Additionally, VLDC provides office space
for the Compupower Corporation’s subscriber relations and data processing
departments, and provides a disaster recovery site for the New York
operations.
E. |
Investments.
|
From
time
to time, the Company invests in certain of the Value Line Funds, fixed income
government obligations and other marketable securities.
F. |
Employees.
|
At
April
30, 2006, the Company and its subsidiaries employed 228 people.
The
Company, its affiliates, officers, directors and employees may from time to
time
own securities which are also held in the portfolios of the Value Line Funds
or
recommended in the Company's publications. Analysts covering stocks may not
own
stocks they cover. The Company has adopted rules requiring monthly reports
of
securities transactions by employees for their respective accounts and
restricting trading in various types of securities in order to avoid possible
conflicts of interest.
G. |
Principal
Business Segments.
|
The
information with respect to revenues from external customers and profit and
loss
of the Company's identifiable principal business segments is incorporated herein
by reference to Note 9 of the Notes to the Company's Consolidated Financial
Statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.
-8-
The
Company's assets identifiable to each of its principal business segments were
as
follows:
April
30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||
Investment
Periodicals, Related
|
||||||||||
Publications
and Licensing
|
$
|
14,861
|
$
|
14,871
|
$
|
14,592
|
||||
Investment
Management
|
81,762
|
44,409
|
74,786
|
|||||||
Corporate
Assets(1)
|
22,591
|
39,585
|
177,546
|
|||||||
$
|
119,214
|
$
|
98,865
|
$
|
266,924
|
|||||
(1) |
Corporate
Assets increased to $177,546,000 at April 30, 2004 in preparation
for
payment in May 2004 of the Company’s ordinary dividend of $.25 per share
and a special dividend declared by the Board of Directors during
April
2004 of $17.50 per share.
|
H. |
Competition.
|
The
investment management and the investment information and publications industries
are very competitive. There are many competing firms and a wide variety of
product offerings. Some of the firms in these industries are substantially
larger and have greater financial resources than the Company. VLP believes
that
it is one of the nation’s largest independent securities research organizations
and that it publishes one of the nation's largest investment periodical services
in terms of number of subscriptions, annual revenues and number of equity
research analysts.
I. |
Executive
Officers of the Registrant.
|
The
following table lists the names, ages (at June 30, 2006), and principal
occupations and employment during the past five years of the Company's Executive
Officers. All officers are elected to terms of office for one year. Except
as
noted, each of the following has held an executive position with the companies
indicated for at least five years.
-9-
Name
|
Age
|
Principal
Occupation or Employment
|
||
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
|
71
|
Chairman
of the Board, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Company
and
AB&Co. Chairman of the Board and President of each of the Value Line
Funds.
|
||
Samuel
Eisenstadt
|
84
|
Senior
Vice President and Research Chairman.
|
||
Howard
A. Brecher
|
52
|
Vice
President and Secretary; Assistant Treasurer and Assistant Secretary
of
each of the Value Line Funds since 2005; Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer and General Counsel of AB&Co.
|
||
David
T. Henigson
|
48
|
Vice
President; Chief Compliance Officer; Vice President, Secretary, and
Chief
Compliance Officer of each of the Value Line Funds; Vice President
of
AB&Co.
|
||
Stephen
R. Anastasio
|
47
|
Treasurer
of the Company and each of the Value Line Funds since September 2005;
Chief Financial Officer from 2003 to September 2005; Corporate Controller
until 2003.
|
||
Mitchell
E. Appel
|
35
|
Chief
Financial Officer since September 2005; Treasurer from June to September
2005; Chief Financial Officer, Circle Trust Company from January
2003 to
May 2005; Vice President - Finance, Orbitex Financial Services Group
and
Treasurer of Orbitex Group of Funds from 2000 to
2002.
|
WEB
SITE
ACCESS TO SEC REPORTS
The
Company’s Web site address is www.valueline.com.
The
Company’s annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current
reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to these reports are available free
of
charge on the Financial Info page of the Company’s Web site as soon as
reasonably practicable after the reports are filed electronically with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. Company filings are also available on the
SEC Web site, www.sec.gov
as soon
as reasonably practicable after electronic filing.
ITEM
1A.
RISK FACTORS
In
addition to the risks referred to elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K,
the following risks, among others, sometimes may have affected, and in the
future could affect, the Company and its subsidiaries’ business, financial
condition or results of operations. The risks described below are not the only
ones facing the Company and its subsidiaries. Additional risks not discussed
or
not presently known to the Company or that the Company currently deems
insignificant may also impact its business, brand and stock price.
The
Company and its subsidiaries are dependent on key
personnel.
The
Company and its subsidiaries rely on the efforts of its officers and
professional staff. Its future success relies upon its ability to retain and
recruit qualified professionals and executives. The loss of the services of
key
personnel could have an adverse effect on the Company because it could
jeopardize its performance.
-10-
If
the Company does not maintain subscription revenue, its operating results could
suffer.
A
substantial portion of the Company’s revenue is generated from subscriptions
including print and electronic. VLP’s trial and full term subscriptions are paid
in advance by subscribers. Unearned revenues are accounted for on the balance
sheet of the Company. The backlog of orders is primarily generated through
renewals and new subscription marketing efforts as the Company deems
appropriate. Future results will depend on the renewal of existing subscribers
and obtaining new subscriptions for the investment publications. The
availability of free or low cost information on the Internet could negatively
impact demand for VLP’s publications or impact its pricing. Licensing agreements
are based on market interest in the respective proprietary information. If
the
sales of the Company’s publications or proprietary information decline, its
operating results could suffer.
Adverse
changes in market and economic conditions could lower demand for the
Company’s products
and services.
The
Company provides its products and services to individual investors, financial
advisors, and institutional clients. Adverse conditions in the financial and
securities markets may have an impact on the Company’s investment
management revenues, subscriptions, and licensing services which could cause
material changes in the Company’s operating results.
The
Company’s assets under management, which impact revenue, are subject to
significant fluctuations based on market conditions and individual fund
performance.
Financial
market declines and/or adverse changes in interest rates would generally
negatively impact the level of the Company’s assets under management and
consequently its revenue and net income. Major sources of investment management
revenue for the Company (i.e., investment adviser and service and distribution
fees) are calculated as percentages of assets under management. A decline in
securities prices or in the sale of investment products or an increase in fund
redemptions generally would reduce fee income. A recession or other economic
or
political events could also adversely impact the Company’s revenue if it led to
a decreased demand for products, a higher redemption rate, or a decline in
securities prices. Good performance generally assists retention and growth
of
assets, resulting in additional revenues. Conversely, poor performance tends
to
result in decreased sales and increased redemptions with corresponding decreases
in revenues to the Company. Poor performance could, therefore, have a material
adverse effect on the Company’s business and results of operations.
The
Company derives almost all of its investment management fees from the Value
Line
Funds.
The
Company is dependent upon management contracts and service and distribution
contracts under which these fees are paid. If any of these contracts are
terminated, not renewed, or amended to reduce fees, the Company’s financial
results may be adversely affected.
Value
Line, Inc. is in the highly competitive fields of publishing and investment
management.
The
Company competes with a large number of domestic and foreign investment
management firms, broker-dealers and investment publishing firms offering
competing services. Many of its competitors have greater resources and assets
under management. The absence of significant barriers to entry by new investment
management firms in the mutual fund industry increases competitive pressure.
Competition is based on various factors, including business reputation,
investment performance, quality of service, marketing, distribution services
offered, the range of products offered and fees charged. Since the Company
is
smaller than other companies in some of our product segments, adverse business
developments may have an impact on the Company’s operating results.
Government
regulations, any changes to government regulations, and regulatory proceedings
and litigation may adversely impact business of the
Company.
Changes
in legal, regulatory, accounting, tax and compliance requirements could have
an
effect on the Company’s operations and results, including but not limited to
increased expenses and restraint in marketing for certain funds and other
investment products offered by the Company. Value Line, Inc. is registered
with
the Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act
of
1940. The Investment Advisers Act imposes numerous obligations on registered
investment advisers, including fiduciary, record keeping, operational and
disclosure obligations. Value Line Securities, Inc. is registered as a
broker-dealer under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and is a member of
the
National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. These laws and regulations
generally grant broad administrative powers to regulatory agencies and bodies
such as the Securities and Exchange Commission and the National Association
of
Securities Dealers, Inc. If these agencies and bodies believe that the Company
and its subsidiaries have failed to comply with these laws and regulations,
these agencies and bodies have the power to impose sanctions. The Company,
like
other companies, can also face lawsuits by private parties and the Company
along
with its directors and officers have been sued from time to time. Regulatory
proceedings and lawsuits are subject to uncertainties, and the outcomes are
difficult to predict. Changes in laws, regulations or governmental policies,
and
the costs associated with compliance, could adversely affect the business
and
operations of the Company. An adverse resolution of any regulatory proceeding
or
lawsuit against the Company or its subsidiaries could result in substantial
costs or reputational harm to the Company and its subsidiaries, and have
a
material adverse effect on the business and operations of the
Company.
-11-
Terrorist
attacks could adversely affect the Company.
A
terrorist attack, including biological or chemical weapons attacks, and the
response to such terrorist attacks, could have a significant impact on the
New
York City area, the local economy, the United States economy, the global
economy, and U.S. and/or global financial markets and could have a material
adverse effect on the Company’s business.
Item
1B.
UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS.
Not
Applicable.
Item
2.
PROPERTIES.
On
June
4, 1993, the Company entered into a lease agreement for approximately 77,000
square feet that provided for the relocation of its office space to 220 East
42nd Street, New York, New York. On September 14, 2000, the Company amended
its
New York lease for office space and returned to the landlord 6,049 sq. ft.
of
excess capacity. On January 10, 2006, the Company amended its NY lease for
office space and returned to the landlord 10,667 sq. ft. of additional excess
capacity. The Company now leases approximately 60,000 square feet of office
space at 220 East 42nd
Street
in
New York. The lease expires in May, 2008, subject to an option for the Company
to extend the term for five years at a market rental rate. During January 1996,
a subsidiary of the Company purchased for cash a warehouse facility with
approximately 85,000 square feet for $4,100,000. That facility consolidated
into
a single location the distribution operations for the various Company
publications and the fulfillment operations of Compupower Corporation. The
remaining building capacity provides warehouse space, a disaster recovery site
and is available for future business expansion. The Company believes the
capacity of these facilities is sufficient to meet the Company's current and
expected future requirements.
Item
3.
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS.
On
September 17, 2003 the Company commenced an action in New York Supreme Court,
seeking damages in an unspecified amount, against a small mutual fund company
pertaining to a contemplated transaction. The Company was countersued for
alleged damages in excess of $5,000,000. The action was settled in November
2004
without a material adverse effect on the Company. A related entity of the
defendant in the New York action brought suit against the Company and certain
Directors in Federal Court in Texas in March, 2004 based on the same
transaction. On the Company’s motion, that action has been transferred from
Texas to New York. On March 2, 2006 the Federal Judge in New York granted the
Company’s motion dismissing three causes of action. The court allowed one cause
of action to continue at this time.
By
letter
dated June 15, 2005, the staff of the Securities & Exchange Commission
informed the Company that it was conducting a preliminary inquiry. Thereafter,
the staff has requested documents and information related to, among other
things, trades for the Company’s and affiliates’ proprietary accounts, execution
of trades through VLS for the Value Line Funds and the fees collected by VLS
from the Value Line Funds pursuant to a Service and Distribution Plan. The
Company and its subsidiaries are cooperating with the inquiry.
-12-
Item
4.
SUBMISSION OF MATTERS TO A VOTE OF SECURITY HOLDERS.
No
matters were submitted to a vote of the shareholders during the fourth quarter
of the fiscal year ended April 30, 2006.
Part
II
Item
5.
MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER
MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES.
The
Registrant's Common Stock is traded on the over-the-counter market and is quoted
in the NASDAQ Global
Market™. The approximate number of record holders of the Registrant's Common
Stock at April 30, 2006 was 57. Over-the-counter price quotations reflect
inter-dealer prices, without retail mark-up, mark-down or commission and may
not
necessarily represent actual transactions. The range of the bid and asked
quotations and the dividends paid on these shares during the past two fiscal
years were as follows:
Dividend
|
||||||||||||||||
High
|
Low
|
Declared
|
||||||||||||||
Quarter
Ended
|
Bid
|
Asked
|
Bid
|
Asked
|
Per
Share
|
|||||||||||
July
31, 2004(1)
|
$
|
64.260
|
$
|
69.500
|
$
|
29.500
|
$
|
31.320
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
October
31, 2004
|
$
|
38.110
|
$
|
39.480
|
$
|
32.960
|
$
|
35.530
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
January
31, 2005
|
$
|
41.760
|
$
|
41.760
|
$
|
35.950
|
$
|
35.950
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
April
30, 2005
|
$
|
41.500
|
$
|
42.500
|
$
|
38.500
|
$
|
38.750
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
July
31, 2005
|
$
|
39.500
|
$
|
40.020
|
$
|
30.570
|
$
|
34.000
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
October
31, 2005
|
$
|
39.500
|
$
|
40.000
|
$
|
36.010
|
$
|
37.060
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
January
31, 2006
|
$
|
41.480
|
$
|
43.040
|
$
|
33.510
|
$
|
34.000
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
April
30, 2006
|
$
|
41.180
|
$
|
41.960
|
$
|
33.110
|
$
|
33.360
|
$
|
.25
|
||||||
(1) |
The
high stock price in quarter ended July 31, 2004 reflects the stock
price
prior to payment of the special dividend declared by the Board of
Directors during April 2004 of $17.50 per share, representing a total
of
$174,678,000.
|
-13-
Item
5(c). PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS.
ISSUER
PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES
Period
|
(a)
Total
Number
of
Shares
(or
Units)
Purchased
|
(b)
Average
Price
Paid
Per
Share
(or
Unit)
|
(c)
Total
Number of
Shares
(or Units) Purchased as Part of Publicly Announced
Plans
or Programs
|
(d)
Maximum
Number
(or
Approximate Dollar Value) of Shares (or Units) that May Yet Be Purchased
Under the Plans or Programs
|
February
1, 2006 through February 28, 2006
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
March
1, 2006 through March 31, 2006
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
April
1, 2006 through April 30, 2006
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
Total
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
-----
|
There
were no purchases of the Company’s equity securities by the Company or any
affiliated purchaser during the fiscal quarter ended April 30, 2006. All
purchases in prior periods were made by Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc., an
affiliate of the issuer, in open-market transactions pursuant to public
announcements and disclosure.
-14-
Item
6.
SELECTED FINANCIAL DATA.
Earnings
per share for each of the fiscal years shown below are based on the weighted
average number of shares outstanding.
Years
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
2003
|
2002
|
||||||||||||
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
|
||||||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and related publications
|
$
|
47,703
|
$
|
50,172
|
$
|
51,360
|
$
|
52,055
|
$
|
52,732
|
||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
Licensing
Fees1
|
$
|
5,016
|
$
|
2,541
|
$
|
1,137
|
$
|
414
|
$
|
382
|
||||||
Investment
management fees and services
|
$
|
32,467
|
$
|
31,765
|
$
|
32,773
|
$
|
29,600
|
$
|
34,329
|
||||||
Total
revenues
|
$
|
85,186
|
$
|
84,478
|
$
|
85,270
|
$
|
82,069
|
$
|
87,443
|
||||||
Income
from operations
|
$
|
35,180
|
$
|
27,084
|
$
|
24,739
|
$
|
24,095
|
$
|
29,186
|
||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
23,439
|
$
|
21,318
|
$
|
20,350
|
$
|
19,987
|
$
|
20,323
|
||||||
Earnings
per share, basic and fully diluted
|
$
|
2.35
|
$
|
2.14
|
$
|
2.04
|
$
|
2.00
|
$
|
2.04
|
||||||
Total
assets2
|
$
|
119,214
|
$
|
98,865
|
$
|
266,924
|
$
|
246,814
|
$
|
268,735
|
||||||
Cash
dividends declared per share
|
$
|
1.00
|
$
|
1.00
|
$
|
18.50
|
$
|
1.00
|
$
|
1.00
|
||||||
1 |
Licensing
fees are generated by third parties
that pay the Company a fee for use of the Company’s proprietary
information and trademarks that are within the periodicals and related
publications business segment.
|
2 |
The
change in assets from 2004 to 2005 reflects
the special dividend declared by the Board of Directors in April
2004 of
$174,678,000.
|
-15-
Item 7. MANAGEMENT DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS.
Fiscal
2006
Results
of Operations
Net
income for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 of $23,439,000 or $2.35 per
share was $2,121,000 or 10% above net income of $21,318,000 or $2.14 per share
in fiscal year 2005. Net income of $5,712,000 for the fourth quarter ended
April
30, 2006 was 16% higher than net income of $4,922,000 for the last quarter
of
fiscal year 2005. Operating income of $35,180,000 for the twelve months ended
April 30, 2006 was $8,096,000 above operating income of $27,084,000 last fiscal
year, a 30% increase. Operating income of $9,510,000 for the three months ended
April 30, 2006 was 11% higher than operating income of $8,534,000 for the
comparable period of the last fiscal year. The Company’s income from securities
transactions of $3,869,000 was 53% below last year’s for the twelve months ended
April 30, 2006. Income from securities transactions of $298,000 for the last
quarter of fiscal 2006 was 22% above income from securities transactions of
$245,000 for the three months ended April 30, 2005. Shareholders’ equity of
$61,935,000 at April 30, 2006 was 40% higher than shareholders’ equity of
$44,143,000 at April 30, 2005.
Subscription
revenues of $47,703,000 for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 were 5%
below
subscription revenues of $50,172,000 for the prior fiscal year. Electronic
publications revenues of $10,947,000 were up $17,000 compared to $10,930,000
for
the prior fiscal year. Within electronic publications revenues are revenues
generated by institutional subscribers and retail subscribers. Institutional
revenues increased $761,000 or 27%, while revenues from retail subscribers
were
down $744,000 or 9%. Print subscription revenues of $36,756,000 were down
$2,486,000 or 6% compared to $39,242,000 for the last fiscal year. At fiscal
year end 2006, unearned revenue was $37,500,000 compared to $40,022,000 in
the
previous year. The decrease is a result of lower orders received in fiscal
year
2006 due to less frequent direct marketing and advertising campaigns than the
previous year. Licensing fees for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 of
$5,016,000 were up $2,475,000 or 97% compared to $2,541,000 for the fiscal
2005.
Investment
management fees and service revenues of $32,467,000 for the twelve months ended
April 30, 2006 were up $702,000, or 2% above the prior fiscal year’s revenues of
$31,765,000. Investment management fees and service revenues of $8,307,000
for
the fourth quarter ended April 30, 2006 were 8% above the prior fiscal year’s
revenues of $7,677,000. Beginning November 2004, VLS suspended its business
of
executing trades for any of the Value Line Funds, from which it had earned
net
commission revenues. The decline in brokerage revenues was mostly offset by
higher investment advisory fees that resulted primarily from a 21% increase
in
the net assets of the Value Line Funds, which included fee waivers for certain
of the Value Line Funds at April 30, 2006. Total mutual funds net assets as
of
April 30, 2006 were approximately $3.8 billion.
Operating
expenses for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 of $50,006,000 were 13%
below expenses of $57,394,000 for the previous fiscal year. Total advertising
and promotional expenses of $13,671,000 for the twelve months ended April 30,
2006 were 33% below the prior year’s expenses of $20,455,000. The decrease in
advertising expenses resulted primarily from the reduction in the frequency
of
marketing campaigns in fiscal 2006 for the Company’s investment periodicals and
media advertising for brand recognition. Salaries and employee benefit expenses
of $19,025,000 for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 were down 2% compared
to expenses of $19,445,000 for the prior fiscal year. Production and
distribution expenses for the twelve months ended April 30, 2006 of $7,073,000
were 18% below expenses of $8,589,000 for fiscal 2005. The decline in expenses
for the twelve months of fiscal 2006 was primarily due to lower paper, printing
and distribution costs that resulted in part from a decrease in circulation
of
the print products. Office and administrative expenses for the first twelve
months of fiscal 2006 of $10,237,000 were 15% higher than the prior fiscal
year’s expenses of $8,905,000. The increase in administrative expenses was
primarily due to an increase in professional fees and the additional costs
associated with outsourcing certain of the mutual fund administration
functions.
-16-
For
the
twelve months ended April 30, 2006, the Company’s income from securities
transactions of $3,869,000 was 53% below securities transactions income of
$8,278,000 last fiscal year. Income from securities transactions for the twelve
months ended April 30, 2006 included dividend and interest income of $1,844,000.
Realized capital gains, net of unrealized capital losses, during the twelve
months of fiscal 2006 were $2,212,000, of which $2,355,000 represented
distributions from the Value Line Mutual Funds and $75,000 from an installment
sale of an investment in a privately held company. The income from securities
transactions for the twelve months of fiscal 2006 compares to dividend and
interest income of $602,000 and capital gains of $7,676,000 from sales of
securities included in the Company’s trading and available for sale portfolios
included in the twelve months ended April 30, 2005. The prior fiscal year
included capital gains that resulted from partial sales of the Company’s equity
securities in preparation for payment of a special dividend of $17.50 per common
share during the first quarter of fiscal 2005 and redeployment of the remaining
proceeds in fixed income government obligations. Capital gains for the twelve
months of fiscal 2005 also included $433,000 from the initial proceeds from
the
installment sale of an investment in a privately held company.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company had working capital as of April 30, 2006 of $63,823,000. Cash and
short-term securities as of April 30, 2006
totaled $81,246,000.
The
Company’s cash flow from operations of $18,919,000 for the twelve months ended
April 30, 2006 was 48% lower than fiscal 2005’s cash flow of $36,590,000. The
decrease in cash flow from operations was primarily due to the liquidation
of
the Company’s trading securities portfolio in fiscal year 2005. Net cash inflows
of $422,000 from investing activities during the twelve months of fiscal 2006
compared to net cash outflows of $24,071,000 last year, which primarily resulted
from purchases of fixed income securities in fiscal 2005. Cash outflows from
financing activities of $9,981,000 during fiscal year 2006 represent the payment
of the Company’s quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share for each quarter. Cash
outflows from financing activities for fiscal year 2005 of $184,656,000 reflect
the Company’s quarterly dividends of $.25 per share for each quarter as well as
a special $17.50 dividend paid to all shareholders on May 19, 2004.
From
time
to time, AB&Co., the Company’s controlling shareholder, has purchased
additional shares of Value Line, Inc. in the market when and as AB&Co. has
determined it to be appropriate. As stated several times in the past, the public
is reminded that AB&Co. may make additional purchases from time to time in
the future.
Management
believes that the Company’s cash and other liquid asset resources used in its
business together with the future cash flows from operations will be sufficient
to finance current and forecasted operations. Management anticipates no
borrowing for fiscal year 2007.
-17-
Fiscal
2005
Operating
Results
Net
income for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005 of $21,318,000 or $2.14 per
share was 5% above net income of $20,350,000 or $2.04 per share in fiscal 2004.
Operating income of $27,084,000 for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005
was
9% above operating income of $24,739,000 for the same period of the last fiscal
year. Operating income of $8,534,000 for the three months ended April 30, 2005
was 17% higher than operating income of $7,300,000 for the comparable period
of
the last fiscal year. Retained Earnings of $30,798,000 at April 30, 2005 were
58% higher than Retained Earnings of $19,459,000 at April 30, 2004.
Subscription
revenues of $52,713,000 for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005 were level
with subscription revenues for the same period of the prior fiscal year.
Revenues from all electronic publications were up 9% over the previous year
while licensing fees were up 123% for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005.
Revenues from all print products were down 5% compared to the last fiscal year’s
level. Investment management fees and service revenues of $31,765,000 for the
twelve months ended April 30, 2005 were 3% below the prior fiscal year’s
revenues of $32,773,000, primarily because beginning November 2004, VLS
suspended its business of effecting trades for any of the Value Line Funds,
from
which it had earned net commission revenues.
Operating
expenses for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005 of $57,394,000 were 5%
below
the last fiscal year’s expenses of $60,531,000. Total advertising and
promotional expenses of $20,455,000 were 6% below the prior year’s expenses of
$21,821,000. The decrease in advertising expenses resulted primarily from the
postponement of direct mail expenses until fiscal 2006. Salaries and employee
benefit expenses of $19,445,000 were 6% below expenses of $20,764,000 recorded
in the prior fiscal year as a result of staff reductions in the mutual fund
product and asset management divisions. Production and distribution costs for
the twelve months ended April 30, 2005 of $8,589,000 were 8% below expenses
of
$9,300,000 at April 30, 2004. The decline in expenses was primarily due to
lower
paper, printing and distribution costs that resulted in part from a decrease
in
circulation of the print and electronic versions of our products. Office and
administrative expenses of $8,905,000 were 3% higher than the prior fiscal
year’s expenses of $8,646,000. The increase in administrative expenses was
primarily due to an increase in professional fees including expenses to settle
an action in the New York Supreme Court with a small mutual fund company
relating to a proposed transaction and higher rent expenses resulting from
scheduled lease escalations. The increases in administrative expenses were
offset by lower depreciation of fixed assets and lower software licensing and
hardware maintenance fees.
The
Company’s income from securities transactions, net, of $8,278,000 for the twelve
months ended April 30, 2005 was slightly above securities transactions income
of
$8,266,000 for the same period of the last fiscal year. Income from securities
transactions, net, for the twelve months ended April 30, 2005 included dividend
and interest income of $602,000 and capital gains of $7,676,000 from sales
of
equity securities from the Company’s short-term trading and available for sale
portfolios, which compares to dividend and interest income of $4,259,000 and
capital gains of $4,017,000 from sales of securities from the Company’s
short-term trading and available for sale portfolios for the same period of
the
last fiscal year. The lower dividend and interest income during fiscal 2005
was
a result of sales of the Company’s fixed income securities during the latter
part of fiscal 2004 in preparation for payment on May 19, 2004 of a special
dividend of $17.50 per share paid to all shareholders.
Income from securities transactions, net, for the twelve months ended April
30,
2005 also included $433,000 from the initial proceeds from the installment
sale
of an investment in a privately held company.
-18-
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company had working capital as of April 30, 2005 of $45,401,000. Cash and
short-term securities as of April 30, 2005 totaled $82,245,000.
The
Company’s cash flow from operations of $36,590,000 for the twelve months ended
April 30, 2005 was 371% higher than fiscal 2004’s cash flow of $7,771,000. The
rise in cash flow from operations was primarily due to the liquidation of the
Company’s trading securities portfolio and higher net income. Net cash outflows
of $24,071,000 from investing activities during the twelve months of fiscal
2005
primarily resulted from purchases of fixed income securities. Net cash inflows
of $170,102,000 during fiscal 2004 resulted primarily from sales of fixed income
securities in preparation for payment on May 19, 2004 of a special dividend
in
the amount of $174,678,000.
From
time
to time, AB&Co., the Company’s controlling shareholder, has purchased
additional shares of Value Line, Inc. in the market when and as AB&Co. has
determined it to be appropriate. As stated several times in the past, the public
is reminded that AB&Co. may make additional purchases from time to time in
the future.
Management
believes that the Company’s cash and other liquid asset resources used in its
business together with the future cash flows from operations will be sufficient
to finance current and forecasted operations. Management anticipates no
borrowing for fiscal year 2006.
Safe
Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995
This
report contains statements (including certain projections and business trends)
accompanied by such phrases as “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “anticipate”,
“will”, “intend” and other similar or negative expressions, that are
“forward-looking statements” as defined in the Private Securities Litigation
Reform Act of 1995. Actual results may differ materially from those projected
as
a result of certain risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the
following:
·
|
demand
for and market acceptance of new and existing
products;
|
·
|
renewals
of subscriptions for the Company’s
products;
|
·
|
fluctuations
in the Company’s assets under management due to broadly based changes in
the values of equity and debt securities, redemptions by investors
and
other factors;
|
·
|
competitive
product and pricing pressures;
|
·
|
the
impact of government regulation on the Company’s business and the
uncertainties of litigation and regulatory initiatives and inquiries;
and
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks described
in Item 1A, "Risk Factors", and other risks and uncertainties from
time to
time.
|
-19-
Any
forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the Company
undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements,
whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Off-Balance
Sheet Arrangements
The
Company has no off-balance sheet arrangements.
Contractual
Obligations
Below
is
a summary of certain contractual obligations (in thousands):
Contractual
Obligations
|
Total
|
Less
Than
1
Year
|
1-3
years
|
3-5
years
|
More
Than
5
Years
|
|||||||||||
Operating
Lease Obligations
|
$
|
2,999
|
$
|
1,690
|
$
|
1,309
|
—
|
—
|
||||||||
Purchase
Obligations
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||||||
Other
Long-term Obligations reflected on Balance Sheet
|
$
|
37,726
|
$
|
28,224
|
$
|
9,502
|
—
|
—
|
||||||||
TOTAL
|
$
|
40,725
|
$
|
29,914
|
$
|
10,811
|
—
|
—
|
Item
7A.
QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK.
Market
Risk Disclosures
The
Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet includes a substantial amount of assets and
liabilities whose fair values are subject to market risks. The Company’s
significant market risks are primarily associated with interest rates and equity
prices. The following sections address the significant market risks associated
with the Company’s business activities.
-20-
Interest
Rate Risk
The
Company’s management prefers to invest in highly liquid debt securities with
extremely low credit risk. Value Line’s strategy is to acquire securities that
are attractively priced in relation to the perceived credit risk. Management
recognizes and accepts that losses may occur. To limit the price fluctuation
in
these securities from interest rate changes, the Company’s management
invests primarily in short-term obligations maturing in 1 to 5
years.
The
fair
values of the Company’s fixed maturity investments will fluctuate in response to
changes in market interest rates. Increases and decreases in prevailing interest
rates generally translate into decreases and increases in fair values of those
instruments. Additionally, fair values of interest rate sensitive instruments
may be affected by prepayment options, relative values of alternative
investments, and other general market conditions.
The
following table summarizes the estimated effects of hypothetical increases
and
decreases in interest rates on assets that are subject to interest rate risk.
It
is assumed that the changes occur immediately and uniformly to each category
of
instrument containing interest rate risks. The hypothetical changes in market
interest rates do not reflect what could be deemed best or worst case scenarios.
Variations in market interest rates could produce significant changes in the
timing of repayments due to prepayment options available. For these reasons,
actual results might differ from those reflected in the table. Dollars are
in
thousands.
Estimated
Fair Value after
|
||||||||||||||||
Hypothetical
Change in Interest Rates
|
||||||||||||||||
(bp
= basis points)
|
||||||||||||||||
6
mo.
|
6
mo.
|
1
yr.
|
1
yr.
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
|
50bp
|
50bp
|
100bp
|
100bp
|
||||||||||||
Fixed
Income Securities
|
Value
|
increase
|
decrease
|
increase
|
decrease
|
|||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||
As
of April 30, 2006
|
||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$
|
41,585
|
$
|
41,549
|
$
|
41,801
|
$
|
41,514
|
$
|
41,821
|
||||||
As
of April 30, 2005
|
||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$
|
39,065
|
$
|
38,927
|
$
|
39,253
|
$
|
38,911
|
$
|
39,326
|
Management
regularly monitors the maturity structure of the Company’s investments in fixed
maturity U.S. government debt obligations in order to maintain an acceptable
price risk associated with changes in interest rates.
Equity
Price Risk
The
carrying values of investments subject to equity price risks are based on quoted
market prices or management’s estimates of fair value as of the balance sheet
dates. Market prices are subject to fluctuation and, consequently, the amount
realized in the subsequent sale of an investment may significantly differ from
the reported market value. Fluctuation in the market price of a security may
result from perceived changes in the underlying
economic characteristics of the issuer, the relative price of alternative
investments and general market conditions. Furthermore, amounts realized in
the
sale of a particular security may be affected by the relative quantity of the
security being sold.
-21-
Value
Line invests a significant level of its assets in equity securities, primarily
the Value Line family of equity mutual funds. Each mutual fund invests in a
variety of equity positions of various companies thereby diversifying Value
Line’s risk. Value Line has also utilized derivative financial instruments in
the past to minimize market price risk, although no such derivative financial
instruments were utilized during fiscal 2006 and 2005.
The
table
below summarizes Value Line’s equity price risks as of April 30, 2006 and 2005
and shows the effects of a hypothetical 30% increase and a 30% decrease in
market prices as of those dates. The selected hypothetical changes do not
reflect what could be considered the best or worst case scenarios. Dollars
are
in thousands.
Estimated
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
Value after
|
Hypothetical
Percentage
|
||||||||||||
Hypothetical
|
Hypothetical
|
Increase
(Decrease) in
|
|||||||||||
Equity
Securities
|
Fair
Value
|
Price
Change
|
Change
in Prices
|
Shareholders’
Equity
|
|||||||||
As
of April 30, 2006
|
$
|
46,644
|
30%
increase
|
$
|
60,637
|
14.69
|
%
|
||||||
30%
decrease
|
$
|
32,651
|
(14.69
|
)%
|
|||||||||
As
of April 30, 2005
|
$
|
37,209
|
30%
increase
|
$
|
48,372
|
16.44
|
%
|
||||||
30%
decrease
|
$
|
26,046
|
(16.44
|
)%
|
Item
8.
FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTARY DATA.
The
following consolidated financial statements of the registrant and its
subsidiaries are included as a part of this Form 10K:
Page
Numbers
|
|
Report
of independent accountants
|
32
|
Consolidated
balance sheets--April 30, 2006 and 2005
|
33
|
Consolidated
statements of income and retained earnings -- years ended April 30,
2006,
2005 and 2004
|
34
|
Consolidated
statements of cash flows -- years ended April 30, 2006, 2005 and
2004
|
35
|
Consolidated
statement of changes in shareholders’ equity -- years ended April 30,
2006, 2005 and 2004
|
36
|
Notes
to the consolidated financial statements
|
37
- 45
|
Supplementary
schedules
|
46
- 47
|
-22-
Quarterly
Results (Unaudited):
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
Income
|
Earnings
|
||||||||||||
Total
|
From
|
Net
|
Per
|
||||||||||
Revenues
|
Operations
|
Income
|
Share
|
||||||||||
2006,
by Quarter -
|
|||||||||||||
First
|
$
|
20,874
|
$
|
9,163
|
$
|
5,648
|
$
|
0.57
|
|||||
Second
|
21,002
|
8,470
|
5,385
|
0.54
|
|||||||||
Third
|
21,582
|
8,037
|
6,694
|
0.67
|
|||||||||
Fourth
|
21,728
|
9,510
|
5,712
|
0.57
|
|||||||||
Total
|
$
|
85,186
|
$
|
35,180
|
$
|
23,439
|
$
|
2.35
|
|||||
2005,
by Quarter -
|
|||||||||||||
First
|
$
|
21,380
|
$
|
6,245
|
$
|
5,941
|
$
|
0.60
|
|||||
Second
|
20,922
|
5,868
|
5,798
|
0.58
|
|||||||||
Third
|
21,058
|
6,437
|
4,657
|
0.46
|
|||||||||
Fourth
|
21,118
|
8,534
|
4,922
|
0.50 | |||||||||
Total
|
$
|
84,478
|
$
|
27,084
|
$
|
21,318
|
$
|
2.14
|
|||||
2004,
by Quarter -
|
|||||||||||||
First
|
$
|
21,057
|
$
|
5,572
|
$
|
4,998
|
$
|
0.50
|
|||||
Second
|
20,670
|
5,827
|
5,525
|
0.55
|
|||||||||
Third
|
21,498
|
6,040
|
4,904
|
0.49
|
|||||||||
Fourth
|
22,045
|
7,300
|
4,923
|
0.50
|
|||||||||
Total
|
$
|
85,270
|
$
|
24,739
|
$
|
20,350
|
$
|
2.04
|
Item
9.
CHANGES IN AND DISAGREEMENTS WITH ACCOUNTANTS ON ACCOUNTING
AND FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE.
There
have been no disagreements with the independent accountants on accounting and
financial disclosure matters.
-23-
Item
9A.
CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES.
(a)
|
Evaluation
of Disclosure Controls and
Procedures.
|
The
Company's Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer carried out an
evaluation of the effectiveness of the Company's "disclosure controls and
procedures" (as defined in the Securities Exchange Act of
1934
Rules 13a-15(e) or 15d-15(e)) as of April 30, 2006, as required by paragraph
(b)
of Exchange Act Rules 13a-15
or
15d-15. The Company’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer are
engaged in a comprehensive effort to review, evaluate and improve the Company's
controls; however, management does not expect that the Company's disclosure
controls or its internal controls over financial reporting will prevent all
possible errors and fraud. A control system, no matter how well designed and
operated, can provide only reasonable, not absolute, assurance that the control
system’s objectives would be met.
Based
upon the controls evaluation performed, the Chief Executive Officer and Chief
Financial Officer have concluded that as of April 30, 2006, the Company's
disclosure controls and procedures were effective to provide reasonable
assurance that material information relating to the Company and its consolidated
subsidiaries is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within the time
periods specified in the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rules and
forms.
(b)
|
Changes
in Internal Controls.
|
In
the
course of the evaluation of disclosure controls and procedures, the Chief
Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer considered certain internal
control areas in which the Company has made and is continuing to make changes
to
improve and enhance controls. Based upon that evaluation, the Chief Executive
Officer and Chief Financial Officer of the Company concluded that there were
no
changes in the Company's internal controls over financial reporting identified
in connection with the evaluation required by paragraph (d) of Exchange Act
Rules 13a-15 or 15d-15 that occurred during the fourth quarter that have
materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the
Company's internal controls over financial reporting.
Item
9B.
OTHER INFORMATION.
There
were no matters required to be disclosed by the Company in a report on Form
8-K
during the Company's fourth fiscal quarter of the year ended April 30,
2006.
-24-
Part
III
Item
10.
DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVE OFFICERS OF THE REGISTRANT.
(a)
Names
of Directors, Age as of
|
Director
|
|
June
30, 2006 and Principal Occupation
|
Since
|
|
Jean
Bernhard Buttner* (71). Chairman of the Board, President, and Chief
Executive Officer of the Company and Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc.
Chairman of the Board and President of each of the Value Line
Funds.
|
1982
|
|
Samuel
Eisenstadt (84). Senior Vice President and Research Chairman of the
Company.
|
1982
|
|
Herbert
Pardes, MD (72). President and CEO of New York- Presbyterian
Hospital.
|
2000
|
|
Edward
J. Shanahan (62). President and Headmaster, Choate Rosemary Hall
(boarding
school); Director and Chairman, Foundation for Greater Opportunity
(independent educational foundation).
|
2004
|
|
Dr.
Edgar A. Buttner (43). Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Associate, Harvard
University
since 2003; Research Associate and Instructor, McLean Hospital, 2002-2003;
Postdoctoral Fellow, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1997-
2001;
Director of
Arnold
Bernhard & Co., Inc. Dr. Buttner is the son of Jean Bernhard
Buttner.
|
2003
|
|
Marion
N. Ruth (71). President, Ruth Realty.
|
2005
|
|
Howard
A. Brecher* (52). Vice President and Secretary of the Company; Assistant
Treasurer and Assistant Secretary of each of the Value Line Funds
since
2005; Director, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and General
Counsel
of Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc.
|
1992
|
|
David
T. Henigson* (48). Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer of
the
Company;
Vice President, Secretary and Chief Compliance Officer of each of
the
Value Line Funds; Vice President and Director of Arnold Bernhard
&
Co., Inc.
|
1992
|
|
* |
Member
of the Executive Committee
|
Except
as
noted, the directors have held their respective positions for at least five
years.
(b)
|
The
information pertaining to Executive Officers is set forth in Part
I under
the caption "Executive
Officers of the Registrant."
|
-25-
Audit
Committee
The
Company has a standing Audit Committee performing the functions described in
Section 3(a)(58)(A) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the members of
which
are: Dr. Herbert Pardes, Edward J. Shanahan and Marion N. Ruth.
Audit
Committee Financial Expert
The
Board
of Directors has determined that no member of the Audit Committee is an “audit
committee financial expert” (as defined in the rules and regulations of the
Securities and Exchange Commission). The Board of Directors believes that the
experience and financial sophistication of the members of the Audit Committee
are sufficient to permit the members of the Audit Committee to fulfill the
duties and responsibilities of the Audit Committee. All members of the Audit
Committee meet the Nasdaq Stock Market’s audit committee financial
sophistication requirements.
Code
of Ethics
The
Company has adopted a Code of Business Conduct and Code of Ethics that applies
to its principal executive officer, principal financial officer, principal
accounting officer, and all other employees.
Procedures
for Shareholders to Nominate Directors
There
have been no material changes to the procedures by which shareholders of the
Company may recommend nominees to the Company's Board of Directors implemented
after the disclosure of those procedures contained in the proxy statement for
the Company's 2005 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.
Section 16(a)
Beneficial Ownership Reporting Compliance
Section 16(a)
of the Securities Exchange Act requires the Company's executive officers and
directors, and persons who own more than ten percent of a registered class
of
our equity securities, to file reports of ownership and changes in ownership
on
Forms 3, 4 and 5 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Executive
officers, directors and greater than ten percent shareowners are required by
Securities and Exchange Commission regulations to furnish the Company with
copies of all Forms 3, 4 and 5 they file.
Based
on
the Company's review of the copies of such forms that it has received and
written representations from certain reporting persons confirming that they
were
not required to file Forms 5 for specified fiscal years, the Company believes
that all its executive officers, directors and greater than ten percent
beneficial owners complied with applicable SEC filing requirements during fiscal
2006.
Item
11.
EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION.
Information
required by this item will be filed as an amendment to this Form
10-K.
-26-
Item
12.
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF CERTAIN BENEFICIAL OWNERS AND MANAGEMENT.
The
following table sets forth information as of June 30, 2006 as to shares of
the
Company's Common Stock held by persons known to the Company to be the beneficial
owners of more than 5% of the Company's Common Stock.
Name
and Address
|
Number
of Shares
|
Percentage
of Shares
|
|||||
of
Beneficial Owner
|
Beneficially
Owned
|
Beneficially
Owned1
|
|||||
Arnold
Bernhard
|
8,631,032
|
86.47
|
%
|
||||
&
Co., Inc.1
|
|||||||
220
East 42nd Street
|
|||||||
New
York, NY 10017
|
The
following table sets forth information as of June 30, 2006, with respect to
shares of the Company's Common Stock owned by each director of the Company,
by
each executive officer listed in the Summary Compensation Table and by all
officers and directors as a group.
Name
and Address
|
Number
of Shares
|
Percentage
of Shares
|
|||||
of
Beneficial Owner
|
Beneficially
Owned
|
Beneficially
Owned1
|
|||||
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
|
100
|
1,2 |
*
|
||||
Howard
A. Brecher
|
200
|
*
|
|||||
Samuel
Eisenstadt
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
David
T. Henigson
|
150
|
*
|
|||||
Dr.
Herbert Pardes
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
Edward
J. Shanahan
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
Stephen
R. Anastasio
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
Edgar
A. Buttner
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
Mitchell
E. Appel
|
100
|
*
|
|||||
Marion
N. Ruth
|
200
|
*
|
|||||
All
directors and executive officers as a group
(10
persons)
|
1,250
|
1,2 |
*
|
||||
* |
Less
than one percent
|
1 |
Jean
Bernhard Buttner, Chairman of the Board, President and Chief Executive
Officer of the Company, owns all of the outstanding voting stock
of Arnold
Bernhard & Co., Inc. Substantially all of the non-voting stock of
Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc. is held by members of the Buttner
family.
|
2 |
Excludes
8,631,032 shares (86.47% of the outstanding shares) owned by Arnold
Bernhard & Co., Inc.
|
-27-
Securities
Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans
As
of the
date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, there were no securities of the Company
authorized for issuance under equity compensation plans.
Item
13.
CERTAIN RELATIONSHIPS AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS.
Arnold
Bernhard & Co., Inc. (“AB&Co.”) utilizes the services of officers and
employees of the Company to the extent necessary to conduct its business. The
Company and AB&Co., Inc. allocate costs for office space, equipment and
supplies and support staff pursuant to a servicing and reimbursement. During
the
years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company was reimbursed $918,000,
$689,000 and $489,000, respectively, for payments it made on behalf of and
services it provided to AB&Co. At April 30, 2006 and 2005, Receivable from
affiliates included a Receivable from AB&Co. of $154,000 and $107,000,
respectively. For the years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company
made payments to AB&Co. for federal income tax amounting to $11,895,000,
$12,115,000 and $10,650,000, respectively. At April 30, 2006 accrued taxes
payable included a federal tax liability owed to AB&Co. in the amount of
$449,000. At April 30, 2005 accrued taxes payable included a federal tax
liability owed to the Company from AB&Co. in the amount of $145,000. In
addition, a tax-sharing arrangement allocates the tax liabilities of the two
companies between them. The Company pays to AB&Co., Inc. an amount equal to
the Company's liability as if it filed separate tax returns.
The
Company acts as investment adviser and manager for fourteen open-ended
investment companies, the Value Line Funds. The Company earns investment
management fees based upon the average daily net asset values of the respective
funds. VLS receives service and distribution fees under rule 12b-1 of the
Investment Company Act of 1940 from the mutual funds for which Value Line,
Inc.
is the adviser. For certain periods prior to December 2004, VLS earned brokerage
commission income on securities transactions executed by VLS on behalf of the
funds that were cleared on a fully disclosed basis through non-affiliated
brokers, who received a portion of the gross commission. VLS in November 2004
suspended execution of trades through VLS for any of the Value Line Funds.
For
the years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, investment management fees,
service and distribution fees and brokerage commission income amounted to
$31,278,000, $30,206,000 and $30,851,000, respectively, after fee waivers.
These
amounts include service and distribution fees of $9,915,000, $9,609,000 and
$9,638,000, respectively. The related receivables from the funds for management
advisory fees and service and distribution fees included in Receivable from
affiliates were $2,751,000 and $2,406,000 at April 30, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
Item
14.
PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES.
Audit
and
Non-Audit Fees
For
the
fiscal years ended April 30, 2006 and 2005, fees for services provided by
Horowitz
& Ullmann, P.C. were as follows:
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Audit
fees
|
$
|
134,695
|
$
|
129,450
|
|||
Audit-related
fees
|
$
|
24,190
|
$
|
51,790
|
|||
Tax
fees
|
$
|
76,960
|
$
|
89,430
|
|||
All
other fees
|
$
|
0
|
$
|
0
|
-28-
Audit Committee Pre-Approval Policies and Procedures
The
Audit
Committee of the Company's Board of Directors approves all services provided
by Horowitz & Ullmann, P.C. prior to the provision of those services and has
not adopted
any pre-approval policies and procedures.
Part
IV
Item
15.
EXHIBITS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENT SCHEDULES.
(a) |
1.
Financial Statements
|
See
Part
II Item 8.
2. |
Schedules
|
Schedule
XIII - Other Investments. (Reg. S-X, Article 5)
All
other
Schedules are omitted because they are not applicable or the required
information is shown in the financial statements or notes thereto.
(b) |
Exhibits
|
3.1
|
Articles
of Incorporation of the Company, as amended through April 17, 1983,
are
incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement - Form S-1
of
Value Line, Inc. Part II, Item 16.(a) 3.1 filed with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission on April 7, 1983.
|
|
3.2
|
Certificate
of Amendment of Certificate of Incorporation dated October 24, 1989
is
incorporated by
reference to the Annual Report on Form 10K for the year ended April
30,
1990.
|
|
10.8
|
Form
of tax allocation arrangement between the Company and AB&Co.
incorporated by reference to the Registration Statement - Form S-1
of
Value Line, Inc. Part II, Item 16.(a) 10.8 filed with the Securities
and
Exchange Commission on April 7, 1983.
|
|
10.9
|
Form
of Servicing and Reimbursement Agreement between the Company and
AB&Co., dated as of November 1, 1982 incorporated by reference to the
Registration Statement - Form S-1 of Value Line, Inc. Part II, Item
16.(a)
10.9 filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 7,
1983.
|
|
10.10
|
Value
Line, Inc. Profit Sharing and Savings Plan as amended and restated
effective May 1, 1989, including amendments through April 30, 1995,
incorporated by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year
ended April 30, 1996.
|
|
10.13
|
Lease
for the Company's premises at 220 East 42nd Street, New York, N.Y.
incorporated by reference to the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the
year
ended April 30, 1994.
|
|
10.14
|
Lease
amendments dated September 14, 2000 and January 19, 2006, for the
Company’s premises located at 220 East 42nd
Street, New York, NY.
|
|
14
|
Code
of Business Conduct and Code of Ethics incorporated by reference
to
Exhibit 14 to the Form 8-K filed on December 1, 2004.
|
|
21
|
Subsidiaries
of the Registrant.
|
|
31
|
Rules
13a-14(a) and 15d-14(a) Certifications.
|
|
32
|
Section
1350 Certifications.
|
-29-
SIGNATURES
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2006, to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned,
thereunto duly authorized.
VALUE
LINE, INC.
(Registrant)
By:
/s/ Jean Bernhard Buttner
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has
been
signed below by the following persons on behalf of the Registrant and in the
capacities and on the dates indicated.
By:
/s/ Jean Bernhard Buttner
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer
By:
/s/ Mitchell E. Appel
Mitchell
E. Appel
Chief
Financial Officer
Dated:
July 28, 2006
-30-
Pursuant
to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934, the Registrant has duly caused this report on Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2006, to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned as
Directors of the Registrant.
/s/
Jean Bernhard Buttner
|
/s/
Howard A. Brecher
|
|
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
|
Howard
A. Brecher
|
|
/s/
Edgar A. Buttner
|
/s/
Samuel Eisenstadt
|
|
Edgar
A. Buttner
|
Samuel
Eisenstadt
|
|
/s/
Edward J. Shanahan
|
/s/
David T. Henigson
|
|
Edward
J. Shanahan
|
David
T. Henigson
|
|
/s/
Dr. Herbert Pardes
|
/s/
Marion N. Ruth
|
|
Dr.
Herbert Pardes
|
Marion
N. Ruth
|
Dated:
July 28, 2006
-31-
H
O R O W I T Z & U L L M A N N, P.
C.
C
e r t i f i e d P u b l i c A c c o u n t a n t
s
A member of the AICPA for Public Company Audit Firms |
275
Madison Avenue
|
New York State Society of CPAs |
New
York, NY 10016
|
PCAOB registered |
Telephone:
(212) 532-3736
|
Facsimile:
(212) 545-8997
|
|
E-mail:
cpas@horowitz-ullmann.com
|
To
the
Board of Directors
and
Shareholders of
Value
Line, Inc.
We
have
audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Value Line, Inc.
and
Subsidiaries as of April 30, 2006 and 2005 and the related consolidated
statements of income and retained earnings, changes in stockholders’ equity, and
cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended April 30, 2006.
These
financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management; our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based
on
our audits.
We
conducted our audits of these statements in accordance with the standards
of the
Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States). Those standards
require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance
about
whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit
includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and
disclosures in the financial statements, assessing the accounting principles
used and significant estimates made by management, and evaluating the overall
financial statement presentation. We believe that our audits provide a
reasonable basis for the opinion expressed above.
In
our
opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly, in all
material respects, the financial position of Value Line, Inc. and Subsidiaries
at April 30, 2006 and 2005, and the results of their operations, changes
in
stockholders’ equity, and their cash flows for each of the three years in the
period ended April 30, 2006, in conformity with accounting principles generally
accepted in the United States of America.
Our
audits of the consolidated financial statements referred to above also included
an audit of the Financial Statement Schedules listed in Item 15 (a) of Form
10-K. In our opinion, these Financial Statement Schedules present fairly,
in all
material respects, the information set forth therein when read in conjunction
with the related consolidated statements.
New
York,
NY
July
24,
2006
-32-
Value
Line, Inc.
|
||||
(in
thousands, except share
amounts)
|
April
30,
|
April
30,
|
||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
Assets
|
|||||||
Current
Assets:
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents (including short term
|
|||||||
investments
of $14,885 and $5,654, respectively)
|
$
|
15,331
|
$
|
5,971
|
|||
Trading
securities
|
22,314
|
---
|
|||||
Securities
available for sale
|
65,915
|
76,274
|
|||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful
|
|||||||
accounts
of $72 and $52, respectively
|
3,037
|
3,096
|
|||||
Receivable
from affiliates
|
2,917
|
2,557
|
|||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
1,617
|
1,468
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
88
|
32
|
|||||
Total
current assets
|
111,219
|
89,398
|
|||||
Long
term assets:
|
|||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
5,406
|
5,984
|
|||||
Capitalized
software and other intangible assets, net
|
2,589
|
3,483
|
|||||
Total
long term assets
|
7,995
|
9,467
|
|||||
Total
assets
|
$
|
119,214
|
$
|
98,865
|
|||
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
|||||||
Current
Liabilities:
|
|||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
$
|
6,186
|
$
|
4,331
|
|||
Accrued
salaries
|
1,495
|
1,247
|
|||||
Dividends
payable
|
2,495
|
2,495
|
|||||
Accrued
taxes payable
|
560
|
---
|
|||||
Unearned
revenue
|
28,224
|
29,748
|
|||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
8,436
|
6,176
|
|||||
Total
current liabilities
|
47,396
|
43,997
|
|||||
Long
term liabilities:
|
|||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
9,502
|
10,344
|
|||||
Deferred
charges
|
381
|
381
|
|||||
Total
long term liabilities
|
9,883
|
10,725
|
|||||
Shareholders'
Equity:
|
|||||||
Common
stock, $.10 par value; authorized 30,000,000
|
|||||||
shares;
issued 10,000,000 shares
|
1,000
|
1,000
|
|||||
Additional
paid-in capital
|
991
|
991
|
|||||
Retained
earnings
|
44,256
|
30,798
|
|||||
Treasury
stock, at cost (18,400 shares on 4/30/06
|
|||||||
and
4/30/05)
|
(354
|
)
|
(354
|
)
|
|||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income, net of tax
|
16,042
|
11,708
|
|||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
61,935
|
44,143
|
|||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$
|
119,214
|
$
|
98,865
|
|||
See
independent auditor's report and accompanying notes to the consolidated
financial statements.
-33-
Value
Line, Inc.
(in
thousands, except per share amounts)
Years
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and
|
||||||||||
related
publications
|
$
|
47,703
|
$
|
50,172
|
$
|
51,360
|
||||
Licensing
fees
|
5,016
|
2,541
|
1,137
|
|||||||
Investment
management fees & svcs
|
32,467
|
31,765
|
32,773
|
|||||||
Total
revenues
|
85,186
|
84,478
|
85,270
|
|||||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||
Advertising
and promotion
|
13,671
|
20,455
|
21,821
|
|||||||
Salaries
and employee benefits
|
19,025
|
19,445
|
20,764
|
|||||||
Production
and distribution
|
7,073
|
8,589
|
9,300
|
|||||||
Office
and administration
|
10,237
|
8,905
|
8,646
|
|||||||
Total
expenses
|
50,006
|
57,394
|
60,531
|
|||||||
Income
from operations
|
35,180
|
27,084
|
24,739
|
|||||||
Income
from securities transactions, net
|
3,869
|
8,278
|
8,266
|
|||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
39,049
|
35,362
|
33,005
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
15,610
|
14,044
|
12,655
|
|||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
23,439
|
$
|
21,318
|
$
|
20,350
|
||||
Earnings
per share, basic & fully diluted
|
$
|
2.35
|
$
|
2.14
|
$
|
2.04
|
||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
9,981,600
|
9,981,600
|
9,981,600
|
|||||||
See
independent auditor's report and accompanying notes to the consolidated
financial statements.
-34-
Value
Line, Inc.
|
||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
Years
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
23,439
|
$
|
21,318
|
$
|
20,350
|
||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash
|
||||||||||
provided
by operating activities:
|
||||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
2,275
|
2,506
|
2,726
|
|||||||
Gains
on sales of trading securities and
|
||||||||||
securities
available for sale
|
(2,430
|
)
|
(8,802
|
)
|
(3,075
|
)
|
||||
Unrealized
losses/(gains) on trading securities
|
217
|
1,128
|
(942
|
)
|
||||||
Loss
on disposal of fixed assets
|
139
|
—
|
—
|
|||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
(204
|
)
|
(371
|
)
|
146
|
|||||
Changes
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of trading securities
|
—
|
43,385
|
41,549
|
|||||||
Purchases
of trading securities
|
(4,364
|
)
|
(22,024
|
)
|
(55,406
|
)
|
||||
(Decrease)/increase
in unearned revenue
|
(2,366
|
)
|
(779
|
)
|
2,292
|
|||||
(Decrease)/increase
in deferred charges
|
(84
|
)
|
15
|
(344
|
)
|
|||||
Increase
in accounts payable and accrued expenses
|
1,939
|
796
|
1,043
|
|||||||
Increase/(decrease)
in accrued salaries
|
248
|
(329
|
)
|
186
|
||||||
Increase/(decrease)
in accrued taxes payable
|
560
|
(294
|
)
|
(144
|
)
|
|||||
(Increase)/decrease
in prepaid expenses and other
|
||||||||||
current
assets
|
(149
|
)
|
595
|
(667
|
)
|
|||||
Decrease/(increase)
in accounts receivable
|
59
|
(917
|
)
|
667
|
||||||
(Increase)/decrease
in receivable from affiliates
|
(360
|
)
|
363
|
(610
|
)
|
|||||
Total
adjustments
|
(4,520
|
)
|
15,272
|
(12,579
|
)
|
|||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
18,919
|
36,590
|
7,771
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of equity securities
|
2,430
|
12,671
|
5,788
|
|||||||
Purchase
of equity securities
|
(2,467
|
)
|
(1,039
|
)
|
(1,425
|
)
|
||||
Proceeds
from sales of fixed income securities
|
9,650
|
9,019
|
229,127
|
|||||||
Purchases
of fixed income securities
|
(8,249
|
)
|
(43,092
|
)
|
(61,210
|
)
|
||||
Acquisition
of property and equipment
|
(218
|
)
|
(194
|
)
|
(271
|
)
|
||||
Expenditures
for capitalized software
|
(724
|
)
|
(1,436
|
)
|
(1,907
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
|
422
|
(24,071
|
)
|
170,102
|
||||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(9,981
|
)
|
(184,656
|
)
|
(9,982
|
)
|
||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(9,981
|
)
|
(184,656
|
)
|
(9,982
|
)
|
||||
Net
increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
9,360
|
(172,137
|
)
|
167,891
|
||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
5,971
|
178,108
|
10,217
|
|||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of year
|
$
|
15,331
|
$
|
5,971
|
$
|
178,108
|
||||
See
independent auditor's report and accompanying notes to the consolidated
financial statements.
-35-
VALUE
LINE, INC.
FOR
THREE YEARS ENDED APRIL 30, 2006, 2005 & 2004
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
Common
stock
|
Accumulated
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Par
|
Additional
|
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
of
|
Value
|
paid-in
|
Treasury
|
Comprehensive
|
Retained
|
Comprehensive
|
|||||||||||||||||||
shares
|
Amount
|
capital
|
Stock
|
income
|
earnings
|
income
|
Total
|
||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at
April 30, 2003
|
9,981,600
|
$
|
1,000
|
$
|
991
|
$
|
(354
|
)
|
$
|
183,768
|
$
|
9,973
|
$
|
195,378
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
20,350
|
20,350
|
20,350
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
net
of tax:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in
unrealized
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
gains
on securities
|
4,229
|
4,229
|
4,229
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$
|
24,579
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(184,659
|
)
|
(184,659
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at
April 30, 2004
|
9,981,600
|
$
|
1,000
|
$
|
991
|
$
|
(354
|
)
|
$
|
19,459
|
$
|
14,202
|
$
|
35,298
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
21,318
|
21,318
|
21,318
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
net
of tax:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in
unrealized
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
gains
on securities,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
net
of taxes
|
(2,494
|
)
|
(2,494
|
)
|
(2,494
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$
|
18,824
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(9,979
|
)
|
(9,979
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at
April 30, 2005
|
9,981,600
|
$
|
1,000
|
$
|
991
|
$
|
(354
|
)
|
$
|
30,798
|
$
|
11,708
|
$
|
44,143
|
|||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$
|
23,439
|
23,439
|
23,439
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
net
of tax:
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in
unrealized
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
gains
on securities,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
net
of taxes
|
4,334
|
4,334
|
4,334
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$
|
27,773
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(9,981
|
)
|
(9,981
|
)
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at
April 30, 2006
|
9,981,600
|
$
|
1,000
|
$
|
991
|
$
|
(354
|
)
|
$
|
44,256
|
$
|
16,042
|
$
|
61,935
|
|||||||||||
See
independent auditor's report and accompanying notes to the consolidated
financial statements.
-36-
Value
Line, Inc.
Note
1-Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting
Policies:
Value
Line, Inc. (the "Company") is incorporated in New York State. Through its
subsidiary, Value Line Publishing, Inc. ("VLP") it publishes investment
periodicals and related publications. Value Line, Inc. performs investment
management services. Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc. (the "Parent") owns
approximately 86% of the issued and outstanding common stock of the
Company.
Principles
of consolidation: The consolidated financial statements include the accounts
of
the Company and all of its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany accounts
and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
Revenue
recognition: Subscription revenues are recognized ratably over the terms
of the
subscriptions. Accordingly, the amount of subscription fees to be earned
by
servicing subscriptions after the date of the balance sheet is shown as
unearned
revenue.
Investment
management fees (except 12b-1 fees) and brokerage commission income are
recorded
as the related services are performed (see note 3). Service and distribution
fees under Rule 12b-1 are earned every month based on the average net assets
of
the respective mutual fund.
Valuation
of Securities:
The
Company's securities classified as available for sale consist of shares
of the
Value Line Mutual Funds ("Value Line Funds") and government debt securities
accounted for in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards
No.115, "Accounting for Certain Investments in Debt and Equity Securities".
The
securities are valued at market with unrealized gains and losses on these
securities reported, net of applicable taxes, as a separate component of
Shareholders' Equity. Realized gains and losses on sales of the securities
available for sale are recorded in earnings on trade date and are determined
on
the identified cost method.
The
Company classifies its securities available for sale as current assets.
It does
so to properly reflect its liquidity and to recognize the fact that it
has
assets available for sale to fully satisfy its current liabilities should
the
need arise. Trading
securities held by the Company and subsidiaries are valued at market with
unrealized gains and losses included in earnings.
Market
valuation of securities listed on a securities exchange and over-the-counter
securities traded on the NASDAQ Global Market is based on the closing sales
prices on the last business day of each month. In the absence of closing
sales
prices for such securities, and for other securities traded in the
over-the-counter market, the security is valued at the midpoint between
the
latest available and representative asked and bid prices.
Valuation
of open-ended mutual fund shares is based upon the daily net asset values
of the
shares as calculated by such funds.
The
market value of the Company's fixed maturity government debt obligations
are
determined utilizing quoted prices at the end of each day provided by an
outside
pricing service.
Advertising
expenses: The Company expenses advertising costs as incurred.
Reclassification:
Certain items in the prior year financial statements have been reclassified
to
conform to the current year presentation.
Income
Taxes:
The
Company computes its income tax provision in accordance with the provisions
of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income
Taxes". Deferred tax liabilities and assets are recognized for the expected
future tax consequences of events that have been reflected in the Consolidated
Financial Statements. Deferred tax liabilities and assets are determined
based
on the differences between the book values and the tax bases of particular
assets and liabilities, using tax rates currently in effect for the years
in
which the differences are expected to reverse.
Earnings
per share: Earnings per share are based on the weighted average number
of shares
of common stock and common stock equivalents outstanding during each
year.
Cash
and
Cash Equivalents: For purposes of the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows,
the
Company considers all cash held at banks and short term liquid investments
with
an original maturity of less than three months to be cash and cash equivalents.
As of April 30, 2006 and 2005, cash equivalents included $14,746,000 and
$5,546,000, respectively, invested in the Value Line money market
funds.
-37-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Use
of
Estimates: The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles requires management to make estimates and
assumptions that affect certain reported amounts and disclosures. Accordingly,
actual results could differ from those estimates.
Note
2-Supplementary Cash Flow Information:
Cash
payments for income taxes were $15,156,000, $14,666,000, and $12,755,000
in
fiscal 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively. Interest payments of $11,000,
$7,000,
and $18,000 were made in fiscal 2006, 2005, and 2004, respectively.
Note
3-Related Party Transactions:
The
Company acts as investment adviser and manager for fourteen open-ended
investment companies, the Value Line Funds. The Company earns investment
management fees based upon the average daily net asset values of the respective
Value Line Funds. The fourteen Value Line Funds have adopted service and
distribution plans under rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
During certain periods prior to December 2004, Value Line Securities, Inc.,
("VLS") earned brokerage commission income on securities transactions executed
by VLS on behalf of the funds that cleared on a fully disclosed basis through
non-affiliated brokers, who received a portion of the gross commission.
VLS in
November 2004 suspended executing trades through VLS for any of the Value
Line
Funds.
For
the
twelve months ended April 30, 2006 investment management fees and 12b-1
service
and distribution fees amounted to $31,378,000, which included fee waivers
for
certain of the Value Line Funds. For the years ended April 30, 2005, and
2004,
investment management fees, 12b-1 service and distribution fees and brokerage
commission income amounted to $30,206,000, and $30,851,000, respectively.
These
amounts include service and distribution fees of $9,915,000, $9,609,000,
and
$9,638,000, respectively. There was no brokerage commission income in fiscal
year 2006. In fiscal years 2005 and 2004 these amounts included brokerage
commission income of $1,378,000 and $2,736,000, respectively. The related
receivables from the funds for management advisory fees and service and
distribution fees included in Receivable from affiliates were $2,751,000,
and
$2,406,000 at April 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
For
the
years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company was reimbursed
$918,000,
$689,000 and $489,000, respectively, for payments it made on behalf of
and
services it provided to the Parent. At April 30, 2006 and 2005, Receivable
from
affiliates included a Receivable from the Parent of $154,000 and $107,000,
respectively. For the years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company
made payments to the Parent for federal income tax amounting to $11,895,000,
$12,115,000 and $10,650,000, respectively. At April 30, 2006 accrued taxes
payable included a federal tax liability owed to the Parent in the amount
of
$449,000. At April 30, 2005 accrued taxes payable included a federal tax
liability owed to the Company from the Parent in the amount of $145,000.
These
data are in accordance with the tax sharing arrangement described in Note
6.
Note
4-Investments:
Trading
Securities:
Trading
securities held by the Company at April 30, 2006 had an aggregate cost
of
$22,402,000 and a market value of $22,314,000. There were no trading securities
held at April 30, 2005. There were no realized trading gains or losses
during
fiscal year 2006. The proceeds from sales of trading securities during
fiscal
years ended April 30, 2005 and 2004, were $43,385,000 and $41,549,000,
respectively, and the related net realized trading gains amounted to $2,502,000
and $2,084,000, respectively. The net changes in trading securities for
the
period ended April 30, 2006 was $22,402,000. The net changes in unrealized
gains
or losses for the periods ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, of $88,000
loss,
$1,128,000 loss, and $942,000 gain, respectively, were included in the
Consolidated Statement of Income.
-38-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Securities
Available for Sale:
Equity
Securities:
The
aggregate cost of the equity securities classified as available for sale,
which
consist of investments in the Value Line Funds, was $21,635,000 and the
market
value was $46,644,000 at April 30, 2006. The aggregate cost of the equity
securities classified as available for sale was $19,169,000 and the market
value
was $37,209,000 at April 30, 2005. The total gains for equity securities
with
net gains included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on the Consolidated
Balance Sheet are $25,009,000 and $18,157,000, net of deferred taxes of
$8,803,000 and $6,355,000, as of April 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively.
There
were no losses on equity securities included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income for fiscal year 2006. Losses on equity securities included in Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Income for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2005 was
$117,000, net of deferred tax benefit of $42,000. The increase in gross
unrealized gains on these securities of $6,969,000 and the decrease of
$3,810,000, net of deferred taxes of $2,453,000 and $1,344,000, were included
in
Shareholders' Equity at April 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. Realized
capital
gains from the sales of securities classified as available for sale were
$2,430,000, $6,177,000 and $1,441,000 of which $2,355,000, $5,738,000 and
$1,413,000 of capital gains were reclassified out of Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income into earnings during fiscal years ended April 30,
2006,
2005, and 2004, respectively. The proceeds from sales of securities including
capital gain distributions reinvested in the Value Line Funds during the
fiscal
years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 were $2,430,000, $12,671,000
and
$9,751,000, respectively. Proceeds and capital gains included $75,000 and
$433,000 from the installment sale of an investment in a privately held
company,
during fiscal 2006 and 2005, respectively.
Government
Debt Securities:
The
Company's investments in debt securities are classified as available for
sale
and valued at market value. The aggregate cost and fair value at April
30, 2006
for U.S. government debt securities classified as available for sale were
as
follows:
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||
Historical
|
Gross
Unrealized
|
|||||||||
Maturity
|
Cost
|
Fair
Value
|
Holding
Losses
|
|||||||
Due
in less than 2 years
|
$
|
10,778
|
$
|
10,641
|
($137
|
)
|
||||
Due
in 2-5 years
|
8,745
|
8,630
|
(115
|
)
|
||||||
Total
investment in debt securities
|
$
|
19,523
|
$
|
19,271
|
($252
|
)
|
The
aggregate cost and fair value at April 30, 2005 for U.S. government debt
securities classified as available for sale were as follows:
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||
Historical
|
Gross
Unrealized
|
|||||||||
Maturity
|
Cost
|
Fair
Value
|
Holding
Losses
|
|||||||
Due
in less than 2 years
|
$
|
34,506
|
$
|
34,481
|
($25
|
)
|
||||
Due
in 2-5 years
|
4,587
|
4,584
|
(3
|
)
|
||||||
Total
investment in debt securities
|
$
|
39,093
|
$
|
39,065
|
($28
|
)
|
The
unrealized losses of $252,000 and $28,000 in U.S. government debt securities
net
of deferred taxes of $89,000 and $10,000, respectively, were included in
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on the Consolidated Balance Sheets
as of
April 30, 2006 and 2005, respectively. During fiscal year 2006, the Company
reclassified $18,038,000 of US Government debt securities from the
classification of available for sale to trading securities that resulted
in the
recognition and reclassification of an unrealized loss of $129,000 from
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income to the Consolidated Condensed Statement
of Income.
The
average yield on the U.S. Government debt securities classified as available
for
sale at April 30, 2006 and April 30, 2005 was 3.76% and 3.62%,
respectively.
Proceeds
from sales of government debt securities classified as available for sale
during
fiscal years 2006, 2005, and 2004 were $9,650,000, $9,019,000 and $230,210,000,
respectively. There were no related gains or losses on sales of government debt
securities during fiscal 2006 or 2005. In fiscal 2004, the related loss
on sales
of $354,000 was reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
in the
Balance Sheet.
-39-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
For
the
years ended April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, income from securities transactions
also included $483,000, $239,000,and $247,000 of dividend income; $1,361,000,
$363,000, and $4,012,000 of interest income; and $11,000, $7,000 and $18,000
of
related interest expense, respectively.
Note
5-Property and Equipment:
Property
and equipment are carried at cost. Depreciation and amortization are provided
using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets,
or
in the case of leasehold improvements, over the remaining terms of the
leases.
For income tax purposes, depreciation of furniture and equipment is computed
using accelerated methods and buildings and leasehold improvements are
depreciated over prescribed, extended tax lives.
Property
and equipment consist of the following:
April
30,
|
|||||||
2006
|
2005
|
||||||
(in
thousands)
|
|||||||
Land
|
$
|
726
|
$
|
726
|
|||
Building
and leasehold improvements
|
7,284
|
7,834
|
|||||
Furniture
and equipment
|
10,652
|
10,752
|
|||||
18,662
|
19,312
|
||||||
Accumulated
depreciation and amortization
|
(13,256
|
)
|
(13,328
|
)
|
|||
$
|
5,406
|
$
|
5,984
|
Note
6-Federal, State and Local Income Taxes:
The
Company computes its income tax provision in accordance with the provisions
of
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income
Taxes".
The
provision for income taxes includes the following:
Year
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||
Current:
|
||||||||||
Federal
|
$
|
12,486
|
$
|
11,860
|
$
|
10,453
|
||||
State
and local
|
3,328
|
2,555
|
2,056
|
|||||||
15,814
|
14,415
|
12,509
|
||||||||
Deferred:
|
||||||||||
Federal
|
(148
|
)
|
(361
|
)
|
134
|
|||||
State
and local
|
(56
|
)
|
(10
|
)
|
12
|
|||||
(204
|
)
|
(371
|
)
|
146
|
||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$
|
15,610
|
$
|
14,044
|
$
|
12,655
|
Deferred
taxes are provided for temporary differences between the financial reporting
basis and the tax basis of the Company's assets and liabilities. The tax
effect
of temporary differences giving rise to the Company's deferred tax
(liability)/asset are as follows:
Year
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
gains on securities held for sale
|
($8,715
|
)
|
($6,304
|
)
|
($7,648
|
)
|
||||
Unrealized
gains on trading securities
|
(76
|
)
|
—
|
(395
|
)
|
|||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
(90
|
)
|
(356
|
)
|
(101
|
)
|
||||
Deferred
professional fees
|
246
|
342
|
348
|
|||||||
Deferred
charges
|
214
|
183
|
151
|
|||||||
Other,
net
|
(15
|
)
|
(41
|
)
|
65
|
|||||
($8,436
|
)
|
($6,176
|
)
|
($7,580
|
)
|
Included
in deferred income taxes in total current assets are deferred state and local
income taxes of $88,000 and $32,000 at April 30, 2006 and 2005,
respectively.
-40-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
The
provision for income taxes differs from the amount of income tax determined
by
applying the applicable U.S. statutory income tax rate to pretax income
as a
result of the following:
Year
ended April 30,
|
||||||||||
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||
Tax
expense at the U.S. statutory rate
|
$
|
13,667
|
$
|
12,377
|
$
|
11,552
|
||||
Increase
(decrease) in tax expense from:
|
||||||||||
State
and local income taxes, net of
|
||||||||||
federal
income tax benefit
|
2,127
|
1,654
|
1,344
|
|||||||
Effect
of tax exempt income and dividend deductions
|
(293
|
)
|
(88
|
)
|
(278
|
)
|
||||
Other,
net
|
109
|
101
|
37
|
|||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$
|
15,610
|
$
|
14,044
|
$
|
12,655
|
The
Company is included in the consolidated federal income tax return of the
Parent.
The Company has a tax sharing arrangement which requires it to make tax payments
to the Parent equal to the Company's liability as if it filed a separate
return.
Note
7-Employees' Profit Sharing and Savings Plan:
Substantially
all employees of the Company and its subsidiaries are members of the Value
Line,
Inc. Profit Sharing and Savings Plan (the "Plan"). In general, this is
a
qualified, contributory plan which provides for a discretionary annual
Company
contribution which is determined by a formula based upon the salaries of
eligible employees and the amount of consolidated net operating income
as
defined in the Plan. Plan expense, included in salaries and employee benefits
in
the Consolidated Statements of Income and Retained Earnings, for the years
ended
April 30, 2006, 2005, and 2004 was $1,244,000, $1,082,000, and $1,217,000,
respectively.
Note
8-Lease Commitments:
On
June
4, 1993, the Company entered into a 15 year lease agreement to provide
primary
office space. The lease includes free rental periods as well as scheduled
base
rent escalations over the term of the lease. The lease expires in May 2008
subject to an option to the Company to extend the term for 5 additional
years at
a market rental rate. The total amount of the base rent payments is being
charged to expense on the straight-line method over the term of the lease.
The
Company has recorded a deferred charge on its Consolidated Balance Sheets
to
reflect the excess of annual rental expense over cash payments since inception
of the lease. On September 14, 2000, the Company amended its lease for
primary
office space and returned to the landlord approximately 6,000 square feet
of
excess office capacity, reducing the Company's future minimum lease payments
accordingly. On January 19, 2006, the Company amended its lease for primary
office space and returned to the landlord approximately 11,000 square feet
of
excess office capacity, reducing the Company's future minimum lease payments
accordingly.
Future
minimum payments, exclusive of forecasted increases in real estate taxes
and
wage escalations, under operating leases for equipment and office space,
with
remaining terms of one year or more, are as follows:
Year
ended April 30:
|
(in
thousands)
|
||||||
2007
|
$
|
1,690
|
|||||
2008
|
1,039
|
||||||
2009
|
162
|
||||||
2010
|
108
|
||||||
|
Thereafter
|
—
|
|||||
$
|
2,999
|
Rental
expense for the years ended April 30, 2006, 2005 and 2004 under operating
leases
covering office space was $1,724,000, $1,799,000, and $1,544,000,
respectively.
-41-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Note
9-Business Segments:
The
Company operates two reportable business segments: Publishing and Investment
Management Services. The publishing segment produces investment related
periodicals in both print and electronic form, and licensing fees. The
investment management segment provides advisory services to the Value Line
Funds, as well as institutional and individual accounts. The segments are
differentiated by the products and services they offer. The accounting
policies
of the segments are the same as those described in the summary of significant
accounting policies. The Company allocates all revenues and expenses, except
for
depreciation and income from securities transactions related to corporate
assets, between the two reportable segments.
Disclosure
of Reportable Segment Profit and Segment Assets (in
thousands)
April
30, 2006
|
||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||
Licensing
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$
|
52,719
|
$
|
32,467
|
$
|
85,186
|
||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
114
|
—
|
114
|
|||||||
Income
from securities transactions
|
62
|
2,922
|
2,984
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
2,169
|
88
|
2,257
|
|||||||
Segment
profit
|
20,041
|
15,158
|
35,199
|
|||||||
Segment
assets
|
14,861
|
81,762
|
96,623
|
|||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
933
|
9
|
942
|
|||||||
April
30, 2005
|
||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||
Licensing
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$
|
52,713
|
$
|
31,765
|
$
|
84,478
|
||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
180
|
—
|
180
|
|||||||
Income
from securities transactions
|
14
|
7,914
|
7,928
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
2,384
|
106
|
2,490
|
|||||||
Segment
profit
|
16,420
|
10,680
|
27,100
|
|||||||
Segment
assets
|
14,871
|
44,409
|
59,280
|
|||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
1,441
|
189
|
1,630
|
April
30, 2004
|
||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||
Licensing
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$
|
52,497
|
$
|
32,773
|
$
|
85,270
|
||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
193
|
—
|
193
|
|||||||
Income
from securities transactions
|
4
|
8,262
|
8,266
|
|||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
2,632
|
62
|
2,694
|
|||||||
Segment
profit
|
14,391
|
10,380
|
24,771
|
|||||||
Segment
assets
|
14,592
|
74,786
|
89,378
|
|||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
2,128
|
45
|
2,173
|
|||||||
-42-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Reconciliation
of Reportable Segment Revenues, Operating Profit and Assets
(in
thousands)
2006
|
2005
|
2004
|
||||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||||
Total
revenues for reportable segments
|
$
|
85,300
|
$
|
84,658
|
$
|
85,463
|
||||
Elimination
of intersegment revenues
|
(114
|
)
|
(180
|
)
|
(193
|
)
|
||||
Total
consolidated revenues
|
$
|
85,186
|
$
|
84,478
|
$
|
85,270
|
||||
Segment
profit
|
||||||||||
Total
profit for reportable segments
|
$
|
38,183
|
$
|
35,028
|
$
|
33,037
|
||||
Add:
Income from securities transactions
|
||||||||||
related
to corporate assets
|
884
|
350
|
—
|
|||||||
Less:
Depreciation related to corporate assets
|
(18
|
)
|
(16
|
)
|
(32
|
)
|
||||
Income
before income taxes
|
$
|
39,049
|
$
|
35,362
|
$
|
33,005
|
||||
Assets
|
||||||||||
Total
assets for reportable segments
|
$
|
96,623
|
$
|
59,280
|
$
|
89,378
|
||||
Corporate
assets
|
22,591
|
39,585
|
177,546
|
|||||||
Consolidated
total assets
|
$
|
119,214
|
$
|
98,865
|
$
|
266,924
|
||||
Note
10-Net Capital:
The
Company's wholly owned subsidiary, Value Line Securities, Inc., is subject
to
the net capital provisions of Rule 15c3-1 under the Securities Exchange
Act of
1934, which requires the maintenance of minimum net capital of $100,000
or
one-fifteenth of aggregate indebtedness, if larger. Additionally, dividends
may
only be declared if aggregate indebtedness is less than twelve times net
capital.
At
April
30, 2006, the net capital, as defined, of Value Line Securities, Inc. of
$23,866,195 exceeded required net capital by $23,766,195 and the ratio
of
aggregate indebtedness to net capital was .06 to 1.
Note
11-Disclosure of Credit Risk of Financial Instruments with Off Balance
Sheet
Risk:
In
the
normal course of business, the Company enters into contractual commitments,
including financial futures contracts for securities indices. Financial
futures
contracts provide for the delayed delivery of financial instruments for
which
the seller agrees to make delivery at a specified future date, at a specified
price or yield. The contract or notional amount of these contracts reflects
the
extent of involvement the Company has in these contracts. At April 30,
2006 and
2005, the Company did not have any investment in financial futures contracts.
The Company limits its credit risk associated with such instruments by
entering
into exchange traded future contracts.
Although
Value Line Securities, Inc. did not do so during fiscal 2006, during prior
periods it executed, as agent, securities transactions on behalf of the
Value
Line Funds. If either the mutual fund or a counter party fails to perform,
Value
Line Securities, Inc. might be required to discharge the obligations of
the
nonperforming party. In such circumstances, Value Line Securities, Inc.
might
sustain a loss if the market value of the security is different from the
contract value of the transaction.
Other
than the Value Line Funds as explained in note 3, no single customer accounted
for a significant portion of the Company's sales in 2006, 2005 or 2004,
nor
accounts receivable for 2006 or 2005.
Note
12-Comprehensive Income:
The
Company has adopted Financial Accounting Standards No. 130, "Reporting
Comprehensive Income". Statement No. 130 requires the reporting of comprehensive
income in addition to net income from operations. Comprehensive income
is a more
inclusive financial reporting methodology that includes disclosure of certain
financial information that historically has not been recognized in the
calculation of net income.
At
April
30, 2006, 2005, and 2004, the Company held both equity securities and U.S.
Government debt securities that are classified as Available for Sale on
the
Consolidated Balance Sheets. The change in valuation of these securities,
net of
deferred income taxes, has been recorded in Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income in the Company's Balance Sheets.
-43-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
The
components of comprehensive income that are included in the Statement of
Changes
in Shareholders' Equity are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||
Before
|
Tax
|
Net
of
|
||||||||
Tax
|
(Expense)
|
Tax
|
||||||||
Amount
|
or
Benefit
|
Amount
|
||||||||
Year
ended 4-30-06
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Gains on Securities:
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Holding Gains/(Losses) Arising during the period
|
$
|
8,971
|
($3,195
|
)
|
$
|
5,776
|
||||
Add:
Reclassification adjustments for
|
||||||||||
losses
realized in net income
|
129
|
(45
|
)
|
84
|
||||||
Less:
Reclassification adjustments
|
||||||||||
for
gains realized in net income
|
(2,355
|
)
|
829
|
(1,526
|
)
|
|||||
Other
Comprehensive income
|
$
|
6,745
|
($2,411
|
)
|
$
|
4,334
|
||||
Year
ended 4-30-05
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Gains on Securities:
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Holding Gains/(Losses) Arising during the period
|
$
|
1,902
|
($666
|
)
|
$
|
1,236
|
||||
Less:
Reclassification adjustments
|
||||||||||
for
gains realized in net income
|
(5,738
|
)
|
2,008
|
(3,730
|
)
|
|||||
Other
Comprehensive income
|
($3,836
|
)
|
$
|
1,342
|
($2,494
|
)
|
||||
Year
ended 4-30-04
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Gains on Securities:
|
||||||||||
Unrealized
Holding Gains/(Losses) Arising during the period
|
$
|
7,566
|
($2,649
|
)
|
$
|
4,917
|
||||
Less:
Reclassification adjustments
|
||||||||||
for
gains realized in net income
|
(1,059
|
)
|
371
|
(688
|
)
|
|||||
Other
Comprehensive income
|
$
|
6,507
|
($2,278
|
)
|
$
|
4,229
|
||||
-44-
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Financial Statements
Note
13-Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed for Internal
Use:
The
Company has adopted the provisions of the Statement of Position 98-1, (SOP
98-1), "Accounting for the Costs of Computer Software Developed for Internal
Use". SOP 98-1 is effective for tax years ending after December 31, 1998.
SOP
98-1 requires companies to capitalize as long-lived assets many of the
costs
associated with developing or obtaining software for internal use and amortize
those costs over the software's estimated useful life in a systematic and
rational manner.
At
April
30, 2006 and 2005, the Company capitalized $508,000 and $861,000 of costs
related to the development of software for internal use. Such costs are
capitalized and amortized over the expected useful life of the asset which
is
approximately 3 years. Amortization expense for the years ended April 30,
2006,
2005 and 2004 was $916,000, $940,000, and $889,000, respectively.
Note
14-Contingencies:
On
September 17, 2003 the Company commenced an action in New York Supreme
Court,
seeking damages in an unspecified amount, against a small mutual fund company
pertaining to a contemplated transaction. The Company was countersued for
alleged damages in excess of $5,000,000. The action was settled in November
2004
without a material adverse effect on the Company. A related entity of the
defendant in the New York action brought suit against the Company and certain
Directors in Federal Court in Texas in March, 2004 based on the same
transaction. On the Company's motion, that action has been transferred
from
Texas to New York. On March 2, 2006 the Federal Judge in New York granted
the
Company's motion dismissing three causes of action. The court allowed one
cause
of action to continue at this time. Although
the ultimate outcome of the litigation is subject to the inherent uncertainties
of any legal proceeding, based upon Counsel's analysis of the factual and
legal
issues and the Company's meritorious defenses, it is management's belief
that
the expected outcome of this matter will not have a material adverse effect
on
the Company's consolidated results of operations and financial
condition.
By
letter
dated June 15, 2005, the staff of the Securities and Exchange Commission
informed the Company that it was conducting a preliminary inquiry. Thereafter,
the staff has requested documents and information relating to, among other
things, trades for the Company's and affiliates' proprietary accounts,
the
execution of trades through VLS for the Value Line Funds and the fees collected
by VLS from the Value Line Funds pursuant to a Service and Distribution
Plan.
The Company and its subsidiaries are cooperating with the inquiry. Management
cannot determine the effect, if any, that the inquiry will have on the
results
of operation and financial condition.
-45-
Value
Line Inc.
|
||||||
As
of April 30,
2006
|
Number
of
|
Historical
|
Market
|
||||||||
Shares
|
Cost
|
Value
|
||||||||
Marketable
Securities
|
||||||||||
Federal
Home Loan Bank 3.375% Due 2/07
|
15,000
|
14,758,500
|
14,782,500
|
|||||||
Missouri
State Cert. Participation Muni Bond 5% due
6/08
|
3,155
|
3,279,591
|
3,232,771
|
|||||||
Orange
Cnty Fla Tourist Dev. Tax Muni Bond 5.5% due
10/20
|
3,000
|
3,220,980
|
3,171,840
|
|||||||
Potterville
MI Public School Muni Bond 5.75% due
5/20
|
1,065
|
1,143,704
|
1,126,962
|
|||||||
Total
Marketable Securities
|
$
|
22,402,775
|
$
|
22,314,073
|
-46-
Value
Line Inc.
|
||||
Historical
|
Market
|
||||||
Investments
In Value Line Mutual
Funds
|
Cost
|
Value
|
|||||
The
Value Line Fund
|
655,157
|
661,098
|
|||||
The
Value Line Income & Growth Fund
|
607,822
|
611,445
|
|||||
The
Value Line Emerging Opportunity Fund
|
6,437,825
|
17,806,316
|
|||||
The
Value Line Asset Allocation Fund
|
13,930,768
|
27,561,937
|
|||||
Total
Investment In Value Line Mutual
Funds
|
$
|
21,631,572
|
$
|
46,640,796
|
|||
300
Shares of National Association of Securities Dealers,
Inc.
|
$
|
3,300
|
$
|
3,300
|
|||
Fixed
Income Investments
|
|||||||
Treasury
Note 2.625% due 11/06
|
5,704,898
|
5,628,750
|
|||||
Chicago
Illinois School Finance Muni Bond 5.375% due
6/08
|
1,244,814
|
1,205,402
|
|||||
Texas
Tax & Revenue 4.5% due 8-31-06
|
5,073,100
|
5,012,250
|
|||||
Georgia
State General Obligation Muni Bond 5% due
12/08
|
3,175,260
|
3,099,570
|
|||||
Weekly
Adjustable Northern California Transmission Muni Bond due
5/24
|
4,325,000
|
4,325,000
|
|||||
Total
Fixed Income Investments
|
$
|
19,523,072
|
$
|
19,270,972
|
|||
Total
Securities Available For
Sale
|
$
|
41,157,944
|
$
|
65,915,068
|
|||
-47-