VALUE LINE INC - Quarter Report: 2009 January (Form 10-Q)
UNITED
STATES
SECURITIES
AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington,
D.C. 20549
FORM
10-Q
(Mark
One)
x
|
QUARTERLY
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
quarterly period ended January 31,
2009
or
¨
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF
1934
|
For the
transition period from _____________________________________ to
__________________________________
Commission
File Number: 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)
|
(212)
907-1500
(Registrant's
telephone number, including area code)
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. Yes x No
¨
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an
accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, or a smaller reporting
company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,”
“accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of the
Exchange Act.
Large
accelerated filer ¨
|
Accelerated
filer ¨
|
Non-accelerated
filer x
|
Smaller
reporting company ¨
|
(Do
not check if a smaller reporting
company)
|
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule
12b-2 of the Exchange Act).
Yes ¨ No x
|
Indicate
the number of shares outstanding of each of the issuer's classes of common
stock, as of the latest practicable date.
Class
|
Outstanding at January 31, 2009
|
|
Common stock, $.10 par value
|
9,981,600 Shares
|
VALUE
LINE INC.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page No.
|
||
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1.
|
Condensed
Consolidated Financial Statements:
|
|
Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2009 and April 30,
2008
|
3
|
|
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Income for the three and nine months ended January
31, 2009 and 2008
|
4
|
|
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the three and nine months ended
January 31, 2009 and 2008
|
5
|
|
Consolidated
Condensed Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the nine months
ended January 31, 2009
|
6
|
|
Consolidated
Condensed Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the nine months
ended January 31, 2008
|
7
|
|
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
|
8
|
|
Item
2.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
14
|
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
20
|
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
21
|
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
||
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
22
|
Item
1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
22
|
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
22
|
|
Signatures
|
23
|
EX-31.1
(Certifications required under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002)
|
|
EX-31.2
(Certifications required under Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002)
|
|
EX-32.1
(Certifications required under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002)
|
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
|
Value
Line, Inc.
|
Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheets
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
Jan.
31,
|
Apr.
30,
|
|||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||
Current
Assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents (including short term investments of $47,755 and
$8,159, respectively)
|
$ | 48,699 | $ | 8,955 | ||||
Trading
securities
|
17,369 | 19,857 | ||||||
Securities
available for sale
|
41,714 | 97,043 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $47, and $107,
respectively
|
2,609 | 2,733 | ||||||
Receivable
from affiliates
|
1,679 | 2,445 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
962 | 1,048 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
655 | 155 | ||||||
Total
current assets
|
113,687 | 132,236 | ||||||
Long
term assets
|
||||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
4,501 | 4,709 | ||||||
Capitalized
software and other intangible assets, net
|
862 | 1,008 | ||||||
Total
long term assets
|
5,363 | 5,717 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 119,050 | $ | 137,953 | ||||
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
||||||||
Current
Liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
$ | 4,003 | $ | 5,135 | ||||
Accrued
salaries
|
1,532 | 1,471 | ||||||
Dividends
payable
|
3,993 | 2,995 | ||||||
Accrued
taxes payable
|
484 | 129 | ||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
23,816 | 26,610 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
0 | 7,839 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
33,828 | 44,179 | ||||||
Long
term liabilities
|
||||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
5,360 | 5,920 | ||||||
Total
long term liabilities
|
5,360 | 5,920 | ||||||
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
|
78,312 | 70,954 | ||||||
Treasury
stock, at cost (18,400 shares on 1/31/09 and 4/30/08)
|
(354 | ) | (354 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax
|
(87 | ) | 15,263 | |||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
79,862 | 87,854 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$ | 119,050 | $ | 137,953 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
3
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
Value
Line, Inc.
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Income
(in
thousands, except share & per share amounts)
(unaudited)
Three
months ended
|
Nine
months ended
|
|||||||||||||||
Jan.
31,
|
Jan.
31,
|
|||||||||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 10,048 | $ | 10,601 | $ | 30,341 | $ | 32,424 | ||||||||
Licensing
fees
|
683 | 2,072 | 3,603 | 5,517 | ||||||||||||
Investment
management fees & services
|
5,125 | 8,407 | 20,452 | 25,050 | ||||||||||||
Total
revenues
|
15,856 | 21,080 | 54,396 | 62,991 | ||||||||||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Advertising
and promotion
|
2,435 | 3,253 | 9,004 | 10,327 | ||||||||||||
Salaries
and employee benefits
|
4,499 | 4,535 | 14,165 | 13,668 | ||||||||||||
Production
and distribution
|
1,445 | 1,424 | 4,434 | 4,698 | ||||||||||||
Office
and administration
|
2,857 | 2,531 | 8,442 | 6,580 | ||||||||||||
Total
expenses
|
11,236 | 11,743 | 36,045 | 35,273 | ||||||||||||
Income
from operations
|
4,620 | 9,337 | 18,351 | 27,718 | ||||||||||||
Income
from securities transactions, net
|
927 | 4,097 | 11,643 | 5,683 | ||||||||||||
Income
before income taxes
|
5,547 | 13,434 | 29,994 | 33,401 | ||||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
1,815 | 4,963 | 10,658 | 12,628 | ||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 3,732 | $ | 8,471 | $ | 19,336 | $ | 20,773 | ||||||||
Earnings
per share, basic & fully diluted
|
$ | 0.38 | $ | 0.85 | $ | 1.94 | $ | 2.08 | ||||||||
Weighted
average number of common shares
|
9,981,600 | 9,981,600 | 9,981,600 | 9,981,600 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
4
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
|
Value
Line, Inc.
|
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows
(in
thousands)
(unaudited)
For
the nine months
|
||||||||
ended
|
||||||||
Jan.
31,
|
Jan.
31,
|
|||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 19,336 | $ | 20,773 | ||||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
882 | 1,230 | ||||||
Gains
on sales of trading securities and securities classified as
available for sale
|
(9,162 | ) | (2,800 | ) | ||||
Unrealized
gains on trading securities
|
(81 | ) | (277 | ) | ||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
28 | (147 | ) | |||||
Changes
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of trading securities
|
9,026 | - | ||||||
Purchases
of trading securities
|
(6,583 | ) | (3,926 | ) | ||||
(Decrease)
in unearned revenue
|
(3,354 | ) | (1,845 | ) | ||||
Increase/(decrease)
in deferred charges
|
110 | (174 | ) | |||||
(Decrease)
in accounts payable and accrued expenses
|
(1,242 | ) | (952 | ) | ||||
Increase/(decrease)
in accrued salaries
|
61 | (234 | ) | |||||
Increase
in accrued taxes payable
|
355 | 634 | ||||||
Decrease
in prepaid expenses and other current assets
|
58 | 275 | ||||||
Decrease
in prepaid and refundable income taxes
|
- | 510 | ||||||
Decrease
in accounts receivable
|
124 | 54 | ||||||
Decrease
in receivable from affiliates
|
766 | 483 | ||||||
Total
adjustments
|
(9,012 | ) | (7,169 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by operations
|
10,324 | 13,604 | ||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Purchases
and sales of securities classified as available for sale:
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of fixed income securities
|
28,603 | 5,137 | ||||||
Proceeds
from sales of equity securities
|
37,755 | 2,793 | ||||||
Purchase
of fixed income securities
|
(25,421 | ) | (10,603 | ) | ||||
Purchases
of equity securities
|
(9 | ) | (4,228 | ) | ||||
Acquisition
of property and equipment
|
(152 | ) | (251 | ) | ||||
Expenditures
for capitalized software
|
(376 | ) | (40 | ) | ||||
Net
cash provided by/(used in) investing activities
|
40,400 | (7,192 | ) | |||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(10,980 | ) | (8,984 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(10,980 | ) | (8,984 | ) | ||||
Net
increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
|
39,744 | (2,572 | ) | |||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
8,955 | 20,605 | ||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ | 48,699 | $ | 18,033 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
5
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
VALUE
LINE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
FOR
THE NINE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31, 2009
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
(unaudited)
Common
stock
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Additional
|
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of
|
paid-in
|
Treasury
|
Comprehensive
|
Retained
|
Comprehensive
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
shares
|
Amount
|
capital
|
Stock
|
income
|
earnings
|
income
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2008
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 70,954 | $ | 15,263 | $ | 87,854 | ||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 19,336 | 19,336 | 19,336 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes
|
(15,350 | ) | (15,350 | ) | (15,350 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$ | 3,986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(11,978 | ) | (11,978 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at January 31, 2009
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 78,312 | $ | (87 | ) | $ | 79,862 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
6
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
VALUE
LINE, INC.
CONSOLIDATED
CONDENSED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
FOR
THE NINE MONTHS ENDED JANUARY 31, 2008
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
(unaudited)
Common
stock
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Additional
|
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of
|
paid-in
|
Treasury
|
Comprehensive
|
Retained
|
Comprehensive
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
shares
|
Amount
|
capital
|
Stock
|
income
|
earnings
|
income
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2007
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 57,383 | $ | 16,552 | $ | 75,572 | ||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 20,773 | 20,773 | 20,773 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes
|
(1,892 | ) | (1,892 | ) | (1,892 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$ | 18,881 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(8,984 | ) | (8,984 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at January 31, 2008
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 69,172 | $ | 14,660 | $ | 85,469 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
7
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
1-Organization and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies:
The
interim consolidated condensed financial statements of Value Line, Inc.,
together with its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as the “Company”), are
unaudited. In the opinion of management, the accompanying unaudited
consolidated condensed financial statements contain all adjustments (consisting
of normal recurring accruals except as noted below) considered necessary for a
fair presentation. This report should be read in conjunction with the
financial statements and footnotes contained in the Company's annual report on
Form 10-K, dated July 17, 2008 for the fiscal year ended April 30,
2008. Results of operations covered by this report may not be indicative of the
results of operations for the entire year.
Value
Line, Inc. ("VLI") is incorporated in the State of New York. The
Company's primary businesses are producing investment related periodical
publications and data, licensing certain Value Line trademarks and Value Line
proprietary ranking system information to third parties under written agreements
for use in third party managed and marketed investment products, providing
investment management services to the Value Line Funds, institutions and
individual accounts and providing distribution, marketing, and administrative
services to the Value Line Funds. The name "Value Line" as used to
describe the Company, its products, and its subsidiaries, is a registered
trademark of the Company.
Principles
of consolidation:
The
consolidated condensed 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:
Depending
upon the product, subscription fulfillment is available in print, via internet
access, and CD-ROM. The length of a subscription varies by product and offer
received by the subscriber. Generally, subscriptions are available as trial
subscriptions, annual subscriptions and/or multi-year subscriptions.
Subscription revenues are recognized on a straight line basis over the life of
the subscription. Accordingly, the amount of subscription fees to be earned by
fulfilling subscriptions after the date of the balance sheet is shown as
unearned revenue within current and long-term liabilities.
Licensing
revenues are derived from licensing certain Value Line trademarks and Value Line
proprietary ranking system information to third parties under written agreements
for use in selecting securities for third party marketed products, including
unit investment trusts, annuities and exchange traded funds. Value
Line earns an asset based licensing fee as specified in the individual licensing
agreements. Revenue is recognized monthly over the term of the
agreement and will fluctuate as the market value of the underlying portfolio
increases or decreases in value.
Investment
management fees consist of management fees from the Value Line Mutual Funds
("Value Line Funds"), and from asset management clients. Investment
management fees for the mutual funds are earned on a monthly basis as services
are performed and the fee is calculated based on average daily net assets of the
mutual funds in accordance with each fund's advisory
agreement. Investment management fees for the asset management
accounts are earned on a monthly basis as services are performed and the fee is
calculated on assets in accordance with each of the management agreements (see
note 6).
Service
and distribution fees are received from the Value Line Funds in accordance with
service and distribution plans under rule 12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of
1940. The plans are compensation plans, which means that the
distributor’s fees under the plans are payable without regard to actual expenses
incurred by the distributor, and therefore the distributor may earn a profit
under the plan. Expenses incurred by Value Line Securities, Inc.
("VLS"), the distributor of the Value Line Funds, include payments to securities
dealers, banks, financial institutions and other organizations (including an
allocation of VLI expenses), that provide distribution, marketing, and
administrative services with respect to the distribution of the mutual funds’
shares. Service and distribution fees are received on a monthly basis
and calculated on the average daily net assets of the respective mutual fund in
accordance with each fund prospectus (see note 6).
Valuation
of Securities:
The
Company's securities classified as available for sale consist of shares of the
Value Line Funds and/or 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 available
for sale and trading securities reflected in the consolidated condensed
financial statements at fair value are valued at market and
unrealized gains and losses on securities available for sale, net of applicable
taxes, are reported 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.
Market
valuation of securities listed on a securities exchange is based on the closing
sales prices on the last business day of each month. Valuation of open-end
mutual fund shares is based upon the publicly quoted net asset value of the
shares. The market value of the Company's fixed maturity government debt
obligations are determined utilizing publicly quoted market prices or other
observable inputs.
Effective
for fiscal 2009, the Company adopted Financial Accounting Standards Board
Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 157, Fair Value Measurements
(“FAS 157"). In accordance with FAS 157, fair value is defined as the price that
the Company would receive upon selling an investment in a timely transaction to
an independent buyer in the principal or most advantageous market for the
investment. FAS 157 established a three-tier hierarchy to maximize the use of
observable market data and minimize the use of unobservable inputs and to
establish classification of fair value measurements for disclosure purposes.
Inputs refer broadly to the information that market participants would use in
pricing the asset or liability, including assumptions about risk. Examples of
risks include those inherent in a particular valuation technique used to measure
fair value such as the risk inherent in the inputs to the valuation technique.
Inputs are classified as observable or unobservable. Observable inputs are
inputs that reflect the assumptions market participants would use in pricing the
asset or liability developed based on market data obtained from sources
independent of the reporting entity. Unobservable inputs are inputs that reflect
the reporting entity’s own assumptions about the factors market
participants would use in pricing the asset or liability developed based on the
best information available in the circumstances.
8
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
The three-tier hierarchy of inputs is summarized in the three
broad levels listed below.
Level 1 –
quoted prices in active markets for identical investments
Level 2 –
other significant observable inputs (including quoted prices for similar
investments, interest rates, prepayment speeds, credit risk, etc.)
Level 3 –
significant unobservable inputs (including the Company’s own assumptions in
determining the fair value of investments)
The
valuation techniques used by the Company to measure fair value during the nine
months ended January 31, 2009 consisted exclusively of quoted prices and when
quoted market prices in active markets are not available, the Company uses a
number of methodologies to establish fair value estimates, including discounted
cash flow models, prices from recently executed transactions of similar
securities or broker/dealer quotes, utilizing market observable information to
the extent possible. In conjunction with modeling activities, the Company may
use external data as inputs.
The
following is a summary of the inputs used as of January 31, 2009 in valuing the
Company’s investments carried at fair value:
(In
Thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||
Valuation
Inputs
|
Total
Investments
|
Cash
Equivalents
|
Investments
in
Trading
Securities
|
Investments
in
Securities
Available
for Sale
|
||||||||||||
Level
1 - Quoted Prices
|
$ | 47,755 | $ | 47,755 | - | - | ||||||||||
Level
2 - Other Significant Observable Inputs
|
$ | 59,083 | - | $ | 17,369 | 41,714 | ||||||||||
Level
3 - Significant Unobservable Inputs
|
- | - | - | - | ||||||||||||
Total
|
$ | 106,838 | $ | 47,755 | $ | 17,369 | $ | 41,714 |
The
Company had no other financial instruments including futures, forwards and swap
contracts. For the period ended January 31, 2009, there were no Level 3
investments. The Company does not have any liabilities subject to FAS
157.
Advertising
expenses:
The
Company expenses advertising costs as incurred.
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
condensed 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.
In July
2006, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued Interpretation No. 48,
"Accounting for Uncertainty in Income Taxes - an Interpretation of FASB
Statement No. 109" (the "Interpretation" or "FIN 48"). The
Interpretation establishes for all entities, a minimum threshold for financial
statement recognition of the benefit of positions taken in filing tax returns
(including whether an entity is taxable in a particular jurisdiction), and
requires certain expanded tax disclosures. The Interpretation is
effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2006, and is to be
applied to all open tax years as of the date of effectiveness. Management has
reviewed the tax positions for the years still subject to tax audit under the
statute of limitations, evaluated the implications of FIN 48, and determined
that there is no impact to the Company's financial statements.
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 condensed 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 January 31, 2009 and April 30, 2008, cash
equivalents included $47,755,000 and $8,159,000, respectively, invested in the
Value Line Cash Fund.
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.
9
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
2-Investments:
Securities
held by the Company are classified as Trading Securities and Available-for-Sale
Securities. All securities held in VLS, as a broker/dealer, are classified as
trading securities. Securities held by the Company and its other
subsidiaries, are classified as available-for-sale securities.
Trading
Securities:
Trading
securities held by the Company at January 31, 2009 had an aggregate cost of
$17,472,000 and a market value of $17,369,000. Trading securities
held by the Company at April 30, 2008 had an aggregate cost of $20,042,000 and a
market value of $19,857,000. The proceeds from sales of trading
securities during the first nine months of fiscal 2009 were $9,026,000 and
related realized trading losses net of realized trading gains amounted to
$126,000. There were no sales and no realized trading gains or losses during the
first nine months of fiscal year 2008. The decrease in unrealized
losses of $81,000 and the increase in unrealized gains of $277,000 for the
periods ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively, were included
in the Consolidated Condensed Statements of Income.
Securities
Available-for-Sale:
Equity
Securities:
As of
April 30, 2008, the aggregate cost of the equity securities classified as
available for sale, which consist of investments in the Value Line Funds, was
$28,149,000 and the market value was $51,870,000. The Company sold its portfolio
of equity securities subsequent to April 30, 2008 and did not hold any equity
securities as of January 31, 2009. The total gains for equity securities with
net gains included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on the
Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet were $23,972,000, net of deferred taxes of
$8,438,000, as of April 30, 2008. The total losses for equity securities with
net losses included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income on the
Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet were $251,000, net of deferred tax benefit
of $89,000, as of April 30, 2008.
The
proceeds from sales of equity securities classified as available for sale during
the nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, were $37,755,000 and $2,793,000
and the related capital gains net of capital losses were $9,600,000 and
$2,793,000, respectively, which were reclassified to net income from Accumulated
Other Comprehensive Income. The decreases in gross unrealized gains on equity
securities classified as available for sale due to changes in market conditions
of $14,121,000 and $3,405,000, net of deferred taxes of $4,971,000
and $1,199,000, were included in Shareholders' Equity during the nine months
ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Government
Debt Securities:
Government
debt securities consist of federal, state, and local government securities
within the United States. The aggregate cost and fair value at January 31, 2009
for 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
|
$ | 32,664 | $ | 32,258 | $ | (406 | ) | |||||
Due
in 2 - 5 years
|
9,184 | 9,456 | 272 | |||||||||
Total
investment in government debt securities
|
$ | 41,848 | $ | 41,714 | $ | (134 | ) |
The
aggregate cost and fair value at April 30, 2008 for 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
|
$ | 24,261 | $ | 23,921 | $ | (340 | ) | |||||
Due
in 2 - 5 years
|
21,079 | 21,252 | 173 | |||||||||
Total
investment in government debt securities
|
$ | 45,340 | $ | 45,173 | $ | (167 | ) |
The
unrealized losses of $134,000 and $167,000 in government debt
securities net of deferred income tax benefits of $47,000 and
$59,000, respectively, were included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income
on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets as of January 31, 2009 and April
30, 2008, respectively. The increase in gross unrealized losses on government
debt securities classified as available for sale due to changes in market
conditions of $279,000, net of deferred taxes of $98,000, was
included in Shareholders' Equity during the nine months ended January 31,
2009.
The
average yield on the Government debt securities at January 31, 2009 and April
30, 2008 was 2.23% and 2.91%, respectively.
Proceeds
from sales of government debt securities classified as available for sale during
the nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008 were $28,603,000 and $5,137,000,
respectively. The company recognized total capital losses net of capital gains
of $312,000 and a capital gain of $7,000 on the sales of government debt
securities during the nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively,
which were reclassified to net income from Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income.
For the
nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, income from securities transactions
also included $215,000 and $834,000 of dividend income and $2,208,000 and
$1,770,000 of interest income. There was no interest expense during
the nine months of fiscal 2009 or 2008.
10
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
3-Supplementary Cash Flow Information:
Cash
payments for income taxes were $10,305,000 and $12,239,000 for the nine months
ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, respectively.
Note
4-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 on the salaries of
eligible employees as defined in the Plan. The estimated profit
sharing plan contribution, which is included as an expense
in salaries and employee benefits in the Consolidated Condensed Statement of
Income, was $586,000 and $690,000 for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 and
2008, respectively.
Note
5-Comprehensive Income:
Financial
Accounting Standards No. 130, "Reporting Comprehensive Income",
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 otherwise would not be recognized in the calculation of net
income.
At
January 31, 2009 and January 31, 2008, the Company held U.S. Government debt
securities that are classified as Available for Sale on the Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheets. At April 30, 2008 and January 31, 2008, the
Company held equity securities that were classified as Available for
Sale on the Consolidated Condensed 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 Consolidated Condensed Balance
Sheets.
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
|
||||||||||
Nine
months ended January 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
Gains on Securities:
|
||||||||||||
Decrease
in Unrealized Holding Gains arising during the period
|
$ | (14,400 | ) | $ | 5,068 | $ | (9,332 | ) | ||||
Add: Reclassification
adjustments for losses realized in net income
|
364 | (128 | ) | 236 | ||||||||
Less:
Reclassification adjustments for gains realized in net
income
|
(9,652 | ) | 3,398 | (6,254 | ) | |||||||
Change
in Other Comprehensive Income
|
$ | (23,688 | ) | $ | 8,338 | $ | (15,350 | ) | ||||
Nine
months ended January 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
Gains on Securities:
|
||||||||||||
Change
in Unrealized Holding Gains arising during the period
|
$ | (119 | ) | $ | 41 | $ | (78 | ) | ||||
Less:
Reclassification adjustments for gains realized in net
income
|
(2,800 | ) | 986 | (1,814 | ) | |||||||
Change
in Other Comprehensive Income
|
$ | (2,919 | ) | $ | 1,027 | $ | (1,892 | ) |
Note
6-Related Party Transactions:
The
Company's subsidiary, EULAV Asset Management LLC ("EULAV") acts as investment
adviser and manager for fourteen open-end investment companies, the Value Line
Funds. EULAV earns investment management fees based upon the average
daily net asset values of the respective Value Line Funds. As
discussed in note 1, service and distribution fees are received by VLS from the
Value Line Funds in accordance with service and distribution plans under rule
12b-1 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The plans are
compensation plans, which means that the distributor’s fees under the plans are
payable without regard to actual expenses incurred by the distributor, and
therefore the distributor may earn a profit under the plan. Expenses
incurred by VLS include payments to securities dealers, banks, financial
institutions and other organizations which provide distribution, marketing, and
administrative services (including payments by VLS to VLI for allocated
compensation and administration expenses) with respect to the distribution of
the mutual funds’ shares. Service and distribution fees are received
on a monthly basis and calculated on the average daily net assets of the
respective mutual fund in accordance with each fund's prospectus.
On June
30, 2008, Company reorganized its investment management division into EULAV
Asset Management, LLC (“EULAV”), a newly formed, wholly-owned subsidiary. As
part of the reorganization, each advisory agreement was transferred from Value
Line, Inc. to EULAV and EULAV replaced Value Line, Inc. as the Fund’s investment
adviser. The portfolio managers, who are now employees of EULAV, have not
changed as a result of the reorganization.
For the
nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, investment management fees and
12b-1 service and distribution fees amounted to $19,763,000 and $24,139,000,
respectively, which included fee waivers for certain of the Value Line
Funds. These amounts included service and distribution fees of
$4,447,000 and $5,397,000 earned by VLS in fiscal years 2009 and 2008,
respectively. The related receivables from the funds for investment
management fees and service and distribution fees included in Receivables from
affiliates were $1,647,000 and $2,557,000 at January 31, 2009 and April 30,
2008, respectively.
For the
nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, total management fee waivers were
$142,000 and $174,000 respectively, and service and distribution fee waivers
were $2,280,000 and $2,943,000, respectively. The Company and its
subsidiaries have no right to recoup the previously waived amounts of management
fees and 12b-1 fees.
11
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
As of
January 31, 2009, the Company had $47,755,000 invested in the Value Line Cash
Fund ("Cash Fund"), which represents approximately 2% of total assets of the
Value Line Funds and 24% of the Cash Fund. Purchases and redemptions
routinely occur in the Value Line Cash Fund as part of business
operations.
For the
nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, the Company was reimbursed $893,000
and $739,000, respectively, for payments it made on behalf of and services it
provided to Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc. (the "Parent"). At January 31, 2009,
Receivables from affiliates included a Receivable from the Parent of $31,000. At
April 30, 2008, Receivables from affiliates were reduced by a Payable to the
Parent in the amount of $130,000. These transactions are in
accordance with the tax sharing arrangement described in Note 7.
From time
to time, the Parent has purchased additional shares of the Company in the market
when and as the Parent has determined it to be appropriate. As stated
several times in the past, the public is reminded that the Parent may make
additional purchases from time to time in the future. The Parent owns
approximately 86.5% of the issued and outstanding common stock of the Company.
For the nine months ended January 31, 2009, the Parent made no purchases of the
Company's shares.
Note
7-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:
Nine
months ended January 31,
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Current:
|
||||||||
Federal
|
$ | 9,281 | $ | 10,142 | ||||
State
and local
|
1,430 | 2,633 | ||||||
10,711 | 12,775 | |||||||
Deferred:
|
||||||||
Federal
|
(19 | ) | (78 | ) | ||||
State
and local
|
(34 | ) | (69 | ) | ||||
(53 | ) | (147 | ) | |||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$ | 10,658 | $ | 12,628 |
Deferred
income 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)/assets are primarily a result of
unrealized gains on the Company's available for sale securities
portfolios.
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:
Nine
months ended January 31,
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Tax
expense at the U.S. statutory rate
|
$ | 10,498 | $ | 11,690 | ||||
Increase
(decrease) in tax expense from:
|
||||||||
State
and local income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit
|
908 | 1,667 | ||||||
Effect
of tax exempt income and dividend exclusion
|
(618 | ) | (616 | ) | ||||
Other,
net
|
(130 | ) | (113 | ) | ||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$ | 10,658 | $ | 12,628 |
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
8-Business Segments:
The
Company operates two reportable business segments: (1) Investment Periodicals,
Publishing & Licensing and (2) Investment Management. The
Investment Periodicals, Publishing & Licensing segment produces investment
related periodical publications (retail and institutional) in both print and
electronic form, and receives licensing fees for Value Line proprietary ranking
system information and Value Line trademarks. The Investment
Management segment provides advisory services to the Value Line Funds, as well
as to 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.
12
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Disclosure
of Reportable Segment Profit and Segment Assets (in thousands)
Nine
months ended January 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Periodicals,
|
|
|
||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||
Licensing
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$ | 33,944 | $ | 20,452 | $ | 54,396 | ||||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
133 | - | 133 | |||||||||
Income
from securities transactions
|
(10 | ) | 707 | 697 | ||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
840 | 30 | 870 | |||||||||
Segment
profit from operations
|
11,890 | 6,473 | 18,363 | |||||||||
Segment
assets
|
11,011 | 23,622 | 34,633 | |||||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
528 | - | 528 |
Nine
months ended January 31, 2008
|
||||||||||||
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Periodicals,
|
|
|
||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||
Licensing
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$ | 37,941 | $ | 25,050 | $ | 62,991 | ||||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
74 | - | 74 | |||||||||
Income
from securities transactions
|
205 | 4,088 | 4,293 | |||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
1,170 | 48 | 1,218 | |||||||||
Segment
profit from operations
|
15,622 | 12,108 | 27,730 | |||||||||
Segment
assets
|
16,439 | 81,652 | 98,091 | |||||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
291 | - | 291 |
Reconciliation
of Reportable Segment Revenues, Operating Profit and Assets
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
2009
|
2008
|
|||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||
Total
revenues for reportable segments
|
$ | 54,529 | $ | 63,065 | ||||
Elimination
of intersegment revenues
|
(133 | ) | (74 | ) | ||||
Total
consolidated revenues
|
$ | 54,396 | $ | 62,991 | ||||
Segment
profit
|
||||||||
Total
profit for reportable segments
|
19,060 | 32,023 | ||||||
Add: Income
from securities transactions related to corporate assets
|
10,946 | 1,390 | ||||||
Less:
Depreciation related to corporate assets
|
(12 | ) | (12 | ) | ||||
Income
before income taxes
|
$ | 29,994 | $ | 33,401 | ||||
Assets
|
||||||||
Total
assets for reportable segments
|
34,633 | 98,091 | ||||||
Corporate
assets
|
84,417 | 36,926 | ||||||
Consolidated
total assets
|
$ | 119,050 | $ | 135,017 |
Note
9-Contingencies:
By letter
dated June 15, 2005, the staff of the Northeast Regional Office of the
Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") informed the Company that it was
conducting an informal inquiry primarily regarding the execution of portfolio
transactions by VLS for the Value Line Funds. The Company thereafter supplied
numerous documents to the SEC in response to its requests and various employees
and former employees of the Company provided testimony to the SEC. On
May 8, 2008, the SEC issued a formal order of private investigation regarding
whether the VLS brokerage charges and related expense reimbursements during
periods prior to 2005 were excessive and whether adequate disclosure was made to
the SEC and the boards of directors and shareholders of the Value Line Funds.
Thereafter, certain senior officers of the Company asserted their constitutional
privilege not to provide testimony. Management believes that the SEC has
completed the fact finding phase of its investigation and the Company has been
in discussions with the staff of the SEC in an effort to settle the foregoing
investigation. There can be no assurance that the Company and the SEC will be
able to reach a mutually agreeable settlement. Although management of the
Company cannot determine the effect that the investigation will have on the
Company’s financial statements, in light of settlement discussions to date, it
believes that any settlement is likely to be material.
On
September 3, 2008, the Company was served with a derivative shareholder's suit
filed in New York County Supreme Court naming all of the Company's Directors and
alleging breach of fiduciary duty and related allegations, all arising from the
above SEC matter. The complaint seeks return of remuneration by the Directors
and other remedies. Plaintiff's counsel has agreed from time to time, most
recently until April 1, 2009, to extend the defendants' time to answer, move, or
otherwise respond to the complaint. Based on an evaluation of the case at
this early stage, including communications with the Company's insurance carrier,
it does not appear that the case will have a material impact on the Company's
financial statements and the Company has not recognized an accrual for
this contingency.
13
Item
2.
|
MANAGEMENT’S
DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS
OF
OPERATIONS.
|
Safe
Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995
This
report contains statements that are predictive in nature, depend upon or refer
to future events or conditions (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:
|
·
|
dependence
on key personnel;
|
|
·
|
maintaining
revenue from subscriptions for the Company’s
products;
|
|
·
|
protection
of intellectual property rights;
|
|
·
|
changes
in market and economic conditions;
|
|
·
|
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;
|
|
·
|
dependence
on Value Line Funds for investment management and related
fees;
|
|
·
|
competition
in the fields of publishing, licensing and investment
management;
|
|
·
|
the
impact of government regulation on the Company’s business and the
uncertainties of litigation and regulatory
proceedings;
|
|
·
|
terrorist
attacks; and
|
|
·
|
other
risks and uncertainties, including but not limited to the risks described
in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” of the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for
the year ended April 30, 2008, and other risks and uncertainties from time
to time.
|
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.
Results
of Operations
The
severe downturn and volatility within the financial markets and the economy
continued throughout the Company’s third quarter that ended January 31, 2009 and
has negatively impacted the Company’s assets under management and the assets
attributable to third party licensing partners. The severe asset
decline has led to lower asset based management and licensing fees collected by
the Company for the quarter and into the fourth quarter. This trend
can be seen across the asset management industry. According to the
Investment Company Institute (“ICI”), the combined assets of the mutual funds in
the United States (excluding money market funds) declined by $3.1 trillion or
36% for the nine months ended January 31, 2009. Although we have not
suffered a fundamental change in our business model, the collateral damage from
the global economic decline significantly reduced our assets under management
and related advisory and licensing revenues. In response we have been
diligent about our expense control and have taken initiatives to reduce
costs. The Company continues to be debt free with substantial
liquidity sufficient to endure the current economic crisis and anticipated
liquidity needs.
For
the nine months ended January 31, 2009 the Company’s net income of $19,336,000
or $1.94 per share was $1,437,000 or 7% below net income of $20,773,000 or $2.08
per share for the nine months ended January 31, 2008. Net income for the three
months ended January 31, 2009 of $3,732,000 or $0.38 per share was $4,739,000 or
56% below net income of $8,471,000 or $0.85 per share for the third quarter of
the prior fiscal year. Operating income of $18,351,000 for the nine months ended
January 31, 2009 was $9,367,000 or 34% below operating income of $27,718,000
last fiscal year. Operating income of $4,620,000 for the three months ended
January 31, 2009 was $4,717,000 or 50% below operating income of $9,337,000 for
the third quarter of the prior fiscal year. The Company’s income from securities
transactions of $11,643,000 for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 was 105%
above last year’s income of $5,683,000 due to the sale of the equity portfolio
in the second quarter of fiscal year 2009. The Company redeployed the
proceeds from the equity portfolio into short term fixed income investments or
cash equivalents. For the three months ended January 31, 2009,
income from securities transactions of $927,000 was down $3,170,000 or 77% from
the same three months of the previous year. The third quarter of
previous fiscal year third quarter included capital gains of
$3,077,000. Shareholders’ equity of $79,862,000 at January 31, 2009
was 7% lower than shareholders’ equity of $85,469,000 at January 31, 2008.
14
Operating
revenues, which consist of investment periodicals and related publications
revenues, licensing fees, and investment management fees and services all
declined for the three and nine months ended January 31, 2009:
Three
Months Ended January 31,
|
Nine
Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 10,048 | $ | 10,601 | -5.2 | % | $ | 30,341 | $ | 32,424 | -6.4 | % | ||||||||||||
Licensing
fees
|
$ | 683 | $ | 2,072 | -67.0 | % | $ | 3,603 | $ | 5,517 | -34.7 | % | ||||||||||||
Investment
management fees and services
|
$ | 5,125 | $ | 8,407 | -39.0 | % | $ | 20,452 | $ | 25,050 | -18.4 | % | ||||||||||||
Total
Operating Revenues
|
$ | 15,856 | $ | 21,080 | -24.8 | % | $ | 54,396 | $ | 62,991 | -13.6 | % |
Investment
periodicals and related publications revenues
Investment
periodicals and related publications revenues were down $2,083,000 or 6% for the
nine months ended January 31, 2009 as compared to the first nine months of the
prior fiscal year. While the Company continues to attract new
subscribers through various marketing channels, primarily direct mail and the
Internet, total product line circulation continues to
decline. Factors that have contributed to the decline in the
investment periodicals and related publications revenues include competition in
the form of free or low cost investment research on the Internet and research
provided by brokerage firms at no cost to their clients. The recession and
turmoil in the markets have also contributed to the decline in subscriptions as
individuals reduced many forms of discretionary spending, or have shifted
investments to fixed income, for which the Company does not provide
research.
Within
investment periodicals and related publications are subscription revenues
derived from print and electronic products. The following chart
illustrates the year-to-year change in the revenues associated with print and
electronic subscriptions.
Nine
Months Ended January 31,
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
|||||||||
Print
publication revenues
|
$ | 20,659 | $ | 23,393 | -11.7 | % | ||||||
Electronic
publication revenues
|
$ | 9,682 | $ | 9,031 | 7.2 | % | ||||||
Total Investment periodicals and related publications revenues
|
$ | 30,341 | $ | 32,424 | -6.4 | % | ||||||
Unearned
Revenues (Short and Long Term)
|
$ | 29,176 | $ | 32,655 | -10.7 | % |
For the nine months ended January 31,
2009 print publication revenues decreased $2,734,000 or 12% below last fiscal
year for the reasons described above. Electronic publications
revenues grew by $651,000 or 7% for the nine months ended January 31,
2009. The electronic revenues are broken down into institutional
accounts and retail subscribers. For the nine months ended January
31, 2009, institutional revenues increased $1,102,000 or 26%, while revenues
from retail subscribers were down $451,000 or 9% as compared to the nine months
ended January 31, 2008. The decrease in electronic retail
publications revenues is primarily attributable to the decrease in circulation
within the Company’s software products. Circulation of The Value Line Investment Analyzer
decreased 24%, which resulted in a $338,000 decline in revenues from this
product. The Company has successfully expanded its institutional sales marketing
efforts and the increase in institutional revenues is a direct result of a
focused effort to boost sales to colleges, libraries and money
managers.
15
Licensing
revenues
Licensing
fee revenues have decreased $1,914,000 or 35% for the nine months ended January
31, 2009 as compared to the nine months ended January 31, 2008. As of
January 31, 2009, total third party sponsored assets attributable to the
licensing business represent $2.1 billion in various products. The
broad and deep declines throughout the equity markets have significantly
impacted assets of the third party sponsors attributable to the licensing
business and resulted in lower asset based fees paid to the
Company. While the third party sponsors continue to raise assets the
broad market decline has eroded those assets as well as previous appreciation in
existing assets. The Company is in discussion with new sponsors to increase
products offered, but no new agreements have been signed in fiscal
2009. The Company believes the growth of the business is dependent
upon the desire of third party marketers to use the Value Line trademarks and
proprietary research for their products, signing new licensing agreements, and
the marketplace’s acceptance of new products. As stated in the past, Value Line
believes it was an early entrant into this new market eight years
ago. Today this market has significantly broadened as a result of
product diversification and growth of the use of indexes by portfolio managers,
and the Company and its third party sponsors face more competition in the
marketplace.
Investment
management fees and distribution services revenues
The
financial markets have experienced unprecedented volatility and declines over
the past year some of which have not been seen in decades. Equity
indexes such as the DJIA, NASDAQ, and S&P 500 are down 37%, 38%, and 40%
respectively for the year ended January 31, 2009. Such market
pressures have resulted in a contraction in total assets within the Value Line
Funds of 36% as compared to a year ago. The following tables
illustrate the total fund assets as of January 31, 2009 as compared to January
31, 2008.
At
January 31,
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
|||||||||
Equity
funds
|
$ | 1,894,890 | $ | 3,221,732 | -41.2 | % | ||||||
Fixed
income funds
|
$ | 240,995 | $ | 271,562 | -11.3 | % | ||||||
Money
market fund
|
$ | 196,465 | $ | 167,625 | 17.2 | % | ||||||
Total
net assets
|
$ | 2,332,350 | $ | 3,660,919 | -36.3 | % |
As a
result of the decline in assets under management, investment management fees and
distribution services revenues for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 were
$4,598,000 or 18% below the prior fiscal year. Management fees for
the first nine months of fiscal year 2009 were down $3,427,000 or 18% as
compared to the first nine months of fiscal year 2008. There was a net decrease
of $950,000 or 18% in distribution services revenues. During the
period, contractual fee waivers exist for certain of the Value Line Funds. For
the nine months ended January 31, 2009 and 2008, 12b-1 fee waivers were
$2,280,000 and $2,943,000, respectively. For the nine months ended
January 31, 2009 and 2008, management fee waivers were $142,000 and $174,000,
respectively. The Company and its subsidiaries have no right to
recoup the previously waived management fees and 12b-1
fees. Separately managed accounts revenues decreased $222,000 or 24%
for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 as compared to the nine months ended
January 31, 2008 primarily due to market decline in the
portfolios.
16
Of
the 14 funds managed by the Company, shares of Value Line Strategic Asset
Management Trust (“SAM”) and Value Line Centurion Fund are available to the
public only through the purchase of certain variable annuity and variable life
insurance contracts issued by The Guardian Insurance & Annuity Company, Inc.
(“GIAC”). The table below shows the assets in the equity funds broken down into
the two channels the equity funds are available.
At
January 31,
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
|||||||||
Equity
fund assets sold through GIAC
|
$ | 455,140 | $ | 812,361 | -44.0 | % | ||||||
All
other equity fund assets
|
$ | 1,439,750 | $ | 2,409,371 | -40.2 | % | ||||||
Total
equity fund net assets
|
$ | 1,894,890 | $ | 3,221,732 | -41.2 | % |
As
of January 31, 2009, 67% of the equity funds, excluding SAM and Centurion, had
four star ratings by Morningstar, Inc. The largest distribution
channel for the Value Line Funds remains the fund supermarket platforms such as
Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. The Company believes the platforms
will continue to grow as a percentage of assets under management as more
shareholders come into the Value Line Funds through intermediaries rather than
by opening direct accounts.
The
Value Line fixed income fund assets (excluding the Value Line Cash Fund),
represent 10% of total fund assets at January 31, 2009 and are down 11% from the
previous year. Cash Fund assets represent 8% of the total fund assets
at January 31, 2009 and have increased 17% from the previous
year. The increase in the Value Line Cash Fund is primarily due to
purchases by Value Line, Inc. during the second quarter of fiscal year 2009 when
the Company sold its equity investments.
Since the
close of the third quarter and as of this filing, the market has continued its
decline, further impacting overall assets under management. Overall
assets under management declined approximately 8% or $180 million from February
2, 2009 to March 12, 2009, with decreases in the equity funds partially offset
by an increase in assets within the fixed income funds. Even though
assets declined, the equity funds outperformed the Dow Jones Industrial Average
and the S&P 500 for the post-quarter period.
Expenses
within the Company are categorized into advertising and promotion, salaries and
employee benefits, production and distribution, and office and administration.
Operating expenses of $36,045,000 for the nine months ended January 31, 2009
were $772,000 or 2% above operating expenses of $35,273,000 last fiscal
year. Operating expenses of $11,236,000 for the three months ended
January 31, 2009 were $507,000 or 4% below operating expenses of $11,743,000 for
the third quarter of the prior fiscal year.
Advertising
and promotion
Three Months Ended January 31,
|
Nine Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY 09 vs. 08
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY 09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Advertising and promotion
|
$ | 2,435 | $ | 3,253 | -25.1 | % | $ | 9,004 | $ | 10,327 | -12.8 | % |
Advertising
and promotion expenses for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 decreased
$1,323,000 as compared to the first nine months ended January 31, 2008. Within
the investment management segment, supermarket platform expenses associated with
the distribution of the mutual funds decreased $559,000 or 13% below the prior
year due to the decline in assets under management. In the last
quarter, the Company reduced its print advertising promoting the mutual
funds due to the volatility in the marketplace. For the nine
months ended January 31, 2009, print advertising increased $126,000 from the
nine months ended January 31, 2008. Within the publishing segment,
costs associated with direct mail decreased $837,000 or 31% below last fiscal
year, due to an ongoing targeted reduction in the overall number of pieces
mailed year to year.
17
Salaries
and employee benefits
Three Months Ended January 31,
|
Nine Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY 09 vs. 08
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY 09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Salaries and employee benefits
|
$ | 4,499 | $ | 4,535 | -0.8 | % | $ | 14,165 | $ | 13,668 | 3.6 | % |
Over
the past several years, the Company has increased productivity by combining the
roles and responsibilities of various personnel and by selective
outsourcing. Some duplication of effort has been eliminated and
certain tasks, such as some data entry, have been outsourced to third party
vendors that the Company believes can provide better controls and results at a
favorable cost. Even so, salaries and employee benefits are higher by $497,000
from the previous year due to cost of living increases to staff and additional
targeted hiring.
Production
and distribution
Three
Months Ended January 31,
|
Nine
Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009 | 2008 |
FY
09 vs. 08
|
2009 | 2008 |
FY
09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Production
and distribution
|
$ | 1,445 | $ | 1,424 | 1.5 | % | $ | 4,434 | $ | 4,698 | -5.6 | % |
Production
and distribution expenses for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 were
$264,000 below expenses for the nine months ended January 31,
2008. Amortized software costs decreased $300,000 below last fiscal
year due to a reduction in prior year expenditures for capitalized
costs. In addition, the decline in expenses was due to volume
reductions in paper, printing and mailing that resulted primarily from a
decrease in circulation of the print products. Partially offsetting
the savings during the nine months ended January 31, 2009 was an approximate 8%
increase in the cost of paper during fiscal year 2008 and an 8% increase in
postage rates. The Company continues to look at purchasing
alternatives, delivery methods for the products, and additional ways to reduce
the costs of production and distribution costs.
Office
and administration
Three Months Ended January 31,
|
Nine Months Ended January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2009 | 2008 |
FY 09 vs. 08
|
2009 | 2008 |
FY 09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Office and
administration
|
$ | 2,857 | $ | 2,531 | 12.9 | % | $ | 8,442 | $ | 6,580 | 28.3 | % |
Office
and administration expenses for the nine months ended January 31, 2009 were
$1,862,000 above expenses for the nine months ended January 31,
2008. Professional fees significantly increased as compared to fiscal
year 2008 primarily as a result of the SEC
investigation. Professional fees fluctuate year to year based on the
level of operations, litigation or regulatory activity requiring the use of
outside professionals.
Segment
Operating Profit
Investment
Periodicals,
Publishing
& Licensing
|
Investment
Management
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Nine
Months
Ended
January 31,
|
Nine
Months
Ended
January 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
2009
|
2008
|
FY
09 vs. 08
|
||||||||||||||||||
Segment
Revenues from extrenal customers
|
$
|
33,944
|
$
|
37,941
|
-11
|
%
|
$
|
20,452
|
$
|
25,050
|
-18
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Segment
Profit from Operations
|
$
|
11,890
|
$
|
15,622
|
-24
|
%
|
$
|
6,473
|
$
|
12,108
|
-47
|
%
|
||||||||||||
Segment
Profit margin from operations
|
35
|
%
|
41
|
%
|
-15
|
%
|
32
|
%
|
48
|
%
|
-33
|
%
|
The
Company operates in two business segments, Investment Periodicals, Publishing
& Licensing and Investment Management.
Investment
Periodicals, Publishing & Licensing
Segment revenues, operating profit and
operating profit margins from the Company’s Investment Periodicals, Publishing
& Licensing segment declined from the previous fiscal year primarily due to
the deterioration in circulation of the total product line. As previously
mentioned, competition in the form of free or low cost investment research on
the Internet and research provided by brokerage firms at no cost to their
clients contributed to the decline in revenue. The recession and turmoil in the
markets have also contributed to the decline in subscriptions as individuals
reduced many forms of discretionary spending, or have shifted investments to
fixed income, for which the Company does not provide research. Investment Periodicals, Publishing
& Licensing segment profit margin from operations decreased as a
direct result of the decline in revenue.
Investment
Management
Segment
revenues, operating profit and operating profit margins from the Company’s
Investment Management business segment declined from the previous fiscal year
primarily due to the decline in investment management fees from the Company’s
family of mutual funds that was a direct result of the deterioration in the
underlying assets under management. The decline in assets under management was
primarily the result of the impact by the recession and declining equity
markets.
18
Income
from securities transactions, net
During
the nine months ended January 31, 2009 the Company’s income from securities
transactions, net, of $11,643,000 was $5,960,000 higher than income from
securities transactions, net, of $5,683,000 during the nine months ended January
31, 2008. Income from securities transactions, net, includes dividend
and interest income of $2,423,000 at January 31, 2009 that was $181,000 below
income of $2,604,000 for the nine months ended January 31,
2008. Capital gains, net of capital losses during the nine months
ended January 31, 2009 were $9,243,000, which included a realized capital gain
of $9,600,000 from the sale of equity securities within the Company’s portfolio.
Capital gains, net of capital losses during the first nine months of fiscal 2008
were $3,077,000, of which $2,793,000 represented distributions from the Value
Line Mutual Funds.
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company had working capital of $79,859,000 as of January 31, 2009 and
$86,365,000 as of January 31, 2008. Cash and short-term
securities were $107,782,000 as of January 31, 2009 and $121,688,000 as of
January 31, 2008.
Cash
from operating activities
The
Company’s cash flow from operations of $10,324,000 for the nine months ended
January 31, 2009 was 24% below cash flow from operations of $13,604,000 for the
nine months ended January 31, 2008. The primary change was the timing
of purchases and maturity of fixed income securities within the Company’s
trading portfolio, a decline in the Company’s unearned revenue and the timing of
payments to vendors.
Cash
from investing activities
The
Company’s cash inflow from investing activities was $40,400,000 for the nine
months ended January 31, 2009 compared to cash outflow from investing activities
of $7,192,000 for the nine months ended January 31, 2008. The
significant increase in cash inflows is a result of proceeds from the sales in
the equity portfolio and the maturity of fixed income securities during the nine
months of the fiscal year 2009.
Cash
from financing activities
The
Company’s net cash outflow from financing activities of $10,980,000 represents a
quarterly dividend of $.30 per share paid in May 2008 for the dividend declared
during the last quarter of fiscal 2008 and $.40 per share dividend paid for the
first and second quarters of fiscal 2009. At the July 2008 board meeting, the
board approved a quarterly dividend of $.40 per share, an increase of $.10 per
share or 33%. Therefore, fiscal 2009 net cash outflow from financing activities
representing dividends paid was 22% higher than cash outflow from financing
activities of $8,984,000 in the prior fiscal year.
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 does not
anticipate any borrowing in fiscal 2009.
Critical
Accounting Estimates and Policies
The
Company’s Critical Accounting Estimates and Policies have not changed from those
reported in Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and
Results of Operations in the Company’s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April
30, 2008.
19
Item
3. QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET
RISK.
Market
Risk Disclosures
The
Company’s Consolidated Balance Sheet includes a substantial amount of assets
whose fair values are subject to market risks. The Company’s
significant market risks are primarily associated with interest rates and the
credit worthiness of the issuer. The following sections address the
significant market risks associated with the Company’s business
activities.
Interest
Rate Risk
The
Company’s strategy has been to acquire debt securities with low credit
risk. Despite this strategy management recognizes and accepts the
possibility that losses may occur. To limit the price fluctuation in
these securities from interest rate changes, the Company’s management invests
primarily, if not exclusively in short-term obligations maturing in less than 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 mos.
|
6
mos.
|
1
yr.
|
1
yr.
|
|||||||||||||||||
Fair
|
50bp
|
50bp
|
100bp
|
100bp
|
||||||||||||||||
Fixed Income Securities
|
Value
|
increase
|
decrease
|
increase
|
decrease
|
|||||||||||||||
As
of January 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$ | 59,083 | $ | 58,756 | $ | 59,214 | $ | 58,027 | $ | 58,584 | ||||||||||
As
of April 30, 2008
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$ | 65,030 | $ | 63,947 | $ | 64,753 | $ | 63,146 | $ | 64,250 |
In
addition to interest rate risk, the Company also limits its risk of default by
only investing in U.S. Government or U.S. Government backed
securities. Management regularly monitors the maturity structure of
the Company’s investments in debt securities in order to maintain an acceptable
price risk associated with changes in interest rates.
Credit
Worthiness of Issuer
The
Company’s investments consist primarily of U.S. Treasury Notes and prerefunded
municipal securities backed by U.S. Treasury Notes. Total investment
and trading portfolios consist of 78% prerefunded municipal bonds and 22% U.S.
Treasury Notes.
20
Item
4. CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES
(a)
|
The
Company maintains disclosure controls and procedures that are designed to
ensure that information required to be disclosed in the Company’s reports
filed with the SEC is recorded, processed, summarized and reported within
the time periods specified in the SEC’s rules and forms, and that such
information is accumulated and communicated to the Company’s management,
including its Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, as
appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
disclosure.
|
The
Company’s management has evaluated, with the participation of the Company’s
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the effectiveness of the
Company’s disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rules 13a-15(e) and
15d-15(e) under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) as of the end
of the period covered by this report. Based on that evaluation, the
Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer have concluded that the
Company’s disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of the end of the
period covered by this report.
(b)
|
The
registrant’s principal executive officer and principal financial officer
have determined that there have been no changes in the registrant’s
internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
registrant’s last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are
reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant’s internal control
over financial reporting.
|
21
Part II -
Other Information
Item
1. Legal Proceedings
Refer to
Note 9 (Contingencies) of the consolidated condensed financial statements for
discussion of legal proceedings.
Item
1A. Risk Factors
There
have been no material changes to the risk factors disclosed in Item 1A – Risk
Factors in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended April 30,
2008.
Item
6. Exhibits
31.1
Certificate of Chief Executive Officer Required Under Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certificate of Chief Financial Officer Required Under Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Joint Chief Executive Officer/Chief Financial Officer Certificate Required Under
Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
22
VALUE
LINE, INC.
Signatures
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has
duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto
duly authorized.
Value
Line, Inc.
|
|||
(Registrant)
|
|||
Date: March
13, 2009
|
By:
|
s/Jean
Bernhard Buttner
|
|
Jean
Bernhard Buttner
|
|||
Chairman
& Chief Executive Officer
|
|||
Date: March
13, 2009
|
By:
|
s/Mitchell
E. Appel
|
|
Mitchell
E. Appel
|
|||
Chief
Financial Officer (Principal
Financial
Officer)
|
23