VALUE LINE INC - Quarter Report: 2010 October (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 October 31,
2010
or
¨
|
TRANSITION
REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT
OF
1934
|
For the
transition period from _____________________________________ to
__________________________________
Commission
File Number: 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 has submitted electronically and posted on
its corporate Website, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be
submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this
chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the
registrant was required to submit and post such files)”.
Yes ¨ 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 October 31,
2010
|
Common stock, $.10 par
value
|
9,981,600
Shares
|
VALUE
LINE INC.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Page No.
|
|||
PART
I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION
|
|||
Item 1.
|
Consolidated
Condensed Financial Statements
|
||
Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheets as of October 31, 2010 and April 30,
2010
|
3
|
||
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Income for the six months ended October 31, 2010
and 2009
|
4
|
||
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Cash Flows for the six months ended October 31,
2010 and 2009
|
5
|
||
Consolidated
Condensed Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the six months
ended October 31, 2010
|
6
|
||
Consolidated
Condensed Statement of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the six months
ended October 31, 2009
|
7
|
||
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements including Pro Forma
Combined Financial Data
|
8
|
||
Item
2.
|
Management’s
Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of
Operations
|
20
|
|
Item
3.
|
Quantitative
and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
|
31
|
|
Item
4.
|
Controls
and Procedures
|
33
|
|
PART
II. OTHER INFORMATION
|
|||
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
34
|
|
Item 1A.
|
Risk
Factors
|
34
|
|
Item
5.
|
Departure
of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of
Principal Officers.
|
34
|
|
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
34
|
|
Signatures
|
35
|
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)
|
2
Part
I - Financial Information
Item
1. Financial Statements
Value
Line, Inc.
Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheets
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
Oct. 31,
|
Apr. 30,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2010
|
|||||||
(unaudited)
|
||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||
Current
Assets:
|
||||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents (including short term investments of $8,172 and
$15,946, respectively)
|
$ | 8,712 | $ | 16,435 | ||||
Securities
available for sale
|
33,473 | 23,529 | ||||||
Accounts
receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $46 and $47,
respectively
|
1,140 | 1,681 | ||||||
Receivable
from affiliates
|
1,381 | 1,520 | ||||||
Prepaid
and refundable income taxes
|
488 | 2,086 | ||||||
Prepaid
expenses and other current assets
|
849 | 995 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
6,823 | 8,690 | ||||||
Total
current assets
|
52,866 | 54,936 | ||||||
Long
term assets
|
||||||||
Property
and equipment, net
|
4,214 | 4,257 | ||||||
Capitalized
software and other intangible assets, net
|
722 | 792 | ||||||
Total
long term assets
|
4,936 | 5,049 | ||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 57,802 | $ | 59,985 | ||||
Liabilities
and Shareholders' Equity
|
||||||||
Current
Liabilities:
|
||||||||
Accounts
payable and accrued liabilities
|
$ | 4,585 | $ | 4,982 | ||||
Accrued
salaries
|
1,250 | 1,351 | ||||||
Dividends
payable
|
19,963 | - | ||||||
Accrued
taxes payable
|
780 | 780 | ||||||
Reserve
for settlement
|
3,483 | 4,247 | ||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
20,827 | 22,314 | ||||||
Total
current liabilities
|
50,888 | 33,674 | ||||||
Long
term liabilities
|
||||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
4,055 | 4,863 | ||||||
Total
long term liabilities
|
4,055 | 4,863 | ||||||
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
|
1,258 | 19,813 | ||||||
Treasury
stock, at cost (18,400 shares on 10/31/10 and 4/30/10)
|
(354 | ) | (354 | ) | ||||
Accumulated
other comprehensive income/(loss), net of tax
|
(36 | ) | (2 | ) | ||||
Total
shareholders' equity
|
2,859 | 21,448 | ||||||
Total
liabilities and shareholders' equity
|
$ | 57,802 | $ | 59,985 |
The
accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated condensed
financial statements.
3
Value
Line, Inc.
Consolidated
Condensed Statements of Income/(Loss)
(in
thousands, except share & per share amounts)
(unaudited)
Three months ended
|
Six months ended
|
|||||||||||||||
October 31,
|
October 31,
|
|||||||||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 8,567 | $ | 9,156 | $ | 17,184 | $ | 18,477 | ||||||||
Copyright
data fees
|
865 | 828 | 1,642 | 1,595 | ||||||||||||
Investment
management fees & services
|
4,066 | 4,882 | 8,281 | 9,582 | ||||||||||||
Total
revenues
|
13,498 | 14,866 | 27,107 | 29,654 | ||||||||||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||||||||
Advertising
and promotion
|
2,359 | 2,412 | 4,077 | 4,492 | ||||||||||||
Salaries
and employee benefits
|
4,388 | 4,264 | 8,265 | 8,551 | ||||||||||||
Production
and distribution
|
1,142 | 1,389 | 2,280 | 2,566 | ||||||||||||
Office
and administration
|
2,699 | 3,366 | 4,687 | 5,690 | ||||||||||||
Expenses
related to restructure
|
1,120 | - | 2,462 | - | ||||||||||||
Provision
for settlement
|
- | - | - | 47,706 | ||||||||||||
Total
expenses
|
11,708 | 11,431 | 21,771 | 69,005 | ||||||||||||
Income/(loss)
from operations
|
1,790 | 3,435 | 5,336 | (39,351 | ) | |||||||||||
Income
from securities transactions, net
|
51 | 151 | 88 | 369 | ||||||||||||
Income/(loss)
before income taxes
|
1,841 | 3,586 | 5,424 | (38,982 | ) | |||||||||||
Provision
for income taxes/(benefit)
|
754 | 1,205 | 2,020 | (9,783 | ) | |||||||||||
Net
income/(loss)
|
$ | 1,087 | $ | 2,381 | $ | 3,404 | $ | (29,199 | ) | |||||||
Earnings/(loss)
per share, basic & fully diluted
|
$ | 0.11 | $ | 0.23 | $ | 0.34 | $ | (2.93 | ) | |||||||
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 six months
|
||||||||
ended
|
||||||||
October 31,
|
October 31,
|
|||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Cash
flows from operating activities:
|
||||||||
Net
income/(loss)
|
$ | 3,404 | $ | (29,199 | ) | |||
Adjustments
to reconcile net income/(loss) to net cash provided by operating
activities:
|
||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
289 | 403 | ||||||
Amortization
of bond premiums
|
13 | 605 | ||||||
Gains
on sales of trading securities and securities available for
sale
|
- | (74 | ) | |||||
Unrealized
losses on trading securities
|
- | 200 | ||||||
Deferred
income taxes
|
2,020 | (9,658 | ) | |||||
Writedown
of software
|
- | 720 | ||||||
Changes
in assets and liabilities:
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of trading securities
|
- | 9,894 | ||||||
Decrease
in unearned revenue
|
(2,295 | ) | (4,160 | ) | ||||
(Decrease)/increase
in reserve for settlement
|
(764 | ) | 47,706 | |||||
(Decrease)/increase
in accounts payable and accrued expenses
|
(397 | ) | 1,121 | |||||
(Decrease)/increase
in accrued salaries
|
(101 | ) | 72 | |||||
Decrease
in accrued taxes payable
|
(135 | ) | (392 | ) | ||||
Decrease/(increase)
in prepaid and refundable income taxes
|
1,598 | (1,920 | ) | |||||
Decrease
in prepaid expenses and other current assets
|
146 | 243 | ||||||
Decrease
in accounts receivable
|
541 | 36 | ||||||
Decrease/(increase)
in receivable from affiliates
|
139 | (358 | ) | |||||
Total
adjustments
|
1,054 | 44,438 | ||||||
Net
cash provided by operating activities
|
4,458 | 15,239 | ||||||
Cash
flows from investing activities:
|
||||||||
Purchases
and sales of securities classified as available for sale:
|
||||||||
Proceeds
from sales of fixed income securities
|
9,705 | 26,502 | ||||||
Purchase
of fixed income securities
|
(19,212 | ) | (18,250 | ) | ||||
Purchases
of equity securities
|
(502 | ) | - | |||||
Acquisition
of property and equipment
|
(74 | ) | (50 | ) | ||||
Expenditures
for capitalized software
|
(102 | ) | (419 | ) | ||||
Net
cash (used in)/provided by investing activities
|
(10,185 | ) | 7,783 | |||||
Cash
flows from financing activities:
|
||||||||
Dividends
paid
|
(1,996 | ) | (4,990 | ) | ||||
Net
cash used in financing activities
|
(1,996 | ) | (4,990 | ) | ||||
Net
(decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents
|
(7,723 | ) | 18,032 | |||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at beginning of year
|
16,435 | 42,936 | ||||||
Cash
and cash equivalents at end of period
|
$ | 8,712 | $ | 60,968 |
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 Six Months Ended October 31, 2010
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
(unaudited)
Common stock
|
Accumulated
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number
|
Additional
|
Other
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
of
|
paid-in
|
Treasury
|
Comprehensive
|
Retained
|
Comprehensive
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||
shares
|
Amount
|
capital
|
Stock
|
income/(loss)
|
earnings
|
income/(loss)
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2010
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 19,813 | $ | (2 | ) | $ | 21,448 | |||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
income
|
$ | 3,404 | 3,404 | 3,404 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes
|
(34 | ) | (34 | ) | (34 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$ | 3,370 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(21,959 | ) | (21,959 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at October 31, 2010
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 1,258 | $ | (36 | ) | $ | 2,859 |
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 Six Months Ended October 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/(loss)
|
earnings
|
income
|
Total
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at April 30, 2009
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 78,935 | $ | 297 | $ | 80,869 | ||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Net
loss
|
$ | (29,199 | ) | (29,199 | ) | (29,199 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other
comprehensive income, net of tax:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Change
in unrealized gains on securities, net of taxes
|
(42 | ) | (42 | ) | (42 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive
income
|
$ | (29,241 | ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dividends
declared
|
(3,992 | ) | (3,992 | ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Balance
at October 31, 2009
|
9,981,600 | $ | 1,000 | $ | 991 | $ | (354 | ) | $ | 45,744 | $ | 255 | $ | 47,636 |
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” or
"VLI"), 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 15, 2010 for the
fiscal year ended April 30, 2010. Results of operations covered by this report
may not be indicative of the results of operations for the entire
year.
VLI is
incorporated in the State of New York. The Company's primary
businesses are producing investment related periodical publications and making
available copyright data including 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 Mutual Funds ("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.
Accounting
Standards Codification:
During
fiscal year 2010, the Company adopted the Financial Accounting Standards Board's
(FASB's) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC). The FASB's ASC is the source
of authoritative U.S. accounting and reporting standards for nongovernmental
entities, in addition to guidance issued by the SEC. The FASB's ASC
reorganizes the thousands of U.S. GAAP pronouncements into roughly 90 accounting
topics and displays all topics using a consistent structure. Although not the
official source, it also includes relevant portions of authoritative SEC
guidance that follows the same topical structure in separate sections in the
Codification. The financial statements of the Company have been
updated to reflect the relevant references to the FASB's ASC.
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.
Copyright
data revenues are derived from providing 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 asset-based copyright data fees as specified
in the individual 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 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
agreements (see Note 6).
The
management fees and average daily net assets for the Value Line Funds are
calculated by State Street Bank, which serves as the fund accountant, fund
administrator, and custodian of the Value Line Funds.
The Value
Line Funds are open-end management companies registered under the Investment
Company Act of 1940. Shareholder transactions for the Value
Line Funds are processed each business day by the third party transfer agent of
the Funds. Shares can be redeemed without advance notice upon request
of the shareowners each day that the New York Stock Exchange is
open. Assets within the separately managed accounts are held at third
party custodians and subject to the terms of each advisory agreement and do not
have any advance notice requirement for withdrawals, although they generally
have a 30 day advance notice requirement for termination of the
account.
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 EULAV Securities, Inc. ("ESI") ,
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 Value Line
Funds. 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).
8
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Valuation
of Securities:
The
Company's securities classified as available-for-sale and cash equivalents
consist of shares of U.S. Government Money Market Funds, investments in exchange
traded equity funds, and government debt securities accounted for in accordance
with the requirements of the Fair Value Measurements Topic of the FASB's
ASC. The securities available-for-sale reflected in the consolidated
condensed financial statements are valued at market and unrealized
gains and losses on securities classified as 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 classified as
available-for-sale are recorded in earnings on trade date and are determined on
the identified cost method. As of October 31, 2010 and April 30, 2010
the Company did not own any trading securities.
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 exchange
traded funds shares is based upon the publicly quoted price 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. Cash equivalents consist of investments in the U.S.
Government Money Market Funds and are valued at $1 per share in accordance with
rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940.
The
Company adopted the Fair Value Measurements Topic of FASB's ASC that defines
fair value 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. The Fair Value
Measurements Topic 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. 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 six
months ended October 31, 2010 for Level 1 securities consisted exclusively of
quoted prices.
The
securities valued as Level 2 investments consist primarily of U.S. Treasury
Bills and Notes, FDIC insured commercial paper and U.S. Government Agency Bonds.
Valuation techniques used by the Company to measure fair value for government
securities during the period consisted primarily of third party pricing services
that utilized actual market data such as trades of comparable bond issues,
broker/dealer quotations for the same or similar investments in active markets
and other observable inputs. When necessary, the third party services
may use discounted future cash flows to calculate the net present
value.
The
following is a summary of the inputs used as of October 31, 2010 in valuing the
Company’s investments carried at fair value:
(in thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Valuation Inputs
|
Total
Investments
|
Cash
Equivalents
|
Investments in
Securities
Available-for-
Sale
|
|||||||||
Level
1 - quoted prices
|
$ | 8,172 | $ | 8,172 | - | |||||||
Level
2 - other significant observable inputs
|
33,473 | - | 33,473 | |||||||||
Level
3 - significant unobservable inputs
|
- | - | - | |||||||||
Total
|
$ | 41,645 | $ | 8,172 | $ | 33,473 |
The
Company had no other financial instruments including futures, forwards and swap
contracts. For the period ended October 31, 2010, there were no Level 3
investments. The Company does not have any liabilities subject to Fair Value
Measurement.
9
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
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 Income Tax
Topic of the FASB's ASC. 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.
The
Income Tax Topic of the FASB's ASC 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. As of
October 31, 2010, management has reviewed the tax positions for the years still
subject to tax audit under the statute of limitations, evaluated the
implications, 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 October 31, 2010 and April 30, 2010, cash
equivalents included $7,704,000 and $15,943,000, respectively, invested in the
Value Line U.S. Government Money Market 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.
Expenses
associated with divestiture:
The
Company expenses as incurred all costs associated with divesting control over
its asset management business (see Notes 9 and 10).
Note
2 - Investments:
Securities
held by the Company are classified as trading securities and available-for-sale
securities. All securities held in ESI, 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:
The
Company sold its portfolio of government debt securities during the fourth
quarter ended April 30, 2010 and did not hold any securities as of October 31,
2010 or April 30, 2010. During fiscal year 2010, securities owned
consisted of government debt securities and were recorded on trade date and
reflected at fair value. The proceeds from sales of trading
securities during the six months ended October 31, 2009 were $9,894,000 and the
related net realized trading gains amounted to $94,000. During the
six months ended October 31, 2009, the net change in unrealized losses on
trading securities of $200,000 was included in the Consolidated Condensed
Statement of Income.
Securities
Available-for-Sale:
Equity
Securities:
As of
October 31, 2010, the aggregate cost of the equity securities classified as
available-for-sale, which consist of investments in the First Trust Value Line
Dividend and S&P Dividend ETF, was $506,000 and the market value was
$515,000. The Company sold its portfolio of equity securities in fiscal 2009 and
did not hold any equity securities as of April 30, 2010. The total gains for
equity securities with net gains included in Accumulated Other Comprehensive
Income on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet were $9,000 and
$0, net of deferred taxes of $3,000, and $0 as of October 31, 2010 and April 30,
2010, respectively.
The
increase in gross unrealized gains on equity securities classified as
available-for-sale due to changes in market conditions of $9,000 and $0, net of
deferred taxes of $3,000 and $0, were included in Shareholders'
Equity at October 31, 2010 and April 30, 2010, respectively.
10
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Government
Debt Securities (Fixed Income Securities):
Government
debt securities consist of federal, state, and local government securities
within the United States. The aggregate cost and fair value at October 31, 2010
for government debt securities classified as available-for-sale were as
follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Amortized
Historical
|
Gross
Unrealized
|
|||||||||||
Maturity
|
Cost
|
Fair Value
|
Holding Losses
|
|||||||||
Due
within 1 year
|
$ | 30,493 | $ | 30,438 | $ | (55 | ) | |||||
Due
1 year through 5 years
|
2,530 | 2,520 | (10 | ) | ||||||||
Total
investment in government debt securities
|
$ | 33,023 | $ | 32,958 | $ | (65 | ) |
The
aggregate cost and fair value at April 30, 2010 for government debt securities
classified as available-for-sale were as follows:
(in thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Amortized
Historical
|
Gross Unrealized
|
|||||||||||
Maturity
|
Cost
|
Fair Value
|
Holding Gains/(Losses)
|
|||||||||
Due
within 1 year
|
$ | 22,012 | $ | 22,014 | $ | 2 | ||||||
Due
1 year through 5 years
|
1,520 | 1,515 | (5 | ) | ||||||||
Total
investment in government debt securities
|
$ | 23,532 | $ | 23,529 | $ | (3 | ) |
The
increase in gross unrealized losses of $62,000 and $461,000 on fixed
income securities classified as available-for-sale net of deferred income tax of
$22,000 and $162,000, respectively, were included in Accumulated Other
Comprehensive Income on the Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheets as of October
31, 2010 and April 30, 2010, respectively.
The
average yield on the Government debt securities classified as available-for-sale
at October 31, 2010 and April 30, 2010, was 0.49% and 0.54%,
respectively.
Proceeds
from sales of government debt securities classified as available-for-sale during
the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009 were $9,705,000 and $26,502,000,
respectively. During the six months ended October 31, 2010, there were no
realized gains or losses on fixed income securities. During the six
months ended October 31, 2009, losses on sales of fixed income securities of
$20,000 were reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income in the
Balance Sheet to the Consolidated Condensed Statement of Income.
For
the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009, income from
securities transactions also included $1,000 and $3,000 of dividend income;
$91,000 and $526,000 of interest income, net of bond amortization of $14,000 and
$605,000, respectively. During the six months ended
October 31, 2010 and 2009, income from securities transactions also included
$2,000 and $2,000 of related interest expense, respectively.
Note
3 - Supplementary Cash Flow Information:
Cash
payments for income taxes were $162,000 and $2,400,000 for the six months ended
October 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The Company also received
$1,598,000 of federal income tax refunds during the first quarter of fiscal
2011, which was a receivable as of April 30, 2010.
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 based on the salaries of eligible
employees and the amount of consolidated net operating income 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
$150,000 and $0 for the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009,
respectively.
Note
5 - Comprehensive Income:
The
FASB's ASC Comprehensive Income topic 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
October 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company held both equity and U.S. Government debt
securities that are 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 Balance Sheets.
11
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
The
components of comprehensive income that are included in the Statement of Changes
in Shareholders' Equity are as follows:
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Before
|
Net
of
|
|||||||||||
Six
months ended October 31, 2010
|
Tax Amount
|
Tax Benefit
|
Tax Amount
|
|||||||||
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on securities:
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
holding losses arising during the period
|
$ | (53 | ) | $ | 19 | $ | (34 | ) | ||||
Other
comprehensive income
|
$ | (53 | ) | $ | 19 | $ | (34 | ) |
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Before
|
Net
of
|
|||||||||||
Six
months ended October 31, 2009
|
Tax
Amount
|
Tax
Benefit
|
Tax
Amount
|
|||||||||
Unrealized
gains/(losses) on securities:
|
||||||||||||
Unrealized
holding losses arising during the period
|
$ | (84 | ) | $ | 30 | $ | (54 | ) | ||||
Add: Reclassification
adjustments for losses realized in net income
|
20 | (8 | ) | 12 | ||||||||
Other
comprehensive income
|
$ | (64 | ) | $ | 22 | $ | (42 | ) |
Note
6 - Related Party Transactions:
The
Company's subsidiary, EULAV Asset Management, LLC ("EULAV") is the investment
adviser and manager for 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 ESI 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 plans. Expenses incurred by ESI include payments to
securities dealers, banks, financial institutions and other organizations which
provide distribution, marketing, and administrative services (including payments
by ESI to VLI for allocated compensation and administration expenses) with
respect to the distribution of the funds’ shares. Service and
distribution fees are received on a monthly basis and calculated on the daily
net assets of the respective fund in accordance with each fund's
prospectus.
On March
11, 2010, VLI and the Boards of Trustees/Directors of the Value Line Funds
entered into an agreement providing for VLI to reimburse the Funds in the
aggregate amount of $917,302 for various past expenses incurred by the Funds in
connection with the SEC matter referred to in Note 9. The payable for this
expense reimbursement was included in the reserve for settlement expenses on the
Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet of the Company. The balance of
the reimbursement was paid in full by VLI in October 2010.
For
the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009, investment management
fees and 12b-1 service and distribution fees amounted to $8,185,000 and
$9,468,000, respectively, which took into account fee waivers for certain of the
Value Line Funds. These amounts included service and distribution fees of
$1,784,000 and $2,083,000, earned by ESI for the six months ended
October 31, 2010 and 2009, respectively. The related receivables from
the funds for investment management fees and service and distribution fees
included in Receivables from affiliates were $1,379,000 and $1,516,000 at
October 31, and April 30, 2010, respectively.
For
the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009, total management fee
waivers were $378,000 and $440,000, respectively, and service and distribution
fee waivers were $1,233,000 and $1,355,000, respectively. The Company
and its subsidiary, ESI, have no right to recoup the previously waived amounts
of management fees and 12b-1 fees, except for waived management fees for the
U.S. Government Money Market Fund. Any recoupment is subject to the
provisions of the prospectus.
As of
October 31, 2010, the Company had $7,704,000 invested in the Value Line U.S.
Government Money Market Fund representing 7% of that fund's total net assets.
Purchases and redemptions routinely occur in the Value Line U.S. Government
Money Market Fund as part of the business operations of the
Company.
For
the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009, the Company was
reimbursed $205,000 and $339,000, respectively, for payments it made on behalf
of and services it provided to the Parent. At October 31, 2010 and
April 30, 2010, the Receivables from affiliates included a receivable from its
majority shareholder, Arnold Bernhard & Co., Inc. ("the Parent"), of $1,000
and $5,000, respectively.
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.
12
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
7 - Federal, State and Local Income Taxes:
The
Company computes its income tax provision in accordance with the requirements of
the Income Tax Topic of the FASB's ASC.
The provision for income taxes includes the following: | Six months ended October 31, | |||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Current
tax expense:
|
||||||||
Federal
|
$ | 148 | $ | - | ||||
State
and local
|
- | - | ||||||
148 | - | |||||||
Deferred
tax expense/(benefit):
|
||||||||
Federal
|
1,833 | (7,787 | ) | |||||
State
and local
|
39 | (1,996 | ) | |||||
1,872 | (9,783 | ) | ||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$ | 2,020 | $ | (9,783 | ) |
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 assets is primarily the result of the tax benefit
from its net operating loss for which the Company expects to be fully utilized
by the first quarter of fiscal year ending April 30, 2012.
At the
end of each interim reporting period, the Company estimates the effective income
tax rate to apply for the full year. The Company uses the effective income tax
rate determined to provide for income taxes on a year-to-date basis and reflect
the tax effect of any tax law changes and certain other discrete events in the
period in which they occur.
The
overall effective income tax rate, as a percentage of pre-tax ordinary income,
for the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009 was 37.24% and 25.11%,
respectively. The fluctuation in the effective income tax rate is attributable
to the non-deductible portion of the provision for settlement included in fiscal
2010 and the change in the non-taxable investment income, events that do not
have tax consequences.
The
annual effective tax rate for fiscal 2011 could change due to a number of
factors including but not limited to an increase or decrease in the ratio of
income or loss to pre-tax items that do not have tax consequences, the Company's
geographic profit mix between tax jurisdictions, new tax laws, new
interpretations of existing tax law and rulings by and settlements with tax
authorities. For the six months ended October 31, 2010, there were no new
material uncertain tax positions.
The
provision for income taxes differs from the amount of income tax determined by
applying the applicable U.S. federal statutory income tax rate to pretax income
as a result of the following:
Six
months ended October 31,
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
U.S.
statutory federal rate
|
35.00 | % | 35.00 | % | ||||
Increase/(decrease)
in tax rate from:
|
||||||||
Tax
effect of non-deductible portion of provision for
settlement
|
- | -12.57 | % | |||||
State
and local income taxes, net of federal income tax benefit
|
0.47 | % | 3.33 | % | ||||
Effect
of tax exempt income and dividend deductions
|
- | 0.96 | % | |||||
Alternative
minimum tax - net operating loss limitation
|
2.80 | % | - | |||||
Other,
net
|
-1.03 | % | -1.61 | % | ||||
Effective
income tax rate
|
37.24 | % | 25.11 | % |
The
Company is included in the consolidated federal income tax return of the
Parent. The Company has a tax sharing agreement which requires it to
make tax payments to the Parent equal to the Company's liability as if it filed
a separate return.
The
Company's federal income tax returns (included in the Parent's consolidated
returns) and state and city tax returns for fiscal years ended April 30, 2007,
2008, and 2009 are subject to examination by the tax authorities, generally for
three years after they were filed. The IRS and NYS tax authorities
have recently concluded an examination for the years ended April 30, 2007 and
2008. The examinations have resulted in no changes by the IRS and didn't have
any material effect on the Company's financial statements. NYS has
concluded its audits for the fiscal years ended April 30, 2006, 2007, and 2008
with no material effect on the Company's financial statements. The
Company received a refund from NYS in the amount of $264,546 for the years under
audit.
13
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
8 - Business Segments:
The
Company operates two reportable business segments: (1) Investment Periodicals,
Publishing & Copyright Data and (2) Investment Management. The Investment
Periodicals, Publishing & Copyright Data segment produces investment related
periodical publications (retail and institutional) in both print and electronic
form, and includes copyright data fees for Value Line proprietary ranking system
information and other proprietary information. 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/(Loss) and Segment Assets (in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||
Six
months ended October 31, 2010
|
||||||||||||
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Periodicals,
|
|
|||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||
Copyright Data
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$ | 18,826 | $ | 8,281 | $ | 27,107 | ||||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
4 | - | 4 | |||||||||
Income/(loss)
from securities transactions
|
(4 | ) | 7 | 3 | ||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
277 | 12 | 289 | |||||||||
Segment
profit from operations*
|
4,942 | 394 | 5,336 | |||||||||
Segment
assets
|
9,900 | 6,360 | 16,260 | |||||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
92 | 10 | 102 |
Six
months ended October 31, 2009
|
||||||||||||
Investment
|
||||||||||||
Periodicals,
|
||||||||||||
Publishing
&
|
Investment
|
|||||||||||
Copyright Data
|
Management
|
Total
|
||||||||||
Revenues
from external customers
|
$ | 20,072 | $ | 9,582 | $ | 29,654 | ||||||
Intersegment
revenues
|
10 | - | 10 | |||||||||
Income/(loss)
from securities transactions
|
(43 | ) | 118 | 75 | ||||||||
Depreciation
and amortization
|
389 | 14 | 403 | |||||||||
Segment
profit/(loss) from operations *
|
5,726 | (45,077 | ) | (39,351 | ) | |||||||
Segment
assets
|
11,965 | 16,384 | 28,349 | |||||||||
Expenditures
for segment assets
|
467 | 2 | 469 |
Reconciliation
of Reportable Segment Revenues, Operating Profit/(Loss) and
Assets
|
||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||
Six
months ended October 31,
|
||||||||
2010
|
2009
|
|||||||
Revenues
|
||||||||
Total
revenues for reportable segments
|
$ | 27,111 | $ | 29,664 | ||||
Elimination
of intersegment revenues
|
(4 | ) | (10 | ) | ||||
Total
consolidated revenues
|
$ | 27,107 | $ | 29,654 | ||||
Segment
profit/(loss) *
|
||||||||
Total
profit/(loss) for reportable segments
|
$ | 5,339 | $ | (39,276 | ) | |||
Add: Income
from securities transactions related to corporate assets
|
85 | 294 | ||||||
Income/(loss)
before income taxes
|
$ | 5,424 | $ | (38,982 | ) | |||
Assets
|
||||||||
Total
assets for reportable segments
|
$ | 16,260 | $ | 28,349 | ||||
Corporate
assets
|
41,542 | 99,322 | ||||||
Consolidated
total assets
|
$ | 57,802 | $ | 127,671 |
* Expenses
included in the Investment Management segment in fiscal 2011 include
approximately $2.5 million of costs associated with the Company’s restructure of
its asset management business segment and in fiscal 2010 they include a
provision for settlement of approximately $47.7 million .
14
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
Note
9 - Legal Proceedings & Restructuring:
In
connection with the Settlement with the SEC discussed in Item 3 of the Company's
Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2010, the Company
recorded a provision for settlement of $47,706,000 during the first quarter of
fiscal 2010, of which $43,706,000 was paid to the SEC in November 2009
representing disgorgement of commissions received in the amount of $24,168,979,
prejudgment interest of $9,536,786, and a civil penalty in the amount of
$10,000,000. Pursuant to Section 308(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of
2002, a fund will be created for the Company’s disgorgement, interest and
penalty (“Fair Fund”). The Company will bear costs associated with any Fair Fund
distribution, including a third party consultant appointed by the SEC to
administer any Fair Fund distribution. The Company's Board of
Directors has determined that a restructuring of the asset management business
as more fully described below is in the best interests of the Company and its
shareholders and will fulfill the settlement order that requires the majority
shareholder to disassociate from EULAV and ESI. By the SEC order
dated November 2, 2010, the period of time to comply with the complete
disassociation has been extended from November 4, 2010 to December 24,
2010. The Company cannot estimate the impact to its business or
financial condition or results of operations if the remaining terms of the
settlement order can not be met in a timely manner.
On July
20, 2010 the Board of Directors of the Company (the “Board”) approved a
transaction involving its wholly owned subsidiaries EULAV, the investment
adviser to the Value Line Funds and certain separate accounts, and ESI, the
distributor of the Value Line Funds. When the transaction is completed, the
Company will contribute all of the outstanding stock of ESI to EULAV, EULAV will
be converted to a Delaware statutory trust named EULAV Asset Management (“EAM”),
the Company will restructure its ownership of EAM so that it has no voting
authority with respect to the election or removal of the trustees of EAM and
retains only interests in the revenues and residual profits of EAM and EAM will
grant the remaining residual profits interests to five individuals selected by
the independent directors of the Company.
Upon
completion of the transaction, the business and affairs of EAM will be managed
by five individuals and a non-voting Delaware resident who are trustees
(collectively the “Trustees”) and by its officers to the extent authorized by
the Trustees. The Trustees will be elected by the five shareholders, each of
which will own voting profits interests in EAM having a 20% vote in the election
of Trustees. Value Line will hold non-voting interests that entitle Value Line
to receive a range of 41% to 55% of EAM’s revenues (excluding [rule 12b-1]
distribution revenues) from EAM’s mutual fund and separate account business. In
addition, Value Line will receive 50% of the residual profits of EAM (subject to
temporary increase in certain limited circumstances). The Voting Profits
Interests shareholders will receive the other 50% of residual profits of EAM
(subject to temporary decrease in certain limited circumstances). EAM will elect
to be taxed as a pass-through entity similar to a partnership. In a disposition
by EAM of its business, the first $56.1 million of net proceeds (subject to
upward adjustment in certain circumstances) would be distributed in accordance
with capital accounts. The next $56.1 million would be distributed 80% to the
Holders of the Non-Voting Profits Interests (initially the Company) and 20% to
the Holders of the Voting-Profits Interests. Any net proceeds in excess of those
levels would be distributed 55% to the Holders of the Non-Voting Profits
Interests and 45% to the Holders of the Voting-Profits Interests.
The
transaction is subject to approval of new investment advisory agreements with
the Value Line Funds by the shareholders of the Value Line Funds which
agreements were approved on or prior to November 24, 2010 and will not
differ in substance from the current investment advisory agreements and to entry
into the Trust Agreement. EAM will be authorized to use the Value
Line name for the existing 14 funds so long as EAM continues to be the
investment adviser to such Fund and such Fund does not alter its investment
objectives or fundamental policies as they exist on the date the trust Agreement
is signed to use leverage for investment purposes, short selling or other
complex or unusual investment strategies to create a risk profile similar to
that of so-called hedge funds.
Mitchell
Appel, president of ESI and EULAV as well as of each of the Value Line Funds,
and formerly Chief Financial Officer and a director of Value Line, will be one
of the Voting Profits Interests shareholders and the first Chief Executive
Officer of EAM. He has resigned his positions with Value Line on December 9,
2010.
In the
course of considering and approving the restructuring described above, the Board
of Directors of the Company including its independent directors worked closely
with independent financial advisors and legal counsel selected by the
independent directors. The Board reviewed a range of options in
relation to the requirement that the majority shareholder disassociate from the
Company’s regulated asset management business by November 4, 2010, including
sale of the asset management business, spin-off of the asset management business
and transfer of such business to a blind trust. The SEC granted an
extension to complete the full disassociation from November 4, 2010 deadline to
December 24, 2010. In order to assist the Board in its
considerations, the Board’s financial advisors solicited interest from 29
organizations, received indications of interest from 9 organizations, and
received preliminary proposals from 4 organizations. In the Board’s judgment
none of the proposals had likely economic value to the Company equivalent to the
likely economic value of the restructuring proposal chosen. The Board also
concluded that a spin-off to shareholders, with the Company receiving only
non-voting securities, would produce inferior economic value to the Company and
its shareholders due to the high costs of operating the small public company
that would result from the spin-off. Further, acquisition by any person of more
than 25% of the voting shares of the spun off asset management company could in
certain circumstances trigger a change in control requiring costly new Mutual
Fund board and shareholder approvals. The Board was also concerned about a
transfer to a blind trust because among other reasons, each change in trustee
would also require costly new approvals by the Board of the Value Line Mutual
Funds and the fund shareholders.
15
Value
Line, Inc.
Notes
to Consolidated Condensed Financial Statements
The
proposed restructuring and its terms were approved by the Board (with Messrs.
Appel and Sarkany abstaining), as being in the best interest of the Company and
its shareholders. The new Investment Advisory Agreements with the Value Line
Funds that are necessary for the restructuring transaction to proceed were
approved by the Board of Trustees/Directors of the Value Line
Funds.
Expenses
associated with the Company's restructuring of its investment advisory and
mutual funds distribution operations of $2.5 million have been included in
General and Administration expenses during the six months ended October 31,
2010.
On
September 3, 2008, VLI was served with a derivative shareholder's suit filed in
New York County Supreme Court naming certain current and former directors of the
Company and alleging breach of fiduciary duty and related allegations, all
arising from the SEC matter. The complaint sought return of remuneration by the
Directors and other remedies. A second derivative shareholder's suit was filed
in New York County Supreme Court on or about November 9, 2009, naming certain
current and former VLI Directors and the Parent as defendants. This suit
primarily restates the same or similar allegations and seeks similar remedies as
were sought in the earlier derivative shareholder's suit served in September
2008. By order dated January 8, 2010, the Court granted Plaintiffs' motion to
consolidate the two cases. VLI has advised its insurance carriers of these
developments and it is not possible to estimate an amount or range of loss on
VLI's financial statements. The defendants responded to the complaint in the
consolidated case on August 20, 2010, and the case is proceeding in New York
County.
Note
10 - Pro Forma Combined Financial Data:
The
Company believes the occurrence of the restructuring transaction as explained
more fully in Note 9, is probable. The Unaudited Pro Forma Combined
Statements of Income of the Company for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2010 and
the six-month period ended October 31, 2010 (the "Pro Forma Statements of
Income"), and the Unaudited Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Balance
Sheet of the Company as of October 31, 2010 (the "Pro Forma Balance Sheet" and,
together with the Pro Forma Statements of Income, the "Pro Forma Financial
Statements"), have been prepared to illustrate the estimated effect of the
contribution of all of the outstanding stock of EULAV Securities, Inc. to EULAV
Asset Management, LLC and the conversion of EULAV Asset Management, LLC to a
Delaware statutory trust named EULAV Asset Management (EAM). The Pro
Forma Financial Statements do not reflect any anticipated cost savings and there
can be no assurance that any such cost savings will occur. The Pro
Forma Combined Income Statements give pro forma effect to the EAM transaction as
if it had occurred on May 1, 2009. The Pro Forma Consolidated
Condensed Balance Sheet gives pro forma effect to the EAM transaction as if it
had occurred on October 31, 2010. The Pro Forma Financial Statements
do not purport to be indicative of the results of operations or financial
position of the Company that would have actually been obtained had such
transactions been completed as of the assumed dates and for the periods
presented, or which may be obtained in the future. The pro forma
adjustments are described in the accompanying notes and are based upon available
information and certain assumptions that the Company believes are
reasonable. The Pro Forma Financial Statements should be read in
conjunction with the separate historical consolidated financial statements of
Value Line, Inc. and the notes thereto and "Management's Discussion and Analysis
of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" included elsewhere in this
Form 10-Q.
A
preliminary allocation of the assigned purchase price has been made to major
categories of assets and liabilities in the accompanying Pro Forma Financial
Statements based on available information. The actual allocation of
purchase price and the resulting effect on the Statements of Income may differ
significantly from the pro forma amounts included herein. These pro
forma adjustments represent the Company's preliminary determination of purchase
accounting adjustments and are based upon available information and certain
assumptions that the Company believes to be reasonable. Consequently,
the amounts reflected in the Pro Forma Financial Statements are subject to
change, and the final amounts may differ substantially.
16
Note
10 - Pro Forma Combined Financial Data:
Value
Line, Inc.
Unaudited
Pro Forma Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet
as
of October 31, 2010
(in
thousands, except share amounts)
Pro Forma
|
||||||||||||
Historical
|
Pro Forma
|
after
|
||||||||||
(unaudited)
|
Adjustments
|
Transaction
|
||||||||||
Assets
|
||||||||||||
Current
Assets:
|
||||||||||||
Cash and cash
equivalents
|
$ | 8,712 | $ | (4,830 | ) | 3,882 | ||||||
Securities available for
sale
|
33,473 | (1,514 | ) | 31,959 | ||||||||
Accounts receivable, net of
allowance for doubtful accounts of $46
|
1,140 | (20 | ) | 1,120 | ||||||||
Receivable from
affiliates
|
1,381 | (657 | ) | 724 | ||||||||
Prepaid and refundable income
taxes
|
488 | - | 488 | |||||||||
Prepaid expenses and other current
assets
|
849 | (39 | ) | 810 | ||||||||
Deferred income
taxes
|
6,823 | 242 | 7,065 | |||||||||
Total current
assets
|
52,866 | (6,818 | ) | 46,048 | ||||||||
Long term
assets
|
||||||||||||
Property and equipment,
net
|
4,214 | (18 | ) | 4,196 | ||||||||
Capitalized software and other
intangible assets, net
|
722 | (131 | ) | 591 | ||||||||
Investment in
Trust
|
- | 56,100 | 56,100 | |||||||||
Deferred income
taxes
|
- | 146 | 146 | |||||||||
Total long term
assets
|
4,936 | 56,097 | 61,033 | |||||||||
Total
assets
|
$ | 57,802 | $ | 49,279 | $ | 107,081 | ||||||
Liabilities and Shareholders'
Equity
|
||||||||||||
Current
Liabilities:
|
||||||||||||
Accounts payable and accrued
liabilities
|
$ | 4,585 | $ | 308 | 4,893 | |||||||
Accrued
salaries
|
1,250 | (363 | ) | 887 | ||||||||
Dividends
payable
|
19,963 | - | 19,963 | |||||||||
Accrued taxes
payable
|
780 | - | 780 | |||||||||
Reserve for
settlement
|
3,483 | - | 3,483 | |||||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
20,827 | (13 | ) | 20,814 | ||||||||
Total current
liabilities
|
50,888 | (68 | ) | 50,820 | ||||||||
Long term
liabilities
|
||||||||||||
Unearned
revenue
|
4,055 | - | 4,055 | |||||||||
Deferred income
tax
|
- | 19,444 | 19,444 | |||||||||
Total long term
liabilities
|
4,055 | 19,444 | 23,499 | |||||||||
Shareholders'
Equity:
|
||||||||||||
Common stock, $.10 par value;
authorized 30,000,000shares; issued 10,000,000
shares
|
1,000 | - | 1,000 | |||||||||
Additional paid-in
capital
|
991 | - | 991 | |||||||||
Retained
earnings
|
1,258 | 29,903 | 31,161 | |||||||||
Treasury stock, at cost (18,400
shares on 10/31/10)
|
(354 | ) | - | (354 | ) | |||||||
Accumulated other comprehensive
income/(loss), net of tax
|
(36 | ) | - | (36 | ) | |||||||
Total shareholders'
equity
|
2,859 | 29,903 | 32,762 | |||||||||
Total liabilities and
shareholders' equity
|
$ | 57,802 | $ | 49,279 | $ | 107,081 |
Notes to Pro Forma Balance Sheet at
October 31, 2010
The Pro Forma adjustments to the
Historical Balance Sheet reflect the adjustments to record the assets and
liablities of the subsidiaries, EULAV and ESI, transferred in the transaction to
EAM in exchange for a non-voting revenues and profits interest valued at $56.1
million as determined by the Board of Directors of Value Line, Inc. based on a
range provided by an independent valuation firm.
As a result of the transfer of the
outstanding stock of EULAV and ESI to EAM, the current assets, long term assets
and current liabilities of Value Line, Inc. will decrease by $7,062,000,
$149,000 and $1,068,000, respectively.
In the exchange, Value
Line, Inc. will receive the non-voting revenues and profits interest valued at
$56.1 million resulting in
a non-recurring pre-tax gain of $46,495,000. As a result of this non-recurring
gain, the
Company's current deferred income tax assets, long term deferred income tax
assets, accounts payable and accrued liabilites, and long term deferred income
tax liability will increase by $244,000, $146,000, $1,000,000 and $19,444,000,
respectively. Current deferred tax assets already reflect $958,000 of tax
benefits related to $2,462,000 of divestiture related expenses included in the
Company's Consolidated Condensed Statements of Income/(Loss) as of October 31,
2010. The $29,903,000 Pro Forma Adjustment to retained
earnings in the Unaudited Consolidated Condensed Balance Sheet as of
October 31, 2010 represents the after tax gain
exclusive of transaction expenses of $2,462,000, net of taxes of $958,000 that have already been
reflected in Retained Earnings.
17
Note
10 - Pro Forma Combined Financial Data:
Value
Line, Inc.
Pro
Forma Combined Income Statement
(
in thousands except per share amounts)
For
the six months ending October 31, 2010
Historical
|
Pro Forma
|
Pro Forma
|
||||||||||
(unaudited)
|
Adjustments
|
after Transaction
|
||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||
Investment
Periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 17,184 | $ | - | $ | 17,184 | ||||||
Copyright
Data Fees
|
$ | 1,642 | $ | - | $ | 1,642 | ||||||
Investment
Management Fees & Services
|
$ | 8,281 | $ | (8,281 | )a | $ | - | |||||
Advisory
revenues from Trust
|
- | $ | 3,163 b | $ | 3,163 | |||||||
Income
from Trust
|
- | $ | 256 b | $ | 256 | |||||||
TOTAL
REVENUES
|
$ | 27,107 | $ | (4,862 | ) | $ | 22,245 | |||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Advertising
& Promotion
|
$ | 4,077 | $ | (1,969 | )a | $ | 2,108 | |||||
Salaries
& Employee Benefits
|
$ | 8,265 | $ | (1,204 | )a | $ | 7,061 | |||||
Production
& Distribution
|
$ | 2,280 | $ | - | $ | 2,280 | ||||||
Office
& Administration
|
$ | 4,687 | $ | (1,440 | )a | $ | 3,247 | |||||
Expenses
related to restructuring
|
$ | 2,462 | $ | (2,462 | )d | $ | - | |||||
TOTAL
EXPENSES
|
$ | 21,771 | $ | (7,075 | ) | $ | 14,696 | |||||
Income
from operations
|
$ | 5,336 | $ | 2,213 | $ | 7,549 | ||||||
Income
from securities transactions, (net)
|
$ | 88 | $ | (7 | )a | $ | 81 | |||||
Income
before income taxes
|
$ | 5,424 | $ | 2,206 | $ | 7,630 | ||||||
Provision
for income taxes
|
$ | 2,020 | $ | 859 | a,c,d | $ | 2,879 | |||||
Tax
Rate
|
37.24 | % | 38.94 | % | 37.73 | % | ||||||
Net
Income
|
$ | 3,404 | $ | 1,347 | $ | 4,751 | ||||||
Net
income per common share
|
$ | 0.34 | $ | 0.14 | $ | 0.48 |
Notes to
the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Income Statement
a. Pro Forma adjustments reflect the
elimination of the historical revenues and operating expenses of EULAV and ESI
during the six months ended October 31, 2010 as if the
transaction occurred on May 1, 2009. The Pro Forma adjustment for Office and
Administration expenses of $1,440,000 includes the
elimination of the historical expenses of EULAV and ESI of $1,176,000 and pro
forma reimbursements of $264,000 for
occupancy and back office fees in accordance with the EAM Trust
Agreement.
b. Pro Forma adjustments represent
Value Line, Inc.'s share of revenues of the newly established EAM Trust,
approximately 48.7% of the advisory revenues and 50% of the
net pre-tax income of the EAM Trust during the six months ended October 31,2010
in accordance with the terms of the EAM
Trust agreement.
c. Pro Forma adjustments reflect the
elimination of the historical tax expenses of EULAV and ESI during the six
months ended October 31, 2010 of $1,533,000,
additional tax expenses for the revenues and profits derived on a Pro Forma
basis from the EAM Trust of $1,434,000 and the elimination of
the tax benefit of $958,000 associated with the Expenses related to the
disassociation of EAM and Value Line, Inc., included in the
actual results of Value Line, Inc. for the six months ended October 31,
2010.
d. Expenses of $2,462,000 and the
related tax benefit of $958,000 are included in the Consolidated Condensed
Statements of Income/(Loss) for the six months ended
October 31, 2010 and have been eliminated in the Pro Forma Adjustment column as
these expenses are directly related to the
transaction and will later be reclassified and included in the gain on
restructuring of EULAV and ESI.
18
Note
10 - Pro Forma Combined Financial Data:
Value
Line, Inc.
Pro
Forma Combined Income Statement
(
in thousands except per share amounts)
For
the Fiscal Year Ending April 30, 2010
|
Pro Forma
|
Pro Forma
|
||||||||||
Historical
|
Adjustments
|
after Transaction
|
||||||||||
Revenues:
|
||||||||||||
Investment
Periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 35,965 | $ | - | $ | 35,965 | ||||||
Copyright
Data Fees
|
$ | 3,243 | $ | - | $ | 3,243 | ||||||
Investment
Management Fees & Services
|
$ | 18,932 | $ | (18,932 | )a | $ | - | |||||
Advisory
revenues from Trust
|
- | $ | 7,405 | b | $ | 7,405 | ||||||
Income
from Trust
|
- | $ | 443 | b | $ | 443 | ||||||
TOTAL
REVENUES
|
$ | 58,140 | $ | (11,084 | ) | $ | 47,056 | |||||
Expenses:
|
||||||||||||
Advertising
& Promotion
|
$ | 9,346 | $ | (5,219 | )a | $ | 4,127 | |||||
Salaries
& Employee Benefits
|
$ | 16,314 | $ | (2,577 | )a | $ | 13,737 | |||||
Production
& Distribution
|
$ | 5,244 | $ | - | $ | 5,244 | ||||||
Office
& Administration
|
$ | 11,320 | $ | (3,006 | )a | $ | 8,314 | |||||
Settlement
Provision
|
$ | 48,106 | - | $ | 48,106 | |||||||
TOTAL
EXPENSES
|
$ | 90,330 | $ | (10,802 | ) | $ | 79,528 | |||||
Income/(loss)
from operations
|
$ | (32,190 | ) | $ | (282 | ) | $ | (32,472 | ) | |||
Income
from securities transactions, (net)
|
$ | 837 | $ | (160 | )a | $ | 677 | |||||
Income/(loss)
before income taxes
|
$ | (31,353 | ) | $ | (442 | ) | $ | (31,795 | ) | |||
Provision
for income taxes/(benefit)
|
$ | (8,165 | ) | $ | (173 | )a,c | $ | (8,338 | ) | |||
Net
Income/(loss)
|
$ | (23,188 | ) | $ | (269 | ) | $ | (23,457 | ) | |||
Net
income per common share
|
$ | (2.32 | ) | $ | (0.03 | ) | $ | (2.35 | ) |
Notes to
the Unaudited Pro Forma Combined Income Statement
a. Pro Forma adjustments reflect the
elimination of the historical revenues and operating expenses of EULAV and ESI
during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2010 as if the
transaction occurred on May 1, 2009. The Pro Forma adjustment for Office and
Administration expenses of $3,006,000 includes the
elimination of the historical expenses of EULAV and ESI of $2,478,000 and Pro
Forma reimbursements of $528,000 for
occupancy and back office fees in accordance with the EAM Trust
Agreement.
b. Pro Forma adjustments represents
Value Line, Inc.'s share of the revenues of the newly established EAM Trust,
approximately 48.7% of the advisory revenues and 50% of the
net pre-tax income of the EAM Trust during the fiscal year ended April 30, 2010
in accordance with the EAM Trust
Agreement.
c. Pro Forma adjustments reflect the
elimination of the historical tax expenses of EULAV and ESI during the fiscal
year ended April 30, 2010 of $3,432,000 and reflect the Pro
Forma tax expense on the additional revenues, profits and fees derived on a Pro
Forma basis in accordance with the EAM Trust Agreement
of $3,259,000.
19
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, copyright data and investment
management;
|
|
·
|
the
impact of government regulation on the Company’s business and the
uncertainties of litigation and regulatory
proceedings;
|
|
·
|
terrorist
attacks and natural disasters; 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, 2010, 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.
Business
Environment
During
the six months ended October 31, 2010, the global financial markets continued to
improve from the March 2009 market lows. The NASDAQ and the Dow Jones
Industrial Average declined 39.1% and 38.6% respectively from the end of
September 2008 to March 9, 2009. From that point to October 31, 2010,
those indices have rallied nearly 98% and 70%, respectively, with the Dow Jones
Industrial Average 2% higher and the NASDAQ reaching over 20% above the
September 2008 levels, respectively. For the six months ended October
31, 2010, the NASDAQ and Dow Jones Industrial Average were up 2% and 1%,
respectively. Value Line top ranked stocks (Timeliness Rank 1 and 2)
gained 3.2% in the six months ended October 31, 2010 versus -1.5% for the
S&P 500 Index. Nevertheless, the severe downturn and volatility
in the financial markets throughout the prior fiscal year continue to negatively
impact the Company’s revenues, and assets under management primarily in the
Company’s equity mutual funds as compared to the six months of the previous
fiscal year. In response, the Company continues to be diligent both
in its operational and marketing execution and in managing
expenses.
20
Results
of Operations
The
operating results of the Company for the second quarter of the fiscal year 2011
deteriorated from the previous year. The following table illustrates
the key earnings figures for the three and six months ended October 31, 2010 and
2009.
Three
Months Ended October
31,
|
Six
Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands, except earnings/(loss)
per
share)
|
2010
|
2009
|
Percentage
Change
FY
11 vs.
10
|
2010
|
2009
|
Percentage
Change
FY
11 vs.
10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Earnings/(loss)
per share
|
$ | 0.11 | $ | 0.23 | -52.2 | % | $ | 0.34 | $ | (2.93 | ) | #N/A | ||||||||||||
Net
income/(loss)
|
$ | 1,087 | $ | 2,381 | -54.3 | % | $ | 3,404 | $ | (29,199 | ) | #N/A | ||||||||||||
Operating
income/(loss)
|
$ | 1,790 | $ | 3,435 | -47.9 | % | $ | 5,336 | $ | (39,351 | ) | #N/A | ||||||||||||
Operating
expenses
|
$ | 11,708 | $ | 11,431 | 2.4 | % | $ | 21,771 | $ | 69,005 | -68.5 | % | ||||||||||||
Income
from securities transactions, net
|
$ | 51 | $ | 151 | -66.2 | % | $ | 88 | $ | 369 | -76.2 | % |
For the
six months ended October 31, 2010, the Company’s net income of $3,404,000 or
$0.34 per share compared to the net loss of $29,199,000 or $2.93 per share for
the six months ended October 31, 2009. Net income for the second
quarter ended October 31, 2010 of $1,087,000 or $0.11 per share was $1,294,000
or 54% below net income of $2,381,000 or $0.23 per share for the second quarter
of the prior fiscal year. Operating income of $5,336,000 for the six
months ended October 31, 2010 compared to an operating loss of $39,351,000 for
the six months ended October 31, 2009. The operating and net losses
of the Company during the first six months of the prior fiscal year were a
result of the Company recording a provision for the SEC Settlement discussed in
Item 3 of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended
April 30, 2010 of $47,706,000. Operating income for the second
quarter ended October 31, 2010 of $1,790,000 was $1,645,000 or 48% below
operating income of $3,435,000 for the second quarter of the prior fiscal year
due largely to $1,120,000 of expenses related to the
Company’s restructuring of its asset management division.
Operating
revenues from investment periodicals and related publications, and investment
management fees and services declined for the three months and six months ended
October 31, 2010, while copyright data fees increased above the prior fiscal
year.
Operating
revenues
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended October 31,
|
Six
Months Ended October 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY
11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY
11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Investment
periodicals and related publications
|
$ | 8,567 | $ | 9,156 | -6.4 | % | $ | 17,184 | $ | 18,477 | -7.0 | % | ||||||||||||
Copyright
data fees
|
865 | 828 | 4.5 | % | 1,642 | 1,595 | 2.9 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Investment
management fees and services
|
4,066 | 4,882 | -16.7 | % | 8,281 | 9,582 | -13.6 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total
operating revenues
|
$ | 13,498 | $ | 14,866 | -9.2 | % | $ | 27,107 | $ | 29,654 | -8.6 | % |
21
Investment
periodicals and related publications revenues
Investment
periodicals and related publications revenues were down $589,000 or 6% and
$1,293,000 or 7% for the three months and six months ended October 31, 2010,
respectively, as compared to 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 remains
weaker than in past years. 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 direct cost to their clients. As
of October 31, 2010, total company-wide circulation has declined 5% compared to
the previous fiscal year. Overall renewal rates for the flagship
product, The Value Line
Investment Survey, are 75%, up from 71% a year earlier, although the
Company is not adding enough new subscribers to offset the subscribers that
choose not to renew the flagship product and other Value Line
products. The Company has been successful in growing electronic
investment periodicals within institutional sales, with earned revenues
increasing $180,000 or 10% and $310,000 or 8% for the three and six months ended
October 31, 2010, respectively, from the previous year. Gross institutional
sales for the three months ended October 31, 2010 were $2,393,000, an increase
of $379,000 or 19% and $4,594,000 for the six months ended October 31, 2010, up
$581,000 or 15% from the previous fiscal year. This continues to be a
positive growth trend, but not sufficient to wholly offset the lost revenues
from retail subscribers.
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.
Subscription
Revenues
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Three
Months Ended October 31,
|
Six
Months Ended October 31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY
11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY
11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Print
publication revenues
|
$ | 5,377 | $ | 5,937 | -9.4 | % | $ | 10,879 | $ | 12,075 | -9.9 | % | ||||||||||||
Electronic
publication revenues
|
3,190 | 3,219 | -0.9 | % | 6,305 | 6,402 | -1.5 | % | ||||||||||||||||
Total
investment periodicals and related publications revenues
|
$ | 8,567 | $ | 9,156 | -6.4 | % | $ | 17,184 | $ | 18,477 | -7.0 | % |
At
October 31,
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
|||||||||
Unearned
revenues (short and long term)
|
$ | 24,882 | $ | 24,837 | 0.2 | % |
For the
three months and six months ended October 31, 2010, print publication revenues
decreased $560,000 or 9% and $1,196,000 or 10%, respectively, from the last
fiscal year for the reasons described earlier. Print circulation,
which has always dominated the Company’s subscription base, has fallen 7% as of
October 31, 2010 as compared to the last fiscal year. Electronic
publications revenues for the three months and six months ended October 31, 2010
were down 1% or $29,000 and 2% or $97,000, respectively, as compared to the
prior fiscal year. The electronic publication revenues are broken
down into institutional accounts and retail subscribers. For
22
the three
months and six months ended October 31, 2010, institutional revenues increased
$180,000 or 10% and $310,000 or 8%, respectively, while revenues from retail
subscribers were down $209,000 or 16% and $407,000 or 15% as compared to the
three and six months ended October 31, 2009. The Company has relied
more on its institutional sales marketing efforts, and the increase in
institutional revenues is a direct result of a focused effort to sell to
colleges, libraries and corporate accounts. The decrease in
electronic retail publications revenues is primarily attributable to the
decrease in circulation within the Company’s software products, which have not
had a major update recently.
The Value Line Timeliness Ranking
SystemTM (“the
Ranking System”), a component in the Company’s flagship product, The Value Line Investment
Survey, is also an important part of the Company’s copyright data
business. As stated in recent quarterly filings, the rapid and severe
price actions in the markets in 2009 appear to have favored short-term
investing, as investors bought well known names whose earnings have plunged and
whose stock prices were depressed in hopes the stock prices would
rebound. Such stocks are generally not well ranked by Value Line
because the Ranking System emphasizes earnings results and price
momentum. Accordingly, while the Company recommended “Rank 1” and
“Rank 2” stocks did well, low-rated “Rank 5” stocks did better. The
Ranking System is designed to be predictive over a six to twelve month
period. Nevertheless the top ranked stocks performed very well
against the S&P 500 Index. During the twelve months, six months
and fiscal quarter ended October 31, 2010, the combined Value Line Timeliness
Rank 1 & 2 stock performance of 28.1%, 3.2% and 9.9%, allowing for weekly
changes in Ranks, compares favorably to the S&P 500 index performance of
13.6%, -1.5% and 5.2%, respectively.
Copyright
data fees
Copyright
data fees have increased $37,000 or 4% and $47,000 or 3% for the three months
and six months ended October 31, 2010 as compared to the prior fiscal
year. As of October 31, 2010, total third party sponsored assets were
attributable to four contracts for copyright data and represent $2.8 billion in
various products as compared to four contracts and $2.4 billion in assets last
fiscal year, representing a 19% increase in assets year over
year. The combination of the underperformance by the Ranking System
and the broad and deep declines in the equity markets from late 2008 and early
2009 significantly impacted assets of the third party sponsors that are
customers of the Company’s copyright data business. The Company believes the
growth of this part of the business is dependent upon the desire of third
parties to use the Value Line trademarks and proprietary research for their
products. Today this market is significantly more competitive as a result of
product diversification and growth of the use of indices by portfolio
managers. Copyright data fees have been a critical component of the
Company’s plan to replace shrinking publishing revenues but no new products have
been added in fiscal year 2011. One account was added and one lost in
June 2010.
Investment
management fees and distribution services revenues
Overall
assets in the Value Line Funds at October 31, 2010 decreased $309 million since
October 31, 2009 primarily as a result of net redemptions from the Value Line
equity mutual funds and a decline in the U.S. Government Money Market Fund that
resulted primarily from the Company’s payment of approximately $44 million to
settle the SEC matter in November 2009 and $30 million for the special $3.00 per
share dividend paid to all the Company’s shareholders during April 2010. Total
net assets in the Value Line Funds have fallen from $2.3 billion at fiscal 2010
year end to $2.1 billion at October 31, 2010 primarily as a result of net
redemptions in certain Value Line equity mutual funds.
23
Total Net Assets
|
||||||||||||
At
October 31,
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
|||||||||
Equity
mutual funds
|
$ | 1,768,124 | $ | 1,987,820 | -11.1 | % | ||||||
Fixed
income mutual funds
|
250,547 | 254,123 | -1.4 | % | ||||||||
U.S.
Government Money Market Fund
|
109,698 | 195,371 | -43.9 | % | ||||||||
Total
net assets
|
$ | 2,128,369 | $ | 2,437,314 | -12.7 | % |
As a
result of a 17% and 15% decline in average assets under management for the three
months and six months ended October 31, 2010 as compared to the previous year,
investment management fees and distribution services revenues for the three
months and six months ended October 31, 2010 were $816,000 or 17% and $1,301,000
or 14% below the prior fiscal year. Management fees for the three
months and six months ended October 31, 2010 were down $601,000 or 16% and
$983,000 or 13%, respectively, as compared to the prior fiscal year.
Distribution services revenues (12b-1 fees) decreased $199,000 or 19% and
$299,000 or 14% for the three months and six months of fiscal 2011. During both
the three months and six months ended October 31, 2010, contractual fee waivers
have applied to most of the Value Line Funds. For the three months ended October
31, 2010 and 2009, 12b-1 fee waivers were $613,000 and $687,000, respectively.
For the six months ended October 31, 2010 and 2009, 12b-1 fee waivers were
$1,233,000 and $1,355,000, respectively. Management fee waivers were
$192,000 and $378,000 for the three months and six months ended October 31,
2010, respectively and $244,000 and $440,000 for the three months and six months
ended October 31, 2009, respectively. Twelve of the fourteen funds
have all or a portion of the 12b-1 fees being waived and five of the fourteen
funds have partial management fee waivers in place. With limited
exception, the Company and its subsidiaries have no right to recoup the
previously waived management fees and 12b-1 fees.
Of the
fourteen 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 categories of equity funds.
Equity
Fund Net Assets (Variable Annuity and Open End Equity
Funds)
|
||||||||||||
At
October 31,
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
|||||||||
Variable
annuity assets (GIAC)
|
$ | 475,803 | $ | 472,243 | 0.8 | % | ||||||
All
other open end equity fund assets
|
1,292,321 | 1,515,577 | -14.7 | % | ||||||||
Total
equity fund net assets
|
$ | 1,768,124 | $ | 1,987,820 | -11.1 | % |
As
of October 31, 2010, three of the six equity mutual funds, excluding SAM and
Centurion, had an overall four star rating by Morningstar, Inc. The equity funds
experienced net redemptions for the three months and six months ended October
31, 2010 and October 31, 2009. The largest distribution channel for the Value
Line Funds remains the fund supermarket platforms such as Charles Schwab &
Co., Inc., TD Ameritrade and Fidelity.
The Value
Line fixed income mutual fund assets (excluding the Value Line U.S. Government
Money Market Fund), represent 12% of total mutual fund assets at October 31,
2010, as compared to 10% the previous
24
year. Value
Line U.S. Government Money Market Fund assets represent 5% of the total fund
assets at October 31, 2010 and have decreased 44% from the previous year for the
previously mentioned reasons. Currently, management fees from the U.S.
Government Money Market Fund are essentially zero with the Company waiving
nearly all its fees since the end of November 2009, and in fiscal 2011
substantially subsidizing U.S. Government Money Market Fund expenses, because of
the historically low interest rate environment and new regulations restricting
investments.
Shareholder
transactions for the Value Line Funds are processed each business day by the
third party transfer agent of the Funds. Shares can be redeemed without advance
notice upon request of the shareholders each day that the New York Stock
Exchange is open.
Separately
managed account revenues decreased $16,000 or 26% for the three months and
$18,000 or 16% for the six months ended October 31, 2010 as compared to the
three months and six months ended October 31, 2009. The Company’s
separately managed accounts as of October 31, 2010 have $26 million in assets, a
decrease of $29 million or 53% since October 31, 2009. Of the $26
million, $23 million is affiliated with AB&Co. Assets within the
separately managed accounts are held at third party custodians, are subject to
the terms of each advisory agreement and do not have any advance notice
requirement for withdrawals, although they have a 30 day advance notice
requirement for termination of the account. The Company lost one
account in August 2010.
Expenses
Expenses
within the Company are categorized into advertising and promotion, salaries and
employee benefits, production and distribution, and office and
administration. Operating expenses of $21,771,000 for the six months
ended October 31, 2010 were $47,234,000 or 69% below operating expenses of
$69,005,000 last fiscal year. During the six months ended October 31, 2010,
expenses included approximately $2.5 million of costs associated with the
Company’s restructure of its asset management business
segment. During the six months ended October 31, 2009, expenses
included a provision for the SEC Settlement of $47,706,000. Excluding
expenses associated with the restructure in fiscal 2011 and the provision for
the SEC Settlement last fiscal year, operating expenses for the six months ended
October 31, 2010 were 9% below operating expenses for the six months ended
October 31, 2009. Operating expenses of $11,708,000 for the second quarter
ended October 31, 2010 were $277,000 or 2% above operating expenses of
$11,431,000 for the second quarter of the prior fiscal year. The increase was a
result of $1,120,000 of expenses incurred in the second quarter related to
restructuring.
Advertising
and promotion
Three Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Advertising
and promotion
|
$ | 2,359 | $ | 2,412 | -2.2 | % | $ | 4,077 | $ | 4,492 | -9.2 | % |
Advertising
and promotion expenses for the six months ended October 31, 2010 decreased
$415,000 as compared to the six months ended October 31, 2009 and decreased
$53,000 or 2% for the three months ended October 31, 2010 as compared to
the prior fiscal year. Within the investment management segment, supermarket and
Guardian (GIAC) platform expenses associated with the distribution of the mutual
funds decreased $395,000 or 30% during the second quarter and $895,000 or 32%
for the six months of fiscal 2011 from the prior year due to the decline in the
average net assets under management. Within the publishing segment,
costs associated with direct mail increased 17% and 2% above last fiscal year
for the three months and six months. Media print advertising and
internet
25
promotional
costs increased $338,000 and $406,000 for the three months and six months ended
October 31, 2010 as compared to the prior fiscal year.
Salaries
and employee benefits
Three Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Salaries
and employee benefits
|
$ | 4,388 | $ | 4,264 | 2.9 | % | $ | 8,265 | $ | 8,551 | -3.3 | % |
Salaries
and employee benefits decreased by $286,000 during the six months ended October
31, 2010 from the previous year. During the second half of fiscal year 2010,
there was consolidation at the executive level further reducing salaries and
employee benefits, which was offset by $150,000 of accrued profit sharing
expense. Salaries and employee benefits increased $115,000 during the three
months ended October 31, 2010 as a result of increased Information Technology
staff to assist in upgrades to the Company’s products and
fulfillment system. Over the past several years, the Company has saved money by
combining the roles and responsibilities of various personnel and by selective
outsourcing.
Production
and distribution
Three Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Production
and distribution
|
$ | 1,142 | $ | 1,389 | -17.8 | % | $ | 2,280 | $ | 2,566 | -11.1 | % |
Production
and distribution expenses for the three months and six months ended October 31,
2010 were $247,000 and $286,000, respectively, below expenses for the three
months and six months ended October 31, 2009. The decline in expenses
during the three months and six months was due to the discontinuance of a third
party fulfillment and distribution provider during the latter part of the prior
fiscal year and volume reductions in paper, printing and mailing that resulted
primarily from a decrease in circulation of the print products.
Office
and administration
Three Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Office
and administration
|
$ | 2,699 | $ | 3,366 | -19.8 | % | $ | 4,687 | $ | 5,690 | -17.6 | % |
Office
and administration expenses for the three months and six months ended October
31, 2010 were $667,000 and $1,003,000 below expenses for the three months and
six months ended October 31, 2009. During the second quarter of
fiscal 2010, the Company expensed $720,000 of capitalized development costs
related to a software production project that it determined was no longer
viable. Professional fees fluctuate year to year based on the level of
operations, litigation or regulatory activity requiring the use of outside
professionals and account for the remaining variance in the Office and
Administrative expenses.
26
Expenses
related to restructure
Three Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||
Expenses
related to restructure
|
$ | 1,120 | $ | 0 |
NMF
|
$ | 2,462 | $ | 0 |
NMF
|
Professional
fees of $1.1 million during the second quarter and $2.5 million for the six
months ended October 31, 2010 were associated with the restructuring of the
Company’s assets management business segment. The Company’s policy is to expense
these costs as incurred. Upon completion of the asset management segment
restructuring, these costs will be reclassified as a component part of the
results of the transaction.
Restructuring
of asset management segment
On July
20, 2010 the Board of Directors of Value Line (the “Board”) approved a
transaction involving its wholly owned subsidiaries EULAV Asset Management, LLC
(“EULAV”), the investment adviser to the Value Line Mutual Funds (the “Value
Line Funds”) and certain separate accounts, and EULAV Securities, Inc. (“ESI”),
the distributor of the Value Line Funds. If the transaction is completed, Value
Line will contribute all of the outstanding stock of ESI to EULAV, EULAV will be
converted to a Delaware statutory trust named EULAV Asset Management (“EAM”),
Value Line will restructure its ownership of EAM so that it has no voting
authority with respect to the election or removal of the trustees of EAM and
retains only interests in the revenues and residual profits of EAM and EAM will
grant the remaining residual profits interests to five individuals selected by
the independent directors of the Company.
Upon
completion of the transaction, the business and affairs of EAM will be managed
by five individuals and a non-voting Delaware resident who are trustees
(collectively the “Trustees”) and by its officers to the extent authorized by
the Trustees. The Trustees will be elected by the five holders
of voting profits interests in EAM, each of which will have a 20% vote
in the election of Trustees. Value Line will hold non-voting interests that
entitle Value Line to receive a range of 41% to 55% of EAM’s revenues (excluding
distribution revenues) from EAM’s mutual fund and separate account business. In
addition, Value Line will receive 50% of the residual profits of EAM. The Voting
Profits Interests holders will receive the other 50% of residual profits of EAM
(subject to temporary decrease in certain limited circumstances). EAM will elect
to be taxed as a pass-through entity similar to a partnership. In a disposition
by EAM of its business, the first $56.1 million of net proceeds (subject to
upward adjustment in certain circumstances) would be distributed in accordance
with Capital Accounts. The next $56.1 million would be distributed 80% to the
Holders of the Non-Voting Profits Interests (initially the Company) and 20% to
the Holders of the Voting-Profits Interests. Any net proceeds amounts in excess
of those levels would be distributed 55% to the Holders of the Non-Voting
Profits Interests and 45% to the Holders of the Voting-Profits
Interests.
The
transaction is subject to approval of new investment advisory agreements with
the Value Line Funds by the shareholders of the Value Line Funds which
agreements will not differ in substance from the current investment advisory
agreements and to entry into the Trust Agreement. The shareholder
approval process was completed as of November 24, 2010. EAM will be authorized
to use the Value Line name for the existing 14 funds so long as EAM continues to
be the investment adviser to such Fund and such Fund does not alter its
investment objectives or fundamental policies as they exist on the date the
Trust Agreement is signed to use leverage for investment purposes, short selling
or other complex or unusual investment strategies to create a risk profile
similar to that of so-called hedge funds.
27
Mitchell
Appel, president of ESI and EULAV as well as of each of the Value Line Funds,
and former Chief Financial Officer and a director of Value Line, will be one of
the Voting Profits Interests holders and the first Chief Executive Officer of
EAM. He has resigned his position as Chief Financial Officer and Director of
Value Line, Inc., effective December 9, 2010.
In the
course of considering and approving the restructuring described above, the Board
of Directors of the Company including its independent directors worked closely
with independent financial advisors and legal counsel selected by the
independent directors.
The Board
reviewed a range of options in relation to the requirement that the majority
shareholder disassociate from the Company’s regulated asset management business
by November 4, 2010, including sale of the asset management business, spin-off
of the asset management business and transfer of such business to a blind trust.
The SEC granted an extension to complete full disassociation from the November
4, 2010 deadline to December 24, 2010. In order to assist the Board
in its considerations, the Board’s financial advisors solicited interest from 29
organizations, received indications of interest from 9 organizations, and
received preliminary proposals from 4 organizations. In the Board’s judgment
none of the proposals had likely economic value to the Company equivalent to the
likely economic value of the restructuring proposal chosen. The Board also
concluded that a spin-off to shareholders, with the Company receiving only
non-voting securities, would produce inferior economic value to the Company and
its shareholders due to the high costs of operating a small public company.
Further, acquisition by any person of more than 25% of the voting shares of the
spun off asset management company could in certain circumstances trigger a
change in control requiring costly new Mutual Fund board and shareholder
approvals. The Board was also concerned about a transfer to a blind trust
because among other reasons, each change in trustee would also require costly
new approvals by the Board of the Value Line Funds and the fund
shareholders.
The
proposed restructuring and its terms were approved by the Board (with Messrs.
Appel and Sarkany abstaining), as being in the best interest of the Company and
its shareholders. The new Investment Advisory Agreements with the Value Line
Funds that are necessary for the restructuring transaction to proceed were
approved by the directors of the mutual funds, who were not asked to and did not
approve the restructuring or its terms.
Segment
Operating Profit
The
Company operates in two business segments, Investment Periodicals, Publishing
& Copyright Data and Investment Management.
Investment Periodicals, Publishing
&
Copyright Data
|
Investment Management
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
Six Months Ended October
31,
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
Percentage
Change
|
Percentage
Change
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
2010
|
2009
|
FY 11 vs. 10
|
||||||||||||||||||
Segment
revenues from external customers
|
$ | 18,826 | $ | 20,072 | -6.2 | % | $ | 8,281 | $ | 9,582 | -13.6 | % | ||||||||||||
Segment
profit/(loss) from operations
|
$ | 4,942 | $ | 5,726 | -13.7 | % | $ | 394 | $ | (45,077 | ) | N/A | ||||||||||||
Segment
profit margin from operations
|
26.3 | % | 28.5 | % | -8.0 | % | 4.8 | % |
NMF
|
N/A |
* NMF –
not meaningful figure
28
Investment
Periodicals, Publishing & Copyright Data
Segment
revenues, operating profit and operating profit margins from the Company’s
Investment Periodicals, Publishing & Copyright Data segment declined
significantly from the previous fiscal year for the three months and six months
ended October 31, 2010 primarily due to the continued 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 only provides research on mutual fund and ETF vehicles. Investment
Periodicals, Publishing & Copyright Data segment profit margin from
operations decreased as a direct result of the decline in revenue.
Investment
Management
Revenues
for the three months and six months of fiscal 2011 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 and fee waivers. The Company waived management fees
of $133,000 and $259,000 during the three months and six months ended October
31, 2010 in the U.S. Government Money Market Fund due to the low interest rate
environment which resulted in the fund’s generating insufficient portfolio
income to cover its normalized expenses. Segment operating profit and
operating profit margin for fiscal 2011 includes $2.5 million of expenses
related to the restructuring of the Investment Management segment and are
negative for the six months ended October 31, 2009 due to the $47.7 million
provision for the SEC Settlement.
Income
from Securities Transactions, net
During the six months ended October 31,
2010, the Company’s income from securities transactions, net, of $88,000 was
$281,000 or 76% below income from securities transactions, net, of $369,000
during the six months ended October 31, 2009 and $100,000 or 66% lower for the
three months ended October 31, 2010 compared to the prior fiscal
year. Income from securities transactions, net, for the three months
and six months includes dividend and interest income of $53,000 and $92,000 at
October 31, 2010 that is $201,000 or 79% and $437,000 or 83% below income of
$254,000 and $529,000 for the three months and six months ended October 31,
2009, respectively. The decline is primarily due to the decrease in available
cash for investing during fiscal 2011 that resulted from the payment for the SEC
Settlement in November 2009 and the special dividend of $3.00 per share in April
2010. The maturity of higher yielding fixed income investments during the prior
fiscal year also contributed to the decline. Capital losses, net of
capital gains, during the six months ended October 31, 2009 were
$126,000.
Effective
income tax rate
The
overall effective income tax rate, as a percentage of pre-tax ordinary income
for the six months ended October 31, 2010 and October 31, 2009 was 37.24% and
25.11%, respectively. The fluctuation in the income tax rate is attributable to
the non-deductible portion of the provision for the SEC Settlement included in
the prior year and the change in the non-taxable investment income, events that
do not have tax consequences.
The
overall effective income tax rate, as a percentage of pre-tax ordinary income
for the three months ended October 31, 2010 and October 31, 2009 was 40.96% and
33.60%, respectively. The fluctuation in the income tax rate is attributable to
the alternative minimum tax on the Company’s net operating loss carry-forward
and the change in the non-taxable investment income, events that do not have tax
consequences.
29
Liquidity
and Capital Resources
The
Company had working capital of $1,978,000 as of October 31, 2010 and $47,161,000
as of October 31, 2009. The change in working capital resulted
primarily from the payment of a special $3.00 per share dividend, approximately
$30 million, declared and paid to all shareholders during April 2010 and a $2.00
per share dividend, approximately $20 million, in lieu of the Company’s
regularly scheduled $.20 per share dividend, declared during October 2010 and
paid during November 2010. Cash and short-term securities were $42,185,000 as of
October 31, 2010 and $105,756,000 as of October 31, 2009. The change in cash and
short-term securities is primarily due to the settlement payment to the SEC of
approximately $43.7 million during November 2009 and the payment of the above
mentioned $30 million special dividend to the Company’s shareholders.
Shareholders’ equity of $2,859,000 at October 31, 2010 was 94% lower than
shareholders’ equity of $47,636,000 at October 31, 2009 primarily as a result of
the payments of the special $3.00 per share dividend during April 2010 and the
special $2.00 per share dividend declared in October 2010 and paid during
November 2010.
The
Company’s cash and cash equivalents include $7,704,000 at October 31, 2010 and
$60,575,000 at October 31, 2009 invested in the Value Line U.S. Government Money
Market Fund. The U.S. Government Money Market Fund operates under
Rule 2a-7 of the Investment Company Act of 1940. The Fund’s portfolio
includes U.S. government agency securities, U.S. Treasuries, certificates of
deposit, commercial paper, and repurchase agreements collateralized with U.S.
Treasuries in which the custodian physically takes possession of the
collateral.
Cash
from operating activities
The
Company’s cash inflow from operations of $4,458,000 for the six months ended
October 31, 2010 was $10,781,000 lower than cash inflow from operations of
$15,239,000 for the six months ended October 31, 2009. The prior
year’s cash inflow included $9,894,000 of proceeds from sales of fixed income
securities from the liquidation of the Company’s trading portfolio. Exclusive of
these proceeds, the cash from operations declined by $887,000 or 17% from the
prior year’s. The primary changes in cash flows other than the change in the
trading portfolio, resulted from the receipt of $1,598,000 in federal income tax
refunds, payments of $764,000 in settlement related expenses and the timing of
payments of accrued expenses to vendors during fiscal year 2011.
Cash
from investing activities
The
Company had cash outflows from investing activities of $10,185,000 for the six
months ended October 31, 2010 as compared to cash inflows from investing
activities of $7,783,000 for the six months ended October 31,
2009. Cash inflows in fiscal 2009 were higher as a result of the
maturity of fixed income securities during the first six months ended October
31, 2009, the proceeds of which were reinvested as cash and cash equivalents in
the Value Line U.S. Government Money Market Fund. A portion of these
proceeds accompanied with the additional cash from operations during the current
fiscal year were redeployed into fixed income government debt securities during
the first quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Cash
from financing activities
As a
result of the payment of five dividends during fiscal 2010, including a special
$3.00 per share dividend paid during April 2010, the Company had no cash outflow
for dividends during the first quarter of fiscal 2011 included in financing
activities. Dividends paid during the second quarter of fiscal 2011 of
$1,996,000 were included as cash outflow from financing activity. The Company
had cash outflow from financing activities of $4,990,000 for the six months
ended October 31, 2009, which represented a quarterly dividend of $.30 per
share
30
paid in
May 2009 for the dividend declared during the last quarter of fiscal 2009 and a
$.20 per share dividend paid during August 2009 for the dividend declared during
July 2009.
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 liquidity. Management does not
anticipate any borrowing in fiscal 2011.
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, 2010.
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 equity
price risk. 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 in short-term obligations maturing in six months to three
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.
31
Estimated
Fair Value after
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Hypothetical
Change in Interest Rates
|
||||||||||||||||||||
(in
thousands)
|
||||||||||||||||||||
(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 October 31, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$ | 32,958 | $ | 32,940 | $ | 32,955 | $ | 32,936 | $ | 32,941 | ||||||||||
As
of April 30, 2010
|
||||||||||||||||||||
Investments
in securities with fixed maturities
|
$ | 23,532 | $ | 23,468 | $ | 23,470 | $ | 23,463 | $ | 23,463 |
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.
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.
Value
Line invests from time to time its assets in equity securities. As of
October 31, 2010, equity securities consisted primarily of exchange traded funds
(ETF’s). Each ETF invests in a variety of positions that may include
equity and non-equity positions.
The
table below summarizes Value Line’s equity price risks as of October 31, 2010
and shows the effects of a hypothetical 30% increase and a 30% decrease in
market prices as of those dates. Value Line had no equity holdings as of April
30, 2010. The selected hypothetical changes do not reflect what could
be considered the best or worst case scenarios.
Estimated
|
|||||||||||||
Fair
Value after
|
Hypothetical
Percentage
|
||||||||||||
Equity
Securities
|
Hypothetical
|
Hypothetical
|
Increase
(Decrease) in
|
||||||||||
(in thousands)
|
Fair Value
|
Price Change
|
Change in Prices
|
Shareholders’ Equity
|
|||||||||
As
of October 31, 2010
|
$ | 514 |
30%
increase
|
$ | 669 | 3.5 | % | ||||||
30%
decrease
|
$ | 360 | (3.5 | )% |
Credit
Worthiness of Issuer
The
Company’s investments consist primarily of U.S. Treasury Bills and Notes, FDIC
insured commercial paper and U.S. Government Agency Bonds.
32
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 Acting Chief Executive Officer and Principal Financial
Officer, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding
disclosure.
|
The
Company’s management has evaluated, with the participation of the Company’s
Acting Chief Executive Officer and Principal 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 Acting Chief Executive Officer and Principal 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.
|
33
Part II –
OTHER INFORMATION
Item
1.
|
Legal
Proceedings
|
Refer to
Note 9 of the consolidated condensed financial statements for discussion of
legal proceedings and restructuring.
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,
2010.
Item
5.
|
Other
Information
|
Departure
of Directors or Principal Officers; Election of Directors; Appointment of
Principal Officers.
On December 9, 2010, Mitchell
Appel, president of ESI and EULAV as well as of each of the Value Line Funds,
resigned his positions as Chief Financial Officer and Director of Value Line,
Inc. in connection with the planned EULAV Transaction which is expected to close
on or before December 24, 2010.
On December 9, 2010, Thomas
Sarkany resigned his position as Secretary of Value Line, Inc. in connection
with the planned EULAV Transaction which is expected to close on or before
December 24, 2010.
Item
6.
|
Exhibits
|
31.1
Certificate of Acting Chief Executive Officer Required Under Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
31.2
Certificate of Principal Financial Officer Required Under Section 302 of the
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
32.1
Joint Acting Chief Executive Officer/Principal Financial Officer Certificate
Required Under Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
34
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: December
14, 2010
|
By:
|
s/Howard
A. Brecher
|
Howard A. Brecher
|
||
Acting Chief Executive Officer
|
||
(Principal Executive Officer)
|
||
Date: December
14, 2010
|
By:
|
s/Stephen
R. Anastasio
|
Stephen R. Anastasio
|
||
Treasurer
|
||
(Principal Financial
Officer)
|
35